This article was originally published by Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge.
Image: NBC News
In a Saturday night speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave his most dire assessment to date of the status of Ukraine forces in the eastern Donbas region, where for over at least the last two months Russia has concentrated its forces, following the Feb.24 invasion of the country. Saturday marked the 95th day of the conflict.
He described conditions there as “indescribably difficult” in what marks a notably pessimistic shift and negative tone for the Ukrainian leader, strongly suggesting the fall of Donbas – or at least whole regions such as Luhansk – could be imminent. He identified several intense ongoing battles in places with a large Russian force presence, including Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Bakhmut, and Popasna. Sievierodonets in particular is the scene of fierce up-close street battles.
“But our defense holds on,” Zelensky sought to assure the public. “It’s indescribably difficult there. And I am grateful to all those who withstand this onslaught of the occupiers.”
As the AP describes some instances of “close-quarter combat”:
Ukrainian regional officials reported that Russian forces were “storming” Sievierodonetsk after trying unsuccessfully to encircle the city. The fighting knocked out power and cellphone service, and a humanitarian relief center could not operate because of the danger, the mayor said.
Zelensky in the address also denounced what he called “absolutely senseless, openly barbaric strikes at the Sumy region,” which left at least one person dead and seven wounded, and two in critical condition, saying further mortars struck close to a kindergarten.
“These are the enemies chosen by the Russian Federation,” he added. With this, he again called on the West and world leaders to official label Russia as a “terrorist state” – something US has thus far resisted doing, even after Biden previously described Russia’s actions as “genocide”.
“This is fair and reflects the daily reality that the occupiers have created in Ukraine and are eager to bring further to Europe. And this must be legally enshrined,” he said.
The Biden administration has meanwhile signaled the US is getting ready to ship long-range rocket systems to Ukrainian forces, a major first marking a significant escalation. But given what appears to be Russia’s steady progress over Donbas, it’s likely too little too late to turn the tide for the Ukrainians in the East.
Americans have been fed a steady diet of propaganda about Ukraine "winning." In fact, Russia has taken Lyman (a key logistics hub) and has encircled the Ukrainian army in Sievierodonetsk. I'm not pro-Russian. I am pro-American, and pro-sticking to facts.https://t.co/e75MwpYXdD
— Jim Rickards (@JamesGRickards) May 27, 2022
Just prior to these latest remarks, on Friday night, the Ukrainian leader vowed he would resist any territorial concessions for the sake of a negotiated peace – as a small handful of Western officials have called for – instead saying that Donbas will be “Ukrainian again”.
“We are protecting our land in the way that our current defense resources allow,” he had said according to a presidential office transcript. “We are doing everything to increase them. And we will increase them.” However, all of this appears to be preparing the public and his Western backers to brace for bad news in the days and weeks ahead. As we noted Friday, even The Washington Post has changed its narrative, suggesting for the first time that things are looking worse for Ukraine’s military than previously thought.
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No matter which side you are on, if any, you gotta admit the Ukrainians are putting up a hell of a fight.
Something I imagine Putin wasn’t expecting.
Now watch for NATO to get itself involved, just what the world needs now.
Russia has completely underperformed in Ukraine. They underestimated the resistance and the effectiveness of NATO weapons, intelligence and advice.
Ukraine right now is a kill box: for both the Ukrainian military and the Russian military. A big win for Obama, who wanted to see white Europeans die in large numbers, just like his Muslim brethren had been doing. Payback is a bitch, as they say. It is not by mistake that the most effective weapons at killing white Russians are coming from Islamic Turkey.
You are a fucking idiot.
The US Weapons Biden is sending to Ukraine are being sold on the Black Market and many 3rd party Russians are buying them up. Brilliant Biden you dum F*ck. So lets see they are going to lose this conflict and rightly so, so lets Send over another $40 Billion in US Treasure to be money laundered into the corrupt Nazi Zelenskyy Fraud Government. Joe Bin laden Biden is using US dollars to hide his own crimes and fraud like bio-weapons factories he and hunter set up.. The Biden crime family need to be sitting in GITMO with Zelenskyy ASAP.
If I were Putin I would have fired off a Dozen Super sonic Nukes into Davos where the Criminal Globalist set up shop for their meeting. That would have been a Game Changer for sure. Kill most of them in one big blast. And Putin would be the Worlds Hero that saved humanity.
You fucking monster. Fuck you.
Fukk gitmo… send them to me! I will dispense justice worse than any midevil ruler! I WILL make them pay and dearly….
The same if you hurt my dog or wife. I won’t call the cops…..
It is written that some decadent harlot country, rich in trade and bewitching the world through her pharmacy — whichever country that is — would fall in an hour.
She is hated, burned, and consumed by a red beast of burden, which once carried her. I’d bet, our former labor colonies from behind the iron curtain.
Your Yukes are wearing unicorn patches and saying they only got some fuel.
Where is your proof? Let’s see it.
Proof of what?
Proof that US weapons are being sold on the black market. Go!
You should have posted to the poster that made that claim, not to the article which did not.
As for me, I have no idea if it is true or not.
Biden IS the problem along with the CIA and NOT Putin, I am pro AMERICA and I know what AMERICA needs and it NEEDS to REMOVE Biden and his regime!
You couldn’t be more anti-America if you tried. You’re a fucking traitor and you deserve the requisite punishment. Fuck you.
“…after trying unsuccessfully to encircle the city.”
These Ukrainian officials still do not understand Russian tactics. They got it wrong with the Kiev feint and they are still getting it wrong.
The Russians have not “failed to encircle” Severodonetsk. They have surrounded it and are pressuring it on 3 sides. The last remaining opening is a major resupply highway for the Ukrainians from the west. This route is under fire control by the Russians. Nothing moves along this route without the Russians allowing it. They can let refugees, or the Ukrainians soldiers, escape that way and not let any resupply in. The Russians would sooner the Ukrainian regulars lay down their arms and retreat by this route to the west or surrender. They don’t necessarily want to kill them all (other than the Ukronazis), but they want to drive them out without their heavy weapons.
The western warlords only know total destruction in their operations. These current tactics are the same ones Russia used in WWII where they encircled groups of enemy soldiers in cauldrons, cut off their supplies and bombarded them with constant shelling. When they were sufficiently weakened, they surrendered or died. The only difference here is that they are leaving their Slavic brethren a way to retreat back to western Ukraine to save their lives.
Wait a second , I thought the Russians were getting slaughtered in Ukraine