Ukraine's Zelenskyy admits challenging situation on battlefield

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted on Wednesday that the situation on the battlefield is difficult, particularly in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.

"It is premature to draw definitive conclusions, but we have the situation under control," Zelenskyy said on Telegram, noting that Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi is directly overseeing combat operations, actively engaging with brigades on frontline positions.

Zelenskyy confirmed reports of troop movements from the city of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region to the city of Kharkiv, saying: "We have reinforced the directions, including the Kharkiv ones."

Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy's cancelled planned trips to Portugal and Spain due to the challenging frontline conditions.

Meanwhile, the Russian state news agency TASS claimed a group of Ukrainian troops was encircled near Chasiv Yar, with Russian forces securing the perimeter using artillery and other long-range weapons to prevent Ukrainian military from leaving the area.

In a separate statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine intensified strikes using US-made ATACMS missiles, and 10 of them were intercepted overnight.

"Air defense systems successfully intercepted ten ATACMS tactical missiles over the Crimean Peninsula," the statement said.

Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 2022.