As the Russo-Ukrainian war enters its 348th day, let’s take a look at the main developments.
Here is the current situation as of Monday, February 6, 2023:
Fight
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the ongoing fierce battles in Ukraine’s Donetsk region are making the situation “very difficult”, as Kiev prepares for a possible Russian attack this month. This is before the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told a news conference on Sunday that Russia will launch a big attack in the coming weeks, but Ukraine has the troops and resources to repel such an attack.
- The head of Russia’s private militia Wagner said on Sunday that heavy fighting was taking place north of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the focus of Russian forces’ attention for weeks.
- Ukrainian forces still control the village of Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region, Governor Serhiy Haidai said on Sunday, adding that the situation there was tense, but under control. Bilohorivka is the last part of Luhansk held by Ukrainian forces.
- Mr Zelenskyy said repair crews were working around the clock to restore electricity in the Black Sea port of Odesa after a fire left hundreds of thousands of residents without electricity.
sanctions
- Price cap on Russian oil could affect Moscow’s revenue from oil and gas export International Energy Agency (IEA) director Fatih Birol said on Sunday that was an increase of nearly 30% in January, or about $8 billion from a year ago.
- Ukraine has sent a letter to companies supporting the International Olympic Committee, urging them to to keep Russian athletes out of the Paris Olympic Games, said President Zelenskyy.
Politics
- Ukraine is set to replace Defense Minister Reznikov with the head of its military spy agency, a close ally of Zelenskyy said on Sunday, in a reshuffle of Ukraine’s war campaign leadership. .
- The head of Zelenskyy’s parliamentary bloc said Reznikov would be replaced by Kyrylo Budanov, the director of the GUR military intelligence agency.
- Ukraine’s president has fired several senior officials this year in a purge aimed at rooting out corruption. Reznikov has been under pressure over a corruption scandal within the ministry.
