As Ukrainian units press their offensive into parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russian forces are trying to gain ground elsewhere, according to the Ukrainian military. The army’s General Staff, in its latest bulletin, said Ukrainian units successfully repelled Russian attacks around the city of Bakhmut, while Russian artillery and airstrikes continued to pound settlements near the front lines of Donetsk. “During the day, the enemy carried out two missile attacks, eight airstrikes and carried out 13 strikes by rocket artillery systems,” according to the military. There was also Russian mortar and tank fire in the Zaporizhzhia region, the General Staff said. Claims of looting: The military claimed that in the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, there was widespread looting by retreating Russian forces. The General Staff said that on the Starobilsk-Luhansk highway, in the direction of Luhansk, “about 300 civilian cars, mostly with state plates of the Kharkiv region – most of them in trailers carrying Russian military personnel” were spotted. He claimed that in the south, around the town of Polohy, Russian troops were also stealing private cars. And in Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, the Russians “began to massively remove furniture and household appliances from temporarily abandoned settlements.” CNN is unable to confirm the military’s claims, but there is widespread evidence of looting in Kharkiv and other previously Russian-held areas. Allegations of military shortages: The General Staff also claimed that the Russian military was graduating cadets from some Defense Ministry schools, such as the Black Sea Higher Naval Academy, to cover shortages of junior officers. “The shortage of regular-level commanders is due to the refusal of reserve officers to sign contracts amid recent events. The level of morale and psychological condition of enemy personnel continues to decline,” the General Staff asserted. “A significant number of military personnel do not return to military units after their vacation ends.”
