A senior US Pentagon official has estimated that perhaps half of the heavy tanks available to the US armed forces Russia were either destroyed or fell into the hands of his opponents after he invaded Ukrainealmost a year ago.

Russia “probably lost half of its tanks” in the fighting, as they were either destroyed or “fell into Ukrainian hands,” Celeste Wallander said during an event at the Center for a New American Security.

This assessment by Ms. Wallander, who did not give specific figures for the loss of Russian armored vehicles, came at a time when Kyiv is preparing to accept dozens of heavy tanks from its Western allies.

The UK says the Challenger 2 tanks it will provide to the Ukrainian military will be operational in March, while Germany and Kiev’s other allies are expected to send dozens of Leopard 2s to Kiev by April.

Washington, for its part, has promised to send 31 Abrams tanks, but their delivery will take longer.

Ukrainians say all-out Russian attack is inevitable

With a new round of violent attacks primarily on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Russia has responded to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to London, Paris and Brussels, the main purpose of which was to equip his country with long-range fighter jets and strike missiles.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia carried out strikes on the regions of Kyiv, Kharkov and Zaporozhye with cruise missiles and S-300s, as well as Shahed drones. Of the 71 Russian missiles launched, 61 were destroyed, according to Kiev, but the rest, as well as drones that crashed into their targets carrying explosives, caused massive destruction and power outages that affected much of the country’s power supply. European Council President Charles Michel spoke of the systematic destruction of political infrastructure, which he called a war crime.

For his part, a senior adviser to the Ukrainian president urged the West to overcome its hesitation and reinforce his country with the missiles and bombers it needs after yesterday’s “massive” attack. “Russia has been hitting Ukrainian cities all night and morning. Enough talk and political hesitation. Only quick solutions: long-range missiles and fighter jets,” Mykhaylo Podoliak wrote.

At the same time, there was an escalation of Russian military operations in several sectors of the eastern front, and primarily in the city of Bakhmut, which Russian troops are going to encircle. Speaking on state television, the Ukrainian governor of the Donetsk region, Pavel Krylenko, calculated that the long-awaited major Russian offensive aimed at capturing all of Donetsk, as well as neighboring Luhansk region, had already begun.

The Ukrainian government believes that the Russian generals will do everything possible to bring Vladimir Putin tangible success, which will partly compensate for the setbacks of recent months in Kharkiv and Kherson, ahead of the end of the year since the start of the Russian war on February 24. invasion. Three days earlier, on Feb. 21, the Russian president will deliver his traditional annual State of the Union address to both houses of parliament – the equivalent of US presidents addressing the nation – and his recent military success, which would be extremely beneficial to him. by impressions.

In a video message yesterday, Volodymyr Zelensky condemned that several Russian missiles arrived in Ukraine after they violated the airspace of Moldova, as well as Romania, a NATO member. “These missiles are a challenge to NATO and its collective security. It is terrorism that must and can be stopped,” the President of Ukraine said.

However, Romania did not confirm his version. A Russian missile, likely a Cruise missile, launched from a ship in the Black Sea off Crimea, passed through Moldovan airspace before hitting Ukraine, but did not cross Romanian skies, the Romanian Defense Ministry said. Its closest distance from Romanian airspace, according to an official statement, was about 35 kilometers.

Shortly thereafter, pro-Western Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita announced that her government was stepping down after 18 months in power, during which it was tested by anti-government protests and bitter rivalry from the pro-Russian bloc. President Maya Sandhu, who last year managed to get her country accepted as a candidate for EU membership, accepted the resignation of the prime minister.

^{According to REUTERS, AFP, AP, APE-MPE.}