Russia advances in Ukraine: Putin promises Russian troops have already captured 47 Ukrainian cities this year

The Russian army captured 47 Ukrainian towns and cities From the beginning of 2024The President made the pledge this Friday Vladimir Putin. “Since the beginning of this year, I think 47 seats have been freed,” Putin told a meeting of the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.

In recent months, the Russian military has registered several improvements Donbas region in eastern Ukraine On 10 May he launched an offensive a little further north Kharkiv regionBut no decisive progress was made.

Ukrainian troops are worn out after more than two years of conflict that began in February 2022, and are suffering from delays in arms deliveries promised by Western powers and troop shortages.

Putin said at a forum attended by Russian businessmen and some foreign guests. As of January 2024, “more than 160,000 people” have joined the Russian army Fight on the Ukrainian front.

In September 2022, after suffering several setbacks and losses on the front, Russian authorities announced a partial demobilization. Allottees, This allowed for the recruitment of at least 300,000 troops, most of them from areas far from the major cities.

The campaign led to tens of thousands of Russians fleeing abroad, some of whom later returned to the country.

On the other hand, The Kremlin this Friday accused France of a “willingness” to “participate directly in the conflict”. French President Emmanuel Macron is offering fighter jets and military training programs in Ukraine after announcing “new cooperation” with Kyiv.

“Macron shows full support for the Ukrainian regime and declares that the French Republic is ready to participate in a direct military conflict,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian agencies this Friday.

On Thursday night, Macron announced “new cooperation” with Kyiv, providing Mirage-2000 fighter jets and training Ukrainian pilots in France this summer. He also pointed out France proposed training 4,500 soldiers on Ukrainian territory.

The French head of state refused to represent these measures “An Exacerbating Factor”And even training Ukrainian soldiers “in Ukraine's independent western zone” would not constitute an “aggressive” gesture.

However, Peskov considered Macron's statements “very provocative”. “They increase tensions on the continent and contribute nothing positive.”

Tensions between France and Russia have been rising since Macron raised the possibility of sending French instructors to Ukraine without ruling out the option of deploying troops. The Kremlin, for its part, said it could not rule out targeting French soldiers if sent to Ukraine.

(With information from AFP)