Anticipating Russian Attacks on the Anniversary of the Invasion, Ukrainian Security Officials Want Expedited Weapons Delivery

JAKARTA - Ukraine expects Western countries to speed up the delivery of its weapons, in line with increasing Russian attacks and anticipating possible attacks on the anniversary of the invasion.

In late Monday's update, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said Russian artillery was pounding around 25 towns and villages around Bakhmut and Avdiika, two focal points of Russian efforts to advance in the strategic eastern industrial region of Donbas.

It said Russia was also continuing shelling of more than 30 settlements in the northeastern region of Kharkiv and Sumy near the Russian border. In the south, Russian mortar and artillery fire hit several cities, including the regional capital Kherson, which Russian troops abandoned in November.

"The fact that Russia is preparing new efforts to take the initiative in the war, the fact that the nature of military actions at the front requires new decisions on the supply of weapons, only underscores how important it is to coordinate all the efforts of the coalition to defend Ukraine and freedom," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address. Monday evening, according to Reuters, January 17.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is scheduled to host an allied meeting at an airbase in Germany on Friday, to discuss further aid to Ukraine. President Zelensky expects important decisions to be made at the meeting.

Meanwhile, Oleskiy Danylov, secretary of the Security Council of Ukraine, also mentioned late Monday the need to speed up the supply of weapons, as the government anticipates Russia "trying to carry out the so-called final strike."

Danylov told Ukrainian television it could happen on the year anniversary of the invasion or in March.

"We have to prepare for something like that every day. And we are preparing ... The first and last question is always about weapons, aid to help us defeat these aggressors who are attacking our country," Danylov said.

It is known that Russia has called its military deployment to Ukraine since February 24, 2022 a "special military operation" to protect its security as its neighbors are getting closer to the West.

Meanwhile, Ukraine and its allies accuse Moscow of waging a senseless war to seize territory, erasing the independence of its fellow former Soviet republics.

Western countries have produced a significant supply of weapons for Ukraine, but President Zelensky and his government insist they need tanks.

A range of personal armaments to advanced multi-barreled rocket launchers such as HIMARS and NASAMS surface-to-air missile systems have been delivered, including most recently the pledge to deliver Patriot missile systems.

However, that does not include main battle tanks (MBTs), as they are reluctant to provoke the Kremlin. The tank taboo was finally broken over the weekend, after the British pledged the first squadron of Challengers to Kyiv.

On Monday the UK confirmed the supply of 14 Challenger 2 MBTs, AS90 self-propelled artillery and other hardware, including hundreds more advanced armored vehicles and air defense missiles to "accelerate Ukraine's success".

In announcing additional military assistance, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace urged Germany to allow the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, stressing that this could open up support from other countries and that Berlin would not act alone.

Previously, the United States on January 6 will send the Bradley armored fighting vehicle, in the latest military aid package. Germany said it would supply Kyiv with a batch of Marder infantry fighting vehicles, while France would send the AMX-10 RC wheeled tank to Ukraine. Most recently, Poland and Finland declared their readiness to deliver German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.