Ukraine holds out in Bakhmut as Russia showcases nuclear power

Ukraine holds out in Bakhmut as Russia showcases nuclear power

Ukrainian soldier receives medical treatment in Bakhmut, a city that became the focal point of the Russian invasion of Ukraine | Photo: EFE/EPA/RICARDO GARCIA VILANOVA

The city of Bakhmut in the Donbass region is currently the main focus of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After a year of conflicts on Ukrainian soil, Russia used Defender of the Fatherland Day to once again demonstrate its nuclear power.

“The enemy continues to attack the positions of our troops in the direction of Bakhmut (…) He is actively conducting aerial reconnaissance to stop firing his artillery,” confirmed the Ukrainian command this Thursday (23), recalling it more than last day 20 nearby towns were bombed.

British intelligence stated that “intense fighting has continued in the Bakhmut sector over the past 48 hours, where Ukrainian forces maintain control of supply routes despite Russia’s tightening of the noose over the past six weeks”.

According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army, the clashes in this city are taking place “street by street” as controlling the area would allow both sides a safe corridor for transporting weapons and soldiers.

The capture of Bakhmut, which had been unsuccessfully besieged by Russian troops for more than seven months, would allow the Russian army to advance on the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the main Ukrainian strongholds in the Donetsk region.

The Ukrainian command also noted an increase in Russian activity in the Kharkiv region, where the defenders repelled “attacks near Kupyansk in the east of the Kharkiv region, not far from neighboring Lugansk.”

Celebrations began on Russian soil for Defender of the Fatherland Day, a Sovietera celebration every February 23 that celebrated the formation of the Red Army and this year attempts to close ranks in support of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Aiming to unite Russians around the Russian military conflict in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located in the Alexander Garden near the west side of the Kremlin Wall, honoring the memory of the Dead the anthem of Russia in the background.

Seizing the opportunity to once again show strength, Putin stressed that “a modern and effective army and navy are the guarantee of the country’s security and sovereignty, its stable development and future” when announcing that Russia is expanding its armed forces will continue to develop. get the “extended equipment”.

“We will continue to pay special attention to the nuclear triad. This year, the first installations to launch the Sarmat missile systems with the new heavy rocket are going into operational watch,” he said, announcing further deliveries of hypersonic Kinzhal and Tsirkon missiles for the Russian army.

Sarmattype superheavy ICBMs, dubbed Satan II by the western military, are capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. As “CNN” reports, Russia is said to have carried out a failed test of a Sarmat ICBM shortly before or during US President Joe Biden’s visit to Kiev, which Moscow denied

Infographic Gazeta do Povo[Clique para ampliar]