Controversy about Russia saying blockade of Bakhmut
The Russian military said that its paratroopers blocked the route to transfer Ukrainian reserve troops to Bakhmut in Donetsk, as well as blocked the enemy’s withdrawal route, according to TASS.
The Russian side also said units of Wagner mercenaries were advancing in Bakhmut. However, AFP quoted information from the Ukrainian army still maintaining contact with the entrenched forces inside Bakhmut and still providing ammunition to these units.
Quick view: On the 413th campaign, Russia continued to invade and block the reinforcements in Bakhmut; Ukraine builds UAV power
Sergiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Command of Ukraine, confirmed that the army is continuing to provide food, medicine, ammunition and essential items, while still moving the wounded out of the city.
However, the office of the chief of staff of the Ukrainian army admitted that Bakhmut was facing a difficult situation.
For his part, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group, said it was too early to conclude that Russian forces had completed the encirclement and blockade of Bakhmut, TASS reported.
US stops arms aid to Ukraine?
Sputnik News quoted a senior US defense official as saying that Washington is not expected to announce any more weapons aid packages to Ukraine before the Kyiv government launches a counterattack in the spring.
According to US officials, two aid packages for Ukraine announced on March 20 and April 4, respectively, may be the last ones coming from the administration of President Joe Biden in the near future.
US stops providing weapons to Ukraine
This is believed to be a last-ditch effort to prepare Ukrainian forces for an upcoming counter-offensive, despite calls from the Kyiv government to continue to provide ammunition and weapons.
On April 4, the White House announced a $2.6 billion military aid package, including the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the Patriot air defense system. The March 20 package worth $350 million includes HIMARS, howitzers, and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
Washington and the Pentagon have not commented on the report.
, Germany approved Poland’s proposal to transfer five MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, according to Reuters citing information from the German Defense Ministry.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said it received the proposal from Warsaw on April 13 and the same day Berlin responded to this request.
Germany agrees to let Poland send fighter jets to Ukraine
Germany took over 24 MiG-29s from the East German government during the reunification period in 1990. In 2004, Berlin delivered 22 aircraft to Warsaw. Of the remaining two, one was destroyed in the accident, and the other is on display inside a museum.
Poland needs Germany’s consent if it wants to give its fighters to a third country, in this case Ukraine.
Kyiv urges NATO to control Black Sea, integrate Ukraine defense
On the same day, speaking online at the Black Sea security conference in Bucharest (Romania), Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should play a bigger role in protecting security. for the Black Sea.
At the same time, he said it was time for NATO to integrate Ukraine’s air and missile defense systems into the common network of members.
“The Black Sea has been instrumental in bringing peace and shaping the future to Europe. Sadly it is also a testament to how quickly things can deteriorate if everyone ignores the threat. It’s time to return the Black Sea to a role similar to the Baltic Sea: a sea of NATO”, Mr. Kuleba emphasized.
Responding to the above call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “The Black Sea will never be NATO’s sea”.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is currently based in Crimea.
Ukraine: No ‘miracle day’ for counter-offensive operation
In a related development, Russia warned on April 13 that Moscow would not extend the implementation of the Black Sea grain agreement beyond May 18, unless the West removed a series of obstacles preventing Russia from exporting agricultural products. and fertilizers.
On the same day, US President Joe Biden said that US investigators were close to having access to the source of the release of classified and top secret documents about Ukraine and US allies online.
Senior officials at the Pentagon, the intelligence community and at the US Department of Justice have coordinated to investigate the identity of the person behind the leak, how many documents may still be circulating, and why Why have they not been noticed even though they have been distributed since the beginning of the year.
