The besieged city of Bakhmut remains in Ukraine’s possession the country’s President has insisted, despite claims that it has been taken by Russia.
After appearing to concede the battle-ravaged city had fallen early on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later told a press conference at the G7 in Japan that Bakhmut “is not occupied by Russia”.
“There are no two or three interpretations of those words,” he said, adding that he would not share precise details.
The denials come after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, claimed on Saturday that his troops had seized the last remaining Ukraine positions on the western suburbs and posted a picture of himself waving a Russian flag amid its ruins.
The mercenary leader said his troops had taken the last multi-story apartment building in south-western Bakhmut.
However, he also stated that his force, which has suffered massive losses with potentially up to 20,000 dead, would withdraw from the city on Thursday to be replaced by regular Russian troops.
Initially it appeared that Ukraine had conceded it had lost the city that has been fought over for more than a year.
A prominent Ukrainian military blogger known as WarMonitor, who has messaged “Bakhmut Holds” throughout the siege, tweeted late on Saturday: “Bakhmut has been captured by Russian forces”.
But he added that Ukraine's forces had seized more high ground overlooking the city and that the occupying forces were vulnerable to attack. “The hills that surround create a shooting range,” wrote the blogger, who has 500,000 followers.
But Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar then stated on Telegram that Russia had failed to take the city, and that they had been “semi-encircled”.
“The advance of our troops in the suburbs on the flanks, which is still continuing, makes it very difficult for the enemy to be in Bakhmut,” she said, while conceding that the situation was “critical”.
Military analysts believe that the Ukrainians may have drawn the Russians deep into Bakhmut only for them to become surrounded, similar to the Soviets’ encirclement of German troops in Stalingrad in 1943.
Even if the battered city has been captured by Russia, the Pyrrhic victory could be soon forgotten if Ukraine manages successful breakthroughs along the rest of the 1,000km front line.
“If Ukraine can hold on for another week or 10 days it will become irrelevant as it [Bakhmut] will just be lost in the general offensive when it begins,” said military commentator Prof Michael Clarke.
There are also questions over whether exhausted Wagner troops will be able to be replaced by Russian soldiers by Thursday, given their vulnerability.
The Institute for Study of War think tank said: “Wagner forces are unlikely to successfully conduct a controlled withdrawal from Bakhmut while in contact with Ukrainian forces within five days without disrupting the Russian [defence ministry's] efforts to prepare for the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive.”
Speaking at the end of the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, President Zelenskyy said that although the flattened city was not tactically crucial, it had taken on symbolic importance after the bloodshed and destruction.
He added that the Second World War pictures of Hiroshima after the first atom bomb was dropped in 1945 reminded him of present-day Bakhmut.
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
