Ukraine said Thursday to progress slowly in the East, after almost a month of counter-offensive, Russia claiming for its part to have killed two Ukrainian generals in a strike on the city of Kramatorsk, near the front.
“We are advancing near Bakhmout and it is continuing,” Ukrainian ground forces commander Oleksandre Syrsky said on Telegram.
For several weeks, the Ukrainian army has been attacking on the flanks of Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting in the Donbass, progressing little by little, while the Russians for the moment keep control of the city which they conquered in may.
“Our troops are eating away every inch of enemy ground in what is a fierce battle. They are progressing,” said Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar, despite the efforts of Moscow troops who “hold on with all their might.”
Ukraine, equipped by the West, has claimed the resumption of a dozen localities since the start of its counter-offensive in early June, but it faces Russian defenses prepared for months, with trenches and minefields.
“Support from the Russians”
For its part, Russia claimed to have killed two Ukrainian generals in a recent strike on Kramatorsk (east), 50 kilometers from the front, two days after a bloody bombardment on a restaurant in this city which left 12 dead and 65 injured, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
“Following a high-precision strike […] two generals, up to 50 officers of the Ukrainian forces and up to 20 mercenaries and foreign military instructors who participated in a meeting […] have been eliminated,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The Russian ministry did not specify whether it was the same incident, while the Ukrainian authorities had mentioned the presence “mainly of civilians” in the restaurant targeted on Tuesday, the Ria Pizza, an establishment popular with journalists, humanitarian workers and military.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of an “enemy agent” suspected of having provided information to Russian intelligence services before the bombing.
While the fighting continues in Russia, the authorities are trying to show a return to normal, a few days after the abortive rebellion of the paramilitary group Wagner which shook the power of Vladimir Putin.
On Wednesday evening, the Russian president thus appeared going to meet dozens of people during a trip to the Russian Caucasus (south), agreeing to have his picture taken and handing out handshakes.
The Kremlin saw in it “an incredible demonstration of support” from the Russians, without the AFP being able to verify the degree of spontaneity of this scene, while Vladimir Putin only very rarely appears in popular gatherings.
While Western analysts and officials have said they see the outcome of Wagner’s spectacular uprising – with no apparent sanctions for the mutineers – as a sign of weakness, Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, said on Thursday that “a Putin weakened represents (has) a greater danger”.
” The time has come “
On the diplomatic front, the Pope’s envoy, Matteo Zuppi, met on Thursday in Moscow with the commissioner for children, Maria Lvova-Belova, yet targeted by an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “deportation illegal” of Ukrainian minors.
“We discussed humanitarian issues related to military operations and the protection of children’s rights,” she said on Telegram.
Matteo Zuppi must also exchange Thursday afternoon with Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church and supporter of Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine, for its part, still hopes to receive signals from the West to support its ambition to integrate the European Union and NATO, after more than 16 months of Russian invasion.
On Kiev’s accession to the Alliance, “the time has come for clarity”, demanded the head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba to the secretary general of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, during a telephone interview.
On Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelensky had asked him for “concrete” signs from NATO during its annual summit scheduled for mid-July in Vilnius.
But the allies are still looking for a common line on the security guarantees they are ready to grant to kyiv before a possible accession. A problem also encountered by the Twenty-Seven in Brussels.
“The debate will be difficult” in the coming months, acknowledged Thursday to AFP Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, before the opening of a summit in the Belgian capital.