2023-04-18 14:48:51
18.04.2023
As the Russia-Ukraine war entered its 14th month and Kiev was preparing for a possible counteroffensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited two Russian military headquarters in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky inspected a war zone about 70 kilometers away from the city of Bakhmut. The Ukrainian side stated that the Russian army has stepped up heavy artillery fire and air strikes in the Bakhmut area.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese Network) A video released by the Kremlin on Tuesday (April 18) and a report by Russian state TV show that,PutinArrived by helicopter at the headquarters of the Russian army in Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine. He then flew to National Guard headquarters in the eastern Lugansk region.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin’s visit was on Monday. It was Putin’s second visit to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory in two months. The Associated Press commented that this is obviously to boost morale and show power.
The location of the two headquarters inspected by Putin is unknown, so it is not clear how far they are from the front line.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Ukrainian army in Avdiyivka, Donetsk region, where the fighting is fierce, listened to front-line reports, and awarded military medals. Zelensky’s office said the Ukrainian president told the soldiers: “It is an honor for me to be here today and thank you for defending our country Ukraine and our family.” The city of Avdiyivka is about 70 kilometers southeast of Bakhmut .
Last month, Zelenskiy intensified his inspections of areas of combat in Ukraine. He often travels by train. Like Putin, his itinerary is often announced after he leaves the place.
The battle for Bahmut was the longest and bloodiest of the war in Ukraine to date (pictured is a screenshot from a video posted on April 15)
Bahmut: Intensified artillery fire
Russia is at a stalemate in the Ukraine war. Intense fighting in the eastern region, especially around the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, has lasted for eight and a half months, making it the longest and bloodiest battle in the war so far.
“Currently, the enemy forces are intensifying heavy artillery attacks and the number of air strikes, turning the city into scorched earth,” Ukrainian ground forces commander Olesandr Syrskyi said on Tuesday.
Archyde.com analyzed that if Bakhmut is occupied by Russia, it will become a stepping stone to capture Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, the two larger cities in the Donetsk region that Russia has long coveted.
Political situation |
05.04.2023
Private mercenaries who played a vanguard role in Russia’s attempt to capture BakhmutWagner GroupThe chief said this month that his soldiers controlled more than 80 percent of the city of Bakhmut. The Ukrainian military has denied this claim.
Four oblasts, Kherson, Lugansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhia, were illegally occupied by Russia last September following a referendum that Ukraine and the West saw as a sham.Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak criticizes Putin’s visit as a ‘mass murderer’“Special Sightseeing”.
Currently, large areas of Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporozhye and parts of Luhansk Oblast remain under Ukrainian control. In November, Russian troops withdrew from the area including the capital of the same name in Kherson Oblast.
Putin’s trip comes as Ukraine prepares a counteroffensive to regain lost ground. Last month, he traveled to the Russian-occupied Sea of Azov port city of Mariupol. In May 2022, after two months of fierce fighting, the Russian army occupied the place. Fourteen months into the war, Putin has rarely visited Russian-controlled Ukrainian territory.
(Associated Press, Archyde.com)
© 2023 Deutsche Welle Statement: All content in this article is protected by copyright law and may not be used without special authorization from Deutsche Welle. Any wrongdoing will result in recovery and be subject to criminal prosecution.
1681846847
#Putin #Zelensky #inspect #Ukrainian #theater