President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Feb. 4 that the situation on the frontline is tough.
“During 346 days of the war, I have often had to say that the situation on the frontline was fierce. Now again is the time when the occupiers are throwing more and more of their forces to break through our defense,” Zelensky said. “It is tough in Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Lyman, and other directions at the moment."
Russian forces have been attempting to capture Bakhmut for months as Russia tries to consolidate its grip over the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, half of which it currently controls. Russian troops have recently seized settlements north and south of Bakhmut and are trying to cut off all supply lines leading to the embattled town.
Taking over Bakhmut would allow Russia to disrupt Ukraine’s supply lines in the area and open up the main road leading to the two key Ukrainian cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
“The resilience of our soldiers determines everything. Not Russian efforts and plans but the courage and determination of our soldiers,” Zelensky went on.
He also said he had signed “relevant documents” regarding people who have Russian citizenship. He did not elaborate.
David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People party's parliamentary faction, explained that Zelensky had stripped several former officials with Russian passports of Ukrainian citizenship.
These include Andriy Kluyev, an ex-secretary of the National Security and Defense Council; ex-Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk; ex-Taxation Minister Oleksandr Klymenko; ex-Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko, and Oleksandr Yakymenko, ex-head of the Security Service of Ukraine.
All of them were allies of pro-Kremlin ex-President Viktor Yanukovych.
