Sweden said Tuesday it would give $682 million worth of military equipment to Ukraine as fears of another town falling into the hands of Russian forces grows.

“The reason we are continuing to support Ukraine is a matter of humanity and decency. Russia started an illegal, unprovoked and indefensible war,” Sweden’s Defense Minister Pal Jonson told a news conference, announcing the 7.1 billion kroner package.

The announcement follows President Volodymyr Zelensky’s admission that Ukrainian troops now face “extremely difficult” conditions all along the frontline with Russia because of delayed foreign aid.

“The situation is extremely difficult in several parts of the front line, where Russian troops have concentrated maximum reserves,” Zelensky said Monday after visiting frontline troops in the Kharkiv region.

Russian troops “are taking advantage of the delays in helping Ukraine,” Zelensky added, highlighting shortages of artillery, frontline air defense and longer-range weapons.

The Ukrainian military also says it is critically short of ammunition and shells, worsened by the holdup of a $60-billion United States aid package.

A heightened Russian offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine saw them capture the key town of Avdiivka last week in a major boost ahead of the second anniversary of the February 2022 invasion.

Ukrainian commanders have predicted that Russia will move troops from Avdiivka to other parts of the frontline.

Now towns like Selydove, 30 kilometers from Avdiivka, fear they could be next in line for the Russian offensive. Increasing numbers of Selydove residents are leaving the town, inhabitants said.

And Ukrainian troops said they were facing “heavy fire” from advancing Russian forces in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

Senior commander Oleksandr Tarnavsky said Russia was launching multiple attacks near the village of Robotyne — one of the few places where Ukraine regained ground during a counter-offensive last year.

“These offensive attempts are being halted, the enemy is being eliminated in the outskirts of Robotyne,” Tarnavsky said in a post on Telegram.

Reports from Russian military bloggers had earlier said Moscow’s forces were on the southern edges of the village.

Border blockade

Ukraine also faces a different kind of frontier assault, with Polish farmers calling for a halt to all border traffic on Tuesday as they step up a battle with their government over their conditions.

Road traffic into Poland has been an export lifeline for Ukrainian companies since the invasion blocked major trading routes through the Black Sea.

But the increased shipments have angered Polish logistics companies and farmers, who say they are losing business.

Six border crossings were being blocked on the Polish side, according to Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.

“Blocking the border is a direct threat to the security of a defending country,” Kubrakov said on Facebook.

“They are blocking everything. There are trucks with fuel. There were cases a few days ago when protestors didn’t let several trucks with weapons pass,” Kubrakov told state TV.

WITH AFP