happening in ukraine
Zelensky says 'deterioration of the weather' linked to fewer attacks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared during his nightly address that close to 400 shelling incidents were recorded in eastern Ukraine on Sunday. This number is "unfortunately, extremely high," he added, but would have been worse if not for the "deterioration of the weather."
The winter weather is forcing both Ukraine and Russia to reconfigure their tactics and plans. Last week, Zelensky described the fighting in the Donetsk region as "hell," and on Sunday said "the fiercest battles" are still happening there. In the Luhansk region, "we are moving forward little by little with battles," Zelensky continued, adding that in the southern part of Ukraine "we are holding the line, consistently and very calculatedly destroying the potential of the occupiers."
Russian forces withdrew from the southern port city of Kherson earlier in November, and Britain's defense intelligence agency said on Friday some of those troops will likely be moved to the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk. That's where the Wagner Group, a private Russian military force, is on the offensive. The agency also said Russian troops are digging new trenches near the Siversky Donets River between Donetsk and Luhansk, indicating they are preparing "in case of further major Ukrainian breakthroughs."