The Donbass remains a theater of war: bitter fighting is going on in Bakhmut and other cities. Ukraine’s defense is apparently under massive pressure, and according to President Zelenskyy, the military situation is becoming “increasingly difficult”.
In the east of Ukraine, the military situation for the Ukrainian army is apparently becoming increasingly difficult. Russian forces would “mobilize their forces to break through our defenses,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday. The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, wrote in the online service Telegram of “bitter” fighting “for every house”. Meanwhile, Canada shipped its first Leopard 2 tank to Ukraine.
The military situation is becoming “more and more difficult,” said President Zelenskyj on Saturday in his daily video address, with a view to the fiercely contested cities of Bakhmut, Wuhledar, Lyman and other regions. He has repeatedly pointed out the possibility of such a development since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression almost a year ago, and now Ukraine is “at such a point again”.
Ukrainian soldiers are threatened with encirclement
The British Ministry of Defense also confirmed the difficulties faced by the Ukrainian army. “In the past week, Russia has made further small progress in its attempt to encircle the Donbass city of Bakhmut,” the ministry said in London on Sunday. The city is “increasingly isolated”.
According to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar, Kyiv has managed to repel a Russian attack on Bakhmut. Despite “all the efforts of the Russian occupying forces to break through our defenses and encircle Bakhmut,” they “didn’t succeed,” she said on Saturday. Ukrainian regional authorities said at least four civilians were killed in fighting over the weekend.
In his current video, Zelenskyy also mentioned the recent exchange of prisoners between Kyiv and Moscow. In the course of this, 116 prisoners were returned to the government in Kyiv on Saturday, and 63 prisoners were returned to Russia. According to Ukrainian authorities, the bodies of two British civilians who had helped evacuate the embattled eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar were also handed over.
Leopard tanks heading to Ukraine
Meanwhile, Canada said the first of the four Leopard 2 tanks promised by Ottawa is now on its way to Ukraine. A Canadian Air Force aircraft “taken off from Halifax with the first Leopard 2 main battle tank we are supplying to Ukraine,” Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand tweeted on Saturday. Earlier on the same day, Portugal also agreed to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 main battle tanks in the coming months.
On January 25, after much hesitation, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced the delivery of 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Germany’s approval then paved the way for other countries to commit to supplying battle tanks. However, Scholz has so far ruled out the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine requested by Kyiv.
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Leopard 2, Challenger, Abrams and Co.: data, facts and functions of various weapon systems
According to the Chancellor, there is also an agreement with President Selenskyj that weapons delivered to Kyiv from the West may only be used on Ukrainian territory and not on Russian territory. “There is a consensus on that,” said Scholz of “Bild am Sonntag”. When asked about Kyiv’s desire to join the European Union quickly, the Chancellor said: “The conditions for joining are the same for everyone.”
EU Vice President Katarina Barley (SPD) had previously dampened corresponding expectations. The country still has “a long way to go” before it can join the EU, Barley said on Friday in the ARD “Tagesthemen”. Ukraine has officially been a candidate for EU membership since last year and is calling for rapid accession, if possible within the next two years.
Kiev’s application for EU membership was also a topic at a summit with EU leaders. After Friday’s meeting in Kyiv, Zelenskyy urged faster arms deliveries given the bitter fighting in eastern Ukraine. As a result, Kyiv “can also start to recapture the occupied Donbass,” he said.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
