Russia Reinforces Luhansk Frontline as Ukraine Sets Sights on Donbas—MOD

Russia seems to be reinforcing a portion of its front line as Ukraine edges closer to recapturing a key city in the Donbas, Britain's Ministry of Defence (MOD) said on Wednesday.

In recent days, Russian forces in Luhansk have likely reinforced positions in the strategically important Russian-controlled city of Kreminna in the eastern Luhansk region, the U.K. ministry said in its daily intelligence update on the war in Ukraine.

Russian and Ukrainian forces have clashed recently around the small city, which is located near to Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk—two larger, industrial cities that were seized by Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops in the summer.

Britain's defense ministry said Russia is facing continued pressure from Ukrainian operations in Kreminna, which has been relatively vulnerable since Ukrainian forces advanced through the town of Lyman, to the west, in October.

"Russia has constructed extensive new defences in the area and will likely prioritise holding the line here," the MOD said.

The report notes that the area is logistically important for Russia's Donbas front and it is also a significant town in Luhansk Oblast.

"The Kremlin claims that the 'liberation' of this area is a core justification for the war," the ministry said.

Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region, said Wednesday on his Telegram page that Russian nationals are fleeing Kreminna.

"Military commanders have really moved to other settlements nearby," the governor said.

"All Russians who came here to work—civilians, medics, or some kind of repair crews—have already cut their work short and returned to the Russian Federation. Work that had been started is now frozen."

He added that once Ukraine liberates Kreminna, "the turn of other towns in Luhansk will come, because they've been ruined to such an extent that they are indefensible."

The governor previously said that Russian forces have built up reinforcements in the region as they fear losing Kreminna.

"The Russians understand that if they lose Kreminna, their entire line of defense will fall," Haidai wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday. "The Russian occupation troops managed to build a very powerful defense in a month, even a little more. They are bringing there a huge amount of reserves and equipment. They are constantly renewing their forces."

Recapturing the city would allow Ukraine to control key roads leading to Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Monday that the situation in Kreminna and other areas in Ukraine's east is "difficult, acute."

"The occupiers are using all the resources available to them—and these are significant resources—to squeeze out at least some advance," he said.

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment.

Update 12/28/22, 10:43 a.m. ET: This article was updated with an amended headline.

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