14 mercenaries killed, 8 injured in Russian strike: Source
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Russian forces made headway near the city of Avdiivka, capturing two villages and widening a narrow corridor around the rural area of Ocheretyne.
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A hotel in Mykolaiv reportedly housing foreign fighters hired by Ukraine that was targeted by Russian forces. (Social media)
Strikes launched by Russian forces on Sunday at hotels in Mykolaiv (Nikolaev), known for housing foreign fighters hired by Ukraine, left 14 mercenaries dead and another eight injured, Sputnik reported citing a source on the ground.
According to Sergei Lebedev, "The eight injured were hospitalized … They are being accommodated separately from others. Two are in a serious condition and six have been stabilized."
Lebedev pointed out that the Riviera and Helen hotels, housing English-speaking foreigners, are being guarded by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Russian forces have also been reporting American and Canadian citizens arriving in the Black Sea coast city, Sputnik noted.
The source revealed that foreign instructors had been training Ukrainian marines at a local shipyard to conduct naval sabotage operations.
About a hundred Ukrainian paramilitary fighters from the Azov battalion have recently arrived at the shipyard, which is also used to assemble underwater drones, he highlighted.
Read more: French mercenaries active in Ukraine war: Ex-Intel Officer
Russian troops capture DPR village of Novobakhmutivka
In a related context, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed Sunday that Russian forces took control of the village of Novobakhmutivka in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in the past 24 hours, eliminating up to 380 Ukrainian servicepeople and one tank in the area.
In a statement, the Ministry mentioned that the Central grouping of the Russian forces "defeated units of the 142nd infantry, 24th mechanized and 68th ranger brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces in the areas of [the villages of] Pivdenne, Keramik and Semenivka in the Donetsk People's Republic."
The Guardian also reported that Russian forces have recently achieved battlefield gains and are striving to penetrate Ukrainian defensive positions before the arrival of a US military aid package at the frontline.
According to the news website, Russian forces on Sunday made headway near the city of Avdiivka, capturing two villages and widening a narrow corridor around the rural area of Ocheretyne, which they entered a week earlier.
"Right now things are not critical or catastrophic. But it’s very difficult," one senior Ukrainian security official affirmed on Sunday.
The official noted that it would require "one to two months" before the $61 billion worth of US military aid reached frontline troops, enabling them to effectively respond to Russian attacks. However, some officials mentioned that certain weapons, such as 155mm artillery ammunition, might arrive sooner.
On April 26, the Associated Press reported, citing two US officials, that Ukraine has pulled back the US-supplied Abrams M1A1 after the long-awaited battle tanks have been losing the battle against Russian drones on the frontline. The Russian Ministry of Defense has recently confirmed that at least five Abrams tanks have been destroyed.
Last year, Washington agreed in January to send Ukraine 31 Abrams tanks, costing $10 million each, claiming that this would change the situation on the battlefield as Ukraine was preparing for the spring counteroffensive.
However, with Russia's improved use of drones and its introduction of more advanced ones, it became difficult for the Ukrainian armed forces to protect the battle tanks from their attacks.
Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrsky, acknowledged on Sunday that Kiev's battlefield position has worsened after Russian forces captured another village in the east.
In a post on Facebook, Syrsky stated that "the situation at the front has worsened," while also recognizing that Russia possesses "a significant advantage in forces and means," allowing them to make advances amid "heavy fighting".
This comes as the US Senate approved last week a $95 billion bill, with around $61 billion allocated for Ukraine-related funding. But Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte acknowledged that the US military aid package could potentially be the last.
Read more: Elite Ukrainian brigade disappeared during Ocheretyne battle: Forbes
