Determined to step up her efforts to take over his entire industrial area. Donbass in front of tanks and other heavy weapons with West appears Russiawhile warning of an increased risk of direct collision with NATO.

“The United States and its allies are trying to drag out this conflict as long as possible,” the Russian defense minister said yesterday. Sergei Shoigu during a teleconference with the military, add: “To do this, they began to supply heavy weapons, openly calling on Ukraine to occupy our territories. In fact, these steps lead to the fact that NATO countries become parties to the conflict and can lead to unpredictable escalation.” In his own statements, he assessed that the offensive operations of the Russian army on the eastern front, especially in the cities of Bakhmut and Vulendar, “are moving forward.”

Company mercenaries Wagner Group and units of the regular Russian army began a seven-month offensive against Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. For about a month now, the Russian offensive has stretched out over a line of about 250 kilometers, as Vladimir Putin appears to be aiming for a major, if only token, success ahead of February 24, the anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion.

Deadliest 24 hours

As fighting rages on the eastern front, Zelenskiy will attend a European Council meeting in Brussels.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the previous day was the deadliest for the Russians since the beginning of the war, after they lost 1,030 people in the latest wave of attacks. Also around the clock, always Kyiv, 25 Russian tanks were destroyed. Moscow denies any casualties of this magnitude, and international agencies speak of much bloodshed on both sides. The commander of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, Serhiy Gaidal, said the Russians were moving reinforcements and ammunition in preparation for a major offensive that could begin anytime after February 15.

At this critical moment, Mr. Vladimir Zelensky scheduled to fly tomorrow Thursday Brussels to take part in the summit of the European Union, where he was invited, and to address the European Parliament. This will be the second trip of the Ukrainian president abroad since the beginning of the war – the first was in December last year, when he spoke from the halls of the US Congress. News of Zelenskiy’s upcoming visit leaked out from the entourage of European Parliament President Roberta Metzola and the European People’s Party, causing a scandal, given that for security reasons the movements of the Ukrainian president are kept secret until the last minute.

Yesterday, the Ukrainian president tried to put an end to the internal political turmoil that had been caused in the previous two days by reports that Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov was about to be ostracized. From the halls of parliament, Zelensky called for an end to the spread of “rumors or other false information” about his main partner.

Korean script

The scenario around the Ukrainian was fueled by the statement of Oleksiy Arestovich, Zelensky’s adviser until last month, in which the West is ready to accept the division of Ukraine along the lines of two Korean states. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev rejected this scenario, recalling that four regions of Ukraine were annexed (on paper) by Russia, although he was quick to add that such speculation is “the first step towards recognizing reality on earth.” Earlier, Secretary of the Security Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov claimed that it was the Russians who were proposing the “Korean solution,” which was refuted by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Finally, the TASS news agency reported that Russia accused the US embassy in Moscow of “subversive activities” and slandering the Russian military, threatening expulsion. The harsh message of the Russian Foreign Ministry also applies personally to the new US Ambassador, Lynn Tracy, who arrived in Moscow only last month.