Ukraine faces attacks in east as Russia is forced to merge military units

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Russia has been forced to merge and redeploy depleted and disparate military units from failed advances in north-eastern Ukraine, the British military said on Saturday.

Russian forces attacked the eastern Donbas region on Saturday but have failed to capture three target areas, Ukraine's military said.

Artillery units struck 389 Ukrainian targets overnight, Russia said.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the operation was “proceeding strictly according to plan”, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

But analysis from the UK's Ministry of Defence has shown that the Russian military is struggling to secure quick wins on the battlefield.

“Russia hopes to rectify issues that have previously constrained its invasion by geographically concentrating combat power, shortening supply lines and simplifying command and control,” the ministry said.

“Russia still faces considerable challenges. It has been forced to merge and redeploy depleted and disparate units from the failed advances in north-east Ukraine.

"Many of these units are likely suffering from weakened morale.

“Shortcomings in Russian tactical co-ordination remain. A lack of unit-level skills and inconsistent air support have left Russia unable to fully leverage its combat mass, despite localised improvements.”

Russia is trying to capture Lyman in Donetsk and Sievierodonetsk and Popasna in Luhansk, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in a daily update.

“Not succeeding — the fighting continues,” it said.

After failing to capture the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in a nine-week attack that has turned cities to rubble, killed thousands and forced five million Ukrainians to flee abroad, Russia is now focusing on eastern and southern areas.

Moscow hopes to take full control of Donbas, made up of Luhansk and Donetsk, parts of which were already controlled by Russian-backed separatists before the invasion.

Sergiy Gaiday, Governor of Luhansk, told Ukrainian public television that Russian forces had shelled areas across the region “but they cannot get through our defence”.

He said civilians would continue to be taken to safety despite the difficult situation.

Russia's military failures have surprised analysts and officials. There have been reports of unsecured communications equipment being used, poor logistics, weapons problems and heavy equipment losses affecting supplies.

The Pentagon has made reference to overstretched Russian forces struggling to maintain a command and control structure, and using unclassified lines that are vulnerable to interception by Ukrainian forces and radio amateurs.

The loss of the warship Moskva has also damaged Russia’s naval supply options, although both sides say Ukraine has been hit by cruise missiles launched from submarines in the Black Sea.