Fierce Ukrainian resistance moves further away from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goal of showcasing a victory in the eastern Donbass region in his state of the nation address scheduled for Tuesday, in which he will assess the course of the war after a year of fighting in the neighboring country.
“Everyone is waiting to hear an assessment of current events, the special military operation, the international situation and the president’s opinion on how we are managing all this and how we will develop” as a country, the Kremlin spokesman said. weekend, Dmitry Peskov.
The president’s speech before both chambers of Parliament, the first in almost two years, will coincide with the date a year ago when Putin recognized the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk, a prelude to the military campaign that would have ordered the start of three days later”. to liberate the Donbas”.
Russian forces control about 90% of Lugansk and less than half of Donetsk, but Russia still annexed these two regions last September along with Zaporizhia and Kherson to the south, where it doesn’t even control all of the territory.
Bajmut, a difficult target
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian troops had been ordered to take at least the Bakhmut stronghold in Donetsk province ahead of Putin’s speech.
The mercenaries of the Wagner Group, supported by regular Russian forces, advance on this front but only a few meters a day.
Wagner’s boss Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted days ago that Bakhmut could be captured no earlier than March or April.
The interim leader imposed by Russia in the Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, assured days ago that Russian troops have improved their positions near Bakhmut, even if recognized that moving forward is very difficult against the Ukrainian resistance.
On Sunday, the mayor of Shakhtarsk, Alexandr Shatov, told the official TASS news agency that Russian forces had evacuated citizens from the suburbs of Bakhmut that are under their control, which shows the fierce battle that rages around this city.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk confirmed on Friday that there is fighting in the city and artillery is hitting residential neighborhoods, then urged the 6,000 civilians who still remain in Bakhmut (up from 70,000 before the war) to leave immediately.
The immediate objective of Wagner’s mercenaries is to block the road to Chasiv Yar e thereby cutting off the supply to the Kiev troopswhich would bring them closer to the goal of creating a fence around the city, seen as a springboard to reach the Ukrainian strongholds of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
The same Ukrainian resistance is found by Russian forces in Vuhledar and Marrinka, near the city of Donetsk, the regional capital of the same name conquered by Russia in 2014.
Ukraine’s plan for the future
Despite advice from some Western countries that it would be best to abandon Bakhmut’s defense, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky insists he will never voluntarily leave the fortress, because if forces are withdrawn from there, Donetsk could collapse like a house of cards.
The president also stressed this Saturday that the defense of the province is essential for “what we are preparing for the near future”.
Western analysts I think Ukraine is preparing a new offensive by late spring or summer, by which time it will have already received most of the heavy weaponry promised by the West: armored vehicles, tanks and some long-range missiles.
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu told the newspaper the Parisians that his country will begin shipping AMX-10 light tanks to Ukraine late next week. Almost two weeks ago, the first Leopard 2 tank of the four donated by Canada to Ukraine.
The fighting intensifies
On the front in the neighboring province of Lugansk, the situation is as complicated as in Donetsk.
According to the interim leader appointed by the Kremlin, Leonid Pasechnik, “in Kreminna and Svatove there is a very difficult situation due to the proximity of the line of contact and the fact that all types of ammunition (of the Armed Forces of Ukraine) can reach us.” .
The legitimate governor of Lugansk, Serhiy Gaidai, said for his part that “in the direction of Kreminna, the Russians are trying to break through our defenses.”
He also stressed that Kremlin forces “are preparing to step up the offensive”.
“The accumulation of equipment is great and the number of soldiers is increasing,” he warned.
Source: EFE
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.