The Ukrainian military is preparing for a possible fresh attack by Russian ground troops from Belarus in the direction of the capital Kiev.
For this purpose, defensive positions in the north of the country have already been prepared or reinforced, Lieutenant General Oleksiy Pavlyuk, who is responsible for Kiev's defence, said on Tuesday.
In order to prevent rapid advances by Russian units, larger minefields have been laid at all points accessible to tanks. If the attackers could not overcome these barriers, it would be easier for the Ukrainian artillery to smash the troop concentrations, he said.
Right at the beginning of the Russian war in February last year, Ukrainian forces beat off an advance of Russian troops out of Belarus heading towards Kiev. A Russian tank and vehicle column many kilometres long was decimated in the dense forests north of Kiev and forced to retreat.
The Ukrainian leadership fears another attack by the Russian army, which has been deploying stronger units along the border with Ukraine in Belarus for several weeks.
Meanwhile, Russian troops on Tuesday continued their assault on the town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, according to Kiev.
"Heavy fighting to defend Soledar continues," Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar announced on Telegram. "Regardless of its losses, the enemy continues to attack."
The forefield of the Ukrainian defence lines is "littered with the corpses of the attackers," she added.
Earlier, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported that Russian troops and those from the private Wagner group "have made tactical advances into .. Soledar," which lies just 10 kilometres outside the heavily contested town of Bakhmut.
They "are likely in control of most of the settlement," the MoD said, citing intelligence information.
Their strategy is "highly likely an effort to envelop Bakhmut from the north, and to disrupt Ukrainian lines of communication," the MoD said.
The fighting was focused on disused salt mine tunnels that run under the area and are about 200 kilometres long in total, it said.
"Both sides are likely concerned that they could be used for infiltration behind their lines."
On Monday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the situation in Soledar very tense, following reports of sustained Russian attacks.
Soledar and Bakhmut are part of the Ukrainian defence line in front of the Sloviansk and Kramatorsk urban area.
From the Russian point of view, seizing this area would be a significant step towards overpowering the whole Donbass region, which is one of the Kremlin's stated aims in the war.
Meanwhile, Germany promised Ukraine additional support totalling €40 million ($43 million) for mine clearance operations and expanding internet connectivity.
"We will stand by your side as long as you need us. We will give everything so that the children in Kharkiv, Mariupol, in Kiev can believe in a good future again," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock promised at the end of a four-and-a-half-hour visit to the war-torn eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv near the Russian border.
Liberated areas must be demined, she said, "so that even if the playground is half destroyed, children do not have to fear that mines will destroy them."
The US wants to train Ukrainian soldiers on the Bradley infantry fighting vehicles at the military training area in Grafenwöhr, in the German state of Bavaria, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder confirmed on Tuesday.
The US had announced last week that it would provide 50 Bradleys as part of the latest arms deliveries to Ukraine. The tanks are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks, Ryder said.
According to the US military, the tracked armoured vehicles are normally equipped with a cannon, a machine gun and armour-piercing missiles.
With the Bradleys, the US also plans to deliver 500 anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of 25-millimetre ammunition. With these, Ukraine can do more against Russian battle tanks and other armoured vehicles, the Pentagon spokesperson said.
