Lhe United Kingdom will deliver “in the next few weeks” 14 heavy tanks to Ukraine, which is insistently demanding Western-made armor to deal with the Russian invasion.
The announcement caused a reaction from Russian diplomacy, which considered that this shipment of arms would “in no way accelerate the end of military hostilities, but only intensify them, causing new victims”, according to a press release from the embassy. of Russia in London on Saturday.
On the front line, the Ukrainian authorities still ensured this weekend that they controlled the small town of Soledar (east) which Moscow claimed to have taken after fierce fighting. A Russian strike on an apartment building in the east left at least 12 dead. And power cuts have been ordered in most parts of the country after fresh attacks on power generation facilities.
In total, “the enemy carried out three air strikes and about fifty missile strikes during the day”, specified the staff of the Ukrainian army. “In addition, the occupiers launched 50 attacks with multiple rocket launchers.”
“Is it possible to stop Russian terror? Yes, it is possible. Can it be done other than on the battlefield in Ukraine? Unfortunately, no,” commented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The world must stop this evil,” he said again.
Debris in Moldova
Moldova claimed to have found missile debris on its territory, near the northern village of Larga. “The brutal war that Russia is waging against Ukraine has again affected Moldova,” protested its president Maia Sandu.
In eastern Ukraine, at least 12 people were killed and 64 injured in the shelling of an apartment building in the city of Dnipro, authorities said. “The fate of 26 people remains unknown,” Dnipropetrovsk Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said on Telegram.
In the south, in Kryvyi Rig, one person was killed and another injured in the destruction of apartment buildings by a strike, according to an official report.
First western heavy tanks
The United Kingdom promised on Saturday the delivery “in the coming weeks” of 14 Challenger 2 heavy tanks to Ukraine.
The delivery reflects “the UK’s ambition to step up its support for Ukraine”, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Mr Zelensky in a phone call, according to a Downing Street statement.
The United Kingdom thus becomes the first country to commit to sending this type of armored vehicle to Ukraine. Mr Zelensky thanked the UK on Twitter for taking decisions which “not only will strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners”.
kyiv had already received from its allies heavy tanks of Soviet design -nearly 300-, but still none of Western manufacture.
Poland had already said it was ready on Wednesday to deliver 14 Leopard 2 heavy tanks of German design, which requires the approval of Berlin.
Several Western states have also recently announced the supply of lighter infantry or reconnaissance tanks.
Soledar tient, assure Kiev
The town of Soledar, in eastern Ukraine, is still “under Ukrainian control”, Donetsk region governor Pavlo Kirilenko said on Saturday, noting that “fighting continues in the city and outside “.
This locality and that close to Bakhmout currently remain the “hottest” points of the conflict, he said on television.
Near Soledar, AFP journalists saw rescue teams treating wounded Ukrainians.
“The situation is difficult, but the Ukrainians are holding their positions,” assured Vadim, a rescue worker, who was helping to evacuate a soldier shot in the leg.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said Friday that the “release” of Soledar had taken place “on January 12 in the evening”.
Fighting in and around this town has been raging for several months, but its intensity has increased sharply in recent days.
Its capture by the forces of Moscow would constitute a notable victory for Russia, after the series of failures recorded by its troops in recent months.
On the diplomatic level, Turkey has said it wishes to promote “localized ceasefires” in Ukraine, failing to hope for a more comprehensive peace agreement at the present time.
For Ibrahim Kalin, one of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s close advisers, neither Russia nor Ukraine “is in a position to win militarily”.
“In the end, they will have to negotiate to reach an acceptable outcome” for the two belligerents, he said.
15/01/2023 01:19:14 – Kiev (Ukraine) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP