Ukraine says it is preparing a counterattack against Russian forces near the eastern city of Bakhmut, which has been hotly contested for months. By Thursday, the Russians had again gained ground several kilometers across the front section of the Kreminna. While experts criticize Russian announcements to massively increase tank production, the first MiG-29 fighter jets have been transferred from Slovakia to Ukraine.
Russian troops are “clearly losing strength” and are “exhausted”, the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyj, said on Thursday on the online service Telegram about the upcoming offensive. “We will seize this opportunity very soon, as we did in Kiev, Kharkiv, Balakliya and Kupyansk.”
A day after a visit to the front near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, which was partially recaptured from Russia. He “spoke to residents about their problems and needs,” Zelenskyy said in a post on the online network. So during Zelenskyy’s visit, the focus was on rebuilding the Kherson region.
“Exhausted” Russian troops
According to the Ukrainian general staff, Russian troops and security services have started so-called cleaning operations among the population on the banks of the Dnipro, in the Kherson region, which they control. The search for citizens with pro-Ukrainian attitudes, military retirees and employees of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies has begun in several settlements, the General Staff in Kiev announced on Thursday in its daily situation report on Facebook.
In contrast, a full-scale attack took place in the Nowa Kachowka settlement. Large amounts of household appliances, jewelery and cell phones were “confiscated” from the civilian population. After that Russian units disappeared from the area. The information could not be independently verified.
During an autumn Ukrainian offensive, the Russian military retreated from the west bank of the Dnipro near Kherson. Since then, Russian troops have massively expanded their defense lines on the south bank of the river.
three layer system
Meanwhile, in eastern Ukraine, Russian troops repulsed Ukrainian troops in heavy fighting near the town of Kreminna. “Russia has partially regained control of immediate approaches to Kreminna, which faced an immediate Ukrainian threat earlier this year,” the British Ministry of Defense in London said on Thursday, citing intelligence findings.
“In some places, Russia has made gains of several kilometres.” Now, Russian troops likely wanted to establish a “buffer zone” to the west of their prepared defense positions, he said. In doing so, they would presumably include the Oskil River as a natural obstacle and would also attempt to recapture the Kupyansk logistical hub.
Russia wants to produce 1,500 tanks for the war against Ukraine this year. “The military-industrial complex has overheated,” National Security Council deputy head Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview published on Thursday. Most armament companies work on a three-shift system. Experts doubt that his country can produce such quantities. Current production capacity is estimated at 250 tanks per year.
Are Russia’s plans unrealistic?
International military experts also consider Russia’s plans to expand its air defense system unrealistic. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday that Moscow will complete the modernization of its missile defense system this year and that special air defense troops should be formed in the coming months.
However, the Institute for War Studies (ISW) estimates that the Russian military is unlikely to be able to assemble such forces within several years, let alone until the end of 2023. The Russian defense industry was already several years behind in the development of advanced air defense systems before severe Western sanctions exacerbated resource constraints.
Slovakia delivered the first four of its promised 13 Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine on Thursday. The announcement was made by Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad on Facebook. The planes were flown from Slovakia to Ukraine by Ukrainian pilots in cooperation with the Slovak Air Force.
EU summit in Brussels
At the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, they wanted to “take note” of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Russian President Vladimir Putin. The summit’s draft declaration contains a reference to alleged war crimes and the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. The decision of the EU foreign ministers to deliver one million new artillery shells to Ukraine in the next twelve months was confirmed by the summit.
Hungary, on the other hand, wants to ignore the ICC arrest warrant. Putin would not be arrested if he came to Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said on Thursday. There would be no legal basis in Hungary for the execution of the arrest warrant. The ICC in The Hague does not have its own police force and relies on its member states to arrest and transfer suspects. (apa, afp, dpa, Portal)