Ukraine reports record Russian deaths as Moscow presses offensive in east

NO Phrase FROM ZELENSKYY ON DEFENCE MINISTER

In a day-to-day intelligence update, Britain’s Defence Ministry mentioned Russia’s navy experienced been making an attempt because early January to restart major offensive operations to capture Ukraine-held pieces of Donetsk location, but had acquired small ground so much.

The Russians “absence munitions and manoeuvre units necessary for a successful offensive”, it reported.

“Russian leaders will likely continue on to need sweeping advancements. It continues to be unlikely that Russia can establish up the forces needed to significantly have an effect on the consequence of the war in the coming weeks.”

Ukrainian officials say Moscow could be accumulating weapons and reserves for an even bigger thrust in coming months. The Ukrainian governor of Luhansk province predicted a massive Russian offensive there that could start all over Feb 15.

The earlier few months meanwhile have viewed a purge of Ukrainian officers in an anti-corruption campaign, the first huge shakeup of Ukraine’s leadership because the war commenced.

In his Monday night address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said personnel changes on the border and frontline would bolster Ukraine’s navy attempts.

Nonetheless, he gave no indicator about the fate of his defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov. The head of Zelenskyy’s party’s parliamentary faction experienced said on Sunday that Reznikov would be changed, but appeared to row again for now on Monday, expressing no adjustments would be produced this 7 days.

Considering that the New Year, Western nations around the world have pledged hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles to Ukraine to give it the firepower and mobility to thrust via Russian traces and recapture occupied territory later on this 12 months.

A new US package of weapons is anticipated to contain extended-selection rockets, which would give Ukraine the capability to strike Russian offer traces in all of the territory it occupies in Ukraine’s mainland and sections of the Crimea peninsula.

But Ukraine will not obtain the new abilities for months, and in the meantime it faces a Russian pressure with its manpower replenished by Moscow’s get in touch with-up of reservists.

The European Union reported Zelenskyy has been invited to consider element in a summit of EU leaders. They are gathering in Brussels later on this week. Should really Zelenskyy attend, it would be only his next foreign excursion since the invasion commenced, following he visited Washington in December.

Zelenskyy’s office did not respond to a request for comment.