Ukraine's president made a brief trip to the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut on Tuesday, the site of hard-fought battles between Russian and Ukrainian troops for months, as Kiev authorities focused on supplying electricity, heat and water to the residents of the freezing capital.
"He visited the front line positions, awarded fighters with medals and valuable gifts," President Volodymyr Zelensky's spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, told state broadcaster Freedom in comments about the unannounced trip to the Donetsk region.
Zelensky on Monday had described Bakhmut as the "hottest point" on the entire 1,300-kilometer front line. Months ago, Zelensky said the Russian army had turned the town into a "burnt ruin."
The president has not left Ukraine once since Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly 10 months ago. But on several occasions, Zelensky has travelled to combat zones to show support for the troops.
In contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not visited a front line area once.
Despite constant repair work, the Ukrainian capital Kiev continues to struggle with power supply problems after Russia's latest wave of drone attacks on energy infrastructure on Monday.
On Tuesday, parts of the metro system were temporarily at a standstill due to "strong voltage fluctuations," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
Due to an emergency shutdown of the pumps, the water supply has also failed across much of the city. Some residents were also struggling with a lack of heat in sub-freezing temperatures.
Klitschko had said on Monday that, due to recent Russian drone attacks, only 50% of the electricity needs of the city of 3 million people could be met. Previously, the electricity deficit had been put at about 30%.
Meanwhile, British military intelligence said Putin is trying to shift responsibility for the repeated setback of his forces in Ukraine.
A visit last week to the Joint Headquarters of the Special Military Operation served that purpose, the British Defence Ministry's daily intelligence update said Tuesday on Twitter.
The visit, which was accompanied by cameras, included meetings with Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
"In this choreographed meeting Putin likely intended to demonstrate collective responsibility for the special military operation. This display likely aimed to deflect Putin's responsibility for military failure, high fatality rates and increasing public dissatisfaction from mobilization."
