(EFE) Russian Black Sea
“This shows that you can only stop terror and save people with weapons, anti-aircraft batteries and modern aviation, artillery and armor,” Zelensky said in his usual message to the nation.
Every time a Russian attack causes a tragedy like the one that killed 23 in the Cherkasy region, Zelensky appeals to the consciences of Western leaders arguing that heavy weapons would not only help defeat Russia, but save lives. . Speaking to various Scandinavian media, Zelenski acknowledged that kyiv is preparing the counteroffensive.
“I think it will be a success. We can vacate our territory. The counteroffensive is very important. We need a victory. I believe in our soldiers,” he said.
“I think it will be a success. We can vacate our territory. The counteroffensive is very important. We need a victory. I believe in our soldiers.”
Without specifying dates – various sources speak of mid-May – he stressed that said counterattack will include the liberation of Crimea, since, he argued, since February 2022 “Russia has been greatly weakened.” Although he insisted that its success depends directly on Western weapons supplies.
“We want to save as many lives as we can, so the number of weapons matters. There will be no hesitation here. We will do it. The risk is that we don’t have enough armored vehicles, for example, since then we know there will be more casualties.” he pointed. He admitted that kyiv would like to wait to receive everything promised, but the deadlines are not always met.
“And neither does the weather,” he commented, clearly alluding to the fact that the rains have not abated and the ground is still wet, which makes it difficult for military vehicles to advance. Of course, he denied that said operation is at the expense of the US and other countries agreeing to deliver F-16 fighters to kyiv.
“We will not wait. We will start even earlier. Reassure Russia that we still need several months to learn to fly in airplanes: we will not do that. We will start and move forward,” he said, while admitting that the fight could last “for years or decades”.
kyiv and Western intelligence see the latest attacks as proof that Moscow has changed tack. The targets are now military, not energy infrastructure. “It is another phase of the conflict (…) they are laying defense lines. It will be difficult for us,” he stressed, adding that the objective of the Ukrainian Army is “to assume the initiative in this war.”
“Today, with that person, President Putin, you cannot talk. For all of us he is a terrorist”
And he categorically ruled out negotiations with the Kremlin. “Today, with that person, President Putin, you cannot talk. For all of us he is a terrorist,” he stressed. Meanwhile, the annexed Crimea woke up attacked by enemy drones, without kyiv having admitted responsibility for the attack. The authorities of the port of Sebastopol recognized that one of the devices had hit a fuel depot, where up to four tankers burned.
According to Ukrainian Military Intelligence, 10 tankers with almost 40,000 tons of fuel for the Russian Black Sea Fleet were destroyed in the attack. “It is a punishment from God, in particular for the (23) civilians killed in Uman (Cherkasy), including five children,” Andrii Yusov, his spokeswoman, told the RBC-Ukraine daily. And he recommended that the Crimeans stay away from the military installations and the infrastructures that supply the aggressor army.
The Crimean leader, Sergei Axiónov, assured that the anti-aircraft defense had shot down two other drones this morning. One factor that cannot be underestimated is what is happening in Bakhmut, where Wagner’s mercenaries, assisted on the flanks by Russian airborne forces, tighten the siege after nine months of fighting in that city.
Russian aircraft and artillery prevent Ukrainian forces from coming to the aid of Bakhmut’s defenders by hammering their positions on the outskirts
Russian aviation and artillery prevent Ukrainian forces from coming to the aid of Bakhmut’s defenders by hammering their positions on the outskirts, including Chasiv Yar, Kalinin and Krásnoye, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Saturday.
This coincides with the report by the American Institute for the Study of War, which points out that the Russian troops are dangerously approaching the road between Konstantinovka and that Ukrainian stronghold, the only way out.
However, the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgueni Prigozhin, once again sowed doubt by suggesting a possible withdrawal of Bakhmut if he does not receive ammunition, for which he has written a letter to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“We will be in Bakhmut as long as we have one last bullet left, but we have few left, not for weeks, but for days (…) Most likely, we will have to withdraw part of the company from this territory,” he told the popular military blogger WarGonzo.
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