re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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Ukraine Army Commander Says Situation 'Worsened'

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Outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces struggle to hold Russians from breaking through on the frontline in the eastern Donbas region.

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Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky / AFP

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The commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces said Sunday Kyiv's position on the frontline had deteriorated and that Russia had made a number of recent battlefield gains.

Russia's troops have gone back on the offensive this year, capitalizing on an advantage in manpower and arms to press forward, particularly in the eastern Donetsk region.

"The situation at the front has worsened," Oleksandr Syrsky said in a Facebook post Sunday.

He said Ukrainian troops had "retreated" to new defensive lines further to the west in some areas, conceding the loss of territory to the advancing Russians.

"The enemy has concentrated its main efforts in several sectors, creating a significant advantage in forces and means," he said.

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Russia had secured "tactical successes in some sectors," he admitted.

Russia's defense ministry earlier on Sunday claimed its troops had captured the village of Novobakhmutivka in the eastern Donetsk region -- around 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of Avdiivka, which it captured in February.

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Kyiv's forces are outnumbered across the battlefield, with the country struggling to recruit enough soldiers to replace those who have been killed, wounded or exhausted by the war, now in its third year.

Ukraine is also awaiting the arrival of billions of dollars in US weapons it hopes will end months of ammunition shortages and allow it to stabilize the front lines.

But leaders in Kyiv have warned the military outlook could worsen before then.

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