NU.nl regularly provides an overview of the situation in Ukraine. With this weather: Vladimir Putin will soon make an “important announcement,” according to Russian state television. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army is preparing for new attacks.
Putin will announce the “major news” next week around a defense ministry meeting. A precise date is not yet known. “We await important statements,” said a state television anchor.
It is not yet clear what this important novelty will be. According to observers, it is possible that Putin will push through the transition of the Russian economy to a war economy. The troops are having constant supply problems. Putin has largely ignored these difficulties in recent weeks. The traditional big annual press conference just before Christmas was also cancelled.
Volg de ontwikkelingen in Oekraïne
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Putin met with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Army Commander Valeri Gerasimov on Friday. He also held talks with several commanders. He has asked for proposals for new attacks in Ukraine, according to the conversation broadcast on Russian state television.
Shoigu has now gone to the front in Ukraine to see for himself what is the state of affairs. He spoke, among others, with Russian soldiers. Military leaders briefed him and informed him of the planned actions, he said in a statement.
Putin’s visit to Belarus increases tension
Ukrainian authorities expect more Russian attacks, said Valery Zaluzhny, a Ukrainian general The Economist in an interview. The Russian military is reportedly mobilizing again. It is possible that 200,000 untrained soldiers will be sent to the front lines.
Zaluzhny expects Russia to carry out attacks on Kiev again. He claims that the Ukrainian army has enough manpower. “But we need more guns and anti-aircraft guns,” he says.
Putin is escalating the tension even more. On Monday he will leave for Belarus to speak with President Alexander Lukashenko about the situation in Ukraine. The country maintains strong ties with the Kremlin. Belarus has been conducting major military exercises along Ukraine’s northern border since Tuesday. This makes the Ukrainian military leaders nervous.
However, experts say there is very little chance of the Belarusian military joining the war. Lukashenko has so far refused to deploy his troops against Ukraine.
More rocket attacks on Kiev and other cities
The new offensive may have already begun. Russia fired about 70 rockets at various cities in Ukraine on Friday. Forty of them would go to the capital Kiev. Ukraine claimed to have intercepted several missiles.
It would be one of the biggest attacks since the war began. As a result of the Russian bombing, some six million Ukrainians were left without electricity, heat and running water in many places for at least 24 hours.
“Recovery work continues unabated after yesterday’s terrorist attack,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message on Saturday. The energy supply in Kyiv and Kharkiv has now been restored. Kiev’s metro network is also back in use and water is flowing from the tap again to all residents, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced.
But also on Saturday air raid sirens sounded again all over Ukraine. Residents of Kiev were advised to go to bomb shelters.
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