Russian forces are engaged in a fierce battle near the heavily devastated Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, but the situation is mostly unchanged and neither side has made significant progress, writes Reuters.
On the 27th of December Russian forces heavily shelled and bombed populated areas in eastern and southern Ukraine. The fiercest fighting is taking place around Bakhmut, where Russia has been trying to capture the city for months, and in Svatov and Kreminna, where Ukrainian forces are trying to break Russian defense lines.
Oleg Zhdanov, a Ukrainian military expert and reserve colonel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said in a YouTube video that the fighting has intensified as Russia supplies more armored vehicles and tanks.
«There has been very little change in terms of the front line but pressure from the enemy has intensified, both in terms of the numbers of men and the type and quantity of equipment,»
Zhdanov said.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Moscow will ban oil sales to countries that have set price caps. The oil price cap is expected to reduce Russia’s ability to wage war in Ukraine while avoiding a complete shutdown of Russian oil supplies. Although the fixed ceiling is not much different from the current price, Russia sold oil at a much higher price last year.
The decision is presented as a direct response to the actions of the US and Western countries, which are allegedly against international law.
The Kremlin plans to ban the supply of crude oil to countries that have added a price ceiling to the policy from the 1st of February to the 1st of July, 2023.
Russia, starting the invasion on the 24th of February, had planned to conquer Ukraine within a few days, but in the spring it suffered a defeat near Kyiv, and in the fall it was forced to withdraw its forces from other populated areas. Putin responded by announcing mobilization. Although Putin has mentioned the possibility of sitting at the negotiating table, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has made it known that Moscow has a number of preconditions, including the return of occupied territories to Russia. Kyiv, on the other hand, has indicated that it will not give up a single centimeter of Ukrainian land.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech on the evening of the 27th of December: «We will continue preparing the armed forces and Ukraine’s security for next year. This will be a decisive year. We understand the risks of winter. We understand what needs to be done in the spring.»
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