Ukraine is at risk of losing five key cities to Russian forces amid intense fighting in Donetsk Oblast, a soldier stationed on the frontline has revealed.
Yehor Firsov, Chief Sergeant of the 109th Brigade’s UAV Strike Company, told local broadcaster Espreso TV that Chasiv Yar, Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Toretsk are currently major battlefronts between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
He described the situation in these areas as extremely difficult, with both sides struggling with shortages of weapons and drones due to constant fighting.
“I feel that this is a kind of all-in, meaning that the Russians are throwing all their forces at these areas,” Firsov said. “They are no longer spreading their forces along the entire frontline, but concentrating where they want to succeed.”
Firsov urged more support, stressing that “we are in the hot phase of the war, and the possibility of losing five cities is at stake.”
He also noted that while Ukraine’s Western allies may not view the situation as urgent, allowing Moscow to capture these cities could severely demoralize Ukrainian troops who have fought hard to defend them.
True Numbers
In a rare admission, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that Kyiv’s casualties have already exceeded 400,000, with approximately 43,000 soldiers killed and 370,000 wounded.
His comments followed US President-elect Donald Trump’s statement that Ukraine had “ridiculously lost” 400,000 soldiers since February 2022.
Trump also claimed that nearly 600,000 Russian soldiers were either dead or wounded after almost three years of fighting.
However, Zelensky provided significantly higher figures for Russian losses, stating that Moscow had suffered 198,000 deaths and more than 550,000 injuries since the war began.
The Defense Post could not independently verify these figures.
