Kyiv Boosts Presence in Bakhmut, Rejects Withdrawal Plan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered his troops to send the necessary military reinforcements to defend Bakhmut in the country’s fierce fighting in the east, denying his decision to trade his army’s withdrawal ahead of the Russian army, which has been looking for nine months to lay siege to the city. In his daily video message, the Ukrainian president announced that he had ordered the General Staff to send reinforcements to the forces defending Bakhmut in the east of the country, confirming that “no part of Ukraine will be given to Russia.” This decision puts an end to the week-long speculation and rumors about the imminent withdrawal of the Ukrainians in front of the Russian army, which has been campaigning for nine months to besiege the city of “limited strategic” importance. according to observers. Ukrainian officials denied the news of the imminent withdrawal of their troops from Bakhmut, stressing that the city’s defense was a “strategic success” by mobilizing and weakening the Russian offensive forces, which suffered heavy losses without achieving a decisive victory. In turn, Advisor to the Acting President of the DPR, Yan Gagin, said yesterday that, despite the heavy losses of Kiev troops in Artemovsk (Bakhmut), the Ukrainian leadership is sending more and more reinforcements, and fierce battles are taking place in the city. In an interview with Rossiya 24, he said: “Considering the losses of the Ukrainian armed forces, which amount to hundreds of people every day, keeping them under the control of the city, in my opinion, is useless.” now they are trying to deliver reserve forces and prepare new reserve forces.” A new battalion has been transferred there.” The adviser also recalled that a group of Ukrainian forces numbering 10,000 people is currently in Artemivsk. Gagin continued: “They are fighting there desperately and we should not underestimate the enemy, and they are armed and fighting very seriously, so the fight for the city is very hard.” Artemivsk, which is heavily fought over, is located in the Kyiv-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic, north of the city of Gorlovka, and is an important logistics center for the transport of goods for the Ukrainian group of troops in the Donbass. On the other hand, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported on the huge losses suffered by Ukrainian forces in February, indicating that these losses were 40% more than in the previous month. Shoigu said yesterday during a conference call with the Russian leadership that the supply of weapons by NATO countries to the Kiev regime did not bring much success to the Ukrainian forces, which lost more than 11,000 soldiers, or 40%, in February last year alone. more than the loss of Kyiv in the previous month of January. Shoigu considered that “the indifference of the Kyiv regime to its people is surprising, not taking into account the huge human losses in favor of Western values.” So far, Russia’s priority remains “preserving the life and health of people and civilians.” We will continue to carry out tasks within the framework of a special military operation.” Shoigu emphasized the need to put an end to the West’s falsification, led by America, of the reality of Russia’s main contribution to the defeat of Nazism in World War II. Shoigu announced the liberation of the cities of Nikolaevka, Dvorechno, Krasnaya Gora, Gryannikovka and Paraskovovka as a result of an offensive in the Donetsk and Kubyan directions. In addition, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Poland Mariusz Blaszczak said that Warsaw wants to create a service center for the Leopard tanks transferred to Ukraine and produce spare parts for them. “I arranged a meeting with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius,” he said. The main thing we will talk about is the lack of spare parts for Leopard tanks. I want Minister Pistorius to influence German industry so that there are spare parts for the Leopard. “We are ready to launch a service center in Poland that will repair and maintain Leopard tanks supplied to Ukraine,” he added. And the Polish minister continued: “I expect that things will come to a turning point and that Minister Pistorius will force the German defense industry to produce spare parts. The Polish defense industry is also ready for this, but all the documents are in Germany.”