5/3/2023–|Last updated: 3/5/202311:39 PM (Makkah)
Russia announced that the Ukrainian forces had suffered heavy losses, with 500 soldiers killed and large losses of equipment, while Ukraine announced that it had repulsed 130 attacks during the past 24 hours, while the German chancellor confirmed that Putin would not succeed in his “aggression.”
And the Russian Ministry of Defense said, today, Sunday, that the Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses in lives and equipment yesterday, Saturday, as more than 500 Ukrainian soldiers were eliminated and dozens of military vehicles were destroyed.
It also stated that Russian air defenses shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter yesterday, and command centers for drones were destroyed, according to the Russian RT channel.
‘Painful and difficult’ battle
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday that his army is fighting a “painful and difficult” battle against Russian forces in the Donbass region (east), where the city of Bakhmut is located, and its surroundings are witnessing fierce battles.
“I would especially like to pay tribute to the courage, strength and tenacity of the soldiers who are fighting in Donbass,” Zelensky said in his daily address, adding that it was “one of the most difficult battles… painful and difficult.”
Russian forces continue their efforts to surround the city of Bakhmut, which is a symbol and center of the war in eastern Ukraine. In parallel, the Ukrainian General Staff said in its daily report that “more than 130 hostile attacks” had been repelled during the past 24 hours in a number of sectors of the front, especially In Kupyansk, Liman, Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
She added, “The enemy continues its attempts to surround the city of Bakhmut,” without adding any details.
A spokesman for the Eastern Command of the Ukrainian army, Sergey Cherevaty, confirmed to CNN that villages north and west of Pakhmut had been attacked. He had stated earlier that the situation in Bakhmut was “difficult, but it is under control.”
The battle over the industrial city of Bakhmut has been going on since the summer, and the city has become a symbol because it is at the heart of the fighting between the Russians and the Ukrainians.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group deployed on the front line in Bakhmut, confirmed on Friday that his forces had “practically surrounded” the city and called on President Volodymyr Zelensky to issue orders to withdraw Ukrainian fighters from it.
The Institute for the Study of War, a group of American experts, confirmed on Saturday that Russian forces had seized positions in Bakhmut that could allow them to bypass some Ukrainian defences.
He added, “The Russians may try to surround the Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, but the Ukrainian leadership has given a signal that it prefers to withdraw rather than risk being surrounded.”
In the same context, the founder of the Wagner Military Company announced that most of the ammunition they requested did not reach its units, either because of bureaucracy or treason.
He said that the Russian military police distributed their fighters to different military units, and impeded “the arrival of fighters who have recently joined us to our military center.”
Crimea Island
On the other hand, the Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, announced that the recovery of the peninsula will only take place militarily, indicating that the priority in the past was to liberate Crimea through political dialogue and diplomacy, which has changed at the present time.
He added that the Security Council of Ukraine needs to adopt the relevant documents, and the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine should vote in favor of it.
And Danilov considered, in an interview with a local Ukrainian channel, that making any concessions regarding the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk for Ukraine is dangerous.
Two Ukrainian pilots are training to use American fighter jets
On the other hand, a senior US military official said that two Ukrainian pilots are training in the United States to use combat aircraft, including F16s.
“The two pilots are currently in Tucson for an induction event for American and Ukrainian pilots,” the official said in a statement. “It is a routine activity as part of our military dialogue with Ukraine.”
The official added that the event allows them to better assist Ukrainian pilots to become more effective, and better advise them on how to develop their own capabilities.
He explained that the pilots will not fly on any platforms during the event, but will use a simulator.
The official indicated that this is the first time they have conducted such an event with Ukrainian pilots.
Schultz: Putin will not succeed in his aggression
In the same context, German Chancellor Olaf Schultz said that it is necessary for Russian President Vladimir Putin to understand that he will not succeed in his aggression and he must withdraw his forces, explaining that this is the basis of the talks.
Schultz said, in an interview with CNN, that Ukraine’s proposals show that it is ready for peace, but there are decisions that must be taken by the Russian president.
After a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he added that the Russian president’s move to withdraw his forces from Ukraine should be the basis for any political talks.
In another matter, Schultz said that Germany should produce the main weapons that it uses permanently and provide maintenance for them.
He noted that Berlin was able to increase liquefied gas imports from Western Europe and build new ports on its northern shores.
In turn, von der Leyen said that Europe’s decision to abandon energy from Russia is historic, and that the Union has no evidence that China is supplying weapons to Russia.
The biannual meeting of the German government began in Meseburg Castle, in the German state of Brandburg, with the participation of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Several files are at the forefront of the meeting; Most notably, strengthening confidence in economic relations between Germany and the European Union, the war on Ukraine, and the energy crisis.
British estimates
On the other hand, the British Ministry of Defense said today, Sunday, that Russian reservists are being armed with shovels due to a lack of ammunition.
In its daily intelligence report, the ministry said via Twitter that last month, Russian reservists said they were ordered to attack a Ukrainian concrete site and were armed only with “firearms and shovels”.
The ministry added that “a myth has been woven about the lethality of the Russian drilling tool (MPL-50) in Russia.”
“Little has changed since the Russian MPL-50 was designed in 1869, and its continued use as a weapon highlights the brutality of the low-tech combat that has come to characterize much of war,” the ministry added.
The ministry said recent evidence indicated an increase in direct fighting in Ukraine, and that there may have been “less artillery fire support because Russia lacks ammunition”.
The British Ministry of Defense has published daily updates since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, in an attempt to counter the Russian narrative, while the Kremlin accuses London of waging a disinformation campaign.
