In its daily intelligence update on Ukraine, the then British Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that Russia was “struggling to maintain consistency in a core narrative it uses to justify the conflict”. war in Ukraine”. The narrative is that the invasion of Ukraine is similar to the Soviet experience during World War II.
Earlier this month, Russia cited security concerns as the reason for the cancellation of the Immortal Regiment’s annual “Great Patriotic War” Memorial Parade. “In fact,” the ministry said, “the authorities are most likely concerned that the participants will highlight the extent of Russia’s recent damage.” Another part of the Russian story is the rallying call that there are Nazis in Ukraine.
Now, however, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group and friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has openly questioned the existence of Nazi Germany in Ukraine, contradicting his justification. Russia for the invasion, the British Ministry said. In a video address on Friday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was preparing for a counterattack. “The front line is the number one priority,” he said Friday. “We are also actively preparing for new brigades and units to appear at the front.” Zelenskyy thanked allies for their commitment to defending Ukraine.
A meeting organized by the United States on Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany focused on air defense and ammunition in Ukraine. The United States said it would soon begin training Ukrainian troops to operate Abrams tanks, while Germany announced it was building a tank repair center in Poland for tanks deployed in Ukraine. During the meeting, the allies also reassured Kiev of their unconditional support and support for Ukraine’s future efforts to join NATO.
Ukraine has been pressuring its allies for long-range weapons, jets and ammunition ahead of a counter-offensive against the Russian military, which is expected to take place over the next few weeks or months. Following Zelenskyy’s remarks on Friday, Yevgeni Prigozhin, leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, expressed concern about an impending Ukrainian counterattack with well-trained Ukrainian forces. “Today we kill people who are trained in Ukraine, but people from Germany will be trained in technology,” he said in an audio recording broadcast on his Telegram channel.
He was referring to Ukrainian soldiers who will train in Germany to use American Abrams tanks. Prigozhin predicts that Ukraine will strike again after the spring rains when the ground is firm. “They will attack…they will come and try to divide us, and we have to resist,” he said. Russia relies heavily on Wagner’s forces in Bakhmut, where fighting is still raging. Kiev said on Friday that although Russian forces had made some progress east of the city, the situation was ongoing.
Malyar made the comments after the Russian Defense Ministry said in a briefing on Friday that attackers were fighting west of Bakhmut, the last part of the besieged Ukrainian city still controlled by Kiev forces.
