By Guy Faulconbridge
MOSCOW (Portal) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said the military operation in Ukraine had gained positive momentum and that he hoped his soldiers would claim more victories after Russia claimed control of the eastern Ukrainian salt-mining town of Soledar.
Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine sparked one of the deadliest European conflicts since World War II and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Russia said on Friday that its forces had taken control of Soledar, a rare achievement for Moscow after months of battlefield setbacks.
“The momentum is positive,” Putin told state television Rossiya 1 when asked about taking Soledar. “Everything is developing within the framework of the plan of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff.”
“And I hope that our fighters will please us even more with the results of their struggle,” Putin said.
Now portraying the war in Ukraine as an existential struggle with an aggressive and arrogant West, Putin has said Russia will use all available means to protect itself and its people against any attacker.
The United States and its allies have condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an imperial land grab, while Ukraine has vowed to fight until the last Russian soldier is driven from its territory.
A regional governor in Ukraine said Saturday that Ukrainian forces are still struggling to retain control of Soledar. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said it was highly unlikely Ukrainian forces still held positions within Soledar itself.
Portal could not immediately verify the situation in Soledar.
Neither side publishes current figures on the death toll of the war.
RUSSIAN ECONOMY
Despite the West imposing unprecedented sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, the economy of the world’s largest producer of natural resources has proven resilient.
The story goes on
Putin says Russia is now turning its back on the West and will trade with Asian powers like China and India.
“The situation in the economy is stable,” said Putin. “Much better than not only what our opponents predicted, but what we predicted.”
Putin said unemployment is a key indicator.
“Unemployment is at an all-time low. Inflation is lower than expected and is mostly on a downward trend.”
Russia’s economy shrank under the weight of sanctions in 2022, but far less than the collapse many economists had predicted.
Many sectors, such as aerospace and autos, have been hit hard, and some economists say the surge in arms production has cushioned the decline.
The Russian government forecasts that the $2.1 trillion economy will shrink by 0.8% in 2023.
Russia’s 2023 budget is based on an Ural blend price of around $70.1 a barrel, although Russia’s main blend is currently trading below $50 a barrel.
(Edited by Raissa Kasolowsky)