Kiev [Russia], February 18: Russia continues to ramp up offensive operations along the front lines in the east while Ukraine is hoarding resources to launch a massive counter-offensive.
Rapid developments in the east
According to Reuters, Luhansk Governor SerhiyHaidai said on February 17 that Russia had significantly increased its activities, including artillery, along the front lines here and made the situation very difficult. Haidai also said Russia was trying to break through Ukraine 's defenses with fighting near the Luhansk city of Kreminna.
With the one-year anniversary of the start of the February 24 military operation approaching, Russia has stepped up its offensive across eastern and southern Ukraine in recent days. Currently Russia is still mainly focused on controlling the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. However, rocket rain is still regularly falling across Ukraine, with the latest attack on February 16 hitting Ukraine's largest oil refinery.
The adviser to the Ukrainian president, MykhailoPodolyak, in an interview with the AP on February 16 said that Russia has changed tactics. According to Podolyak, Russia used missiles without explosive warheads and balloons to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense systems by creating too many targets. From there, Russia has more opportunities to hit the infrastructure. Advisor Podolyak believes that the shortage of missiles has forced Russia to do this. Russia has not yet commented on the above information.
The Guardian reported that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on February 16 said that Russia is continuing to deploy a large number of troops in Ukraine. However, these soldiers were poorly trained and equipped, resulting in Russia suffering many casualties. Mr. Austin also predicts this situation will continue into the future.
The British Ministry of Defense said on February 17 that the Russian army and mercenaries may have lost 175,000 to 200,000 people since the military operation began, including between 40,000 and 60,000 soldiers. Britain also pointed out that Russia's casualty rate increased significantly following a partial mobilization order from Russian President Vladimir Putin. The figures also show a rather high death rate, almost certainly due to poor medical supplies.
Ukraine pauses counterattack
Faced with the situation on the front lines, Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky in his speech on the evening of February 16 announced that his priority was to prevent Russian attacks and be ready for the final Ukrainian counterattack. According to Reuters, US officials have advised Ukraine to suspend counter-attacks until the US has delivered more weapons and trained its troops.
In an interview with the BBC on the same day, Zelensky also affirmed that Ukraine would not give up any territory if it signed a peace agreement with Russia. Earlier, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley in an interview with the Financial Times said that neither Russia nor Ukraine are capable of achieving their military goals and he believes that the conflict will end in the region. negotiation table.
Tensions between Russia and the United States increased sharply on February 17 after US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland announced that the US supported Ukraine to attack Russian military facilities on the Crimean peninsula. Nuland also said that Crimea must be demilitarized as part of a solution to the conflict.
These statements were met with a fierce reaction from Russia. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Nuland's statement showed that the United States was involved in the conflict. TASS news agency also quoted First Vice Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma Dmitry Novikov as saying that Nuland's statement was provocative and would lead the parties further away from resolving the conflict. contradiction.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper
