Ukraine officials ask for more ammunition, equipment as the battles rages on in Bakhmut
CHICAGO -- The Russian invasion of Ukraine is more than a year old and now Russian air and artillery attacks on eastern Ukrainian targets are lighting up the landscape, while European allies line up to supply military gear to Ukraine.
The extent of destruction in Bakhmut is immense, with rows of residential buildings hit by Russian attackers. This is the current eastern front of the war.
In Bakhmut, waves of troops deployed by Moscow have tried to achieve the first battlefield victory for Russia in months.
It is estimated that fewer than 4,000 of the city's 70,000 residents remain there.
Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, detailed Ukraine's challenges during a Washington D.C. hearing Wednesday.
"At present the Ukrainian armed forces remain locked in a struggle to defend against Russian offenses across eastern Ukraine. And while these Russian assaults are costly for Russia, the extent to which Ukrainian forces are having to draw down their reserves and equipment, as well as suffer further casualties, will all likely factor into Ukraine's ability to go on the offensive later this spring," Haines said.
Ukraine's Defense Minister is asking European leaders to send one million rounds of ammunition as soon as possible. Poland's president said on CNN that he is ready to transfer all of his country's MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine and they should get the training on modern equipment as well.
"I believe that, yes, of course, they would surely contribute if Ukraine achieved modern jets, for sure, they would contribute to helping Ukraine. That is quite obvious," Poland President Andrzej Duda said on CNN, according to a translator. "However, as far as I know, what is much more needed right now instantly by Ukraine is this long-range artillery in order to repel the enemy."
Chicago's Council of Global Affairs hosts a discussion Thursday evening with experts examining the future of the war in Ukraine.
