Volodymyr Zelensky notably announced that he had asked his military commanders to “find the forces” to defend Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting in the east of the country.
The Ukrainian army clings to Bakhmout. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday March 6 that he had asked his military commanders to “find strength” needed to defend the city. Earlier in the day, an adviser to the presidency told AFP that there was “a consensus” in the Ukrainian army for “continue to defend” Bakhmout.
Franceinfo returns to the highlights of the day on the front of the war in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky asks the army to “find the forces” to defend Bakhmout
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he had asked his military commanders to “find strength” to defend Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting in the east of the country, around which Russian troops have tightened their grip.
“I told the general staff to find the appropriate forces to help the guys in Bakhmout”said the head of state in a video, claiming “that no part of Ukraine can be abandoned” to the Russians.
A “consensus” within the army to “continue to defend” Bakhmout
There is a “consensus” in the Ukrainian army for “continue to defend” Bakhmout, epicenter of the fighting in the east, despite the risk of encirclement by Russian troops, also told AFP on Monday an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency.
“There is a consensus among the military on the need to continue to defend the city and exhaust the enemy forces, while building new lines of defense in parallel in case the situation changes”said Mykhaïlo Podoliak, refuting any Ukrainian withdrawal from Bakhmout.
According to him, “the defense of Bakhmout has achieved its objectives” by exhausting the Russian forces, giving the Ukrainian army time to train “tens of thousands of troops to prepare a counter-offensive”.
kyiv demands investigation after alleged execution of Ukrainian prisoner of war
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy on Monday called for an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the broadcast of a video showing, according to him, a Ukrainian prisoner of war executed by Russian soldiers.
These images were also mentioned by President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening video address, in which he promised to “find the killers”. “Horrifying video of an unarmed Ukrainian POW being executed by Russian forces for simply saying ‘Glory to Ukraine’. Further proof that this war is genocidal”commented Dmytro Kouleba on Twitter.
“It is imperative that (ICC Prosecutor) Karim Khan launch an immediate investigation into this heinous war crime”he added : “The perpetrators of these acts must be brought to justice”.
A new Commander-in-Chief in Ukraine
By decree of President Zelensky issued on Monday morning, General Oleksandr Oleksiyovych was appointed Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He was previously Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
The city of Zaporizhia observes a day of mourning
After thirteen people were killed in a bombardment that hit a residential building on March 2, the mayor of Zaporizhia decided to declare Monday a day of mourning. “It is a great sorrow, writes Anatolii Kurtiev on Telegram. Together, let us honor the glowing memory of all those whose lives were cut short on that tragic night in March.”