The war is coming! The Russian army is launching a new round of offensive and the West will provide 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine
News from the Financial Associated Press on January 28 (edited by Niu Zhanlin)Almost a year into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it shows no sign of ending. On Friday local time, the Russian army launched a new offensive, trying to seize the advantage before the tanks promised by Western countries arrived on the battlefield.
Jan Hakin, an adviser to the interim leadership of the Donetsk People’s Republic, said Russian troops were fighting fiercely to capture Ugledar, after capturing the eastern and southeastern suburbs of the city.
Ukrainian forces said on Friday they had repelled a Russian attack on Ugledar and several other villages in eastern Donetsk oblast in the past 24 hours. Russia has also launched 148 attacks on the front line facing Ukrainian forces in the southern Zaporozhye region over the past day, using tanks, rockets and artillery, the regional military administration said.
Ukrainian forces have warned they are in a race against time, fearing a second Russian attack could begin within two months and preparing for the coming weeks.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said in his speech that day that he discussed the situation in Ugledar and Bakhmut in a meeting with military leaders.
After months of setbacks, Russian troops breached Ukraine’s defenses in the east earlier this month, capturing the town of Soledar. This makes it more difficult for Ukraine to capture neighboring Bakhmut. For months, Bahmut has been in the middle of this battle.
Senior Ukrainian military officials pointed out that the main war will come this spring, or even earlier, which could be the most intense phase of the war so far.
West promises 321 heavy tanks
Vadim Omelchenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to France, said on Friday that Western countries have promised 321 heavy tanks to Kyiv.
Omelchenko said on the BFM TV program: “As of today, many countries have officially confirmed the supply of 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine. Delivery deadlines vary, but we need to get this support as soon as possible as possible.”
Omelchenko said Ukraine was aware of the “risk” that it could take months to deliver the tanks. “That’s why Zelenskiy insisted that the tanks should be received as soon as possible, if they arrive in August or September, it will be too late,” he said.
The German government previously said it had decided to provide German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Germany plans to form two tank battalions. The first phase intends to transfer 14 “Leopard 2A6” tanks from the inventory of the Bundeswehr. Poland’s leadership said it is ready to provide up to 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine within the framework of the League of Nations. Before this, the country had provided about 250 T-72 tanks to Ukraine. US President Biden also announced that his government will provide 31 “M1 Abrams” tanks from the US to Ukraine.
Russia has already sent a note to NATO countries on the issue of supplying weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that any material containing weapons with aid to Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that NATO countries are “playing with fire” by providing weapons to Ukraine. Peskov, the Press Secretary of the Russian President, said that the transfer of weapons from Western countries to Ukraine will not help the success of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and will have a negative impact.
The conflict shows no sign of ending
Kirby, the National Security Council’s strategic communications coordinator, said Friday that the United States sees no signs of an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
Although it has been providing all kinds of support to Ukraine and even inciting conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the White House recently said that the United States and NATO are not directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, emphasizing that this is a war between Russia. and Ukraine, not a war between the US or NATO against Russia.
Peskov said earlier that Russia believes that the supply of weapons to Ukraine by Western countries is directly related to the conflict, and that the degree of Western involvement is increasing. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also accused NATO and the United States of participating directly in the Ukrainian conflict, pointing out that the means of participation include not only the supply of weapons, but also the training of troops Ukraine in Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries.
The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Zakharova, said in a press conference on Friday that NATO has played a full role in the conflict with Russia, and that the conflict is constantly increasing. Zakharova pointed out that the supply of tanks from the West to Ukraine will not turn the situation in favor of Kyiv, but it will raise the conflict between the West and Russia to a new level. Ukraine’s so-called defense has been thrown out of the air for a while, and in order to do serious damage to Russia, Kyiv and the West are now ready to do everything in their power.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg has repeatedly emphasized that NATO is not and will not be involved in the conflict in Ukraine, and will not send troops or aircraft to Ukraine.
