The Russian army has repeatedly attacked with the aim of seizing the stronghold in Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine, but there is a view that the Russian advance is slowing down while the Ukrainian army is thoroughly resisting.
In Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, one of the bases on the Ukrainian side, fierce battles are continuing between the Ukrainian army and units of the Russian private military company Wagener.
As the Ukrainian army builds a defensive line and fights thoroughly, the American think tank "Institute of War" analyzed on the 15th that the Russian side is making it difficult to encircle Bakhmut or seize the center due to the loss of troops and shells.
Citing Ukraine's announcement that the number of attacks by Russian troops on the eastern front has decreased significantly since the beginning of this week, he expressed the view that the pace of Russian advances has slowed down, saying, "The pace of Russian advances seems to have decreased compared to the previous week."
In addition, the British Ministry of Defense pointed out on the 16th that the number of attacks last week has clearly decreased due to repeated failures in the resistance of Ukrainian troops while Russian forces have launched attacks over the past three months in Bufredal, another fierce battle site in Donetsk Oblast.
Under these circumstances, Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian President's Office, told reporters on the 3th that it will be nine years since the Putin administration annexed Crimea in southern Ukraine, and that "related meetings will be held online on the 16th and 18th."
On the same day last year, President Putin gave a speech at the event venue and appealed to the people for the legitimacy of the military invasion of Ukraine, but Russia's leading newspaper Bedomosti said on the 9th that a similar large-scale event is not expected to take place, and that "it is not appropriate to indulge in the joy of that time while there are mobilizations and other factors."