Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin has ordered occupation of Donbass until March, says Kyiv

The intelligence service of the Ministry of Defense Ukrainian maintains that according to the information she has in her hands, o Russian chairman Vladimir Putin ordered the new general of the armed forces to conquer it Donbass until March.

According to Andrii Yusov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intelligence service, Vladimir Putin wants the eastern region of Ukraine to be under Russian control within the next two months, and that is what his new general, Valery Gerasimov, has ordered.

The Ukrainians continue to deny that the city of Solentar, in the east of the country, about ten kilometers from Bakhmut, the “key” city for the defense of Donbas, is under the occupation of the Russian armed forces. In fact, the Ukrainian army released a video showing that the fighting continues.

In his regular speech on Monday evening (16/1), the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, argued that Russia is preparing the escalation of attacks in order to gain the initiative of movements in the war conflict. He also claimed that Russia has concentrated its forces in the east. “We know very well what they are preparing and every day and night we work to reduce their military capabilities”he said.

Senior US diplomatic official in Kyiv

A senior American diplomatic official visited Kyiv yesterday, Monday (16/1), where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and assured him of the “strong and unwavering commitment” of Washington in Ukraine, according to a State Department press release.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wendy Sherman met with Mr. Zelensky and other high-ranking Ukrainian officials to “reaffirms strong and unwavering commitment to Ukraine and its defense against Russia’s unprovoked attack”US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in the statement.

Ms. Sherman led a US delegation to the Ukrainian capital that held talks with Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov on US military aid to Ukraine, economic aid and to build a bilateral and lasting trade partnership.

The dealership too “he heard from young Ukrainians who have adapted their business and other activities to support their fellow citizens as they look ahead to the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine”always during the announcement.

Hostilities are raging in Ukraine, where the war is in its eleventh month. On Saturday, a rocket hit an apartment building in Dnipro (east) killing at least 40 people and injuring 75 others.

At the end of December, Mr. Zelenskiy visited the White House where he was received by US President Joe Biden. During his visit to Washington, the Ukrainian president called for $45 billion in emergency military and economic aid to his country.

Slovakia delivered the first artillery of self-propelled howitzers

Slovakia has completed the delivery to Ukraine of eight Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers ordered last year, the Defense Ministry announced in Bratislava.

The system, emblematic of the Slovak defense industry, is the only heavy weapon now produced in the country (by the state-owned company Konstrukta-Defense). According to the industry that manufactures it, it can fire all types of 155 mm shells in the arsenal of NATO nations, has digital aiming and fire control systems, and can hit any target with multiple rounds by changing the barrel angle so that the trajectory to differ and reach him at the same time.

“We delivered a complete artillery of high-quality artillery systems produced by our defense industry”Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nád emphasized, according to APE-MPE.

“We are convinced that it will help the defenders of Ukraine to save as many lives as possible and bring their homeland closer to victory over the enemy.”he added.

The state-owned industry that makes these armored self-propelled guns is already working on building another 16 Zuzana 2s destined for Ukraine, the cost of which will be jointly covered by Germany, Denmark and Norway, according to the Slovak Ministry of Defense.