Zelensky warns that Russian assaults are increasing in the east of the country – L’Express

Russian assaults are increasing in the east, according to Volodymyr Zelensky

The Twenty-Seven reaffirm their commitment to supporting kyiv

High treason for the benefit of Moscow: a Ukrainian MP in preventive detention

The Ukrainian army must face an “increase in the number of Russian assaults” in the east of the country, particularly around the disputed town of Avdiïvka, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday. “The army reported an increase in the number of enemy attacks,” the Ukrainian president said on his Telegram channel, citing the areas of Avdiivka, Kupiansk and Donetsk in the east.

Moscow’s forces have been trying for a month to surround this industrial city, which has become one of the hot spots in the conflict. This Russian effort follows months of Ukrainian offensives which did not allow kyiv to liberate the occupied territories. The front line has been de facto almost frozen for a year, even if Volodymyr Zelensky, on one side, and the Kremlin, on the other, assure that the war is not at an impasse.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based analysis center, said in its latest report on Monday that “Russian forces continued offensive operations near Avdiivka on November 13 and achieved confirmed gains. Volodymyr Zelensky assured that his soldiers “held their positions” and also carried out “offensives”. Ukraine recently noted the failure of its counter-offensive which began last June and which came up against solid Russian defenses.

The Defense Ministers of the 27, meeting on Tuesday in Brussels, once again reaffirmed their commitment to supporting kyiv. “Ukraine is also fighting for us, for a free Europe,” insisted Estonian Minister Hanno Pevkur.

But the question of means, and the pace of European aid, was at the heart of all discussions, while Ukraine recently noted the failure of its counter-offensive started in June and fears an effect of weariness among its Western allies, led by the United States. “We are doing a lot, but everyone agrees that we must do more and faster,” summarized the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell.

Germany bluntly admitted that the EU would not be able to deliver a million munitions to Ukraine before spring, as it had committed to doing. “The million mark will not be reached, we must assume it,” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told the press. The European Union has so far supplied some 300,000 artillery munitions to Ukraine from its now depleted stocks.

According to Oleksandr Syrsky, commander of the ground troops of the Ukrainian armed forces, Russian soldiers “intensified the use of kamikaze drones”, while specifying that the Russian army was carrying out counterattacks, north and south of Bakhmut. “The enemy does not abandon its plans and simultaneously continues its offensive actions towards the east,” Oleksandr Syrsky said on Tuesday on Telegram.

Ukraine has agreed with the United Kingdom and British insurers to offer discounted insurance on Ukrainian exports, in the context of the conflict with Russia, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmygal announced on Tuesday.

“Ukraine and a group of British insurance companies have set up a special mechanism,” Denys Chmygal said on Telegram. However, he did not give more details on the exact operation of the mechanism or on the level of the rebate. But the Ukrainian official assured that this would make exports via the Black Sea “more accessible to a greater number of exporters”. “This mechanism will allow exporters of all products from Ukraine to benefit from a reduction in the cost of insurance against war risks,” he further argued.

A Kiev court has remanded Oleksandr Dubinsky, a Ukrainian MP accused of high treason for Russia, the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) announced on Tuesday. The hearing began on Monday evening and took place behind closed doors at the request of the prosecution, which invoked a state secret, according to the Souspilné public television website. The detention was ordered in the middle of the night, according to the same source.