‘Fierce’ battle for Vgledal near Donetsk, Ukraine

Near Bakhmut: Ukrainian forces entered a “fighting” confrontation with Russian fighters on Friday (27 January) for control of the town of Vgledal, southwest of Donetsk.

Both sides claimed success in a small administrative center of flats surrounded by flat fields, some distance from the strategic point of Pavlivka village.

“The siege and subsequent liberation of this city will solve many problems,” said Denis Pushrin, the Moscow-appointed leader of the Donetsk region.

According to the Russian press, he said: “Soon Vugledar may become another and very important success for us.

However, Kyiv said the town, which had a population of about 15,000 before the invasion, was still under dispute.

Ukrainian military spokesman Sergiy Cherevati told local media that “heavy fighting is taking place.”

“For many months the Russian Federation Armed Forces… have been trying to achieve great success there,” he said.

Moscow’s push for Vogledal is part of its effort to seize control of the entire Donetsk region, which it has already declared to be part of Russia.

Some also believe that the town lies along the Southern Front and could become the focal point of a Ukrainian offensive to cut through Russian-occupied territory to the Sea of ​​Azov.

The Russian offensive in the Vgledal area could be “part of a series of sabotage attacks aimed at limiting possible future Ukrainian counteroffensive operations,” said the US-based War Research Institute. Stated.

Holocaust Remembrance Barb

Russian President Vladimir Putin used Friday’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day to lash out at Ukraine. Calling people in the country ‘neo-Nazis’ to justify the invasion 11 months ago.

“Forgetting the lessons of history will lead to the repetition of terrible tragedies,” Putin said.

“It is against that evil that our soldiers are fighting bravely,” he said.

But in Poland, where about 3 million Jews were massacred during World War II, officials accused Russia of perpetuating Nazi ideology.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Facebook: “On the Liberation Day of Nazi Germany’s concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, let’s remember that Putin is building a new concentration camp in the east.

“Solidarity and consistent support for Ukraine is an effective way to prevent history from repeating itself completely,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the world to unite against ‘indifference’ and ‘hate’ on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

“Today, as always, Ukraine is remembering the millions of victims of the Holocaust. We know and remember that indifference kills with hatred,” he said. .

Other Polish tanks

Morawiecki meanwhile said Poland would hand over additional 60 tanks to Kyiv to help fend off a Russian invasion.

“Right now we are ready to send 60 modernized tanks, 30 of which are PT-91s. he said.

The tanks already sent from Poland were mainly the Soviet T-72 model, of which the PT-91 is a modernized version.

Ukraine has also been promised tanks from Germany and the US, which were announced earlier this week.

And Belgium announced a new €93.8 million (US$100 million) military aid package for Ukraine, including cash, missiles, machine guns and armored vehicles.

Olympic controversy

Meanwhile, controversy has erupted over the International Olympic Committee’s attempt to find a “pathway” for Russian participation in the 2024 Paris Games, despite Ukraine’s aggression.

Russia and its ally Belarus have been excluded from most Olympic sports since their invasion of Ukraine last February.

But the IOC said “passports should not be used as a barrier to compete”.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said Thursday she supports the concept of Russian athletes competing under the banner of neutrality at the 2024 Olympics.

On Friday, Mr Zelensky invited IOC President Thomas Bach to visit the front-line city of Bakhmut, the site of some of the heaviest fighting in recent months.

“The reason I invite Mr. Bach to Bakhmut is to see for myself that neutrality does not exist,” Zelensky said.

“It’s clear that the Russian player’s neutral flag is stained with blood.”

Ukraine’s sports minister warns country you can boycott the game If Russian and Belarusian players join.