The Ukrainian army on Wednesday confirmed several important frontline developments. the village Urozhaine was released in the southern part of the battlefield, the Deputy Secretary of Defense confirmed, Hannah Maliar. However, the situation has become “more complicated” for Ukrainian troops in the north-east, where Russia is trying to advance towards the city Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, This was reported by the Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrskyi.
In recent days, progress has been reported in Urozhaine, located in the south-west of the Donetsk region, about 110 kilometers from Russian-held Mariupol. On Wednesday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army released a video showing Russian troops fleeing the area on foot and in their vehicles under fire and Ukrainian soldiers raising the blue and yellow flag in the liberated settlement. “It will continue. Victory awaits.” a soldier from the 35th Marine Brigade announced in the video.
Meanwhile, General Syrskyi, who was visiting Ukrainian troops in the Kharkiv region, reported that the Russians were trying to break through the defenses in different directions. His assault squads are mostly made up of prisoners, the general reported, while Russia continues to recruit them, following the example of the Wagner mercenary group that did so before attempting to capture Bakhmut.
Syrskyi described the situation as follows: “difficult but under control” near Bakhmut. According to him, the Russian troops in the area are counterattacking, laying additional mines, using various types of artillery and aviation. However, even under such difficult conditions, Ukrainians gradually made progress, he stressed.
While the durability of foreign partner support in Ukraine remains unknown, Ukraine’s armed forces are attempting to retake as many Russian-held territories as possible. This is important both for the continuation of the ongoing military aid from abroad and for the local people, who need to see progress to make up for the exhaustion of 1.5 years of defense, their president stressed several times. Volodymyr Zenelsky.
At the same time, military commanders must tread carefully to reduce casualties and retain enough combat-ready forces to repel a possible Russian offensive in the winter.
Most Ukrainians realize that a ceasefire, particularly in exchange for Ukraine handing over part of its territory to Russia, is temporary and out of the question. According to recent polls, 87% of Ukrainians are against any territorial concessions to Russia.
Not surprisingly, the proposal by Stian JensenThe NATO Secretary General’s Chief of Staff that Ukraine may have to cede its territories in order to join NATO was met with backlash at home.
Jenssen’s idea created “Surprise and some outrage in Ukraine”between the political leadership and the citizens, the expert told LA RAZÓN Volodymyr Dubovyk, Professor of International Relations at Odessa Mechnikov University.
“It seemed like an attempt to decide the fate of Ukraine and not the fate of Ukrainians. Even if the official takes that point of view, it would be more logical for him to keep it to himself and not express it publicly,” Dubovyk said.
Such ideas are supported only by those who do not understand the “interests and mood” in Ukraine. According to Dubovyk, joining NATO is important for Ukraine, but The liberation of all areas occupied by them has “absolute priority”.
Dubovyk and Ukrainian politicians emphasized that Russia will remain a threat and will not refrain from further attack attempts in this scenario. Zelenskyy’s parliamentary faction leader, Davyd Arakhamiya, said that discussions about ceding territories only encourage Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
In fact, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has already sarcastically suggested that while the idea is a good one, Ukraine should also cede its capital, Kiev, to Russia as all of its territories are “questionable”.
Meanwhile, the NATO official has already apologized for his statement, calling it a “mistake”. He stressed that Ukraine will decide under what conditions it is ready to start negotiations with Moscow and what these negotiations will be about.
The alliance itself stated that its position “It’s clear and it hasn’t changed.. “We fully support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as NATO leaders reaffirmed at the Vilnius Summit in July. “We will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary and we are determined to achieve a just and lasting peace,” he said.