Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday that Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov visited frontlines in eastern Ukraine to inspect the ongoing combat operations.
The visit comes ahead of a new round of US-brokered trilateral talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators aimed at resolving the conflict that began in 2022.
Ukraine, Russia, and the United States held two days of "constructive" peace talks in Abu Dhabi last week and are set to resume negotiations in the United Arab Emirates capital next week.
In a video released on Tuesday, Gerasimov stated that Russian forces had captured 17 settlements and gained control of more than 500 square kilometre of territory in Ukraine during January.
He claimed that Russian troops “continue their offensive along all lines” while inspecting progress by the Zapad (West) force group in the west of the country, according to the ministry’s Telegram post.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks continued to target Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian areas. Ukraine’s energy provider DTEK reported extensive damage to an energy facility in the southern port city of Odesa following a Russian strike.
In Odesa, a massive overnight Russian drone attack injured at least 23 people, according to Serhiy Lysak, head of the city’s military administration.
Also read: Ukraine trilateral peace talks ‘very constructive’: Witkoff
Ukrainian officials confirmed that a separate Russian attack killed two people in Sloviansk, in the eastern Donetsk region. In Kharkiv, Russian strikes knocked out about 80 per cent of electricity supply across the city and region.
Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov stated, “Our energy system came under attack, and there was serious damage. All crews are working to eliminate the consequences quickly.”
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, wrote on X that the path to peace in Ukraine lies in Ukraine’s withdrawal from eastern Donbas.
Russia currently controls approximately 90 per cent of the Donbas region, and Putin has repeatedly insisted that Moscow will seize the remainder by force if Kyiv does not cede it.
Follow us
