NO WORD FROM ZELENSKYY ON DEFENCE MINISTER
In a daily intelligence update, Britain’s Defence Ministry said Russia’s military had been attempting since early January to restart major offensive operations to capture Ukraine-held parts of Donetsk region, but had gained little ground so far.
The Russians “lack munitions and manoeuvre units required for a successful offensive”, it said.
“Russian leaders will likely continue to demand sweeping advances. It remains unlikely that Russia can build up the forces needed to substantially affect the outcome of the war within the coming weeks.”
Ukrainian officials say Moscow could be accumulating weapons and reserves for an even bigger push in coming weeks. The Ukrainian governor of Luhansk province predicted a big Russian offensive there that could begin around Feb 15.
The past few weeks meanwhile have seen a purge of Ukrainian officials in an anti-corruption campaign, the first big shakeup of Ukraine’s leadership since the war began.
In his Monday evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said personnel changes on the border and frontline would bolster Ukraine’s military efforts.
However, he gave no indication about the fate of his defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov. The head of Zelenskyy’s party’s parliamentary faction had said on Sunday that Reznikov would be replaced, but appeared to row back for now on Monday, saying no changes would be made this week.
Since the New Year, Western countries have pledged hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles to Ukraine to give it the firepower and mobility to push through Russian lines and recapture occupied territory later this year.
A new US package of weapons is expected to include longer-range rockets, which would give Ukraine the ability to hit Russian supply lines in all of the territory it occupies in Ukraine’s mainland and parts of the Crimea peninsula.
But Ukraine will not receive the new capabilities for months, and meanwhile it faces a Russian force with its manpower replenished by Moscow’s call-up of reservists.
The European Union said Zelenskyy has been invited to take part in a summit of EU leaders. They are gathering in Brussels later this week. Should Zelenskyy attend, it would be only his second foreign trip since the invasion began, after he visited Washington in December.
Zelenskyy’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
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