Russians close in on central Bakhmout but lose many men, says Ukrainian military spokesman;
the Ukrainian army prepares its counter-offensive;
at least three dead and two injured in a Russian strike in Kherson...
Le Figaro
takes stock of the war in Ukraine, this Sunday, March 12.
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The Ukrainian army prepares a counter-offensive in Bakhmout against the Russian advance
The Ukrainian army continues to defend Bakhmout on Sunday, with the aim of "
buying time
" before launching a counter-offensive against the advances of Russian forces in this city in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow is trying to seize. seize since the summer at the cost of heavy losses.
"
The real heroes are the defenders who hold the Eastern Front on their shoulders
," said Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander Oleksandre Syrsky.
"
We must gain time to accumulate reserves and launch a counter-offensive, which is not far away
," he said again, quoted on Saturday by the army press service.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had the day before “
repelled more than 100 enemy attacks
” in the main combat zones.
Read the fileWar in Ukraine: all our articles to understand
Russians close to Bakhmout center, claims Wagner boss
The British Ministry of Defense clarified that “
over the past four days
” the Russian paramilitary group Wagner had “
taken control of most of the east
” of Bakhmout.
"
Ukrainian forces control the west of the city and have demolished key bridges over the river
" which crosses it, the ministry said.
Evguéni Prigojine, the boss of the Wagner group, claimed a new progression of his men who are fighting on the front line in Bakhmout.
"
It's the municipal administration building, the administrative center of the city
," he said on Saturday, pointing from the roof of a building to another building, as an illustration of this advanced.
"
It's a kilometer two hundred
", "
It's the area, there are fights in progress
", he added in a video broadcast by the press service of his company Concord, unverifiable remarks from an independent source immediately.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: the Russian fist closes on Bakhmout
Russia suffered more than 500 dead and wounded in one day in
Bakhmout
More than 500 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured in the past 24 hours in the battle for the city of Bakhmut, a Ukrainian military spokesman said on Saturday.
Serhiy Cherevaty, military spokesman for the Eastern Forces, said the Russians launched 16 attacks in a 24-hour period, and 23 clashes took place in Bakhmout.
“
During the fighting, 221 enemies were killed and 314 were injured in varying degrees
,” he told the national parliament television channel.
Serhiy Cherevaty's comments are unclear whether he was referring to losses suffered on Friday or in the most recent 24-hour period.
Reuters was unable to immediately verify this claim.
Read also Zelensky's special adviser to Le Figaro: "We still have enough resources to hold on to Bakhmout"
At least three dead and two injured in Russian strike in Kherson
Police investigators inspect a shell crater left by a Russian military strike in the parking lot of a supermarket on March 11, 2023. STRINGER / REUTERS
At least three people were killed and two others injured in a Russian strike in Kherson, southern Ukraine, authorities said on Saturday, two days after deadly artillery fire.
“
It was learned that three people were killed and two injured at the site of an enemy attack on the highway (which connects) Mykolaiv to Kherson,
” Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the regional military administration of Kherson, said on Telegram. Kherson.
“
Relief work continues
” on the spot, he added.
Read alsoAfter Kherson, can Ukraine hope to reconquer Crimea?
French nuclear "
under the influence
" of Russia, denounces Greenpeace
Greenpeace said on Saturday that the French nuclear industry was "
under the control
" of Russia, which controls according to the NGO more than 40% of natural uranium imports from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and a third of those from enriched uranium.
In 2022, the year of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, "
nearly half of the natural uranium imported into France came from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
", 43% exactly, underlined Greenpeace in a report published two days before the start of the National Assembly's consideration of a bill aimed at accelerating the construction of new nuclear reactors.
Read also“Some people strangely claim that Putin’s nuclear threats are just a bluff”
However, according to the NGO, "
virtually all the natural uranium from Kazakhstan, and a considerable part of that from Uzbekistan, passes through the hands of Rosatom (of the Russian civil nuclear monopoly, editor's note) which controls the transport of all nuclear materials transiting on Russian soil
”, via rail convoys to the port of Saint Petersburg, then cargo ships to France.
