KYIV: Ukraine announced on Tuesday that it had successfully pushed Russian forces back from the flanks of Bakhmut, although it acknowledged that Moscow’s troops were making further advances within the embattled town.
The announcement followed Ukraine’s defense minister praising the effectiveness of their air defenses, which had recently been strengthened by support from Western allies, in shooting down six advanced Russian Kinzhal missiles overnight.
In Kyiv, authorities prepared to welcome a special envoy from China to discuss Beijing’s proposals for resolving the conflict. Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar stated that Ukraine had reclaimed approximately 20 square kilometers (7.7 square miles) from the Russian encirclement around Bakhmut, which has become the focal point of the fighting since Russia’s invasion began.
However, she also noted on social media that the enemy was making some progress inside Bakhmut itself, devastating the town with artillery fire.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, commended Kyiv’s troops engaged in the ongoing battle as he distributed awards during his visit near Bakhmut. Referring to the Russian paramilitary group, he likened their entrance into Bakhmut to rats falling into a mousetrap.
The British Ministry of Defense acknowledged that Ukrainian forces had made tactical progress over the past four days, successfully stabilizing the flanks of Bakhmut to their advantage.
The wave of Russian airstrikes came shortly after Ukraine’s announcement that it had, for the first time, shot down a Kinzhal nuclear-capable hypersonic missile using US-supplied Patriot systems.
This recent success in neutralizing Russian drones and missiles highlights Ukraine’s strengthened air defenses, which have been bolstered following Moscow’s winter strikes on critical infrastructure.
Ukraine celebrates gains in Bakhmut
Ukraine’s Defense Minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, celebrated the achievement on Twitter, calling it an “unbelievable success” for the Ukrainian air forces.
The defense ministry reported that Ukrainian air defense systems had intercepted a total of 18 missiles, including ones previously touted by the Kremlin as “ideal,” as well as nine drones.
In Kyiv, three people sustained injuries, and rocket fragments fell in the vicinity of the city’s zoo, but no animals or staff were harmed, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Simultaneously, China’s special envoy, Li Hui, arrived in Kyiv for a two-day visit as part of a European tour aimed at promoting Beijing-led negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities, in discussions with Li, planned to address Kyiv’s position on the conflict and China’s peace mission. An anonymous senior Ukrainian official stated that Ukraine did not seek mediation for the sake of mediation, reiterating that ending the war at Ukraine’s expense would not be acceptable.
Li’s visit marks the highest-ranking Chinese diplomat to visit the war-torn country since Russia’s invasion last year. The visit follows President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Beijing has stated that the purpose of the tour is to engage with all parties involved in finding a political settlement to the Ukrainian crisis. Xi, positioning China as a neutral mediator, visited Moscow in March but faced criticism for refraining from condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Li’s visit comes shortly after Zelensky’s whirlwind tour of major European capitals, where he sought increased military support from allies.
Although he did not secure the deployment of Western fighter jets to Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced preparations to open a flight school to train Ukrainian pilots.
France has also offered to train Ukrainian fighter pilots but ruled out sending warplanes to Kyiv. Zelensky, however, stated on Monday.
