War in Ukraine, day 303: Attacks continue in Bakhmut and Donetsk
Bombing continues in Bakhmut and Donetsk, causing new victims, and in Russian-occupied localities symbols of the Ukrainian state are destroyed and bombed buildings demolished. In Mariupol, the Drama Theater was demolished, which was the main anti-aircraft shelter in the first months of the war. In this city, more than 10 thousand new graves were discovered in an area of mass graves. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is back in Kyiv, posting a video saying he's back at work after his historic visit to Washington.
The Kremlin leader is trying to deflect responsibility for the protracted war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin used the word "war" for the first time in a speech about the armed conflict. Putin mentions that all armed conflicts end with diplomatic negotiations. "We do not aim to intensify this military conflict but, on the contrary, to end this war. We are trying to find a solution, and the sooner the better," declared the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. At the same time, the Kremlin leader downplayed the importance of the "Patriot" anti-aircraft systems that the US is going to give to Ukraine. In Putin's view, the Patriot is a "quite old" anti-aircraft system that does not compare to its Russian S-300 counterpart. "Those who oppose us start from the fact that this is a defensive weapon. Okay, we'll keep that in mind and find an antidote. There is always an antidote," added Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, more and more information is emerging regarding the movement of joint Russian-Belarusian armed forces and military equipment to southern Belarus. But the Minsk leader said there was "no conspiracy" in moving troops closer to the Ukrainian border. "Our country may face acts of aggression. At least, we see such willingness from our neighbors. We conduct exercises on our territory, we move where we consider it necessary", states the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexandru Lukashenko. Officials in Kyiv believe that the transfer of Belarusian troops is aimed at escalating the situation and distracting attention from the fighting in Donbas. According to analysts, around 10,000 Russian soldiers are now stationed in Belarus. The threat of aggression could be considered real, if their number exceeds 50 thousand. .
