TDespite heavy attacks by Russian troops, the Ukrainian armed forces maintain their control of the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, which has been fought over for days. Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zalushny said that measures would be taken “to stabilize the front line around this city”. After a phone call with US Chief of Staff Mark Milley, he described the situation in the Donetsk region as tense because Russia is carrying out up to 50 attacks there every day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the resistance of the soldiers.
In the Donetsk region, enemy attacks would be repelled, Zelenskyy said in his evening video message on Saturday. The commander-in-chief Zalushnyi had previously said: “In some sectors of the front we managed to regain previously lost positions and gain a foothold there.” At the same time he spoke of heavy fighting for the cities of Wuhledar and Marjinka.
However, the Ukrainian armed forces need solid firepower, for which sufficient weapons and ammunition are needed, said Salushnyj in the conversation with Milley. He was concerned about the use of Russian naval drones. These are a threat to civil shipping in the Black Sea.
Independent Russian media reported that it was previously unknown that Moscow had such surface-operated drones. An unverifiable video was also circulated on social networks, which is said to show an explosion on a bridge in Odessa. A suspected drone can also be seen there, speeding towards the bridge and detonating.
Poland, among others, had recently urged the NATO partners to approve the delivery of fighter jets after battle tanks. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also said recently that he would only be in favor of deploying fighter jets if this were a NATO-wide decision.
According to Zelenskyi, Ukraine is not only fighting the enemy on the battlefield, but also against state agents. In his video speech, he announced further steps in the fight against Russian agents. The secret service, investigators and prosecutors could already show significant results in protecting state institutions from those who work for Russia.
The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine will continue this work, Zelenskyy said. He did not give details. However, the secretary of the National Security Council in Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, announced a meeting for Monday on the next steps. According to Zelenskyj, the aim is to strengthen state institutions and protect them from internal and external influence.
Selenskyj, who has visited several European countries in the past few days, wants to bring Ukraine into the European Union as quickly as possible. The state administration, which is still often characterized by corruption and abuse of power, still has a long way to go before negotiations on EU membership can begin. “The state will continue to modernize the institutions, their processes and procedures,” Zelenskyy announced in the video message.
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