Kyiv’s forces ‘face concerted Russian push in eastern Ukraine’

Emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

The situation on the front line in eastern Ukraine is worsening but local defenders are so far holding firm against a concerted push by Russia’s bigger and better-equipped forces, a senior Ukrainian military official has said.

Russia has amassed troops in the Donetsk region in an effort to punch through the Ukrainian defensive line, according to Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesperson for Ukrainian strategic command in the east of the country.