Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Russia had set and postponed 15 deadlines over more than four years to capture the eastern Donbas region. He also said fuel shortages in Russia were linked to Ukrainian strikes on oil industry targets.
Zelenskiy responds to Putin remarks
Zelenskiy’s comments came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected what he said was a Ukrainian proposal to halt long-range strikes and reduce the intensity of the fighting.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said Putin’s remarks showed he was out of touch with Russians facing queues at petrol stations. He linked the shortages to Ukraine’s campaign of strikes on Russian oil industry facilities.
“Even an oil-producing state, a ‘gas station’ as Russia has often been called, is now facing fuel shortages,” Zelenskiy said.
“This is a direct consequence of the war. One of many consequences. It is also one example of how Ukraine responds — with precision, not through terrorism.”
Deadlines for eastern regions
Zelenskiy said the Kremlin had set and then delayed 15 deadlines over four years to capture four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine: Donetsk and Luhansk in Donbas, and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
“Russia’s political leadership remains obsessed with Donbas,” he said. “If Russia does not end the war, it will have to postpone that deadline once again.”
Military situation
In the weeks after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces initially advanced toward the capital, Kyiv. After failing to complete that advance, they withdrew and shifted their focus to capturing Donbas.
Russia has since taken control of all of the Luhansk region and large parts of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Although Russian forces continue to move slowly westward through the Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials say the advance has slowed considerably as Ukraine increases its campaign of medium- and long-range drone strikes.
