Russian and Ukrainian forces have been fighting intense battles in the eastern Donbas region as Moscow assembles additional combat power there for an expected offensive in the coming weeks, Ukrainian officials said on February 6.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces are fighting attempts by Russian troops to surround the city of Bakhmut and break the city's defenses. Speaking in his evening address on February 6, Zelenskiy thanked every soldier involved, singling out specific brigades.
Intense fighting has been raging for weeks around Bakhmut and the nearby towns of Soledar and Vuhledar, Ukraine’s presidential office said.
“The battles for the region are heating up,” according to Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, who said “the Russians are throwing new units into the battle and eradicating our towns and villages.”
Meanwhile, Russian shelling had subsided in the neighboring Luhansk region because “the Russians have been saving ammunition for a large-scale offensive,” Luhansk Governor Serhiy Hayday claimed.
Ukrainian officials continue to warn that Russia is planning a new, full-scale offensive as early as mid-February. Russia has been deploying “more and more reserves” and equipment in eastern Ukraine, Hayday said.
Ukraine has been planning its own counteroffensive, but that depends on the supplies of battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles Western countries have pledged to send Kyiv.
Amid the intense fighting, Kyiv sent mixed signals over a possible reshuffle at the Defense Ministry. Ukraine announced Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov would be transferred to the post of minister for strategic industries to strengthen military-industrial cooperation and be replaced by General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the country’s military intelligence agency.
However, less than 24 hours later, David Arakhamia, the head of Zelenskiy's parliamentary bloc, reversed his earlier comments, saying on Telegram that “there will be no personnel changes in the defense sector this week.”
Reznikov has said that while he was not planning to resign, any decision about his future would be made by the president, who remained silent about any changes to his cabinet.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment, Reuters said. Budanov could not be reached for comment, the agency said.
Zelenskiy adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak called for an end to the speculation, saying on national television that Zelenskiy would "make the decision," which will then be discussed at various levels before it is "officially communicated."
Rumors of a possible Reznikov resignation or ouster have mounted after a series of accusations of corruption within the ministry.
In January, Ukrainian media reported that the Defense Ministry had allegedly purchased products for the military at inflated prices through a "gasket" company. Other charges of corruption were also alleged in the media.
Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, who was responsible for supplying troops with food and equipment, resigned on January 24, citing the accusations, which he said were baseless.
Zelenskiy also announced in his evening address that leaders with military experience will be appointed to the border and frontline regions. Leaders who can show themselves "most effectively in the protection against the currently existing threats" will be appointed, he said.
Ukrainian authorities earlier on February 6 again accused Russian forces of firing at targets across the Dnieper River from the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. The attacks damaged residential buildings and electricity lines in Nikopol and Marhanets.
The reports come as Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi is expected to visit Moscow this week for talks on creating a safety zone around the Zaporizhzhya plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Grossi's visit but said the IAEA chief would meet officials from the state nuclear energy firm Rosatom and the Foreign Ministry but not from the Kremlin itself.