Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia February 13, 2024. Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS
Published February 18, 2024
MOSCOW — Events on the battlefield in Ukraine are a matter of “life and death” for Russia that could determine its fate, President Vladimir Putin said in remarks aired Sunday.
The Kremlin has repeatedly framed the almost two-year conflict as a battle for Russia’s survival in a bid to rally patriotic sentiment among its population, many apathetic toward the offensive.
“I think it is still important for us ourselves, and even more so for our listeners and viewers abroad, to understand our way of thinking,” Putin said in an interview with state TV.
“Everything that is happening on the Ukraine front: For them it is an improvement of their tactical position, but for us it is our fate, it is a matter of life and death,” he said.
Putin was responding to a question about a two-hour long interview he gave to US talk show host Tucker Carlson, which the Kremlin used to promote its narratives on the conflict.
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SOURCE: www.inquirer.net
RELATED: The crack Ukrainian assault brigade sent to launch counterattacks around Avdiivka has a murky past
Published February 18, 2024
- Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade is supporting the withdrawal from the city of Avdiivka.
- The battle-hardened unit has a contentious political history.
- It emerged from a brigade linked to far-right groups and neo-Nazism.
Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade has been deployed to support the withdrawal from the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk Oblast, announced on Saturday.
The brigade is fighting to stabilize the frontline by counterattacking Russian forces attempting to encircle Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka to conduct an orderly retreat, the Institute for the Study of War reported.
“Despite the fact that the occupiers are suffering disproportionate losses, the situation in Avdiivka remains extremely difficult,” said the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade’s Telegram account.
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SOURCE: www.businessinsider.com
RELATED: Ukraine war: ‘Artificial shortage’ of weapons helps Putin, says Zelensky
There are fears that the lack of ammunition is affecting performance as well as morale in Ukrainian ranks
Published February 17, 2024
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has made an urgent appeal for more weapons to avoid a “catastrophic” situation in Europe.
- An “artificial deficit of weapons” will only help Russia, Mr Zelensky told an international conference in Germany.
- Ukrainian troops have been running out of ammunition as vital US support has been held up by supporters of former President Donald Trump in Congress.
Mr Zelensky said he was prepared to tour the front lines with Mr Trump.
“If Mr Trump will come, I am ready to go with him to the front line. What does it mean, the real war, not Instagram, the real war,” the Ukrainian president said.
President Joe Biden assured Mr Zelensky during a phone call on Saturday that the US was committed to supporting Ukraine’s fight against “Russia’s brutal invasion”, the White House said in a statement.
