On March 22, 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited military positions near the frontline town of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. He awarded decorations to Ukrainian servicemen and thanked them for protecting the sovereignty of the country. Video released by Zelensky’s office showed him meeting with servicemen in a warehouse and touring a hospital to greet recovering soldiers.
However, at least one person was killed and more than two dozen were injured in a Russian strike on a block of flats in Zaporizhzhia, a city near the frontline. The city’s mayor reported the strike. Zelensky distributed images of the attack, describing it as “bestial savagery” and accusing Russia of seeking to destroy Ukraine’s cities, state, and people.
The battle for Bakhmut has been ongoing, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces investing heavily in it. While analysts say the city carries little strategic value, Kyiv maintains that holding the industrial town is key to holding back Russian forces along the entire eastern front. An aide to the Russian appointed head of the eastern Donetsk region in Ukraine said that Russian forces were close to cutting off Ukraine road links to the city. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, claimed this week that his forces control around 70% of Bakhmut.
In Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Britain against supplying Ukraine with armor-piercing ammunition containing depleted uranium, calling it a step towards a further escalation. Britain’s junior defense minister Annabel Goldie had indicated earlier in the week that London would be providing the munitions alongside a squadron of Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.
