A Ukrainian paratrooper from the 80th Air Assault Brigade prepares a 2s1 self-propelled howitzer for shelling Russian positions.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin/Munich In the fighting in Ukraine, the warring factions Kiev and Moscow are complaining about a lack of ammunition – especially in the fierce fighting for the city of Bakhmut in the east. According to official information, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zalushni phoned US Chief of Staff Mark Milley to draw attention to the necessary delivery of ammunition and technology. In addition, the country’s anti-aircraft defense must be strengthened, he said. According to its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian private army Wagner also continues to complain about a lack of artillery shells and cartridges.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the “Bild am Sonntag” that a lack of ammunition was the “number one” problem in the fight against the Russian occupiers. “Germany could really help more with the ammunition. With artillery ammunition,” he said. Western experts assume that Russia’s reserves have also shrunk sharply.
The Russian mercenary force Wagner alone needs 10,000 tons of ammunition per month for the battle for Bakhmut, Prigozhin said in a video. He urged the Russian leadership to deliver.
The video allegedly shows him on the roof of a house in the largely destroyed town of Bakhmut – about 1.2 kilometers from the administrative center held by Ukrainian troops. The video showed many destroyed houses and streets – comparatively rare shots from the city, which once had 70,000 inhabitants. Only a few thousand live there today. “We will win,” said Prigozhin.
According to Foreign Minister Kuleba, Ukraine will continue to resolutely defend Bakhmut despite heavy losses. The longer the city is defended, the greater the likelihood “that other cities will not suffer the same fate”.
“Germany could really help more with ammunition.”
(Photo: Reuters)
The strategically important town of Bachmut has been contested since late summer. It is the main part of the line of defense between Siwersk and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region established after the Russian conquest of Sieverodonetsk and Lysychansk. If successful, the way to the major cities of Slovjansk and Kramatorsk opened up for the Russian troops. This could bring a complete conquest of the Donetsk region closer.
Zelenskiy: Russia is a “synonym for terror”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has also complained about new “brutal terrorist attacks” by Russia in other regions. These attacks against towns and communities are happening day and night, he said in his video message distributed every evening in Kiev. “Missiles and artillery, drones and mortars — the evil state uses a variety of weapons with the sole aim of destroying life and leaving nothing human behind,” Zelensky said.
“Ruins, rubble, puncture marks on the ground are Russia’s self-portrait, which it paints where there is life without Russia,” said the head of state. The country represents evil. “It has become synonymous with terror and will be an example of defeat and just punishment for its terror.”
Zelensky mentioned several cities and regions that were particularly affected by fresh Russian attacks. The Kharkiv region alone has experienced 40 rocket attacks since the beginning of the year. In the city of Cherson, three Ukrainians were killed by Russian fire on their way to go shopping on Saturday.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
In his video message, Zelensky also informed about a new decree he signed on sanctions against more than 280 companies and 120 people. With the help of gambling businesses, they damaged Ukraine and withdrew funds from the state, which then flowed to Russian structures. The channels through which billions had flown were therefore closed. Selenski gave no details. Its decree contains the names of bookmakers active in the post-Soviet space.
Russia has been waging aggressive war against Ukraine since February 24 last year. In an annexation that was internationally criticized as a breach of international law, Russia occupied the Donetsk, Luhansk, Cherson and Zaporizhia regions last year. In no region does Moscow have complete control. Zelensky has announced that all areas – including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed in 2014 – will be liberated.
Russian reservists are demanding military assistance from Putin
In a new video appeal, Russian reservists in the war zone in eastern Ukraine have complained about grievances in the troops and called on Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin for help. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Putin should ensure that the commanders do their job, said a hooded spokesman in the message recorded on Saturday and distributed by Telegram. A total of a dozen uniformed men can be seen on the video – also with no recognizable faces.
The group’s spokesman complained of a lack of equipment, including night vision goggles, and a lack of leadership from commanders. The commanders would simply ignore the presidential decree and use unprepared units in the assault squads, the man lamented. “We do not refuse to perform territorial defense tasks. We refuse to take any unwarranted risk – machine guns against tanks, against mortars and snipers.”
What will be important on Sunday
The focus of the fighting is still in the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. There, both warring parties announced that they would not give up despite heavy losses.
More: Current news on developments in the Ukraine war can be found in our news blog