(Kyiv) Ukraine congratulated itself on Wednesday for “defeating the winter terror” marked by massive Russian bombings that plunged millions of people into cold and darkness, but without bending Kiev.
“It was cold and dark, but we were unbreakable,” said Dmytro Kuleba, head of Ukrainian diplomacy. “Ukraine has won the winter terror,” he added, a year after the Russian invasion began.
He felt the EU also “won” because it “didn’t freeze without Russian gas”, targeted by sanctions. Moscow, one of Europe’s main suppliers, issued dire predictions in the event of supply cuts.
“Our partners are standing by us by offering us their help,” said Mr. Kouleba added: “There is still a long way to go before the final victory. But we already know how to win.
Secretary of the Security and Defense Council, Oleksiï Danilov, congratulated his fellow citizens on “the first day of the Ukrainian Spring”. “So, they managed to freeze us? He teased.
Winter in Ukraine has been marked by Russian missile and explosive drone attacks that target energy sites and cause massive cuts to electricity, heating and running water.
The Russian bombings forced national operator Ukrenergo to intermittently set up supplies, while Ukrainian emergency services were busy repairing every power station damaged after the strikes.
Millions of people, including in Kiev and other major cities, have been left unheated in winter temperatures.
Kiev’s Western allies gradually provided air defense systems, and Russia reduced the frequency and scale of its attacks.
Ukrenergo confirmed on Wednesday that the Ukrainian electricity system has not suffered any damage for 18 days and that no cuts are planned.
Lukashenko supports the Chinese plan
Fighting has intensified throughout the winter in the east of the country, particularly around the fortified city of Baghmouth, and the Ukrainian military on Tuesday declared an “extremely tense” situation in the face of attacks.
Troops from Moscow have taken several positions north of Baghmouth in recent weeks, tightening their grip on the city and cutting off three of four Ukrainian supply routes.
On Wednesday morning, AFP journalists noted that the road leading to Bagmouth and Chasiv Iyer, a town in the west, was closed to traffic by police.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian military’s Eastern Command, Serguy Tserevaty, denied to AFP that a Ukrainian withdrawal from Bagmouth was taking place.
A possible withdrawal “depends on the operational situation. No such decision has been taken yet,” he said.
Further north on this part of the front, Ukrainian medics tried to treat Ukrainian soldiers who had been seriously wounded in the fighting.
“Here, every day someone is saved,” says anesthesiologist Igor after examining a patient.
“He was seriously injured, he had a lot of injuries on both shoulders, right lung, left thigh. The right lung was the same as the right (punctured) left thigh. He lost a lot of blood,” he said.
On the diplomatic front, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, one of Moscow’s key allies, said in a rare visit to China on Wednesday that he “absolutely” supports Chinese peace proposals for Ukraine.
In the 12-point document, Beijing specifically urges Russians and Ukrainians to engage in dialogue, but insists on respecting territorial integrity and opposing the use of nuclear weapons.
Westerners have generally received this Chinese diplomatic intervention with skepticism — French President Emmanuel Macron announced this weekend that he would visit Beijing in April — and President Zelensky said he was willing to “work” with Beijing. Xi Jinping.
