{"id":3915,"date":"2023-02-13T17:15:38","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T17:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=3915"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:36:26","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:36:26","slug":"russia-advances-into-bakhmut-strengthens-southern-defenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/analysis\/defense\/russia-advances-into-bakhmut-strengthens-southern-defenses\/2023\/02\/13\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia advances into Bakhmut, strengthens southern defenses"},"content":{"rendered":"

KIEV,<\/span> UKRAINE<\/span> (AFP)<\/span> –<\/span> Fierce<\/span> fighting<\/span> raged<\/span> outside<\/span> Bakhmut<\/span> as<\/span> Russian<\/span> forces<\/span> forced<\/span> their<\/span> advance<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> eastern<\/span> city<\/span> with<\/span> heavy<\/span> artillery<\/span> and<\/span> infantry<\/span> attacks.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> president’s<\/span> office<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> situation<\/span> in<\/span> Paraskowivka,<\/span> the<\/span> northern<\/span> suburb<\/span> of<\/span> Bakhmut,<\/span> was<\/span> “difficult”<\/span> as<\/span> Russian<\/span> forces<\/span> continued<\/span> to<\/span> bombard<\/span> the<\/span> area<\/span> with<\/span> “intense<\/span> artillery<\/span> and<\/span> offensive<\/span> operations”.<\/span> The<\/span> nearby<\/span> town<\/span> of<\/span> Vuhledar<\/span> has<\/span> also<\/span> been<\/span> heavily<\/span> bombed.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>German<\/span> Defense<\/span> Ministry<\/span> spokeswoman<\/span> Nadine<\/span> Kr\u00fcger<\/span> said<\/span> in<\/span> Berlin<\/span> that<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> soldiers<\/span> had<\/span> begun<\/span> training<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> Leopard<\/span> 2<\/span> main<\/span> battle<\/span> tank.<\/span> Germany<\/span> has<\/span> promised<\/span> to<\/span> deliver<\/span> 14<\/span> tanks<\/span> to<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> end<\/span> of<\/span> March.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Secretary-General<\/span> Jens<\/span> Stoltenberg<\/span> once<\/span> again<\/span> called<\/span> on<\/span> Ukraine’s<\/span> Western<\/span> allies<\/span> to<\/span> step<\/span> up<\/span> their<\/span> military<\/span> support.<\/span> Asked<\/span> on<\/span> Monday<\/span> when<\/span> he<\/span> expected<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> so-called<\/span> spring<\/span> offensive<\/span> to<\/span> begin,<\/span> Stoltenberg<\/span> said:<\/span> “We’ve<\/span> already<\/span> seen<\/span> the<\/span> beginning.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> the<\/span> neighboring<\/span> Luhansk<\/span> region,<\/span> Russian<\/span> troops<\/span> have<\/span> withdrawn<\/span> after<\/span> several<\/span> days<\/span> of<\/span> heavy<\/span> fighting<\/span> near<\/span> the<\/span> main<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Kreminna,<\/span> Luhansk<\/span> province<\/span> governor<\/span> Serhi<\/span> Khaydai<\/span> told<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> television.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> the<\/span> partially<\/span> occupied<\/span> southern<\/span> Kherson<\/span> region,<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 20<\/span> towns<\/span> and<\/span> villages<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> shelled<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> past<\/span> 24<\/span> hours,<\/span> including<\/span> the<\/span> eponymous<\/span> capital<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> region<\/span> recaptured<\/span> by<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> forces<\/span> in<\/span> November.<\/span> In<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> villages,<\/span> a<\/span> car<\/span> drove<\/span> over<\/span> a<\/span> mine,<\/span> killing<\/span> two<\/span> men.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Meanwhile,<\/span> the<\/span> British<\/span> Ministry<\/span> of<\/span> Defense<\/span> said<\/span> that<\/span> despite<\/span> its<\/span> focus<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> Donbass<\/span> region,<\/span> Russian<\/span> forces<\/span> were<\/span> stepping<\/span> up<\/span> defenses<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> edge<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> southern<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> front<\/span> to<\/span> protect<\/span> the<\/span> flanks.<\/span> The<\/span> warning<\/span> states,<\/span> “The<\/span> potential<\/span> for<\/span> harassment<\/span> and<\/span> exclusion<\/span> of<\/span> U.S.<\/span> citizens<\/span> for<\/span> detention<\/span> by<\/span> Russian<\/span> government<\/span> security<\/span> officials,<\/span> arbitrary<\/span> enforcement<\/span> of<\/span> local<\/span> laws,<\/span> restrictions<\/span> on<\/span> flights<\/span> to<\/span> and<\/span> from<\/span> Russia,<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> embassy’s<\/span> sanctions<\/span> to<\/span> assist<\/span> U.S.<\/span> citizens<\/span> in<\/span> Russia.”