Ukrainians wait for Russians to ‘shoot each other’ as rift widens
Ukrainian servicemen said on social media video they are holding positions in war-battered Bakhmut waiting for Russians to “shoot each other” as the war of words between the Russian Defense Ministry and a Russian mercenary leader intensifies, a think tank reports.
The assessment from the Institute for the Study of War said Russian military leadership may be allowing the mercenary Wagner Group to take high casualties in Bakhmut in order to erode its leader’s leverage while at the same time preserving Russian army troops.
Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin, a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has publicly complained that the Defense Ministry has been increasingly restricting his ability to recruit convicts and secure ammunition.
Plus, the assessment says Prigozhin likely anticipated that Ukrainian forces would withdraw from Bakhmut. Instead, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doubled down, rejecting suggestions that his military strategically allow the city fall.
“Putin and the Russian MoD may use Prigozhin as a scapegoat for the costly drive on Bakhmut once the offensive culminates,” the assessment says.
Developing:
• India will abide by the $60 per barrel sanction cap on Russian oil, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
• India has become a major buyer of Russian oil since the war began. Crude oil currently sells for about $75 a barrel.
• The International Criminal Court will open two war crimes cases and seek several arrests tied to the Russian invasion, The New York Times reported, citing current and former officials with knowledge of the decision.
They would be the first international charges filed since the war began.
• Russia’s legislature is considering a plan to raise the military draft ages to 21-30 from 18-27 over the next three years.
Enlistment would remain legal for those 18 who still want to enlist
• Russian officials negotiating with U.N. representatives said they were planning to extend an agreement that allows Ukraine grain shipments safe passage through a Russian blockade.
Xi, Zelenskyy reportedly to meet virtually
Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to speak virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since the start of the war, likely after he visits Moscow next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people the publication said were familiar with the matter.
The visit and virtual chat reflect Beijing’s effort to play a more active role in mediating an end to the war, the Journal reported.
Putin and Xi have appeared to grow closer in the year since the war began, although China has dismissed as untrue reports in the U.S. that Xi’s government is considering supplying Russia with badly needed arms for its war in Ukraine.
Kherson region sets curfew amid sabotage concerns
Kherson regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin announced a curfew from 5 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. from Monday to Friday, citing concerns that Russian sabotage teams may have moved into the area.
He said the curfew could help prevent casualties among the civilian population during the counter-subversive measures.
“Help the defense forces,” Prokudin said on Telegram.
Kherson was overrun by Russian forces early in the war but was liberated in November.
Russian forces who retreated across the Dnieper River have continuously shelled the region from there. Ukraine officials estimate that about half the population, which once approached 300,000, has fled.