Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a brief speech - today, Wednesday - that Russia is currently fighting in Ukraine for its "historic lands", as battles intensify in the east of the country, ahead of the first anniversary of the start of the war.
"Today, the (military) leadership told me that there are battles going on within our historical lands for our people," Putin said in his speech during a national festival at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
Eastern Ukraine is currently witnessing fierce battles, and Ukrainian officials expect Russia to intensify its attacks with missiles and drones in the coming days, with the first anniversary of the start of the war the day after tomorrow, Friday, February 24.
Ukrainian officials said that Russian forces today bombed industrial facilities in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, which is the second largest city in the country.
Local official Oleg Sinyhopov said two civilians were lightly wounded.
Bakhmut axis
For its part, the Ukrainian army announced that it had repelled Russian attacks on separate areas in the east of the country, including Bakhmut, while the pro-Russian Mariupol authorities said that its air defenses had repelled a drone attack on the city.
And the Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted Ukrainian military sources that despite the intensification of the battles and the intensification of the Russian attacks on the strategic city of Bakhmut, the Russian forces have not made any progress on the fighting axes for 3 days, and although the situation in the city is "difficult and complex, it is under control."
On the other hand, the Ukrainian governor of Luhansk, Sergey Gaidai, broadcast a video clip of what he said was repelling an attempt by Russian forces to advance on the Kremina axis, west of Luhansk canton, in the eastern Donbass region.
Gaidai indicated that the attack ended with the destruction of a Russian tank and infantry company, as he put it.
Prigogine appeals
On the other hand, the head of the Russian Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, urged Russian citizens to put pressure on the army to provide the group's fighters with ammunition, an appeal that reflects the escalating tension between the group and the General Staff.
"If every Russian simply said: Give bombs to Wagner - which is what began to happen on social networks - the impact of that would be very big," Prigozhin said in a new audio recording released by his media.
And he continued, "If the driver told the employer: Let them hand over the missiles to Wagner, and the flight attendant said upon boarding the plane that the missiles should be handed over to Wagner, and the presenter of the programs said directly on the air, then we will destroy them and force them to stop trivial matters."
A few days ago, Prigozhin accused the Russian General Staff of not providing ammunition to his elements deployed on the front line in the battle to control the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
His criticism reached the point of accusing the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff yesterday, Tuesday, of "treason" for refraining from delivering the ammunition demanded by Wagner, he said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense responded yesterday evening with a statement explaining the quantities of ammunition that were provided to the "offensive squadrons of volunteers", which is the name that the army seems to give to the Wagner Group, while the Kremlin spokesman refused to comment on the matter.
Prigozhin rejected this response, saying, "The Ministry of Defense's statement is directed at Wagner with an attempt to hide their crimes against the fighters who are making a move today in Bakhmut. If you wish to provide us with ammunition, do so, and do not speak in the media and deceive the Russian people."
Chief Wagner stated that his forces do not get 80% of the ammunition they need in combat.
Bucharest Group Summit
On the other hand, US President Joe Biden met with the leaders of the "Bucharest 9" group, which includes the countries of the eastern wing of NATO, and addressed them, saying, "You are the front line in our collective defense."
During their summit, which was held in the Polish capital, Warsaw, on Wednesday, Biden said he was looking forward to discussing future steps to keep this alliance strong and "confront any upcoming aggression."
For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during the summit that the alliance will not allow Russia to win, and "we will defend every inch of the territory of NATO countries."