According to Ukrainian officials, Russia began launching missile attacks across the country on Thursday. After the West promised to increase military assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces in support of an upcoming counteroffensive.
According to Ukrainian officials, eight Kalibr missiles fired from a ship in the Black Sea were shot down by air defences in the south. However, other missiles hit Ukraine’s north and west. As well as the central regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovograd. According to authorities, one missile hit an industrial area in the western city of Lviv, igniting a fire that was put out.
In recent weeks, Russia has increased ground attacks across southern and eastern Ukraine. With the support of tens of thousands of reservists who were called up in December. As the first anniversary of its invasion on February 24 approaches, a significant new offensive is widely anticipated.
Hanna Malyar, the deputy minister of defence for Ukraine, stated on Wednesday that “the enemy’s offensive continues in the east, (with) round-the-clock attacks.”
Things are tense right now. But the enemy is suffering very severe losses at the hands of our warriors. They are preventing them from achieving their objectives.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian forces had retreated in the face of Russian operations. In the Luhansk region, but it provided no further information. And Reuters was unable to independently confirm this.
The ministry posted on Telegram that during the operation, Ukrainian troops “randomly retreated to a distance of up to 3 km (2 miles) from the previously seized lines.”
The offensive took place somewhere in Luhansk, but the government did not say where. The Donbas, the industrial hub of Ukraine, is made up of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Russia is currently occupying part of this region and seeks to regain control.
The primary Russian endeavour has been an artillery and ground assault on the Donetsk city of Bakhmut.
Russian troops, according to Ukrainian military analysts, have recently attempted unsuccessfully to attack several settlements. Extend to the north and south of Bakhmut.
According to analyst Oleh Zhdanov, “things are really difficult for our soldiers there. Since Russian troops are being brought into the area en masse.”
In its evening report, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed that more than 15 towns and villages close to Bakhmut. Including the city itself, had been fired upon by Russian forces.
Three people were killed when a three-story apartment building in Pokrovsk. That is southwest of Bakhmut, was reportedly destroyed. A according to Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, who released images and video of the scene.
According to the alliance, NATO nations are stepping up production of artillery munitions. Since Ukraine is using up shells more quickly than allies can produce them.
After a two-day gathering of the alliance’s defence ministers in Brussels. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told reporters, “Things are happening, but… we need to move up even more. Because there is a great demand out there to support Ukraine with ammunition.”
With the United States providing security assistance totaling more than $27.4 billion. Since the conflict started, Ukraine has received billions of dollars in military aid.
European Union foreign policy leader Josep Borrell urged countries to join Germany in supplying tanks.
Britain declared that it and other European countries will deliver military hardware. Such as tank spare parts and artillery ammo, through an International fund initial package worth more than $241 million.
Ukraine has a very good chance of seizing and “exploiting” the initiative on the battlefield this year. According to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Senior American officials had previously counselled Ukraine to postpone a big offensive. Until the most recent shipment of American weapons was in place and training had been given.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, said in a speech that night: “We have to make sure that this spring it is truly understood that Ukraine is going towards victory.”
Deliveries of heavy weaponry to Ukraine are used by Russia as evidence that the West is escalating the conflict. And that the invasion is a “special military operation” against security concerns.
The UN General Assembly will vote on a draught resolution emphasising the need to achieve a sustainable peace And demanding Moscow withdraw its forces the following week, on the eve of the Feb. 24 anniversary of the start of the war.
