While the 2024 Russian Presidential Election is taking place, the Russian Army continues its offensive operations on all fronts, of which one of the focuses is Zaporozhye.
The situation on the Zaporizhia front continues to have favorable developments for the Russian Army as the front line is being expanded northwest of the town of Verbovoe and pushed out of the first defensive line of the Surovikin line. The summer 2023 counteroffensive achievements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have been significantly narrowed.
Despite heavy losses at Robotine and Verbovoe, the AFU is reinforcing its forces to try to hold the field. AFU's main goal is to "buy time" and slow down the Russian Army's advance to build a solid defense system on the outskirts of Zaporozhye city.
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| The Russian army is stepping up its attack in the Zaporozhye direction to make all of Ukraine's counterattack achievements meaningless. Photo: Rian |
Along with the progress on the Verbove front, in the Gulyai-Polye direction, the Russian Army is also tightening the siege on Chervonoye - Malinovka. Currently, Ukrainian forces defending Robotine are gradually in a "cooking pot".
In the direction of Avdeevka, the Russian Army continued to spearhead its attack on Berdychi and caused heavy damage to Ukraine's elite defense units, the 25th Airborne Brigade and the 3rd Special Forces Brigade. Paralysis was still recorded at Berdychi and Tonenke, when this was a new defense line erected by the AFU with Kiev's new tactics.
While the battlefield situation is tense, Ukraine is facing a serious shortage of ammunition for air defense systems.
The Washington Post reported that politicians revealed the consequences of the tragic situation and running out of ammunition with their American and European partners at the Munich Security Conference.
The AFU usually tries to shoot down 4 out of 5 missiles fired by the Russian military, but by the end of March 3, when ammunition resources were exhausted, Ukraine was only able to maintain a firepower density of about 2024% of the previous level. with before. This will have a significant impact on life in Ukraine's urban centers today.
The Washington Post quoted a senior adviser to the President of Ukraine commenting that Kiev saw a great risk of losing important territories in the summer if it did not receive new aid packages from the US.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he does not rule out the possibility of conducting ground operations in Ukraine at some point.
"Perhaps at some point, I did not wish for this and would not have started it, including ground operations that had to be carried out against the Russian side”, the French President said and emphasized that France's strength lies in the fact that it can do this. European countries fully support the Paris policy and are ready to take responsibility in any scenario that occurs during the conflict in Ukraine.
“We must be prepared for every situation. It would be a mistake not to do this." Mr. Emmanuel Macron shared.
However, the French leader also interviewed Ukrainian journalist Natalya Mosiychuk that he was ready to negotiate with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on de-escalating the conflict in Ukraine.
"I will pick up the phone if Putin calls me. This is my responsibility and I will listen to what he has to say. France's role is to reduce the heat of war”, the French President shared.
The French President affirmed that he will not launch initiatives to attack Russia. According to this politician, Paris will not escalate to avoid war, but Paris is ready to take unlimited actions depending on Moscow's moves.
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| Will NATO deploy soldiers to Ukraine following France's call? Photo: Reuters. |
“Ukrainians will come out of the war in a strong position as they negotiate a lasting peace. However, I have not yet taken offensive initiatives against Russia,” Mr. Emmanuel Macron said.
The French President did not compare the current situation with World War II and pointed out that Paris's goal is to ensure peace and stability in Europe.
Previously, Mr. Emmanuel Macron said that France was ready to respond to possible escalation from Russia. Paris is capable of making decisions that will ensure Moscow will never win.
