The Ukrainian President Selenskyj surprisingly made a flying visit to the front. In the fiercely contested Bachmut he honors soldiers and presents presents. It is probably his most dangerous visit to the troops so far.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise trip to the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which had been hotly contested between Russian and Ukrainian troops for months. “He visited the top positions, awarded fighters medals and valuable gifts,” said Zelenskyy’s spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov, according to the state broadcaster Freedom.
After that, the 44-year-old head of state left the small town in the Donetsk region. Only the day before, Selenskyj had described Bakhmut as the “hottest point” along the more than 1,300-kilometer-long front. Bakhmut is in Donetsk, one of four Ukrainian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin declared annexed in September. However, the regions are only partially controlled by Russian troops.
Russian forces have been trying to take the city since the summer – so far without success. Attrition has resulted in numerous casualties on both sides in recent months. While Russian troops claim towns and areas on the outskirts of the city, the Ukrainians are said to control the city itself and parts of its surroundings.
According to the Ukrainian Presidential Office, Bakhmut is currently at the center of the fighting on the front in the east of the country – the visit is considered Zelenskyy’s most dangerous visit to the front to date. “The bravest president of the bravest nation,” Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Federov commented on Telegram.
Zelenskyy has visited frontline locations during the nearly 10-month war with Russia, including Kherson in the south, recently recaptured by Ukrainian forces, and the city of Sloviansk in the Donbass. In contrast, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has never been to the front.
