Russia has partially retaken control of the roads leading to the town of Kremmina in eastern Ukraine, after its forces were forced to withdraw from the area earlier this year, according to a report issued by British military intelligence on Thursday. The military intelligence update noted, "In some areas, Russia has made progress of several kilometers," adding that Russian commanders are likely trying to expand the security zone and are seeking to regain the logistical hub of Kupiansk in Kharkiv.
Russian forces launched a wave of airstrikes in northern and southern Ukraine while President Vladimir Putin bid farewell to his "dear friend," Chinese leader Xi Jinping, on Wednesday following a two-day visit to Moscow. However, the strong resistance from Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut, which is witnessing the bloodiest infantry battles in Europe since World War II, has led British military intelligence to believe that Russia's offensive in the city may be losing momentum.
The British Ministry of Defence stated in an intelligence update yesterday that there remains a risk of Ukrainian forces being encircled in Bakhmut. The Ukrainian military's General Staff agreed that Russian offensive capabilities in Bakhmut are on the decline. In a show of defiance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office released a video showing him distributing medals to troops he stated were near the front line in Bakhmut.
Bakhmut has become a primary target for Moscow, which regards the city as a launch pad for completing its invasion of the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The Ukrainian General Staff reported this morning, "The enemy continues to conduct offensive operations and suffers heavy losses, losing significant amounts of weapons and military equipment." It added, "Ukrainian defenders are repelling numerous enemy attacks around the clock in the areas near Bakhmut, Bohdanivka, and Predtechy." The statement also mentioned that many residential areas near the front line have been subjected to shelling.
The Ukrainian army reported that 660 Russian soldiers, 13 tanks, one air defense system, and 11 armored personnel carriers were destroyed the previous day. During the night on Wednesday, alarms sounded across various parts of the capital and northern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military stated it shot down 16 out of 21 Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones.
Firefighters struggled with a blaze in two adjacent residential buildings in Zaporizhia, southern Ukraine, where officials reported at least one person was killed and 33 others injured in a double Russian missile strike. Andrii Nebytov, a local police chief, reported that at least eight people had died and seven were injured in Rzhyshchiv, located along the banks of the Dnipro River south of the capital Kyiv, after a drone struck two college student dormitories and a college building. Zelenskyy tweeted, "This must not become 'just another day' in Ukraine or anywhere else in the world. The world needs greater unity and determination to defeat Russian terrorism faster and protect lives." He attached a video recorded by a surveillance camera showing the explosion of a building.
Glass, debris, and shattered vehicles littered the courtyard and parking garage in Zaporizhia. Emergency workers carried away the injured and those unable to walk. International organizations estimate that the cost of rebuilding Ukraine will reach $411 billion, which is 2.6 times the country's GDP last year.
**Sino-Russian Unity**
Hosting the Chinese president in Moscow this week marked the biggest diplomatic gesture Putin has made since declaring war 13 months ago and becoming an outcast from the West. The two leaders referred to each other as "dear friends" and pledged economic cooperation, condemning the West and describing their relations as better than ever. The White House urged Beijing to pressure Russia into withdrawal. Washington criticized the timing of Xi's visit, which comes days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin on charges of war crimes.
China proposed a peace plan for Ukraine that has been largely rejected by the West, described as at best vague and at worst a tactic to buy time for Putin to regroup his forces. Ukraine asserts that peace cannot be achieved without Russia withdrawing from occupied territories, while Russia believes that Kyiv should acknowledge the realities on the ground following its annexation of nearly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
