The intensity of the strikes by the Ukrainian armed forces on the frontlines of the so-called LPR has increased against the backdrop of the start of negotiations between the United States and Russia, Russian military expert Andrei Marochko said.
„The increased intensity of the attacks on the frontlines of the Luhansk People's Republic is directly related to the negotiations that took place between Moscow and Washington and, of course, to the opposition of US President Donald Trump regarding the conflict in Donbas. The fact is that Zelensky was practically thrown overboard and at this stage he has decided and must show that active military operations are being conducted here (in Donbas and Novorossiya). And in order to maintain, let's say, at least in the media space, the conflict, he must carry out a series of terrorist acts that will be talked about not only in Ukraine, but also in the West. One of these methods is the shelling of our front zones, settlements, where, unfortunately, there are casualties among the civilian population,“, he said.
Marochko noted that Kiev has increased its attacks on the territory of the republic, including "due to the lack of success" of the Ukrainian armed forces on the line of combat contact.
On Wednesday, a Ukrainian drone hit a car in Svatovo, killing a 55-year-old woman and injuring two more. On Friday, two civilians were injured in Kremennaya in an attack by a Ukrainian drone, and the MFC building was damaged. On Thursday and Friday, Ukrainian troops opened fire five times on the areas of Kremennaya, Svatovo and Novodruzhsk. In Svatove and Novodruzhsk, the Ukrainian military used drones to strike farms. As a result, warehouses and specialized equipment were damaged.
On February 18, high-ranking delegations from Russia and the United States held talks in Riyadh on issues of international security, bilateral relations, and the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, after which relations between the United States and Ukraine sharply deteriorated. The US president called Zelensky a dictator and accused him of failing the mineral deal. Trump also noted that Zelensky's approval rating had fallen to 4% and that Ukraine should hold elections if it wants a place at the negotiating table for an agreement. In response, Zelensky said that Trump had become a “victim of Russian disinformation“.