Will Bakhmout fall in the next few hours? In any case, the leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner said on Wednesday that his troops had taken “the entire eastern part” of the city, the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine. In recent days, pressure has increased dramatically on Ukrainian forces defending Bakhmout, facing Russian advances and the threat of encirclement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Wednesday that in the event of the capture of Bakhmout, the epicenter of particularly deadly fighting for months, the Russian army would have “the free way” to advance in eastern Ukraine.
In addition, kyiv on Wednesday denied any involvement in the sabotage last year of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea that the New York Times attributed to a “pro-Ukrainian group”, on the basis of information obtained by American intelligence. Faced with the lasting Ukrainian conflict, Switzerland intends to preserve its neutrality provided for by its Constitution and therefore remains opposed for the moment to the transfer of armaments to this country at war, said Tuesday the President of the Confederation Alain Berset, visiting the UN.
The Wagner group is said to have conquered the entire eastern part of Bakhmout
“Wagner units have taken the entire eastern part of Bakhmout, everything east of the Bakhmoutka River,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message released by his press service. In its latest report, released on Tuesday, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US expert group, said Kremlin troops had “likely” captured the eastern part of the city after a “controlled withdrawal” of Ukrainian forces from this area.
In an interview with CNN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, assured that his troops were determined to hold the city. After Bakhmut, the Russians “could go further. They could go to Kramatorsk, they could go to Sloviansk, the way would be clear” for them “to other cities in Ukraine,” he said. While the strategic value of Bakhmout is disputed, the city has gained symbolic and tactical importance, given the heavy losses suffered by both sides. It is the longest and deadliest battle since the Russian offensive began in February 2022.
By taking Bakhmout, Moscow would have a clear way, warns Zelensky
After Bakhmut, the Russians “could go further. They could go to Kramatorsk, they could go to Sloviansk, the way would be free” for them “to other cities of Ukraine”, the Ukrainian president said in an interview with CNN.
Despite fierce Ukrainian defense, Russia promised it would fight until Bakhmout was captured, deeming the city crucial to its offensive into Ukraine. Bakhmout “is an important node (of the lines) of defense of Ukrainian soldiers in the Donbass”, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.
“His capture will allow new offensive operations to be carried out in depth,” he added during a meeting. In Kiev, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is expected for his third trip to Ukraine since the start of the war, in particular to discuss the extension of the agreement with Russia on the export of Ukrainian cereals. On the ground, in Bakhmout, largely destroyed, the Ukrainian forces are determined to stay, underlined the Ukrainian president on CNN. I had a meeting with the Chief of Staff yesterday and the military commanders in chief […] and they all said that we had to stay strong in Bakhmout,” he said in this exclusive interview with the American channel.
kyiv denies being behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines
Data collected by the US intelligence services suggests that the perpetrators behind the sabotage of the two gas pipelines were “adversaries of Russian President Vladimir Putin”, writes the New York Times. Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the two pipelines have been at the heart of geopolitical tensions, stoked after Moscow’s decision to cut off gas supplies to Europe in alleged retaliation for Western sanctions. .
On September 26, 2022, four huge gas leaks preceded by underwater explosions were detected on gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany, all in international waters. Out of service at the time of the events, the two gas pipelines nevertheless contained significant quantities of methane. A “pro-Ukrainian group” would be behind this sabotage, believes the New York Times on the basis of information consulted by the American intelligence, without however giving details on these elements nor on the identity of this “pro-Ukrainian group”. However, kyiv has formally denied these allegations. According to US officials, there is no indication that the Ukrainian president was involved in this sabotage.
Women, the first victims of wars
Despite a UN resolution in 2000 meant to protect women from armed conflict and include them in peace processes, they remain the primary victims of wars and underrepresented in diplomatic negotiations, officials told the Council on Tuesday. of security. On October 31, 2000, the Council adopted resolution 1325 on “women, peace and security”. This text “reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, in peace negotiations”.
