On the day that the Ukrainian authorities and aid services are struggling with counting the victims of a new attack on a residential area in Dnipro, in eastern Ukraine, Russian state television broadcasts statements by President Vladimir Putin, based on the idea of that the offensive shows “positive dynamics”. The Russian president claims that “everything unfolds according to the plans of the Ministry of Defense”.
Early this Sunday afternoon, 21 people were killed as a result of the Russian air strike on a residential building in Dnipro. There are reports of 73 injured, of which 40 were hospitalized.
Rescue teams remained at the scene looking for survivors. The death toll could rise in the coming hours.
Today, the state channel Rossiya 1 showed the Russian president answering a question about the events in Soledar, a city known for the salt mining that Moscow claims to have conquered. Something that has been repeatedly denied by Kiev.
“The dynamic is positive and everything unfolds according to the plans of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. I hope that our soldiers will satisfy us even more with the results of their combat”, said Vladimir Putin, questioned on the runway of an airport, near the presidential plane. Almost a year after the invasion, the Kremlin openly describes the war in Ukraine as an existential battle with the West.
The Russian army sees the seizure of Soledar – whose salt mine tunnels are described as strategic for the protection of war material and possible infiltration operations behind enemy lines – as a crucial step in the siege of the neighboring city of Bakhmut, which has been going on for months. scene of fierce fighting.
Yesterday, a Ukrainian regional governor assured that the invaded country’s forces continued to fight for control of Soledar. In Washington, however, the Institute for the Study of War considers it very unlikely that Ukrainian troops can still retain any position in the inner city.
stable economy
Putin also referred to the effect of the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia, to say that the country’s economy demonstrates resilience. “The economic situation is stable. Much better not only than our opponents predicted, but than we ourselves expected”, maintained the Russian president.
“Unemployment is at an all-time low. Inflation is lower than expected and shows, what is important, a downward trend”, he stressed.
In 2022, the Russian economy contracted, albeit less pronounced than most Western economists predicted. Moscow estimates that this year GDP will fall by 0.8%.
