Ukraine is sending mixed messages about the fate of Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, leaving a key ministerial position in doubt. Questions about Reznikov were the first public sign of confusion in the Ukrainian leadership during the war, and events on the battlefield indicated that Russia was preparing a new full-scale offensive in the country.

On the fronts of the war

Sergei Gaidai, the Ukrainian governor of the predominantly Russian-held Luhansk region, said Russia was building up its troops for an offensive that could begin next week.

The fierce fighting in the Donetsk region is “very heavy,” Zelenskiy said. Ukrainian forces in the town of Bakhmut, which have been trying for months to capture Russian troops, continue to repel their repeated attacks.

“We are resisting them,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address, which was published after midnight today. He expressed “gratitude” to “every soldier who showed determination in resistance.”

The President of Ukraine, who met with his staff yesterday, announced new appointments of commanders on the fronts, “especially on the borders and in the frontline areas”, referring to “leaders with military experience” who can “protect against current threats more effectively.”

He also said that new units of the national guard, police and border guards are being formed.

Due to the escalation of Russian attacks, the Ukrainian army was forced to reinforce the fronts with at least part of the forces intended for counterattacks in the near future.

The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, said its forces were in control of the village of Nikolayevka in eastern Donetsk Oblast, state media reported.

Russia’s State Investigative Committee has effectively announced that it is investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons by Ukrainian forces near the eastern towns of Soletar and Bakhmut. Ukrainian security officials said they had never used chemical weapons anywhere.

On the diplomatic front

The Ukrainian president has been invited to a summit of European Union leaders amid reports that he could be in Brussels as early as this week.

Meanwhile, US Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to discuss US support for Ukraine as it travels to a major European security conference in Germany next week as the Russian invasion approaches one year.

At the same time, the head of the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear agency, will visit Moscow this week, but the Kremlin has said he will not meet with President Vladimir Putin.

Severing ties with Russia

In a separate case, Ukraine’s main Catholic Church said it would switch to a new calendar that would celebrate Christmas on December 25 instead of January 7, amid a wide-ranging effort by Ukrainian institutions to sever cultural ties with Russia. The decision of the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine, numbering less than a tenth of Ukrainians, was welcomed by the Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko.

Source: Reuters, dpa, APE-MPE.