War in Ukraine: Kiev claims the "first success" of its assault on Bakhmut

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: Carl Court / POOL / AFP 11:29 am, May 15, 2023, modified at 11:30 am, May 15, 2023

THE ESSENTIALS

After visiting Rome, Berlin and Paris, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London on Monday, according to Downing Street, where he is due to hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who promised the upcoming delivery of "hundreds" of anti-aircraft missiles and attack drones to Kiev.

The Ukrainian head of state also claimed the "first success" of his assault around Bakhmut, advancing on the flanks of Russian defenses, as its president Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London to continue his European tour and demand even more military aid.

Information to remember:

• Volodymyr Zelensky is in the United Kingdom where he was received by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
• Ukrainian president announces "first success" of counter-offensive around Bakhmut
• Chinese envoy Li Hui to visit Kiev on Tuesday and Wednesday

Ukraine claims 'first success' of assault on Bakhmut

For several days, the Ukrainian army has been advancing north and south of Bakhmut, the epicenter of the fighting for several months and the scene of the bloodiest battle since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

"The advance of our troops in the Bakhmut area is the first success of the offensive" to defend this city, now controlled mainly by the Russians, General Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of Ukrainian ground troops, said Monday.

On Sunday, Kiev had already vowed to have captured "more than 10 enemy positions north and south of the suburbs of Bakhmut", after claiming Friday to have retaken two kilometers in the area. Conversely, Russia says it is advancing within this city, which it has been tirelessly trying to conquer since last summer, at the cost of significant losses and without success at this stage.

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Observers doubt the strategic significance of the conquest of this city for Moscow, but it would allow the Kremlin to post a victory after several humiliating setbacks. On the spot, the Wagner paramilitary group is supported by the regular Russian army, although its leader, businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, regularly accuses the military hierarchy of not giving enough ammunition to his men to conquer Bakhmut.

Last week, he even accused some soldiers of the Russian army of "fleeing" their positions, believing that the defenses "collapse". For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense, with which Mr. Prigozhin has been in open conflict for several months, repeated again Sunday "to have repelled all attacks" to the "north and south" of Bakhmut, sweeping away Kiev's claims.

Zelensky in London, who promises "hundreds" of missiles and attack drones in Kiev

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London on Monday, according to Downing Street, where he is due to hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who has promised the upcoming delivery of "hundreds" of anti-aircraft missiles and attack drones to Kiev.

"The UK has been a leader in providing us with additional ground and air assets. This cooperation will continue," the Ukrainian president said on Twitter announcing his departure for London, where he had already visited last February.

Volodymyr Zelensky is due to hold talks with Rishi Sunak at the Chequers country residence of the prime minister, who announced shortly before the Ukrainian president's arrival a new military aid to Kiev. London will deliver "hundreds" of anti-aircraft missiles as well as "hundreds" of attack drones with a range of more than 200 km.

The equipment will be delivered "in the coming months as Ukraine prepares to intensify its resistance to the ongoing Russian invasion," Downing Street said in a statement. Last week, the UK had already announced the supply of Storm Shadow long-range missiles to Kiev.

"This is a crucial moment for the resistance of Ukrainians in the face of the terrible aggression they did not choose to provoke," Sunak said. "We must not let them down ... It is in everyone's interest to ensure that Ukraine succeeds and that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's barbarity is not rewarded," he added. However, no capital has advanced on the delivery of fighter jets, insistently requested by Kiev.

Chinese envoy to be in Kiev on Tuesday and Wednesday

Chinese envoy Li Hui, special representative for Eurasian affairs in charge of discussing the settlement of the war in Ukraine, will visit Kiev on Tuesday and Wednesday, a senior Ukrainian government official told AFP on Monday.

"He will be in Kiev on May 16 and 17," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. According to Beijing, Li Hui, former Chinese ambassador to Russia, is to come to discuss from Monday in Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia "a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis".

Russian strike kills four people and hits hospital

A Russian strike killed four people in Avdiivka on the front line in eastern Ukraine, hitting a hospital, Ukrainian governor of the Donetsk region Pavlo Kyrylenko said Monday.

"Four people were killed as a result of a strike... on Avdiivka. The Russians attacked the city with rockets this morning, hitting the hospital," Kyrylenko said on Telegram.