​The eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is under heavy artillery fire as NATO’s chief secretary confirmed reports from local officials that a new major Russian offensive had begun just days before the anniversary of Moscow’s invasion. Positions in Bakhmut have been fortified and only military personnel are allowed there, while civilians who still want to leave the city will face gunfire, a deputy battalion commander said on Monday.

The latest on the war in Ukraine, day 355, LIVETEXT:

07:23NATO defense ministers are due to meet in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday. NATO plans to increase its ammunition stockpile targets, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, adding that the alliance had completed a survey of remaining stockpiles.

A brief summary of recent events regarding Russian aggression:

• On Monday evening, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi outlined “clear tasks” for diplomacy: to cover all regions of the world with which he has less dialogue, and to make Ukraine and Ukrainian interests “easy to understand”, noting that he means Asian directions, but also to Africa and Latin America, regions that have reluctantly supported Kyiv’s military efforts and where Russia is trying to expand its influence.
• Russia’s major new offensive, confirmed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday, appears to have revived an old problem for Russian mobilisers: sending soldiers to the front without the proper equipment.
• Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of plans to use foreign saboteurs to overthrow the country’s leadership, prevent its entry into the EU and use it in the war against Ukraine. Last year, Russia denied that it wanted to intervene in the situation in Moldova.
• Ukraine’s armed forces have reportedly destroyed “almost the entire brigade” of 155 Marines during the fighting in Vugledar in the Donetsk region, Politico reported, citing Ukrainian military official Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi. This is the third destruction of a Navy brigade since the beginning of the war.
• Russian troops bombarded Nikopol, wounding a civilian. On February 13, Russian troops continued shelling Nikopol, a 69-year-old man was wounded, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, Mykola Lukasyuk, said. Nikopol, which is controlled by Ukraine, is located on the other side of the Dnieper, not far from the city of Energodar, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian occupation since March 2022.
• Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced on February 13 that there will be new deputy ministers in the Ministry of Defense, but he has not yet named the candidates. He added that the changes are aimed at “increasing work efficiency”, Kyiv Independent reports.
• The pro-Russian opposition party of scandalous businessman Ilan Shor accused Maia Sanda of attempting to usurp power and called for new protests on Sunday after the president of the Republic of Moldova proposed giving security agencies more prerogatives, the Chisinau press reported.
• NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Joane claims that Russia does not currently have the forces to attack the Republic of Moldova and suggests that it is now trying to hinder the country’s pro-Western vector and divide the population. , reports Radio Chisinau.
• Russian athletes must take a public stand against the war in Ukraine if they want to be allowed to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Kyiv mayor and former world boxing champion Vitaliy Klitsyko said Monday.
• German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock says she expects all NATO members, including Turkey and Hungary, to “immediately” ratify requests from Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, The Guardian reports.
• Russia has said it would be “impractical” to extend the Black Sea Grain Transport Agreement unless sanctions affecting its agricultural exports are lifted, The Guardian reports.

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Monday’s events were broadcast live on HotNews.ro