NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today, Monday, that the major Russian attack, which was feared to take place in Ukraine, had already begun, almost a year after the start of the war, while Washington advised its citizens to leave Russia, and Ukraine said The situation in Bakhmut is complex.

"We see absolutely no indication that President (Vladimir) Putin is ready for peace... What we see is that President Putin and Russia still want to control Ukraine," Stoltenberg told a news conference. "We see how they transfer more forces, weapons and capabilities." .

Russia is widely believed to be planning a new major offensive, and Ukraine says it needs fighter jets and long-range missiles to fight back and regain lost territory.

Jens Stoltenberg also warned that Ukrainian forces are consuming much more ammunition than those produced by NATO member states.

He said during a press conference - on the eve of a meeting of defense ministers in NATO countries - that "the current pace of the use of ammunition in Ukraine is much greater than the current pace of our production," and considered that "this matter puts our defense industries under pressure."

He added that he expected to discuss the issue of supplying aircraft to Ukraine at the meeting of NATO defense ministers, which will start on Tuesday and last for two days.

He added, "There is now a discussion also going on about the issue of aircraft, and I expect that this will be addressed tomorrow at the meeting in Brussels," explaining that supplying Ukraine with aircraft at a time when the country is under attack from Russia needs urgent practical support.

He also stressed that providing NATO countries with fighter jets to Ukraine would not make NATO a party to the conflict.

Ukrainian Presidency: The situation in Bakhmut is "complicated"

For its part, the Ukrainian presidency described - today, Monday - the situation in the city of Bakhmut, which is witnessing the fiercest battles in eastern Ukraine, as "complicated", after the Russian armed group Wagner announced its seizure of a town in the region.

"The situation near Solidar is complicated, and the town of Paraskovievka is witnessing intense shelling and attacks," the presidency said in its daily report.

Solidar, which the Russians seized in January, is located north of Bakhmut, which the Russians have sought to control since last summer, causing both sides heavy losses and widespread destruction.

The town of Paraskovyska is next on the road leading to Bakhmut and is located adjacent to the town of Krasna Gora, which the commander of the Russian armed group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced its control on Sunday, and the elements of this group are on the front lines of this battle.

Likewise, the Ukrainian Army Staff indicated in its daily report also that the Russian forces bombed 16 towns near Bakhmut, on Sunday, with tanks, mortars and artillery.

An official in the Russian occupation forces in eastern Ukraine said that the separatist leader, Denis Pushilin, confirmed - last Friday - that Moscow's forces now control 3 of the four Ukrainian supply routes leading to Bakhmut.

The Ukrainian presidency also stated that the situation is "tense" near Voglidar in the south, where Russian forces are launching an offensive.

She explained today, Monday, that "the Russians continue to bomb the neighboring towns."

In Kherson, in southern Ukraine, 3 people were killed and another wounded in bombing operations during the last 24 hours, according to the same source.

The United States advises its citizens

On the other hand, the United States has advised its citizens to leave Russia immediately because of the war in Ukraine and the possibility of arbitrary detention or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies.

"US citizens residing in or traveling to Russia should leave immediately," the US embassy in Moscow said. "You should exercise extra caution because of the possibility of unlawful arrests."

"Do not travel to Russia," the embassy added.

"Russian security services have arrested US citizens on false accusations, targeted US citizens in Russia for arrest and harassment while denying them fair and transparent treatment, and issued convictions against them in secret trials or without providing credible evidence," the embassy said.

The FSB said in January that Russia had opened a criminal case against a US citizen on suspicion of espionage.

The United States frequently advises its citizens to leave Russia.

The last public warning was last September, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization.