Ukraine reports heavy fighting in the east

Russian troops have increased the pressure on Ukrainian defensive positions during heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian commandor of the region said on Saturday.

The battles are centred on the area west of Bakhmut, Serhiy Sidorin told Ukrainian television.

"The enemy is taking heavy losses, but is constantly replenishing its ranks with new reserves," he said. The aim of the Russian attacks is to push through to Chasiv Yar.

"There is fighting during the day, but also at night," Sidorin said.

For their part, the Ukrainian armed forces were trying to break the Russian offensive momentum with counterattacks, but have been pushed back to the village of Ivanivske.

"The enemy is currently trying to storm the town, both frontally and from the flanks," said Sidorin, describing the situation. The information could not initially be independently verified.

Meanwhile, officials in Moscow and in southern Russia said Saturday that air defences shot down dozens of Ukrainian drones that targeted locations in southern Russia overnight.

The effects of one attack on the city of Taganrog on the Sea of Azov were still being assessed, the governor of the Rostov region, Vasily Golubev, wrote on Telegram.

A civil defence worker involved in clearing the aftermath was hospitalized with injuries, but his life was not in danger, Golubev added.

According to the Defence Ministry in Moscow, 47 drones of the "Ukrainian regime" were shot down in four Russian regions.

Ukraine also reported that it destroyed 12 of 15 Russian drones attacking its territory at the same time. The information of both sides could not be independently verified.

According to the Russian reports, the Rostov region near the Ukrainian border was most heavily affected, with 41 attacks registered there alone. Several drones were also destroyed approaching the town of Morozovsk, around 230 kilometres from the regional capital Rostov-on-Don.

Independent media reported that Ukrainian drones also targeted a Russian military aircraft factory in the region. There was initially no information about damage there.

In the Kursk region, the governor reported that debris from a downed Ukrainian drone hit a hospital roof but did not cause any casualties.

Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russia with drones since Moscow's forces launched a full-scale invasion two years ago.

Kiev's aim is to destroy military targets that support the Russian offensive operations. However, the damage and casualties caused are significantly less than the effects of Russian attacks in Ukraine.

On the diplomatic front, members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) are to meet again this month at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss support for Kiev's war effort against Russian forces.

At the invitation of U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the group is to convene on March 19, the giant U.S. base near the southwestern town of Kaiserslautern, the base announced on Saturday.

Also known as the Ramstein Group, the alliance of 56 countries coordinates arms deliveries to Ukraine, which is reliant on Western support to repel Russian forces that invaded in February 2022.

The defence ministers and top military officials are also expected to discuss other shared security concerns at the group's meeting.

The UDCG comprises all 32 member states of NATO, including Sweden following its accession on March 7, and 24 other countries opposed to the Russian invasion. Its last meeting was held via video conference on February 14.