According to information from Kyiv, the Russian troops are attacking Bakhmut with all severity, a cornerstone of the defense system around the last Ukrainian-held conurbation in the Donbass. “The enemy is launching an attack on Bakhmut, fighting continues,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in its situation report on Saturday. The day before, the pro-Russian rebels had reported that fighting was already taking place within the city limits. The information provided by both sides cannot be checked independently.
Since the capture of the Luhansk Oblast, Russian offensive efforts in eastern Ukraine have focused on the neighboring Donetsk Oblast. Gradually, the Russian invaders have been able to push back the Ukrainian defenders in recent weeks. They now control about 60 percent of the territory. The headquarters of the Ukrainian troops in the Donbass is located in the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk conurbation, where a good half a million people lived before the war. This area is secured from the east by the Siwersk – Soledar – Bakhmut line of fortifications.
This is now faltering in several places. Russian troops are also in front of Siwersk and Soledar. However, the heaviest fighting is currently taking place around the Bakhmut traffic junction, which the Russians are shelling with artillery and tanks.
Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the shelling of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant site. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe is located in the part of southern Ukraine occupied by Russian troops – there have already been dangerous situations there several times in the past months of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of an “act of terrorism” by the Russian side and called for new sanctions aimed at the neighboring country’s nuclear industry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv warned that if a reactor were hit while it was in operation, the possible consequences would be “equivalent to using an atomic bomb”.
“Anyone who creates nuclear threats for other peoples is definitely not able to use nuclear technology safely,” said Selenskyj on Saturday night. Specifically, he demanded some punitive measures against the Russian state-owned company Rosatom.
Just a few days ago, the International Atomic Energy Agency IAAE expressed concern about the situation around the power plant, which, with six blocks and an output of 6,000 megawatts, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. An inspection to check technical safety is urgently needed, said IAEA boss Rafael Grossi. But it is currently very difficult for the IAEA to even get into the war zone in Zaporizhia.
According to an analysis by military experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Russian army is using drones from Iran to fight against Ukraine. According to this, Ukrainian officials have confirmed that Iran has provided Russia with 46 drones, which will now be used in combat.
Latvia has further indefinitely restricted issuing visas to Russians in view of the war in Ukraine. From now on, the Latvian embassy in Moscow will only accept visa applications from Russian citizens who have to attend the funeral of a close relative in Latvia, the diplomatic mission of the Baltic EU and NATO country said. Bulgaria is also taking this step.
After Fenerbahce fans chanted “Vladimir Putin” during the game against Dynamo Kyiv, UEFA has fined the Turkish club. Fenerbahce has to pay a fine of 50,000 euros and has been sentenced to a partial lockout of its fans, according to the European Football Union.
Numerous Fenerbahce supporters had chanted the name of the Russian President in the second half of the match of the second Champions League qualifying round in Istanbul. Vitaly Bujalskyj (57th minute) had given the Ukrainians the lead, and then there were calls of “Vladimir Putin” from the stands. The incident was also widely discussed on social media. Many Fenerbahce fans expressed their regret at the behavior of the supporters at the stadium.
On the 164th day of the war, the Russian attacks are likely to concentrate particularly on the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. The Ukrainian army is defending the towns of Soledar and Bakhmut there. These are strategically important because they are part of the line of defense around the conurbation of the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
The Russian army experiences a deadly inferno in Ukraine. According to two military researchers, Putin’s troops will have to deal with the aftermath for a long time. An example case illustrates what happened on the battlefield.
Russia is now taking a new measure to recruit more people for the army. According to a media report, male employees of state-owned companies are laid off if they can be dispensed with. However, they should not be used at the front.
The Russian company Gazprom apparently burns part of the gas that is actually supposed to go to Germany in a targeted manner at the Nord Stream 1 compressor station near Saint Petersburg.
The losses on the Russian side have not been officially communicated, but observers assume around 15,000 casualties. In order to advance his “special operation”, Putin needs many new soldiers. And they come primarily from remote, poor provinces.
