Russia closes Western arms supplies to Ukraine as the Ukrainian army asserts maintain control of Bakhmut despite the fierce battles
Russia said on Saturday that it had closed the railway tracks to the transfer of Western weapons, ammunition and reserves to Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry didn’t give more details on Saturday of where the rail traffic was blocked.
The news comes just one day after Russia launched a massive missile attack against Ukraine, again targeting critical infrastructure.
The military daily said all targets in the huge strike were hit by missiles and drones on Friday, though none of the information has been independently verified.
Russia has repeatedly declared that it will destroy all weapons donated by NATO member states to Ukraine.
“All targeted targets were hit,” the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
He added that the energy infrastructure that supplies Ukraine’s military industry and transportation system has been destroyed.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian authorities announced that there was a power outage in many places, after the massive missile and drone attacks on energy facilities.
According to Ukrainian information, most of the missiles and drones were shot down by the Ukrainian air defense.
Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s energy facilities with missiles from bombers and warships since mid-October.
The destroyed infrastructure caused nationwide power outages, affecting millions of Ukrainians during the winter.
The Ukrainian army maintains control of Bakhmut, a major town in eastern Ukraine that has been at the center of fierce clashes with Russian forces for weeks.
“Despite the constant pressure from the enemy, we continue to keep Bakhmut under control and take measures to stabilize the front line around this city,” Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny said in a phone call with the US Chief of Staff, Mark Milley.
He added that the situation in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine was tense and that Moscow was targeting the region with up to 50 attacks per day.
He explained that there are also fierce battles around the towns of Vohlidar and Marinka.
He continued, “In some sections of the front, we were able to regain the positions we lost previously and gain a foothold there”.
He stated that what the Kiev forces need is solid firepower, that is, sufficient weapons and ammunition.
Zaluzhny said he thanked Milley for Washington’s support and praised the American general for understanding Ukrainian needs in the war against Russia and for the victory.
