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Ukraine: Drone captures destruction in Bakhmut
Russia is planning to “develop a new axis of advance” in eastern Ukraine after months of costly and “heavily contested” fighting around the city of Bakhmut, the British Ministry of Defence has claimed. Putin’s forces will now concentrate on the “towns of Pavlivka and Vuhledar”, 90 miles southward, initiating “a more concerted assault”, the Mod said. Russian forces had deployed waves of human attacks in Bakhmut and Soledar six miles northeast, fighting for weeks just for one house and losing thousands of soldiers in the process, but the former city is still being contested. The shift southward could be part of a planned Russian spring offensive aimed at more rapid success, with military analysts suggesting they will focus primarily on controlling the Donbas region, which includes the two eastern oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The news comes as Australian forces arrived in the UK to help train Ukrainian soldiers before they head back to the conflict zone.
KEY EVENTS
Ukraine needs F-16s to replace ‘inferior technology’
Ukraine “seriously” needs the West to supply “up to five brigades” with of F-16 fighter jets to replace the currently Soviet-era fleet because the technology is “inferior”, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Forces has said.
The spokesman of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yuriy Ignat, told the French TV channel La Chaîne Info that the receiving of the F-16s would allow them to strike both ground and air targets, which could prove crucial as the next Russian offensive gets underway in spring.
He said: “We are inferior in technology. Therefore, the need is serious. It is necessary to create up to five brigades of tactical aviation with one type of multi-purpose aircraft of the Western model. What type it will be, is now being determined.
“Currently, the F-16 is the most likely candidate to replace the old Soviet aircraft, because there are certain objective reasons for this. And this is not a one-man decision, constant consultations are held with partners.”
He added: “It is clear that we will not be able to get everything at once, but a phased transition to a new multi-role aircraft is a requirement of time.”
Russia loses 850 troops in latest week, claims Ukraine
Russia lost nearly a thousand soldiers in the week up to January 31, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces has claimed in its latest update.
A total of 127,500 Russian soldiers have lost their lives on the battlefield in Ukraine, it added.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 3,201 tanks, 6,378 armoured fighting vehicles, 5,048 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,197 artillery systems, 454 multiple launch rocket systems, 221 air defence systems, 293 aeroplanes, 284 helicopters, 1,951 drones, and 18 boats.
Ukraine defence minister to call on Paris for f-16 fighter jets
Ukrainian defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday to discuss the provision of F-16 fighter jets.
Calls for the fourth generation aircraft have proved fruitless following the widespread western pledges of main battle tanks last week.
US President Joe Biden said on Monday night that they would not be sending any fighter jets to Ukraine.
Mr Reznikov will also hold a scheduled meeting with the French head of the ministry of defence, Sebastien Lecorne.
The pair will focus on air defence missile systems to bolster Ukraine’s ability to defend against long range assaults from Russian strikes and drones.
Mr Reznikov will visit the Thales company, a French multinational tech corporation, where he will be presented with the GM 200 medium-range radar. It can be integrated into the SAMP-T air defence system, which the governments of France and Italy are hoping to provide to the Ukrainian military.
Russia to ‘develop new axis’ of attack in eastern Ukraine
Russia forces are planning to “develop a new axis of advance” in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, after months of “heavily contested fighting”, the British MoD has claimed.
You can see their full update below.
Good morning
Good morning from London. I’m Tom Watling, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
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Twitter: @TomAWatling
Australian regiment arrives in UK to train Ukrainian soldiers
Australian soldiers have arrived in the UK to help the British Army train Ukrainian recruits, the Australian Army revealed in a post on Twitter:
They reported that a “contingent of soldiers from the 5th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (5 RAR)” arrived this week.
They began with an early morning training session to “acclimatise to the freezing temperatures”.
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