Vladimir Putin on Friday saluted the “heroes” fighting in Ukraine and the rearmament of Russia on the occasion of the day celebrating the Russian armed forces, on the eve of the second anniversary of the assault on kyiv.
The United States, for its part, promised to announce new sanctions against Moscow on Friday, even if the multiple retaliatory measures adopted over the past two years have not stopped its ability to continue its offensive.
These restrictions must target more than 500 entities linked “to its supporters and its war machine,” said a spokesperson for the US Department of the Treasury.
Russia marks “Defenders of the Fatherland” Day every year on February 23. This celebration comes as the Russian army has achieved several successes in Ukraine.
Weakened by the blocking of American aid, the failure of its summer counter-offensive and a growing lack of men and ammunition, the Ukrainian army faces an “extremely difficult” situation, according to the Ukrainian army’s own admission. President Volodymyr Zelensky who had to resolve a week ago to cede the fortress town of Avdiïvka on the Eastern front.
He also urged the American Congress to approve additional military aid to his country, in an interview broadcast Thursday on Fox News, the favorite channel of conservatives, who are blocking an envelope of 60 billion dollars.
In a video broadcast on Friday, Vladimir Putin, in a serious tone, paid tribute to the “participants of the special operation” in Ukraine, who, according to him, “are fighting for truth and justice”.
“You are our true people’s heroes,” the Russian leader said.
Rearmament
Like every year, Vladimir Putin paid his respects at the tomb of the unknown soldier, under the walls of the Kremlin.
In a press release, the head of the Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, infallible support of the attack against Ukraine, glorified on Friday “the feat of the warriors” who “defend the sovereignty” of Russia.
In recent days, Vladimir Putin had already increased his satisfaction, decorating soldiers, flying in a strategic bomber, while for a year, his country has focused on the war effort, with the surge in equipment production. military and the recruitment of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
On Friday, he touted increasing deliveries of missiles, drones, armored vehicles, artillery and air defense. “Based on our current combat experience, we will continue to strengthen the armed forces,” he advocated.
Three weeks before the presidential election, which will be held from March 15 to 17, Vladimir Putin is approaching the second anniversary of this assault in a much better position, while the year 2022 had been marked by the failure of the offensive on kyiv and humiliating retreats.
The capture of Avdiïvka, a well-defended city in the eastern part of Ukraine facing multiple Russian attacks since October, was an opportunity for him to present himself as the winner.
Mariïnka, “hot spot” on the front
And the strikes against Ukraine continue, with the Ukrainian general staff reporting nightly attacks by Russian drones and missiles on Friday. A nighttime bombing left three people dead in Odessa, according to police.
The Russian army has also carried out around a hundred attacks in the last 24 hours on the Eastern Front, almost half of which were around Mariïnka, a new “hot spot” with the Avdiïvka area, the Ukrainian army said on Friday. .
Russia claimed new territorial gains in the east on Thursday, with the conquest of the village of Pobeda, near Mariïnka, and advances around neighboring towns.
If Moscow suffered very heavy losses, with up to 120,000 dead according to American sources, it was able to recruit nearly half a million men in 2023 and another around 53,000 in January 2024, according to official figures. .
Conversely, problems are piling up for Ukraine, which saw its army decimated by its counter-offensive in the summer of 2023 and is unable to replenish its ranks.
On the front, the men, exhausted by two years of fighting, were cruelly lacking in artillery ammunition, European aid having fallen behind schedule and that of the United States being more in question than ever.
“We don’t have the weapons they have. You know, they have factories that produce it and we? We beg for weapons,” said Oleksiï, an infantry soldier covered in mud returning from the trenches dug not far from Avdiïvka.
On Friday and Saturday, Ukraine is expected to welcome Western officials wishing to show political support, even if the question of accelerating arms deliveries may still remain unresolved.