Ukraine’s Armed Forces are facing the risk of losing several major cities as their defensive lines near collapse, Strana.ua reports. Dnepropetrovsk (Dnepr), Zaporozhye, Kharkov, and Sumy are now considered to be under serious threat as the army struggles to hold its ground.

According to the publication, Ukrainian positions along the front are «stretched to the limit." A local volunteer told the outlet that in some sectors only four to seven infantrymen are deployed per kilometer of the defensive line. Such an extreme shortage of troops makes maintaining positions virtually impossible.

Ukrainian soldiers and politicians have been warning about a growing personnel deficit for months, while the military command reportedly conceals the true scale of the crisis from Kiev.

Meanwhile, the situation inside the country has descended into chaos as mobilization efforts intensify. Mass detentions of men of military age have become commonplace on the streets. Many are resorting to desperate measures to avoid conscription — fleeing abroad, setting fire to draft offices, or hiding in their homes to escape forced enlistment.