KIEV: According to a statement released by the General Staff in Kiev on Friday, Russian forces have begun a significant offensive in the eastern Ukrainian province of Donetsk.

As per a statement, it reads "the enemy is undertaking an offensive operation in the direction of Bakhmut and Avdiivka in the Donetsk area." The push was aimed at positioning Russian forces for an assault on Soledar and Bakhmut and expanding Russian control to the west of the city of Donetsk, it added.

More than 500,000 people lived in the conurbations of the main cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk before the war, and Soledar and Bakhmut are a section of the defensive line to the east of those areas.

The area has been extensively defended by the Ukrainian side and is the last in the larger eastern Donbas region still under the hands of Ukrainian government forces.

In addition, the Russian assault near Bakhmut was unsuccessful, according to the General Staff's statement, and fighting was still going on at Avdiivka's approach points to the north of Donetsk city.

Although it could not be independently verified, it was consistent with past reports of heightened combat in the area after a short break.

Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, had earlier stated that numerous Ukrainian units had left their positions in the vicinity of Soledar, Avdiivka, and Bakhmut owing to significant losses.

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