The top general’s fate is surrounded by rumors as Zelenskyy visits Ukraine’s front.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a visit to Ukrainian troops stationed on the southeastern front. There is growing speculation that he may soon dismiss his top army commander, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.
While on his official trip, Zelenskyy presented medals to pilots and received information about Russian assaults on locations in the Dnipropetrovsk area. He was also informed on the utilization of Western and hybrid air defense systems to safeguard Ukraine’s airspace.
The president’s visit to the battle lines came at a time of uncertainty over the fate of Zaluzhnyi.
According to two sources, the Ukrainian government has notified the White House on Friday of its intention to dismiss the top military commander in charge of the battle against Russian occupation forces. This was reported by the Reuters news agency.
According to anonymous sources, The Washington Post reported that informing Washington ahead of time highlights the significant support provided by the United States as Ukraine’s top supporter in both military and political aspects.
The alleged attempt to remove Zaluzhnyi, who has had conflicts with Zelenskyy on various matters, comes after a failed Ukrainian offensive last year to regain substantial portions of land held by Russia.
Unfortunately, the dismissal of the well-liked commander known as “the Iron General,” Zaluzhnyi, may negatively impact the morale of Ukrainian soldiers who are currently fighting to defend over 1,000 kilometers of front lines against a heavily armed Russian force with significant ammunition reserves. This information was reported by Reuters.
Many people died; unmanned aerial vehicles shot down.
According to Russia’s emergency ministry, a popular bakery in an occupied city in eastern Ukraine was attacked on Saturday, resulting in the death of at least 28 individuals. The ministry has attributed the attack to Ukrainian shelling.
The Russian ministry of emergency announced on Telegram that the remains, including those of a young person, were retrieved from the debris in Lysychansk.
As reported by officials appointed by Russia, the attack reportedly utilized High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) supplied by the United States. The average age of the victims, according to Russia’s state-controlled Tass news agency, was 35 years old.
Rescue workers are recovering bodies from the debris of a building that was destroyed in an attack by Ukrainian forces in Lysychansk, located in the occupied eastern region of Luhansk, as shown in a video released on February 3, 2024.
Before being invaded by Russia in the summer of 2022, Lysychansk had a population of approximately 110,000 and is located 15 kilometers (9 miles) away from Ukrainian-controlled territory.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian air force announced that it shot down nine out of 14 Russian drones that were attempting to attack central and southern regions of Ukraine.
According to officials from the air force, the Shahed drones, which were produced in Iran, were primarily targeted at “energy infrastructure facilities” in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Krivy Rig, the hometown of Zelenskyy, was the town that suffered the most from the attack. Zelenskyy stated that the energy workers are working towards restoring electricity to all consumers as fast as they can.
There were no fatalities or injuries, but Agence France-Presse stated that 15,000 individuals were without power.
Moscow detains journalists
A Reuters witness reported that approximately 20 journalists were held by authorities in central Moscow for a few hours on Saturday during a demonstration by Russian soldiers’ spouses demanding the return of their husbands from the Ukrainian front.
In central Moscow on February 3, 2024, police officers surrounded members of the women’s movement “Way Home” as they gathered to demand the return of their husbands who had joined the Russian armed forces involved in the military campaign in Ukraine.
The journalists, including a video reporter from Reuters, who were reporting on the demonstration, recorded footage of the women placing red carnations at the tomb of the unknown soldier near the Kremlin walls in downtown Moscow.
The Russian police instructed approximately 20 male reporters, most of whom were wearing press vests, to board a bus and transported them to a police station. After a few hours, they were released without any charges.
According to a statement from a Reuters spokesperson, a journalist from their organization was apprehended in Moscow, Russia today while reporting on a story. The journalist was later freed after a few hours.
The statement stated that journalists have the right to report news without being harassed or harmed, regardless of their location. The organization is dedicated to providing coverage of global events in an impartial and dependable manner, in accordance with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
The Moscow police did not reply to a comment request.
The news agency Agence France-Presse announced that one of its video reporters was arrested but was later released.
This report includes information from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters.
Source: voanews.com
