Russia gains as Ukraine awaits US aid

What happened

Russian troops have gained ground in eastern Ukraine, prompting Ukrainian forces to pull back from defensive lines west of Avdiivka, Ukrainian military chief Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said Sunday. Russia is scrambling to take advantage of its "superiority in manpower and artillery before Ukrainian forces get much-needed supplies of new U.S. weapons" approved last week, the BBC said.

Who said what

"The situation at the front has worsened," Syrskyi said on Telegram. Russian forces continue to attack "along the entire front line," but especially "west of Avdiivka and Marinka," forcing a retreat to preserve the "life and health of our defenders." U.S. artillery, air defenses and armored vehicles on their way to the battlefield should help Ukraine cope with Russian attacks "on the front lines or in the skies," a U.S. defense official said to The Washington Post. "But time is precious."

The commentary

U.S. officials predict the new weapons "will buy time for Kyiv to replenish its military ranks and strengthen battlefield defenses" before "an expected Russian offensive," the Post said, but most say Ukraine has "no clear military course to regaining the 20%" of its territory Russia seized. "The good news," one U.S. official said, "is that Russia, years in this war, has not found a way to substantially take advantage of Ukrainian weaknesses." 

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What next?

Russia "will likely continue to make tactical gains" in the coming weeks, but is unlikely to make "operationally significant" inroads "in the near term," the Institute for the Study of War said.