5/2/2023–|Last updated: 5/2/202311:35 PM (Makkah)
The separatist forces loyal to Moscow in eastern Ukraine said that they are close to encircling the strategic city of Bakhmut in the east of the country. On the other hand, the Russian Wagner militia is waging a street war inside Bakhmut with the Ukrainian forces, and Kyiv pledged not to use Western weapons to strike Russian lands.
In Donetsk Province, eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian forces stated that they had taken control of some of the entrances to the city of Oglidar, and that they would soon begin encircling Bakhmut, as they put it.
The founder of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said today, Sunday, that fierce battles are taking place with the Ukrainian forces in all the streets of the northern neighborhoods of Bakhmut, north of Donetsk.
“Our soldiers are fighting for every street, every house and every building staircase,” Prigozhin said in a statement on the Telegram app. “The existing Ukrainian forces do not back down and fight to the end.”
Today, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that its forces took control of “important sites on the Donetsk axis and killed more than 115 Ukrainian soldiers.”
Ukrainian novel
On the other hand, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said that 140 members of the Wagner militia were killed or wounded in the Battle of Bakhmut.
The Ukrainian Staff Command stated that the Russian forces are regrouping on the fighting axes in the region at the cities of Bakhmut, Liman, Evdiivka and Novopavlevka. It confirmed that it had repelled several attempts by these forces to advance on 9 axes in the region.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said today that the situation in the east “will remain difficult, but manageable. The defense forces are stationed there.” The Ukrainian Border Service published footage of the evacuation of fighters injured in the Bakhmut battles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, earlier, that Russia is mobilizing more forces to break his country’s air defenses.
This complex situation on the Bakhmut front was also confirmed by Ukrainian military sources to Al-Jazeera, describing it as the most difficult along the front, in light of the Russian forces attacking the city from several axes.
The sources added that attempts to cut the highway south of the city do not stop, stressing that the Ukrainian forces are still able to repel these attacks and inflict heavy losses on the attackers, as described.
Northeastern Ukraine, the regional military administration in Kharkiv said that the city was subjected to two Russian strikes, leaving 5 injured and damage to residential buildings and a higher education institution.
Western weapons
For his part, the Ukrainian Defense Minister confirmed – today – that the long-range weapons that Western countries promised to hand over to them will not be used to target Russian lands, but only occupied areas.
The minister added – before transferring him to the Ministry of Strategic Industries – that his country expects a major Russian attack this month, but it has sufficient reserves of equipment and equipment to repel the Russian forces, even if all of the latest Western military aid does not arrive in time.
German Chancellor Olaf Schultz said on Saturday that there was agreement with the Ukrainian president to avoid using weapons coming from the West to launch attacks on Russian territory.
Schultz added – in a press interview published today – that there is a consensus in this regard, explaining that his country carefully studied every arms delivery to Ukraine in coordination with its allies, led by the United States, which allows avoiding the escalation of the war, as he put it.
In statements published today, the German chancellor said that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not make any threats to him or his country during the phone conversations that took place between them. Schultz said in an interview with the German newspaper “Bild am Sonntag” that his talks with Putin made it clear that their two views on the Ukraine war are very different.
And with repeated promises to grant Kyiv long-range Western weapons, Washington announced that it would provide Ukraine with new military aid worth $2.2 billion, including GLSDB bombs to be installed on missiles for the American Himars launchers. Its range reaches 150 kilometers, which enables the Ukrainian forces to target the rear lines of the Russian forces.
In another context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced – today, Sunday – the collection of $ 278 million through the government fundraising platform called “United24”, and said that about 150 generators had been purchased, and they had already been delivered to medical facilities in the country.
The Ukrainian President launched the donation platform last May with the aim of raising funds to support Kyiv during the war, and Zelensky explained that the initiative’s donations will be directed to 3 areas, namely: defense and demining, humanitarian and medical aid, and the reconstruction of the country.
Canada and Portugal
Canada sent to Kyiv yesterday the first German-made Leopard-2 tanks, and Defense Minister Anita Anand said – in a tweet on Twitter – that an Air Force plane took off from the city of Halifax (east of the country) with the first Leopard tank on board. 2 Introduction to Ukraine.
In late January, Ottawa announced that it would send four Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine, shortly after Germany and other countries announced that they would support the Ukrainian army with dozens of these tanks, which are among the best in the world.
For his part, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced that his country would send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, without specifying the number.
After announcing late last month that it would initially send 14 Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine, Germany agreed last Friday to export Leopard-1 tanks to enhance the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian army.
Yesterday, after talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Ukrainian president confirmed the start of his forces’ training on Challenger 2 tanks in Britain, saying that they will have a decisive role on the battlefield. London recently promised to send 14 tanks of this type to Kyiv.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said today that helping to arm Ukraine so that it can defend itself is “the quickest way to achieve peace,” stressing that “like all autocrats, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin responds only to force.”
Iron Dome
In the context, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed today that he is studying the possibility of supplying Ukraine with the Iron Dome anti-missile system, but he is examining first the potential political repercussions of this step.
Netanyahu explained – in an interview with a French channel – that one of the main considerations in making the decision to provide Kyiv with the Iron Dome is the desire not to enter into a military conflict with Moscow, or the Russian air forces operating in the region, including the Syrian airspace.
