Russia denies reports of Ukrainian breakthroughs along front lines
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[May 12, 2023]
(Reuters) -Russia's defence ministry on Thursday denied
reports that Ukrainian forces had broken through in various places along
the front lines and said the military situation was under control.
Moscow reacted after Russian military bloggers, writing on the Telegram
messaging app, reported what they said were Ukrainian advances north and
south of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, with some suggesting a
long-awaited counteroffensive by pro-Kyiv forces had started.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had earlier said the offensive
had yet to start.
"Statements circulated by individual Telegram channels about 'defence
breakthroughs' that took place in different areas along the line of
military contact do not correspond to reality," the Russian defence
ministry said in a Telegram post.
"The overall situation in the area of the special military operation is
under control," it said in a statement, using the Kremlin's description
of the war in Ukraine.
The fact the Russian ministry felt obliged to release the statement
reflects what Moscow acknowledges is a "very difficult" military
operation.
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Ukraine says it has pushed Russian forces back over the past several
days near Bakhmut, while a full-blown counteroffensive involving tens of
thousands of troops and hundreds of Western tanks is still being
prepared.
"We still need a bit more time," Zelenskiy said in an interview with
European broadcasters.
Reuters was not able to verify the reports and it was unclear whether
Ukrainian forces were attacking in force or just mounting armed
reconnaissance raids.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Musiyenko said Kyiv's backers
understand that a counteroffensive "may not result in the complete
eviction of Russian troops and the definitive defeat of Russia in all
occupied areas."
"We have to be ready for the war to continue into next year - or it
could end this year," Musiyenko told Ukrainian NV Radio. "It all depends
on how the battles develop. We can't guarantee how the counter-offensive
will develop."
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia's Wagner private army which has led
the fight in Bakhmut, on Thursday said Ukrainian operations were
"unfortunately, partially successful". He called Zelenskiy's assertion
that the counteroffensive had not yet begun "deceptive".
BRITAIN TO SEND CRUISE MISSILES TO UKRAINE
Ukrainian forces had already received enough equipment from Western
allies for their campaign but were waiting for the full complement of
armoured vehicles to arrive, Zelenskiy said.
In a major step up in Western military support for Ukraine, Britain said
it was sending Storm Shadow cruise missiles that would give Kyiv the
ability to strike deep behind Russian lines.
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The missiles "are now going into, or are in, the country itself,"
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told parliament in London, adding the
missiles were being supplied so they could be used within Ukraine.
Western countries including the U.S. had previously held back from
providing long range weapons for fear of provoking Russian retaliation.
Wallace said Britain had weighed the risk.
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Smoke erupts following a shell
explosion, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Bakhmut, Donetsk
region, Ukraine in this screengrab obtained from a handout video
released on May 7, 2023. Adam Tactic Group/Handout via REUTERS
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The Kremlin earlier said if Britain provided these missiles it would
require "an adequate response from our military".
In an evening address on Thursday, Zelenskiy said he would soon be
able to report very important defence-related news.
"Foreign flags will never reign on our land, and our people will
never be enslaved," he said.
The war in Ukraine is at a turning point, with Kyiv poised to
unleash its counteroffensive after six months of keeping its forces
on the defensive, while Russia mounted a huge winter offensive that
failed to capture significant territory.
Moscow's main target for months has been Bakhmut, which it has yet
to fully capture despite the bloodiest ground combat in Europe since
World War Two.
ZELENSKIY EXPECTED TO MEET POPE FRANCIS
There are no signs of peace talks between the two countries to end
the war, which began in February 2022 with a full-scale invasion of
Ukraine by Russian forces. Zelenskiy is expected to meet Pope
Francis in the Vatican on Saturday, diplomatic sources said, days
after the pope said the Vatican was involved in a peace mission. The
pope has given no further information on such an initiative.
The war worsened a global food crisis - Ukraine and Russia are major
agricultural exporters - and while an agreement last July safely
reopened some Black Sea grain shipment channels, negotiations to
extend the deal were difficult.
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Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations discussed on Thursday
U.N. proposals to keep the pact alive. Moscow has threatened to quit
on May 18 over obstacles to its grain and fertilizer exports.
Meanwhile in South Africa, an important Russian ally on a continent
divided by the war, the U.S. ambassador told journalists that
Washington was confident a Russian vessel had loaded weapons and
ammunition from South Africa in December, a possible breach of
Pretoria's declared neutrality in the conflict.
The government is opening an independent inquiry led by a retired
judge into the allegation, the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa
said in a statement. No evidence had yet been provided by Washington
to support its allegation, the president's office said.
Washington has repeatedly warned countries against providing
material support to Russia, saying that those who do may be subject
to economic sanctions similar to those imposed on Moscow.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Peter Graff, David
Ljunggren and Grant McCool; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Diane Craft
and Daniel Wallis)
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