Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to publicly stand by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) as Russian forces continue to suffer catastrophic casualties around Vuhledar, Donetsk Oblast. [19] The Russian MoD had been silent regarding Russian losses in Vuhledar, and Putin’s comment follows Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu’s statement on February 7 that Russian forces are successfully developing an offensive in Vuhledar. [32] Russian sources claimed that Russian forces pushed back Ukrainian forces 1km in an unspecified forest area near Kreminna. [43] Russian sources reiterated that Russian forces have not yet completed the operational encirclement of Bakhmut as of February 13. Russian forces did not conduct offensive operations in Kherson or Mykolaiv oblasts between February 12 and February 13.

Source: The Guardian February 14, 2023 06:41 UTC