Ukraine's Zelenskiy to Visit Frontline After Surge in Clashes

[Rogue Valley]

Ukraine's Zelenskiy on Frontline as Merkel Urges Putin to Pull Back Troops - The Moscow Times

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy traveled to the country's eastern frontline on Thursday, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Vladimir Putin to reduce Russia's troop buildup near Ukraine.

www.themoscowtimes.com

4/8/21
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was travelling to the country's eastern frontline on Thursday, after a surge in clashes with separatist forces and a spike in tensions with Moscow. Fighting between the Ukrainian army and separatists has intensified in recent weeks, raising fears of a major escalation in the long-running conflict over the mainly Russian-speaking Donbas region. The Ukrainian military on Thursday announced that another of its soldiers had been killed, bringing to 25 the number of troops killed since the start of the year, compared with 50 in all of 2020. Zelenskiy, who has appealed to Ukraine's Western allies for support, was due to visit positions where a ceasefire "has been systematically violated in recent days" and Ukrainian soldiers killed or wounded, the presidency said in a statement. "I want to be with our soldiers in the tough times in Donbas," Zelenskiy said. "Going to the locations of the escalation ... Ukraine needs peace and will do everything for this." Ukraine last week also accused Russia of massing thousands of military personnel on its northern and eastern borders as well as on the Crimean peninsula.

The last time Zelenskyy visited the Donbass front it didn't go well for him. Just prior to his visit, Zelenskyy ordered that 3 towns where both sides fought for full control would be evacuated. And so it was. But the regular Army troops felt that Zelenskyy had stabbed Ukraine in the back. He is not well liked within the military. This trip presents him an opportunity to rehabilitate his image as commander in chief.

 

[Ringo Stalin]

You see, it is not Russia's fault that there is a dung heap at its very borders, which Brussels and Washington sometimes poke with a stick to make it stink again.

 

[Rogue Valley]

The stink of the world is within these borders.....