Putin forced to abandon Ukraine advance as Kyiv plots 'landmark' counter-offensive
Former president and Putin ally, Dmitry Medvedev, says world "quite probably on the verge of a new world war".
Reuters
Russia has abandoned territorial advances in its invasion of Ukraine as Vladimir Putin braces for a counter-offensive, according to one of Kyiv's Major Generals.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, said Moscow had “completely switched everywhere to positional defence” and remaining offensive operations were being funnelled into bombarding the bitterly-contested city of Bakhmut.
The Russians have been accused of using nuclear reactors for defensive cover, with the UK Ministry of Defence putting out a statement this morning: “Imagery shows that by March 2023, Russian forces had established fighting positions on the roofs of several of the six reactor buildings at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
“Russia has likely constructed these positions because it is increasingly concerned about the prospects of a major Ukrainian offensive.
UK and Germany have announced a joint venture on armour-piercing tank rounds
PA
“The move highly likely increases the chances of damage to ZNPP safety systems if fighting takes place.
“However, direct catastrophic damage to the reactors is unlikely under most plausible scenarios involving infantry weapons because the structures are very heavily reinforced.”
The battle of Bakhmut has been raging for months and threatens to spill over into nearby towns of Avdiivka and Marinka in the eastern Donbas region.
In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Major General Budanov deemed the impending counter-offensive as a “landmark battle in Ukraine’s modern history” that would result in the recapture of “significant” amounts of occupied territory.
Ukrainian troops have set up positions on the east bank of the Dnipro River in the Russian occupied Kherson region, war experts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War have said in what is seen as a precursor to the assault.
President Zelensky has recently taken to Facebook to implore allies to send weapons: “We have to accelerate the pace of weapons supply because every day of delay is the lives of our soldiers.”
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, today warned that Russia's "patience should not be tested" for it "will do everything to prevent the development of events according to the worst scenario, but not at the cost of infringing in our vital interests."
It comes after Former Russian president and close Putin ally, Dmitry Medvedev, said earlier this week that the world was "quite probably on the verge of a new world war".
President Zelenksy said: “The terrorist country is doing everything to destroy us completely."
PA
Today, the UK and Germany announced they will work together to produce cutting-edge armour-piercing tank rounds for future Challenger 3 and Leopard 2 tanks.
Defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said: "We’re very pleased to work with Germany on this programme, helping equip our respective Armed Forces with a crucial battle-winning capability.
"The standardised ammunition will not only benefit battlefield collaboration with many of our Nato allies, but has important export potential for UK and German defence industry partners."
Meanwhile, in an urgent question to defence minister Andrew Murrison this morning, shadow defence secretary John Healey said: “I am concerned momentum behind our military help is faltering, and our UK commitment to Ukraine is flagging.
“No statement on Ukraine from the Defence Secretary since January. No new weapons announced for Ukraine since February. No 2023 Action Plan for Ukraine, despite being promised last August. No priorities set for the London Ukraine recovery conference in June.
“The prime minister said in February the UK “will be the first country to provide Ukraine with longer-range weapons”. What? And when? The defence secretary said on Friday that “delivery is accelerating” of military aid. How? And what?”
Murrison responded by reinforcing that the UK was “one of the leading providers of military support for Ukraine” and cited the 14,000 Ukrainian troops trained in the UK so far.