Russia: UK Ministry of Defence stands with Ukraine
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The news comes as Moscow’s troops have made slow progress northeast of Donetsk, yet in spite of the tiny gains being made, it has forced Ukraine to warn citizens to leave certain areas. Russia has however intensified missile strikes in Southern Ukraine, with reports of hits on the port city of Mykolaiv, described by the city’s mayor, Oleksandr Senkevych, as some of the “most brutal” attacks on the region since the start of the war.
The Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) latest report makes grim reading once again for Putin who is being forced to change assault plans once again as Ukrainian fighters push back against Russian troops.
It read: “Over the last four days, Russia has continued to attempt tactical assaults on the Bakhmut axis, northeast of Donetsk, only managing to make slow progress.
“As briefed by the Ukrainian authorities last week, Russia is likely reallocating a significant number of its forces from the northern Donbas sector to southern Ukraine.
“Russia is probably adjusting the operational design of its Donbas offensive after failing to make a decisive operational breakthrough under the plan it had been following since April.
“It has likely identified its Zaporizhzhia front as a vulnerable area in need of reinforcement.”
Russia has seen such tactics used on several occasions since the start of the invasion, with the forced abandonment of central Ukraine and the outskirts of Kyiv being the most notable.
The arrival of Western-supplied defence equipment has also caused a major stumbling block for Russian forces.
HIMARS missiles have been able to hit Russian targets at a longer distance, and with pinpoint accuracy, see weapons dumps and rail roads wiped out, effectively cutting off Russian arms supplies to the front line.
This has resulted in Moscow turning to longer-range and less accurate Soviet-era weapons, as well as air defence missiles being used as surface-to-surface projectiles to continue its rampage against Ukraine.
However, certain areas have seen advances by Russian forces which have caused huge concern to Ukrainian officials.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged civilians to evacuate the frontline Donetsk region, the scene of fierce clashes with the Russian military, as Kyiv called on the Red Cross and UN to gain access to its soldiers being held by Moscow’s forces.
Ukraine’s president warned in his daily address that hundreds of thousands of people, including tens of thousands of children, were still in the region’s battleground areas, with the Donetsk governor saying six civilians were killed and 15 wounded on Friday.
He asked those who knew people still in the Donbas region – especially those with children – to speak to them about leaving.
He said: “Many people refuse to leave, but it really needs to be done.
“The sooner it is done, the more people leave Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill.
“Leave, we will help.
“At this stage of the war, terror is the main weapon of Russia.”
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On a more positive note, grain shipments are due to start flowing again following an agreement between Russia and Ukraine brokered by Türkiye.
The first ship to export Ukrainian grain will depart from Ukrainian ports at 8.30am today, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defence.
The ministry issued an announcement at 7.30am local time, saying: “The first ship from Ukrainian ports will depart today at 8:30.”
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Many have accused Putin of weaponising food security since the start of the conflict, with many developing nations relying heavily on grain and corn as a staple in their diets.
Furthermore, Moscow has also been threatening western nations with energy supply cuts, again, the use of soft power designed to cause instability and pressure on Western nations.
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