"A dozen Russian airstrikes have hit the gas station where 45-year-old Lilia works as the sole employee, on the road leading from the Dnipropetrovsk region to the contested and strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk (Donetsk). The impacts have transformed the service station into a scene straight out of a movie, with one of the pumps charred, shrapnel holes everywhere, and the metal overhang crumpled like an accordion."
"It's surprising that businesses like this manage to stay open so late on a road used by few others than soldiers. As soon as we run out of fuel, we'll close, Lilia explains. The station is 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) from Russian positions. With an estimated deployment of some 11,000 troops according to the Ukrainian army's own calculations the invading soldiers are putting local troops, who are barely managing to maintain control of Pokrovsk, under immense pressure."
"In addition to infiltrating the urban area in small groups, they are attempting to encircle the entire region. The most critical situation is now along the Pokrovsk axis. As in previous weeks, this is where the fighting is most intense and where Russian forces are most concentrated, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Wednesday night. Zelenskiy acknowledged on Monday that the ratio of Russian soldiers to Ukrainian troops is eight: the numerical inferiority of the defending army is clear."
A dozen Russian airstrikes struck a gas station on the road from Dnipropetrovsk to Pokrovsk, leaving pumps charred, shrapnel holes, and a crumpled metal overhang. The sole attendant, 45-year-old Lilia, continues serving customers briefly from behind a small wooden door and plans to close when fuel runs out. The station sits about 30 kilometers from Russian positions. Ukrainian calculations estimate some 11,000 invading troops are deployed, with Russian forces infiltrating urban areas in small groups and attempting to encircle the region. The Pokrovsk axis is the most critical front, with intense fighting, an eight-to-one Russian numerical advantage, up to 55 enemy attacks reported, and Ukrainian commanders warning of complicated urban clashes.
Read at english.elpais.com
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