The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council said on Wednesday that he believes Ukraine is in the middle of a brutal 10-month war against Russia, but warned that the toughest fight was yet to come.
“Russia continues to set maximalist goals in the war with Ukraine,” Oleksii Danilov said in a Twitter post, noting Moscow’s goals of eliminating the Ukrainian government and the “destruction of Ukraine.”[e] as a nation.”
“It is time for maximum concentration,” he added. “We are halfway to victory. But the hardest part is yet to come: finally expelling the aggressor from our land and punishing him for his crimes.”
Medical waste and military clothing belonging to wounded Ukrainian soldiers outside a hospital on December 26, 2022 in Bakhmut, Ukraine.
(Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
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Russian President Vladimir Putin grabbed headlines on Christmas Day after suggesting that Russia was willing to negotiate with Ukraine to end the war.
However, hopes for a diplomatic solution were quickly dashed after Moscow maintained a hawkish approach, saying the war would only end if Ukraine gave up nearly 20% of its land that Russia has illegally occupied.
The advance on the front has largely stalled in recent weeks due to the onset of winter, although heavy fighting around Bakhmut continues. Western defense officials assess that Russia is strengthening its positions in the Luhansk and Kherson areas.
While Moscow stands to gain little strategically from successfully taking the Donetsk region town of Bakhmut, it has begun implementing defensive measures in logistically vital areas in neighboring Lugansk, which shares a border with Russia.
The UK Ministry of Defense assessed on Wednesday that the Kreminna area in Luhansk has likely been reinforced by Russian troops as they seek to hold on to the sector bordering Donetsk, which has become “relatively vulnerable” as troops Ukrainians push the line to the east.
Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, November 20, 2022.
(AP Photo/LIBKOS)
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“Russia has built extensive new defenses in the area and will probably give priority to holding the line here,” the ministry said. “The area is logistically important to Russia’s Donbas front, and is also a major city in Lugansk Oblast.”
The ministry also assessed that the “liberation” of this area has served as a prime pretext for the Kremlin’s war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with his top security officials on Tuesday, where they assessed the situation in Bakhmut, Kreminna and Donetsk and said the steps Kyiv takes next year will be “crucial”.
A Ukrainian soldier fires a mortar at Russian positions in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, November 10, 2022.
(AP Photo/Libkos, file)
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Zelenskyy said everything from air defenses, rearming his troops at the front, repairing equipment and strategies for surviving the brutal winter months were discussed.
The Ukrainian president did not go into details, but said he would share Kyiv’s plans to end the war and restore the nation in the near future.
