In Russia, the army for its part reported having shot down several Ukrainian drones which targeted civilian infrastructure, without causing any damage. For the first time, one of them crashed in the capital region, Moscow.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told him that the member countries of the Alliance were All right
for Ukraine to become a member, as it claims, but that this objective would be achieved long-term
.
On Tuesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his daily address, said that the greatest difficulties, as before, are in Bakhmout (…) Russia does not count its men at all, constantly sending them to attack our positions. The intensity of the fighting only increases
.
Despite a strategic importance disputed by experts, Bakhmout has become a symbol of the struggle for control of the industrial region of Donbass. Mr. Zelensky, who went there in December, had sworn to defend this fortress city as long as possible
.
The situation around Bakhmout is extremely tense
noted on Tuesday the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandre Syrsky, quoted by the official press center of the army.
The Russians step up the pressure
According to him, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, on the front line in this battle, is trying to break through the defense of our troops and encircle the city
.
Wagner’s boss, Evguéni Prigojine, has claimed in turn in recent weeks the capture of localities around Bakhmout. Soledar fell in January, then Krasna Gora in February, and Saturday Laguidné, located at the gates of the city.
As a result of this slow Russian push, three of the four routes allowing the Ukrainians to supply Bakhmout have been cut off, leaving only the one leading west towards Chassiv Iar, south of which the Russians are also trying to advance. .
Bakhmout, which had a population of 70,000 before the war, was largely destroyed by the fighting which caused heavy casualties on both sides. Some 4,000 civilians remain there despite the danger, taking refuge in basements and shelters, according to Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary General.
« Very few humanitarian organizations and volunteers are (currently) in the area, and most of the townspeople therefore depend mainly on supplies from previous humanitarian distributions. »
Mr. Zelensky acknowledged on Monday evening that the situation around Bakhmout was becoming more and more complicated
for the Ukrainian soldiers, who described scenes reminiscent of those of the First World War.
Ukrainian soldiers interviewed by AFP in Bakhmout on Monday said they were keeping their spirits up.
We can’t know the full operational picture, but we’re here, we didn’t run away
said a 44-year-old soldier whose nom de guerre is Kai
.
: we will recover everything”,”text”:”Not only Bakhmut, but Crimea and all the rest: we will recover everything”}}”>Not only Bakhmut, but Crimea and all the rest: we will recover everything
added Died
45, pulling on a cigarette.
Fox
40, is more pessimistic: I understand what country we are fighting against […] They have smart people there, people who know how to fight. They think, they learn, the way we do
.
I think Bakhmout will probably fall
he said, referring to a lack of ammunition and manpower on the Ukrainian side.
Ukrainian drones shot down in Russia
Russia for its part said on Tuesday that a Ukrainian drone had crashed about a hundred kilometers from Moscow, not far from a gas compressor station. Three others were shot elsewhere in the country, without causing any damage.
Several incidents involving drones have occurred in recent months on Russian territory, sometimes very far from the front in Ukraine, but this is the first time that the presence of a drone has been reported near the capital.
These clashes are taking place after the war in Ukraine entered its second year last week.
Beijing is getting closer to the belligerents
On the diplomatic front, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Moscow who has so far refused a direct engagement in the conflict other than by letting Russian forces operate from his territory, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday.
China, Moscow’s partner on the international scene, last week proposed a 12-point document in which it urges Russians and Ukrainians to dialogue, but it also insists on respect for territorial integrity and opposes any recourse to nuclear weapons.
If Westerners generally welcomed this Chinese diplomatic intervention with skepticism – French President Emmanuel Macron announced this weekend that he would go to Beijing in April – President Zelensky said he was ready to to work
with Beijing and announced his intention to also meet his counterpart Xi Jinping.