Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday (February 14) called for faster military aid as Russian troops said they broke through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defences on the eastern front. In his evening address on Tuesday, Zelensky said that Russia was in a hurry to achieve as much as it can with its latest push before Kyiv and its allies gathered strength. “That is why speed is of the essence. Speed in everything – adopting decisions, carrying out decisions, shipping supplies, training. Speed saves people’s lives,” Zelensky added, news agency Reuters reported on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian president pointed out that the situation in the frontline, especially in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, remained very difficult. “The battles are literally for every foot of Ukrainian land,” Zelensky told citizens on Tuesday.
Russia’s defence ministry said that Ukrainian troops retreated in the face of Russian attacks in Luhansk. Taking to Telegram, the ministry said, “During the offensive … the Ukrainian troops randomly retreated to a distance of up to 3 km (1.9 miles) from the previously occupied lines. Even the more fortified second line of defence of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military.”
In recent weeks, the Kremlin intensified attacks across a swathe of southern and eastern Ukraine, and a major new offensive has been widely anticipated. The Reuters report on Wednesday said that Moscow’s main effort has been focused on Bakhmut in Donetsk province adjacent to Luhansk.
Capturing Bakhmut would act as a stepping stone for Russia to advance on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk cities in Donetsk. Oleh Zhdanov, a Ukrainian military analyst, said there was fighting “around every single house” in Bakhmut, adding the situation remained extremely difficult.
The Ukrainian government said that it was using shells faster than the West could make them, adding, it needed fighter jets and long-range missiles to counter the Russian offensive and recapture lost territory. Earlier, the United States and NATO pledged that Western support would not falter in the face of a looming Moscow offensive.
“Ukraine has urgent requirements to help it meet this crucial moment in the course of the war. We believe there’ll be a window of opportunity for them to exercise initiative,” US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said. Meanwhile, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that supplying Kyiv with fighter jets would certainly be discussed but that it was not a focus at the moment.
(With inputs from agencies)
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