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A resident in front of a burning house in Bachmut in December 2022
Photo: Libkos / dpa
Ukraine expects a Russian offensive later this month.
Presumably Russia will launch them for symbolic reasons around the anniversary of the invasion on February 24, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told the press.
From a military point of view, however, the Russian reserves are not ready for this.
By the time the expected offensive began, not all of the weapons promised by Western partners had arrived in Ukraine, says Resnikov.
But his country has reserves to stop the Russian advance.
The Ukrainian military will not use the longer-range missiles promised by the US to attack Russian territory.
Only Russian targets in the occupied territories would be attacked.
»The enemy keeps throwing in new forces«
Ukrainian and Russian troops are engaged in bloody battles in the Donbass for the strategically important city of Bakhmut.
Ukrainian state television on Sunday showed burning houses and heavy destruction in the city in the Donetsk region, which Russia wants to take complete control of.
The head of the Russian private army Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that the Ukrainian soldiers did not retreat.
"The Armed Forces of Ukraine are fighting to the last," he said.
Earlier in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation as harsh, but emphasized that Bakhmut would not give up.
“The enemy is always throwing in new forces to break through our defenses.
Now it's very hard in Bakhmut, in Wuhledar and in the direction of Lyman," said Zelenskyj in his video speech on Saturday evening.
According to British military experts, Bakhmut is increasingly being encircled by Russian troops.
That's according to the UK Ministry of Defense's daily Ukraine war intelligence update on Sunday.
According to them, the two main access roads to the city are directly threatened by Russian shelling, and another road is controlled by Wagner mercenaries.
"Although Ukrainian troops have several alternative overland routes for supplies available, Bakhmut is increasingly isolated," it said.
Ukraine reports rocket hits university building
According to the authorities, a university building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was severely damaged when a Russian missile hit it on Sunday.
A security guard was injured there, the prosecutor's office in Kharkiv said.
When another rocket hit near a residential building, four people were injured, it said.
The investigators published images that reportedly showed destruction at the university.
They announced that a war crimes case had been launched.
Accordingly, there were no military installations nearby.
Ukrainian Air Force begins training in France and Italy
In order to intercept the Russian missiles, Ukraine is demanding more and more modern anti-aircraft systems from the West.
As the Ukrainian Air Force announced on Sunday, soldiers have now been sent to France and Italy to be trained on the Samp/T air defense system.
Both countries want to deliver the system to Ukraine.
Samp/T is an air defense system jointly developed by France and Italy since the early 2000s.
It is considered flexible and effective for defense against aircraft and missiles.
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Defense Minister Resnikov rules out resignation
The Ukrainian Defense Minister Resnikov, who has come under criticism after a series of scandals in his office, rules out a voluntary resignation.
Resnikov said he would only resign if his president asked him to do so.
Most recently, his deputy Vyacheslav Shapovalov resigned in connection with the scandal surrounding the purchase of overpriced food for soldiers.
In addition, according to media reports, funds were embezzled in another area of the authority during the construction of barracks.
Resnikov had recently rejected the allegations.
Apparently, the goal is to "undermine confidence in the Department of Defense at a very important time," he said.
Reznikov has been Minister of Defense since November 2021.
Ukraine has been repelling a Russian invasion for almost a year.
The financing of military spending depends to a large extent on Western funds.
The country is considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe.
EU stops imports of Russian oil products
Oil products from Russia have not been allowed to be imported into the European Union since Sunday.
In addition, there is now a price cap on oil products such as diesel or heating oil.
Both measures are intended to limit the Kremlin's revenues and limit Russia's ability to continue the war.
The price cap is also intended to prevent price jumps on the international markets.
The import restriction is based on a sanctions regulation passed by the 27 member states last June because of the Russian war of aggression.
It came into force shortly after the decision, but provided for a long transitional period for the oil products embargo.
npa/reuters/dpa