<\/span> It<\/span> cites<\/span> limited<\/span> capabilities,<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> potential<\/span> for<\/span> terrorism.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Kremlin<\/span> spokesman<\/span> Dmitry<\/span> Peskov<\/span> denied<\/span> on<\/span> Monday<\/span> that<\/span> a<\/span> second<\/span> round<\/span> of<\/span> mobilization<\/span> was<\/span> imminent.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Many<\/span> have<\/span> fled<\/span> the<\/span> Donetsk<\/span> province,<\/span> where<\/span> most<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> fighting<\/span> is<\/span> concentrated,<\/span> but<\/span> those<\/span> who<\/span> choose<\/span> to<\/span> stay<\/span> depend<\/span> on<\/span> sporadic<\/span> relief<\/span> supplies<\/span> of<\/span> food<\/span> and<\/span> water.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> Svyatohirsk,<\/span> a<\/span> city<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> northern<\/span> Donetsk<\/span> region,<\/span> the<\/span> few<\/span> remaining<\/span> residents<\/span> rely<\/span> on<\/span> World<\/span> Central<\/span> Kitchen<\/span> volunteers<\/span> for<\/span> food<\/span> and<\/span> supplies<\/span> to<\/span> cope<\/span> with<\/span> freezing<\/span> temperatures.<\/span> Svyatohirsk<\/span> he<\/span> was<\/span> liberated<\/span> by<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> forces<\/span> in<\/span> September.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>On<\/span> Sunday,<\/span> the<\/span> area<\/span> was<\/span> covered<\/span> in<\/span> snow,<\/span> masking<\/span> extensive<\/span> destruction<\/span> from<\/span> repeated<\/span> bombardments<\/span> and<\/span> heavy<\/span> fighting.<\/span> Standing<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> ruins<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> city<\/span> council<\/span> building,<\/span> resident<\/span> Valery<\/span> Andreevsky<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> building<\/span> was<\/span> “beautiful.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Those<\/span> who<\/span> have<\/span> left<\/span> the<\/span> front<\/span> lines<\/span> in<\/span> search<\/span> of<\/span> safety<\/span> continue<\/span> to<\/span> struggle<\/span> to<\/span> adjust<\/span> to<\/span> their<\/span> new<\/span> lives<\/span> elsewhere.<\/span> In<\/span> Kyiv,<\/span> dozens<\/span> of<\/span> people<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> Donbass,<\/span> Kherson<\/span> and<\/span> Kharkiv<\/span> regions<\/span> are<\/span> being<\/span> helped<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> Center<\/span> for<\/span> Hope<\/span> and<\/span> Recovery,<\/span> an<\/span> organization<\/span> that<\/span> provides<\/span> temporary<\/span> shelter<\/span> and<\/span> food.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThese<\/span> are<\/span> people<\/span> who<\/span> have<\/span> left<\/span> behind<\/span> what<\/span> they<\/span> have<\/span> earned<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> years,<\/span> and<\/span> it<\/span> is<\/span> a<\/span> very<\/span> traumatic<\/span> experience,\u201d<\/span> said<\/span> Anna<\/span> Herkun,<\/span> director<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> center.They<\/span> received<\/span> psychological<\/span> and<\/span> medical<\/span> support.<\/span> ,<\/span> she<\/span> added,<\/span> volunteers<\/span> are<\/span> helping<\/span> them<\/span> find<\/span> jobs<\/span> and<\/span> permanent<\/span> housing.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> Russian<\/span> missile<\/span> destroyed<\/span> her<\/span> 80-year-old<\/span> Anatoly<\/span> Zakharenko’s<\/span> house<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Donetsk<\/span> village<\/span> of<\/span> Terny.<\/span> His<\/span> wife,<\/span> daughter<\/span> and<\/span> disabled<\/span> granddaughter<\/span> have<\/span> all<\/span> been<\/span> evacuated<\/span> and<\/span> are<\/span> being<\/span> helped<\/span> around<\/span> town.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Missing<\/span> his<\/span> hometown,<\/span> he<\/span> wrote<\/span> poetry<\/span> to<\/span> ease<\/span> the<\/span> pain<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> evacuation.<\/span> “I<\/span> will<\/span> come<\/span> back<\/span> to<\/span> you,<\/span> trust<\/span> me,”<\/span> he<\/span> said,<\/span> reading<\/span> it<\/span> out<\/span> loud.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KIEV, UKRAINE (AFP) – Fierce fighting raged outside Bakhmut as Russian forces forced their advance into the eastern city with heavy artillery and infantry attacks. The president’s office said the situation in Paraskowivka, the northern suburb of Bakhmut, was “difficult” as Russian forces continued to bombard the area with “intense artillery and offensive operations”. The […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[26,276,280,2480,2482],"tags":[29,76,154,156,170,174],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/russiantank.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3915"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3915"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3919,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3915\/revisions\/3919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}