Ukraine mounting coordinated assaults in Donbas, says Russian official

Ukrainian forces have mounted coordinated assaults on several villages in the eastern Donetsk region and are heavily shelling the city of Bakhmut, a Russian official in the region said Friday.

"Over the past 24 hours in the Krasnolimansk direction, the enemy took a number of actions and conducted combat reconnaissance in several directions at once," Denis Pushilin said on social media.

He listed several villages in the north of Donetsk near the city of Lyman, which is under Ukrainian control, and claimed the assaults were suppressed by Russian forces. He said the town of Bakhmut was “under chaotic shelling".

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 The Russian armed forces have pushed back the Ukrainian units to the initial positions after their attempt to advance in the Krasny Liman area, Acting Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin said.

"In the Krasny Liman area, the enemy carried out a number of actions, conducted reconnaissance by combat in several settlements at the same time: Torskoye, Nevskoye, Ternoye, Novoogorovka. The artillery fire partly suppressed the enemy, partly pushed it back to the initial positions," Pushilin said.

He pointed out that the army aviation was used to suppress the activity of the Ukrainian units on this part of the line of engagement.