Ukraine: Russia wants to enforce victory in Donetsk – the nightly update without photos Glencore takes over most of the coal trade from Canada’s Teck

According to Kiev’s assessment, Russia is trying to enforce military success with more attacks near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. The General Staff of Ukraine reported a large number of Russian attacks near Avdiivka and Mariinka on Tuesday evening. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saw a connection with the upcoming presidential elections in Russia in 2024. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin wants to be able to demonstrate certain success in advance, he said in Kiev.

At the same time, Ukrainian leaders spoke for the first time about a bridgehead on the de facto Russian-occupied southern bank of the Dnipro River, near Kherson. Ukraine has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion with Western help for almost 21 months. The Ukrainian army marks the 630th day of the war on Wednesday. According to the Bundeswehr, Germany trained around 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers during this period as a key part of its support.

Dozens of Russian attacks near Donetsk

There were 57 battles along the entire front on Tuesday, the General Staff wrote in its situation report that evening. Ukraine single-handedly repelled 18 attacks in the towns of Mariinka and Novomykhailivka west of Donetsk. Another 15 attacks were repelled near the town of Avdiivka in northern Donetsk, the report said.

With almost a million inhabitants, Donetsk is the center of the eastern Ukrainian coal and steel district of Donbass and has been in the hands of Russian-controlled forces since 2014. Since then the front has been close to the city; the Ukrainian army has heavily fortified positions there. Therefore, the front line has hardly changed even after the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022.

In recent weeks, the Russian military has stepped up its attacks in the Donetsk area. Even though there are many casualties among soldiers and vehicles, the number of attackers is putting pressure on the Ukrainian defenders.

Zelenskyj: Putin needs success for his candidacy

In his video address, Zelensky said Kremlin leader Putin was cynically pursuing a political goal with the fighting near Donetsk. “He is willing to kill an unlimited number of his people to demonstrate at least one tactical success in the first half of December. Namely when he wants to announce his elections.”

In these battles, Russia is losing soldiers and technology even faster than in the long battle for Bakhmut last winter. “It is extremely difficult to resist this pressure,” Zelensky said, thanking his soldiers. The more Russian troops were destroyed near Avdiivka, the more difficult the situation would become for the enemy.

Russia will hold presidential elections in March, which the Kremlin is already preparing. Putin has not yet officially declared his candidacy for re-election. According to the Kremlin, he plans to meet with representatives of the Central Election Commission on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian bridgehead on the Dnipro is being expanded

The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, confirmed a bridgehead on the de facto Russian-occupied southern bank of the Dnipro in the Kherson region. “Against all expectations, Ukraine’s armed forces have gained a foothold on the left bank of the Dnipro,” Yermak said in a speech in Washington. The goal here is also to get closer to the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia. «We have completed 70 percent of the route. And our counter-offensive continues,” he said.

According to analyzes by Western observers, in recent days the Ukrainians have expanded the bridgehead at Krynki and also brought light tank technology there. Russian military bloggers complain that Russian troops have come under fire there and that the initiative lies with the Ukrainians.

8,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained in Germany

The Bundeswehr and its partners have trained approximately 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers to date. “My expectation is that by the end of the year we will have trained approximately 10,000 people in approximately 200 training modules,” said Lieutenant General Andreas Marlow, commander of the Multinational Training Command (“Special Training Command”). Based in Strausberg near Berlin, it monitors the work of the EU Training Mission (EUMAM) for Ukraine, which was launched a year ago.

The training includes various levels, from basic training through specializations – such as medics, snipers or tank crews – up to the training of military command personnel. Some accents have changed. Marlow mentioned a shift from defensive to offensive operations.

Eastern Europeans demand more commitment to the ammunition plan for Ukraine

There are calls from Eastern Europe for decisive efforts to save the EU munitions plan for Ukraine, which is in danger of failing. If sufficient ammunition cannot be organized from our own warehouses and through our own new orders from the industry, we must be prepared to buy from third countries, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said in an interview with the German Press Agency. This is one of the possible solutions.

The Estonian politician responded with calls for the slow progress of the EU plan to deliver one million artillery shells to Ukraine by spring 2024. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius therefore stated on Tuesday on the sidelines of the EU consultations that he expected failure. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds had already made similar comments against Pevkur before the EU talks.

That will be important on Wednesday

The Ukrainian army expects further serious Russian attacks near Avdiivka and Mariinka. (sda/dpa)