The Ukrainian army is bracing up for a new wave of Russian attacks, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday. Russian offensives are expected in eastern Ukraine after they have failed to advance towards capital Kyiv, as initially intended. Ukraine has noticed a Russian military buildup in Donbas, Zelensky also says. According to Reuters, in five weeks since they started invasion, the Russian troops haven’t captured any major city in Ukraine in spite of the sustained attacks and heavy artillery fire. Furthermore, the Russians have also suffered heavy losses in military personnel and gear. NATO does not believe Russia’s pledges to reduce military operations around Kyiv and in the north of the country. Its Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, believes that Russian troops aren’t withdrawing but repositioning and the alliance is expecting more Russian attacks. The NATO official has underlined the allies will continue to support Ukraine, including with military supplies as long as it is needed. The Russian invasion has forced the displacement of nearly a quarter of Ukraine’s population and four million have already left the country. Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a decree under which as of April 1st the countries that Moscow deems as unfriendly are to set up a special account to transfer their payments, which will be further exchanged into rubles. European leaders have rejected paying for deliveries in rubles as the contracts stipulate payment in Euros and sometimes in dollars. Russia is presently supplying about a third of Europe’s gas.
