Russia says it’s blocking access routes for Western arms, ammunition to Ukraine
German Press Agency
MOSCOW – Russia said on Saturday that it has blocked rail routes for the transport of Western weapons, ammunition and reserves into Ukraine.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow did not give details on Saturday of where exactly the rail transport had been blocked. The news comes only a day after Russia launched a massive missile offensive against Ukraine, once again targeting critical infrastructure.
The daily military bulletin said that all targets had been reached in the “massive strike” with missiles and drones on Friday, though none of the information could be independently verified. Russia had repeatedly announced that it would destroy all weapons supplied to Ukraine by NATO member states.
“All the targeted objects were hit,” said ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov. He said energy infrastructure that supplies the military industry and Ukraine’s transport system was destroyed.
The Ukrainian authorities had announced on Friday that there were power cuts in many places after the massive missile and drone attacks on energy facilities.
According to Ukrainian information, however, most of the missiles and drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defense.
Russia has been attacking energy facilities in Ukraine with missiles from bombers and warships since mid-October. The destroyed infrastructure has caused nationwide power cuts, affecting millions of Ukrainians throughout the winter.
Amid heavy missile attacks, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is turning to western allies for further support, most recently in a trip around Europe. Polish President Andrzej Duda, however, ruled out the possibility of his country delivering fighter jets to Ukraine without first agreeing the move with allies, as the question divides backers of Kyiv.
Such a decision would have to be taken jointly by NATO allies, Duda told British broadcaster BBC a few days before a planned visit to London. Zelenskyy has called for fighter jets to help fend off Russian attacks.
Duda stressed that transferring F-16 fighter jets from Poland to Kyiv would be a “very serious decision” that would not be taken lightly. He said his country’s air force had fewer than 50 of the US-made aircraft, which is not enough for Poland. He also pointed to logistical challenges concerning a possible delivery to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian army thus continues to fend off heavy attacks, staunchly keeping control of the town of Bakhmut, a key town in eastern Ukraine that has been at the heart of heavy clashes with Russian forces for weeks.
“Despite constant pressure from the enemy, we continue to keep Bakhmut under control and take measures to stabilize the front line around this town,” commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi told U.S. Chief of Staff Mark Milley in a phone call.
He said the situation in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine is tense and that Moscow is targeting the area with up to 50 attacks a day.
There are also intense battles around the towns of Vuhledar and Maryinka, he said. “In some sections of the front, we have managed to regain previously lost positions and gain a foothold there.”
He said what Kyiv’s forces need is solid firepower, meaning sufficient weapons and ammunition.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy announced further measures to ramp up action against Russian agents in the country’s civil service.
The intelligence service, investigators and prosecutors already have significant results to show in protecting state institutions from undercover agents working for Russia, Zelenskyy said in his evening video message broadcast on Saturday.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council will continue this work, Zelenskyy said. The goal, he said, is to strengthen state institutions and protect them from internal and external influence.
Zelenskyy also promised more transparency within his own state institutions.
Ukraine is hoping to join the European Union as soon as possible.
The state administration, which in many cases is still marked by corruption and abuses of power, still has a long way to go before it can start negotiations on its EU membership. “The state will continue to modernize its institutions, processes and procedures,” he said in the video message.
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