Russia presses Donetsk offensive
Ukraine lobbies for supply of fighter jets
Russian forces are making incremental gains in their push to take territory in Ukraine’s eastern province of Donetsk, focusing on the town of Bakhmut north of the regional capital.
Having finally persuaded Nato countries to supply modern battle tanks, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government is now lobbying hard for some of Ukraine’s neighbours and Western allies to supply fighter jets.
In Paris after meeting Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said “there was no taboo” about supplying Kyiv with fighter planes.
The United States and Britain have thus far rejected the idea but repeated their willingness to continue military support to Ukraine, which Russian forces invaded in February 2022 in what Moscow called a “special military operation” to protect Russian security and Russian speakers. The invasion has killed thousands of civilians, uprooted millions and reduced cities to rubble.
More recently, Russia has characterised the conflict as confronting what it says is an aggressive and expansionist US-led Nato military alliance.
The West has so far refused to send weapons that could be used to attack deep inside Russia for fear of starting a wider conflict, although Moscow has denounced recent Western pledges of weapons as provocations.
The United States, which has provided Ukraine about $27.2 billion (893.1 billion baht) in military aid since Russia’s invasion, is preparing a $2.2 billion package of additional assistance. That is expected to offer Kyiv longer-range rockets for the first time and other munitions and weapons, two US officials briefed on the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut came under renewed fire as did Klishchiivka and Kurdyumivka, villages on the southern approaches to the town, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement on Tuesday night.
Bakhmut has suffered a relentless bombardment for months, as Russian forces resorted to the same destructive tactics they used to capture two cities further north — Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk — in June and July.
Russian forces on Tuesday made no headway in attempts to advance on Avdiivka, the second focal point of Russian attacks in Donetsk region, Kyiv’s military general staff said.
Russian forces also tried to advance near Lyman, a town further north in Donetsk region that was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in October, the military said.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said on YouTube that Russian forces in the area were regrouping and bringing in conscripts in what he called a “conveyor of death”.
“We inflict as much damage as possible and they are forced to bring in new forces in order to keep up the constant attacks on our troops,” he said.
“Conscripts cannot keep up the pace of previous assaults ... Their physical abilities are not up to the task and their motivation is a lot weaker.”
Russia was reaching further west in Donetsk by firing on the town of Vuhledar and a half dozen other towns and villages.