Contradictory Claims Expressed about Bakhmut Fighting: Russia-Ukraine War

Admin April 15, 2023

KYIV: On Thursday, the Russian army claimed that Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut had been cut off, while Kyiv insisted that supply lines were still open to the town. The Russian army stated that its airborne troops were blocking Ukrainian army reserves and the possibility of retreat for enemy units. The Ukrainian army responded by saying that it had communication with its troops inside Bakhmut and was able to send them munitions, and that the Russian claims did not correspond to reality. However, the Ukrainian general staff acknowledged a difficult situation in Bakhmut. The situation in the town has turned into the longest and bloodiest fight since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, but there is no way to verify the status on the ground in Bakhmut.

Meanwhile, Norway announced on Thursday that it was expelling 15 intelligence officers working at the Russian embassy in Oslo, further straining relations between the neighbouring countries. Moscow called the decision extremely unfriendly and vowed to respond. According to Norway`s Foreign Minister, the officers had been engaging in activities that were not compatible with their diplomatic status. The officers were declared personae non gratae and must leave shortly.

In another development, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged NATO to play a bigger role in Black Sea security and to integrate Ukraine`s air and missile defences with those of alliance members. He said that the Black Sea is instrumental for making the whole of Europe peaceful and future-oriented, and that it's time to turn the Black Sea into what the Baltic Sea has become, a sea of NATO. Moscow dismissed the remarks, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that the Black Sea can never be a NATO sea, adding that the sea must be a sea of cooperation, interaction, and security for all its littoral states.

Both Moscow and Kyiv rely on the Black Sea for trade, including supplying grain markets as two of the world`s biggest food exporters. A Russian blockade threatened to cause a global food crisis last year until the United Nations and Turkey brokered an accord to keep ports open, with diplomacy ongoing to extend it (Courtesy: Dawn.pk)