Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 348
Fighting
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, said the situation in the Donetsk area is “extremely challenging” as Kyiv prepared for a potential Russian onslaught this month before its invasion of Ukraine’s first anniversary.
In the upcoming weeks, Russia will begin a significant offensive, but Ukraine has the soldiers and resources to fend it off, according to Oleksii Reznikov, the defense minister of Ukraine.
On Sunday, the leader of Russia’s private Wagner militia reported that a violent battle had continued in Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine that had been the center of Russian soldiers’ attention for weeks.
In the Luhansk area, the village of Bilohorivka is still under the control of Ukrainian forces, according to Governor Serhiy Haidai, who also noted that the situation is tense but under control. The final area of Luhansk that Ukrainian forces control is Bilohorivka.
Following a fire that left hundreds of thousands of inhabitants without electricity, repair teams were working around the clock to restore power systems in the Black Sea port of Odesa, Zelenskyy said.
In the midst of Russia’s offensive on Bakhmut in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, military personnel from that country fired a mortar on the front line. Yan Dobronosov/Reuters, file
Sanctions
According to the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, price limitations on Russian oil likely reduced Moscow’s income from oil and gas exports by over 30% in January, or approximately $8 billion, from a year earlier.
According to President Zelenskyy, Ukraine has written to organizations that support the International Olympic Committee pleading with them to prevent Russian athletes from competing in the Olympic Games in Paris.
Politics
According to a close supporter of Zelenskyy, Ukraine is planning to replace Defence Minister Reznikov with the head of its military espionage agency as part of a reorganization at the frontline of its military effort.
According to the leader of Zelenskyy’s parliamentary caucus, Reznikov will be replaced by Kyrylo Budanov, the director of the GUR military intelligence agency.
In an effort to eradicate corruption, the president of Ukraine has dismissed a large number of senior officials this year. In the wake of a corruption scandal in the ministry, Reznikov had come under pressure.
| Ukraine war |
| Russia Ukraine |
