Russia is planning symbolic capture of a Ukrainian town, says UK

London: Britain's defence ministry said Russia is planning a symbolic capture of a Ukrainian city by encircling the Donetsk Oblast town of Bakhmut. The move has tactical advances to the north and south.

An intelligence update said capturing Donetsk has only limited operational value but it may allow Moscow to threaten Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. The statement posted on Twitter suggested that there is a realistic possibility that Bakhmut's capture has become primarily a symbolic, political objective for Russia.

Yesterday, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to talks on a possible settlement to the conflict but is determined not to pull out of Ukraine. Earlier, US President Joe Biden said the only way to end the war is for Putin to pull the troops out of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin has no regrets about invading Ukraine and considers it a watershed moment when Russia finally stood up to "arrogant" Western hegemony. "The president of the Russian Federation has always been, is, and remains open to negotiations in order to ensure our interests."

Ten months into the war, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told the media that his country needs air defence. He was speaking on the sidelines of the NATO meeting in Romania. The alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg earlier this week accused Russia of using winter as a weapon of war. On the other hand, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the US and NATO of directly participating in the war by supplying weapons to Kyiv and training Ukrainian soldiers.

Former NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen insisted that the alliance is not part of the war. He added that the unity among NATO allies in supporting Ukraine has worked efficiently, reported Al Jazeera. He also alleged that the Russian military force is disorganised and is using old-fashioned military equipment.