LUGANSK, December 26. /TASS/. Ukraine’s army is running out of weapons supplied by NATO nations as well as its stockpiles of Soviet-manufactured arms, Apty Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special force and deputy commander of the 2nd army corps of the People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), said on Monday.
"[The Ukrainian army] has run out of not only supplied weapons but also of a lot of weapons of Soviet make that were in Ukraine," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
According to Alaudinov, Russian forces are closing in on the city of Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine) in the Donetsk People’s Republic. He stressed that Russian forces are trying to avoid casualties among civilians and that is why their progress in this direction has slowed down.
He said that Ukraine’s losses since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation have amounted to around 200,000 troops. "Is there any sense in these casualties for us? I don’t think so. That is why we will be moving forward carefully but steadily," he stressed, adding that Ukraine will not be able to "counterattack in the coming year."
He said on Friday that Ukraine’s authorities were preparing to surrender Artyomovsk, the hottest spot along the entire frontline.