Ukraine said its forces are fending off Russian infantry units that pierced their defensive positions in the eastern Donetsk region.
On Tuesday, Kyiv’s military acknowledged that a small group of Russian troops bypassed Ukrainian positions near Dobropillia but rejected reports of a breakthrough.
Volodymyr Zelensky said small groups of Russian soldiers, each of 20-30 Russian troops, had advanced about six miles behind the frontlines. One of those groups had been killed or captured, and the others would be hunted down, he said.
Ukraine’s president also said in his overnight address that Kyiv would reject any Russian proposal to give up the Donbas region in exchange for a ceasefire, warning it could be used by Russia as a springboard for future attacks.
The move would require Mr Zelensky to order troops to withdraw from 9,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, handing Moscow a victory that its army couldn’t achieve militarily for more than a decade.
