Ukraine prepares to repel further Russian attacks

Ukrainian troops carrying out exercises this weekend near Seversk, a small town in the east of the country, said they were preparing to defend one of the possible targets of a new Russian offensive.Seversk, with a pre-war population of 10,000, is 35 kilometers (21 miles) north of Bakhmut, where heavy fighting has raged in recent weeks, and on a direct route to another key town from the Donetsk region, Slavyansk.“If they take Bakhmut, then we will be in a semi-encirclement, because on the left we have the Siversky Donets river, and the enemy will advance on the right, and we can be cut off if they reach the Bakhmut highway,” said said the deputy commander of the Seversk battalion.Ukrainian troops have asked Kiev’s Western allies to provide more advanced weaponry to defend Bakhmut, which is under attack by Russian private military company Wagner .One of the servicemen defending Seversk said the artillery they have in service is mostly Soviet-style and inferior to Russian systems in terms of firepower.”We can carry out an artillery attack from our side, and (an attack from) the Russians can be five times more,” he said.Capturing Bakhmut will give Russian troops the opportunity to move further west – to Kramatorsk and Slaviansk.At the same time, Ukraine and its Western allies stress that success there will largely be a Pyrrhic victory for Moscow, given the time and casualties incurred.