KIEV, UKRAINE (AFP) – Fierce fighting raged outside Bakhmut as Russian forces forced their advance into the eastern city with heavy artillery and infantry attacks.
The president’s office said the situation in Paraskowivka, the northern suburb of Bakhmut, was “difficult” as Russian forces continued to bombard the area with “intense artillery and offensive operations”. The nearby town of Vuhledar has also been heavily bombed.
German Defense Ministry spokeswoman Nadine Krüger said in Berlin that Ukrainian soldiers had begun training on the Leopard 2 main battle tank. Germany has promised to deliver 14 tanks to Ukraine by the end of March.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg once again called on Ukraine’s Western allies to step up their military support. Asked on Monday when he expected Russia’s so-called spring offensive to begin, Stoltenberg said: “We’ve already seen the beginning.”
In the neighboring Luhansk region, Russian troops have withdrawn after several days of heavy fighting near the main city of Kreminna, Luhansk province governor Serhi Khaydai told Ukrainian television.
In the partially occupied southern Kherson region, more than 20 towns and villages have been shelled in the past 24 hours, including the eponymous capital of the region recaptured by Ukrainian forces in November. In one of his villages, a car drove over a mine, killing two men.
Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Defense said that despite its focus on the Donbass region, Russian forces were stepping up defenses at the edge of the southern Ukrainian front to protect the flanks. The warning states, “The potential for harassment and exclusion of U.S. citizens for detention by Russian government security officials, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, restrictions on flights to and from Russia, and the embassy’s sanctions to assist U.S. citizens in Russia.” It cites limited capabilities, and the potential for terrorism.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied on Monday that a second round of mobilization was imminent.
Many have fled the Donetsk province, where most of the fighting is concentrated, but those who choose to stay depend on sporadic relief supplies of food and water.
In Svyatohirsk, a city in the northern Donetsk region, the few remaining residents rely on World Central Kitchen volunteers for food and supplies to cope with freezing temperatures. Svyatohirsk he was liberated by Ukrainian forces in September.
On Sunday, the area was covered in snow, masking extensive destruction from repeated bombardments and heavy fighting. Standing by the ruins of the city council building, resident Valery Andreevsky said the building was “beautiful.”
Those who have left the front lines in search of safety continue to struggle to adjust to their new lives elsewhere. In Kyiv, dozens of people from the Donbass, Kherson and Kharkiv regions are being helped by the Center for Hope and Recovery, an organization that provides temporary shelter and food.
“These are people who have left behind what they have earned over the years, and it is a very traumatic experience,” said Anna Herkun, director of the center.They received psychological and medical support. , she added, volunteers are helping them find jobs and permanent housing.
A Russian missile destroyed her 80-year-old Anatoly Zakharenko’s house in the Donetsk village of Terny. His wife, daughter and disabled granddaughter have all been evacuated and are being helped around town.
Missing his hometown, he wrote poetry to ease the pain of his evacuation. “I will come back to you, trust me,” he said, reading it out loud.
