The Russian vice president warned that Russian forces would stop in Western Ukraine and nowhere else, thus giving the impression of Moscow's intentions.
Dmitry Medvedev told reporters, he said, "the Russian army, if necessary, will go to Kiev or Lviv to 'exterminate this contamination'" as he ostentatiously called the Ukrainian political leadership.
"Nothing can be ruled out here. If it is necessary to get to Kiev, then we will go to Kiev, if we have to go to Lviv, then we will go to Lviv to eliminate this infection," he stressed.
When asked if it is correct to consider the American army first and the Russian army second, Medvedev replied that the fighting army can be called strong.
However, if the armies of Russia and the United States go to war, "it is clear that there will be no winner."
"No matter how many missiles are shot down over the United States or over Russia, some of them will cause a guaranteed defeat," the Russian politician stressed.
Ukrainian soldiers try to escape from Bakhmut on their own
Sources say that “realizing the hopelessness of their situation near Bakhmut, several Ukrainian soldiers are trying to escape the city on their own.
Russian mercenaries managed to stop a car with Ukrainian escapees
Critical situation for Kiev in Bakhmut is looking for solutions
Ukrainian military analysts do not hold back their emotions, talking about the critical situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Bakhmut.
According to one of them, the “general situation is desperately difficult. Constant swaying to one side or the other. The enemy attacks, destroying everything.
Southwestern suburbs of Bahamut: here the situation is already quite critical. Near the intersection of Ag. Tchaikovsky and Korsunskaya, including the adjacent buildings there is a constant advance of the Russians and a hell of fighting.
North of the city: directions Bogdanovka, Khromovo, Minkovki receive artillery barrage. In Chromovo Ukrainian Armed Forces briefly pushed Russian mercenaries away from the highway, but not for long.
The Russians will recover, with fresh reserves, and rush back into a massive attack.
In the Ivanovskoye region, "Wagner" fighters are storming the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with large forces for the third day without stopping. They are making progress, albeit small.
The enemy has now sent all his forces to bypass Ivanovsky and Khromovo, to then meet in two groups on the western outskirts of Bakhmut and surround our garrison," he emphasizes, showing the plan to encircle the Ukrainians within the city.
Any Ukrainian counterattack would have to break the Wagner cordon for fear of a new encirclement outside Bahmut by Russian tactical forces.
We remind you that last night, Russian Su-35 fighters attacked targets in the Sumu region with guided bombs, as well as Kh-31P missiles.
This was reported by the command of the air forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russians target all Ukrainian S-300 missile arrays.
US Colonel McGregor: Russian artillery breaks up any Ukrainian attack
"The Ukrainian armed forces cannot reach the Russian troops because they are destroyed by heavy weapons before they can," Colonel Douglas McGregor, a former Pentagon adviser, said on YouTube.
"In other words, before the Ukrainians can reach the Russian forces, there is nothing left of them," the American expert said.
"Russian fighters are aided in this by their advanced intelligence system, which keeps their pilots informed about the battlefield, allowing them to carry out such precise strikes against Ukrainian forces," he said.
The Ukrainians are preparing a broad counter-attack on Bakhmut, this is absolutely certain, just as it is certain that the Russians are expecting them and will not make any move.
The reason is that they seek to neutralize as many of the Ukrainian forces as possible before launching their own offensive.
