Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Kiev troops are resisting “new, even more violent attacks” in Soledar, near Bakhmout, a city in eastern Ukraine that Moscow has been trying to capture for months.
“I thank all our soldiers who protect Bakhmout (…) and the fighters in Soledar who resist new and even more violent attacks by the invaders,” the Ukrainian head of state emphasized in the daily night message to the population.
Zelensky stressed that the resistance of Kiev’s armed forces allows “buying more time (…) for Ukraine”, despite referring to a scenario where “there are almost no whole walls left”.
The Ukrainian head of state also questioned Russia’s goal in that region where “everything is completely destroyed” and “there is almost no life left”.
“The whole land below Soledar is covered with the corpses of invaders and the scars of beatings,” he added.
The Ukrainian president already warned on Monday that the situation on the battlefront remains difficult, especially in Bakhmut and Soledar, but that the Ukrainian army is moving additional units to strengthen defenses in those locations.
For its part, the Ukrainian army confirmed that Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine, remains “the hottest point on the front” of the battle, where “heavy fighting is taking place”.
On Sunday, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar also referred to a “very difficult” situation in Soldear, 15 kilometers northeast of Bakhmut.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is preparing for new attacks on the country’s energy system as temperatures begin to drop again.
These clashes come after a 36-hour unilateral ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas on Friday and Saturday. However, hostilities continued during the armistice, but with less intensity.
The Russian military offensive in Ukraine began almost a year ago and the UN has confirmed that 6,919 civilians have been killed and 11,075 injured since the start of the war, underlining that this number is well below the actual figures.
The attacks also caused the displacement, inside and outside Ukraine, of more than 14 million people, in a refugee crisis the UN classifies as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Currently, 17.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending arms, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and imposing unprecedented political and economic sanctions on Moscow.
Source: DN
