Tomorrow marks two years since Russia's full scale invasion of
Ukraine and both sides appear determined to fight on.
The UK Defense Ministry says Russia is intensifying its attacks
across several points on the front lines after taking control
of a key city.
The offensive comes as Ukraine is facing a potentially catastrophic
shortage of air defenses and ammunition after holding off Russia's
initial assault on the capital of Kiev.
Ukraine's counter offensive did lead to some gains,
but ultimately it failed to cut off Russia's land bridge
to southern Ukraine and now U.S.
officials are painting a dire picture if Congress fails to
pass additional funding for
Ukraine's fight. We have full coverage of the war in
Ukraine as we mark these two years since Russia's invasion.
Our foreign correspondent James Longman has the latest
Ukrainian commanders with a stark warning.
Russia is on the brink of a major offensive on
multiple fronts across the east,
bombing cremators following their takeover of the town of Adivka.
Regaining ground lost in Ukraine's counter offensive last summer,
Russian President Vladimir Putin, with his top general surveying the
territory,
won back, congratulating the troops and urging them on.
Almost two years into this war,
Ukraine says it's outmanned and outgunned,
digging trenches as the Russians close in military aid on
hold,
blocked by Republicans in the US House
and with new US sanctions looming after the death of
Putin's fists,
his critic Alexei Navalny, Russian authorities have now detained a
dual US Russian citizen.
They released this video reportedly showing 33 year old ballerina
Kasnia,
Carolina, who lives and works in Los Angeles with a
hat covering her eyes and handcuffed,
ready to appear in court.
She's been charged with treason.
Russian authorities claim she donated about
$50.00 to a Ukrainian charity in the United States.
Carolina was part of the Baltimore Ballet in 2017.
Her former mother-in-law says she was arrested while visiting family
in Russia.
If we don't help her,
we can say goodbye to her.
If we do not protect her as an American citizen,
nobody else will.
A. That's our James Longman reporting.
James, thank you very much.
And now for more on this.
We want to bring in AB CS Patrick Reebel,
who's in Kiev, along with ABC News national security and
defense analyst Mick Mulroy for more on this.
Thank you both for being here.
Patrick, we'll start with you tomorrow,
marking those two years since Russia's war in Ukraine started.
So what's the latest on the fighting?
Hi Trevor. Yeah, I mean,
as we heard, Russia is on the offensive at multiple
points in the frontline.
Since they took the keys to the city of Abdivka
at last weekend, they're pushing now in multiple points
focused on the South, trying to regain some of the
territory that
the Ukrainian counter offensive last summer managed to take,
trying to reverse those very minor gains that they made
down in the South.
They're also pushing up in the northeast with a very
large offensive there.
It's estimated that around 50,000 Russian troops are trying to
push forward towards the city of Kapiansk.
And basically we are seeing pressure along multiple fronts as
you as Russia is trying to take advantage of the
shortages in ammunition that are now starting to really bite
here. As a result of that hold up on a
more American aid,
we are really starting to see a very difficult situation
here and hearing more and more dire warnings.
I mean every soldier that we speak to speaks about
severe artillery problems.
I mean I spoke just a few minutes ago to
a soldier who was in Avdivka and who fled this,
who retreated in from the city.
He said that there was
they were not able to fire regularly during the battle,
and they were only able to start using
artillery heavily as they retreated to try and cover this
retreat.
He said that if they'd been able to use as
much artillery as they wanted,
they would still be there now.
They would still hold that city.
Trevor, President Biden has of course been calling for more
funding.
He does need the help of Congress to do that.
He did, however, this morning,
just a little bit ago unveil some new sanctions on
Russia.
So, Mick, this is targeting the country's financial sector,
the defense industrial base, the procurement networks.
But obviously this is not the first time that they've
announced some sanctions on Russia.
How effective have prior sanctions been and do we think
these new ones might make any kind of new impact.
So Trevor, you can can't expect Russell to change its
activities based on sanctions and they do take a long
time to work,
but it does have an effect.
It obviously has consequences. So if these are focused like
you said on their Defense Secretary
sector and their ability to create war,
so their ability to get the technology they need to
for the advanced weapon systems they're using its Ukraine,
they're very important to do
500 new sanctions will have an effect.
It will not stop them but it will have an
effect,
will have an effect will be Congress approving the much
needed aid that Ukrainians need to continue their fight.
As Patrick mentioned, they are essentially running out of ammunition
in a fight and they cannot hold their ground.
That needs to change. There needs to be a passage
of this critical Security Assistance to the Ukrainians as soon
as possible.
And Patrick, I mean you touched on how already you're
seeing the difference in the Ukrainians ability to fight as
the funding is drying up.
If they don't get a bill passed,
what are we going to be looking at in terms
of
Ukraine's ability to fight back against Russia?
Yeah, I mean, I think already the delay in the
supply of ammunition and of more weapons is showing here
on the battlefield.
We're seeing the Ukrainians basically have to ration ammunition.
They were already having to ration ammunition back in November.
So obviously the situation has become much,
much more critical now and we heard from
some U.S. officials just this week saying that they predict
there could be a catastrophic shortage of ammunition by late
March,
which is certainly seems to align with similar things we
are hearing from Ukrainian troops on the ground.
The the shortages here are really biting and it is
starting to show on the battlefield.
And Mick, just more broadly with these new sanctions and
with the push for funding,
what do you think are going to be the key
issues moving forward as this war progresses.
So I think the really key issues is not only
the funding which is has to happen or they could
start losing significant ground and give the Russians that feeling
that they can win this.
The other thing that has to happen is this
critical weapon systems that the Ukrainian need to actually continue
this counter offensive which is the
F16A fighter attack jet that can do close
combat. They need more main battle tanks like the Abrams.
They need long range artillery like the attack EMS.
These things are absolutely critical not only to hold ground
but actually start gaining ground against the Russians,
potentially cut them off from Crimea and turn this thing
around.
I think that would be exceptionally helpful to to show
Russia that they are never going to win this.
If we do not do that,
they are going to believe that they can.
And it's going to send a message not only to
our allies
but our adversaries like China that they might not be
able to,
that Taiwan might not be able to count on the
United States in their potential conquest of Taiwan.
So it's really important that we send this message for
multiple reasons.
Yeah. At the very least,
could send the message that the US will only support
people for so long.
So that's ABC News National security and defense analyst Mick
Mulroy and Patrick Reevel reporting for us on the ground
in Kiev,
Ukraine, Ukraine. Thank you very much.