Fighting is fierce in Bakhmut, a frontline hotspot in eastern Ukraine, and Kyiv is pressing the West for fighter jets as the situation grows more complex.

Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov criticized the “restraint” of the West, which is reluctant to supply Ukraine with modern fighter jets, arguing that it “costs more Ukrainian lives.”

At the same time, Reznikov promised that the long-range weapons systems purchased by Ukraine would not be used to destroy targets in Russia, but only in the occupied zones.

The Russian army, with the help of Wagner’s mercenaries, has been trying since the summer to capture Bakhmut, a city that has almost been razed to the ground and where both sides are suffering heavy losses.

The Russians have made little territorial gains in recent weeks, and Moscow is hoping to break Ukrainian resistance by capturing the nearby town of Solentar and, more recently, the village of Blakontatnoye.

“In the northern suburbs (Bakhmut) there were fierce battles for every street, every house, every staircase,” Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said, according to the press service of his organization. “The Armed Forces of Ukraine are not retreating, they are fighting to the last man,” he added.

When asked about a possible retreat from Bakhmut, Reznikov assured that the city remains “a fortress, a symbol,” but the decision rests with the General Staff of the Ukrainian army.

On Saturday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that the situation is “difficult” at the front and in particular in Bakhmut, which he promised to defend “for as long as necessary.” He also mentioned Vuhledar, which is being attacked by Russian troops, and Liman, a town recaptured by the Ukrainians last year. “The conqueror is mobilizing more and more forces to break our defenses,” he stressed.

Five people were injured this morning in two Russian strikes in central Kharkov in the northeast, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the regional military command, said.

The Ukrainian Defense Minister said he expects a massive Russian attack during February. The weapons donated to his country by the West have not yet reached Ukraine, but “we have the resources and reserves to protect ourselves,” he assured.

Reznikov also said that training on handling Leopard tanks would begin tomorrow, on Monday. The supply of these Western weapons is critical to Kyiv and has angered Moscow, which is threatening to escalate the conflict.

Today, at the same time, a European embargo on the shipping of Russian oil products is being introduced, a measure that the Kremlin calls “negative” and warns that it “will further destabilize markets.”

Source: APE-MPE, AFP.