Putin will make an “important statement” on the war in Ukraine tomorrow, according to a Moscow-appointed official in the Russian-occupied region

According to a Moscow-appointed official in a Russian-controlled region of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is about to make an “important statement” about his invasion.

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the board of directors of the Zaporizhia region, announced that the Russian president will deliver the speech on Wednesday.

The speech will be part of events marking the 80th anniversary of the breaking of the siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany’s troops, when Soviet troops managed to open a narrow land passage to the city on January 18, 1943.

As chairman of We Are Together with Russia, Rogov advocates the full integration of the occupied territories of Ukraine into the Russian Federation.

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He made the announcement on his Telegram channel and it was later reported by Russian media. However, the Kremlin has not yet issued an official statement.

Putin’s public appearances were often teased by Russian officials before being canceled at the last minute. The practice makes it difficult to track Putin’s movements and may be a tactic for just that purpose.

The Russian despot was said today to be “reclusive, quiet and self-absorbed” as he undergoes new medical treatment.

The 80th anniversary is being celebrated when Soviet troops managed to open a narrow land passage to Leningrad – today’s St. Petersburg – on 18 January 1943. Petersburg – to open.

Nazi troops besieged the city from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944. But it was January 18, 1943 that marked a turning point in Soviet efforts to break the siege.

It is considered a key moment in Moscow’s victory over the Nazis in Eastern Europe in World War II. To this day, Russia often blatantly invokes its fight against the Nazis to justify its war in Ukraine.

Putin and his Kremlin allies have often claimed that they are in the process of “denying” Ukraine, although claims that a Nazi government is running Kiev are unfounded.

The Russian leader was expected in the northwestern city this week, with reports suggesting he planned to appear at the monument to the heroic defenders of Leningrad for a wreath-laying ceremony.

A Ukrainian soldier looks out of a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle amid the Russian attack on Ukraine at a front line near the Donetsk region city of Soledar, January 14, 2023

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It was unclear on Tuesday what Putin’s high-spirited speech would be about, but the announcement came after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the war in Ukraine was “entering a decisive phase”.

Russia has made small gains in the eastern Donbass region and has largely taken control of Soledar – a small salt mining town near the more important Bakhmut target.

According to Kiev, the fighting is still continuing: “Our units are in Soledar and are constantly firing at the enemy,” said Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for the Ukrainian army.

The claimed victory gave Putin a rare victory in the war after a series of embarrassing defeats as his forces were pushed back from the Kiev region in the first months of the war – although Soledar is far from Putin’s ultimate goal of complete control .

Ukraine moved a step closer on Tuesday to winning the fleet of modern main battle tanks it hopes could turn the tide of the war against Russia after Germany, the West’s main flashpoint, said it was the first item on the agenda of the new defense ministers.

Meanwhile, in an interview with German media on Sunday, Stoltenberg said that Ukraine could soon expect further shipments of heavy weapons from Western countries.

“We are in a decisive phase of the war,” Stoltenberg said. “That’s why it’s important that we provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win.”

Nearly 11 months after Russia invaded, Kyiv says a fleet of Western main battle tanks will give its troops the mobile firepower to destroy Russian forces in key battles fought until 2023.

German-made Leopard main battle tanks, the workhorses of armies across Europe, are widely regarded as the only plausible option available in sufficient numbers. However, they may not be delivered without the consent of Berlin, which has so far objected.

Elsewhere in downtown Dnipro, authorities on Saturday ended a search for survivors in the ruins of an apartment building destroyed by Russian rocket attacks.

44 people were killed and 20 are still missing in the attack, the deadliest for civilians in a three-month long Russian missile bombing campaign. 79 people were injured and 39 were rescued from the rubble.

Ukrainian soldiers equip trenches in a field near Soledar, January 14, 2023

Appearing at a meeting with senior officials including the finance minister and the central bank governor on Tuesday, Putin acknowledged that Russia’s economy was likely to shrink by 2.5% in 2022, but beat most experts’ forecasts. thanks to a strong harvest.

He said Russia now has a better understanding of the economic challenges ahead than it did when Western sanctions were first tightened in response to its military campaign.

“The real dynamic turned out to be better than many experts predicted,” Putin said in a televised speech. “Some experts in our country, not to mention foreign ones, have predicted a decline [in gross domestic product] of 10% and 15% or even 20%. A decrease of 2.5% is expected for the year as a whole.’

The conflict in Ukraine and the subsequent barrage of Western sanctions have turned some sectors of Russia’s economy upside down, cutting off major banks from SWIFT’s financial network, limiting access to technology and the ability to extract oil and export gas, restrict.

While the government and central bank acknowledge the problems, Moscow says the economy is resilient and sanctions against the West have boomeranged, pushing up inflation and energy prices.

“Thank God that we had good results in farming,” he said. “It is important to promote this sector.”

Russia posted a record current account surplus last year, the central bank said, as a slump in imports combined with robust income from oil and gas imports left the country with $227 billion in cash.

Experts say Russia’s economy is not out of the woods yet, as escalating sanctions and restrictions on Western technology exports take their long-term toll.