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A new Russian offensive appears to be underway in Ukraine
HISTORY: As the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine approaches, Russian forces bombed the town of Bakhmut on Monday in what NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg described as the start of a major new offensive that has been long feared: “The reality is we’ve seen it Already, because we are seeing what Russia is doing now – President Putin is doing it now – start sending in thousands and thousands more troops at a very high casualty rate.” new ground attacks. Bakhmut is a key target of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his capture would give Russia a new foothold in the Donetsk region and a rare victory after several months of setbacks. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions make up the Donbass, Ukraine’s industrial heartland now partially occupied by Russia, which wants full control. The attack on Bakhmut was spearheaded by Wagner Group mercenaries, who made small but steady gains. The renewed Russian bombings further aggravated the situation there. The Ukrainian military reported Russian shelling along the frontline and said 16 settlements near Bakhmut had been bombed, including the frontline village of Chasiv Yar, where volunteers worked to evacuate families while Ukrainian militants held their ground despite difficult weather. The commander of the unit, Anton Fedorenko, called the area “homeland”. “So we’re holding it nails and teeth and we’re going to stay here. And we’re hoping that we’re going to be supplied with weapons, we’re going to have something to respond with. And we’re going to be able to launch a counter-offensive start. As soon as the weather permits, because now the ground and weather conditions mean that we cannot move forward even if we have the weapons,” the United Nations Human Rights Office said Monday that it has killed more than seven thousand civilians since the February 24 invasion deaths and nearly 12,000 injured, mainly from shelling, missile attacks and airstrikes, but said the real number is much higher. Stoltenberg said he saw no signs that Putin was preparing or was ready for peace Respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty “We see that President Putin and Russia still want to control Ukraine and therefore the only way to ensure that Ukraine asserts itself as a sovereign nation is to continue to support Ukraine militarily.” Send planes to defend Ukraine and say help is urgently needed.