“During the first 20 years […] we have witnessed historic firsts for gender equality”, recognized Sima Bahous. But, she lamented, “we have neither significantly changed the composition of the peace negotiation tables, nor altered the impunity enjoyed by those who commit atrocities against women and girls.” Sima Bahous targeted Afghanistan, where the Taliban regained power in August 2021, “one of the most extreme examples for the regression women’s rights”. She also cited the war in Ukraine where “women and their children represent 90% of the nearly eight million Ukrainians forced to leave for other countries”.
Representing France on the Security Council, Marlène Schiappa, Secretary of State for Social and Solidarity Economy, formerly in charge of Gender Equality, also denounced the fact that “in all situations of conflict and crisis […] in Ukraine, Yemen and Somalia, women are particularly affected, even deliberately targeted, by sexual and gender-based violence”.
The EU wants to stock up on shells and “political economy”
“Activate war economy mode”: European Union defense ministers meet on Wednesday to prepare a plan for delivering ammunition to Ukraine, despite stocks under pressure, with a first emergency component at a billion euros. The Ukrainian army, which fires thousands every day to repel the Russian invader, is facing a critical shortage of 155mm shells for its guns, its Western supporters have warned in recent weeks.
Ministers, meeting in Stockholm on Wednesday in the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and their Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiï Reznikov, must work on a three-pronged plan. Based on large joint purchases to reassure manufacturers about the continuity of orders, the project aims both to meet the immediate needs of Kiev and to boost the capacities of the European defense industry in the longer term. Ukraine’s European allies have already heavily dug into their military stocks, with support amounting to 12 billion euros, including 3.6 billion from the FEP.
EU will never accept Russia threatening its security, says von der Leyen
“We will never accept that a military power with dreams of empire sends its tanks beyond an international border”, launched the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, in visit to Ottawa. The bloc of 27 “will never accept this threat to European security and to the very foundations of our international community”, she added.
European Commission president calls for ‘unwavering military and economic support’ for Ukraine, while urging Russia to ‘pay for its crime of aggression’ after proposing in November to establish special tribunal . On the eve of International Women’s Rights Day, Ursula von der Leyen also greeted the Ukrainian women engaged in the flag, who were banned from fighting before the war, but “didn’t care and started to join the army anyway.
Swiss president against arms exports
“The debate on arms exports, as long as we have a legal framework in Switzerland, it is not possible to do so […]. For the government and the Federal Council, we must and we want to maintain this legal framework and work within this framework”, declared the President of the Confederation Alain Berset to journalists on the sidelines of meetings at the United Nations on women’s rights. The President Switzerland was questioned about the fact that Germany asked Bern at the end of February to authorize the takeover of old Leopard tanks by the German armament group Rheinmetall, guaranteeing that they would not be transferred to Ukraine.
The debate on neutrality has agitated Switzerland since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Various initiatives are said to be underway in the Swiss Parliament to relax these rules, but no decision is expected for several months.
kyiv calls for keeping sea lanes open
Ukraine on Tuesday called for international efforts to keep open the Black Sea sea lanes used to transport millions of tonnes of grain to African countries. A Ukrainian envoy told the Least Developed Countries summit in Doha that 2.7 million tonnes of grain had been shipped since November, when Kiev launched its “Grain from Ukraine” program, mainly for poorer African countries.
Ukraine plans to send at least 60 more ships “to the countries most affected by famine and drought in Africa and Asia”, added Maksym Subkh, Ukraine’s special envoy for the Middle East and the Africa. The world’s poorest nations are paying the “heaviest price” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Subkh said. Russia and Ukraine are among the main grain exporters. An agreement providing for a secure maritime corridor in the Black Sea for the transport of cereals from three Ukrainian ports was signed in July under the aegis of the UN and Turkey, and allowed the export of some 20 million tons of grain. It was renewed in mid-November and expires on March 18.