Ukrainian soldiers fire a mortar at Russian positions on the front line at Bakhmut.
(Photo: dpa)
Kyiv After returning from a state visit to Warsaw, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky underlined the importance of such meetings for the security of his country. With new purchases of weapons abroad, Ukraine’s arsenal is filling up. When asked about the time and place of the expected spring offensive, Kiev does not want to let the cards be looked at. Meanwhile, according to a report in the New York Times, secret documents about US and NATO plans to support the Ukrainian military have surfaced in the run-up to the offensive.
“Defending and protecting our people, supporting our resilience, especially our soldiers, is the number one issue in all negotiations and meetings,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address on Thursday.
As the day before in Poland, it is always about defense – weapons for Ukraine, ammunition for Ukraine, new defense systems for Ukraine. “And I thank Poland and our partners for making this visit really meaningful.”
After the United States, Poland is one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine in its defensive struggle against Russia. Kiev has increased an order for wheeled infantry fighting vehicles in neighboring Poland from 100 to 150 units. This was announced by Poland’s government spokesman, Piotr Müller, one day after Zelensky’s visit to Warsaw on Thursday, according to the PAP agency. The KTO Rosomak tanks are to be financed with aid from the USA and the EU. It is a licensed version based on the Finnish military vehicle Patria AMV.
In addition, Ukraine ordered the construction of more than 50 M120 Rak (“Cancer”) self-propelled mortars. The delivery of 100 missiles for short-range anti-aircraft missile systems is also planned. According to government information from Warsaw, the total value of the armaments delivered from Poland to Ukraine is 2.1 billion euros.
Poland supports Ukraine with more jets.
(Photo: dpa)
A few weeks ago, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda announced that MiG-29 fighter jets would be delivered to Ukraine. During Selenski’s visit, he became specific: Ukraine had already received eight MiG-29s from Poland. In addition, six MiG-29s are currently being prepared for handover, Duda announced.
Report: Secret plans to strengthen Ukrainian military online
Secret documents about US and NATO plans to support the Ukrainian military ahead of a planned offensive against Russia have surfaced online. The newspaper “New York Times” reported on Thursday (local time), citing US government employees. The US Department of Defense is therefore investigating who is behind the publication, it said. However, according to analysts, the content of the documents appears to have been altered in a way that could indicate a disinformation campaign from Russia, the report said.
The documents were distributed via the social media platforms Twitter and Telegram. The documents are five weeks old and contain no concrete battle plans, it said. However, military insiders could still glean valuable information from it, such as schedules for arms deliveries.
On Thursday, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said in a radio interview that only very few people in Kiev were currently aware of the plans for the expected offensive to recapture the Russian-occupied territories. “The information about where, when and how one or the other action on the territory of our planet begins is reserved for a small circle.” If there is one or the other explanation about the offensive, this does not necessarily have to be the truth, said Danilov.
The so-called spring offensive of the Ukrainian armed forces, which were recently armed with heavy weapons and tanks from the West, is expected in the near future. An advance to the coastal town of Melitopol is expected to split the Russian troops. In recent months, the Russian military has massively strengthened and expanded its defensive positions in order to fend off the expected attack.
Prigozhin: capture of Bakhmut in three to four weeks
The resistance of the Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut in the east of the country is gradually causing the Russian military to rethink. The city could be conquered “in three to four weeks,” estimated Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the notorious Wagner mercenary group, on a Telegram channel attributed to him. Only a few days ago he had claimed that Bachmut had been taken.
The mercenary boss recently had to row back because of the conquest of Bachmut.
(Photo: obs)
From the Russian point of view, it is still important to cut through the supply lines of the Ukrainian defenders. Only then can one proceed from several directions to the conquest and “destruction of key military objects” in the inner city.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
Prigozhin spoke Thursday against a backdrop of dozens of graves belonging to his mercenaries. “One day this cemetery should become a memorial for future generations,” he said. His troops have suffered heavy casualties near Bakhmut in recent weeks. “Yes, it (the graveyard) is growing.”
Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut have been fiercely resisting attacks by Russian troops led by Wagner mercenaries for months.
25-year prison sentence requested for Russian opposition figure Kara-Mursa
According to the will of the Moscow public prosecutor’s office, Russian opposition figure and journalist Vladimir Kara-Mursa is to be jailed for 25 years for high treason. This was announced by human rights lawyer Maria Eismont on Thursday.
The 41-year-old, who was in poor health after being poisoned in the past, lost 17 kilograms in custody. Kara-Mursa is one of the harshest critics of the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin and had also condemned Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
That will be important on Friday
The fighting in eastern Ukraine will certainly continue on Good Friday. Bachmut in particular remains highly competitive.
More: Current news on the development of the Ukraine war can be found in our news blog