Kyiv, March 1. Ukrainian President Volodímir Zelensky has acknowledged that the war against the Russians has intensified in the strategic town of Bakhmut in the east of the country, where they are fighting street by street, for which the government has decided to send more troops.
In his usual message to Ukrainians published on his official website, Zelenski said that “the most difficult situation continues to be in Bakhmut and the fighting in this city is very important for the defense of the city” and the rest of the region .
The Ukrainian president added to document the harshness of the fighting that since last Thursday more than 800 Russian soldiers have died on this front, located in the Donbass region, although he did not specify the number of victims among the Ukrainian forces. .
“Russia does not take people into account at all and constantly sends them to attack our positions. The intensity of the fighting is only increasing,” he repeated.
“I thank all the Ukrainian warriors who, despite this crazy pressure from the occupier, defend our positions and destroy the Russian army! I thank all those who support our warriors!”, he added.
Zelensky also referred to the situation in other regions of the country, such as Jerson, in the south-east and partly occupied by Russia, which was unilaterally annexed last September along with neighboring Zaporiyia, and Donetsk and Lugansk (these two last members of Donbass).
“Of course, we also consider (the situation) in other areas of Donbass (…), and around Kherson and its region. Yesterday there were more than 30 Russian shellings in the area. They were not shelling Only streets, only people!… (…) We lost four people (in these attacks). We will do everything possible to repress the (Russian) terrorists”.
For her part, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar confirmed on Wednesday that reinforcements had been sent to the Ukrainian army, which has been defending Bakhmut in the Donetsk region for several months.
“The Bakhmut front remains the most active area of the war”, he insisted, and therefore “during a recent trip to the city, the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, decided to move additional units there”.
In statements made to the news broadcast by Ukrainian television and broadcast by local agencies, Malyar explained that “the situation in Bakhmut is complicated and tense”.
“The Russian occupation forces have concentrated their main efforts there. They want to try to completely take over the Donetsk region” and, in particular, Bakhmut, a strategic point to create a corridor to the east to move troops and ammunition.
At the same time, the deputy minister underlined that “the decision to keep Bakhmut (under Ukrainian control) is military and not political. Decisions are taken by the military, which are not guided by political motives”, a- she repeated.
For several months now, Russian troops and mercenaries from the private military company ‘Wagner’ – close to Russian President Vladimir Putin – have been steadily attacking Bakhmut and there is currently street-to-street fighting for control of the area. EFE
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