The Russian Bear is in trouble and trudging. The news does not come from Ukrainian propaganda, but from what is happening on the ground after four weeks of fighting, documented by thousands of photos and videos. The blitzkrieg had turned into a war of attrition, but now Moscow has to revise its plans because it is the troops that are on the ground.
They may even be satisfied with some of the original goals, according to Defense Minister Shoigu, who, among other things, no longer enjoys the full confidence of Putin, who could replace him with Sergei Rudskoy. “Russian forces will focus on the complete liberation of Donbass,” he admitted yesterday, skipping an assessment of other ongoing operations. Like those in the Kherson region, where the Pentagon says the Russians are no longer in full control.
Ukrainian soldiers also report smothering propaganda by the armed forces personnel in Moscow, referring to May 9, the date on which Russia celebrates Victory Day over Nazi Germany with a parade in Red Square. To spur on the demoralized military, Putin would have guaranteed that by that date the socalled “special operation would be completed.
British intelligence was also taking care of Russia’s problems, a note revealing how General Oleksandr Gruzevych’s Ukrainian forces have launched attacks on highvalue targets in the invaderheld territories. The striking example is the sinking of the Orsk ship in Berdyansk. The Ukrainians are likely to continue targeting logistical installations in enemycontrolled areas. A tactic that will force the Russian military to prioritize defending its supply chain and sacrifice necessary supplies for the armed forces. So much so that some military units are retreating from unconquered areas due to heavy casualties or refusing to fight, as happened in Melitopol, where about 70 soldiers decided to desert yesterday. Something similar had happened in Sumy two days earlier.
We recall that Moscow claims to have lost 1,351 men in combat (3,825 wounded), for Ukraine it would be even 16,000. Among the dead must also be mentioned another general, the commander of the 49th Army Yakov Ryazantsev, who was killed in Chernobayevka near Kherson. Another commander, Colonel Yuri Medvedev, at the head of the 37th Motorized Rifle Brigade, was instead hit with a tank by one of his own soldiers and killed. A gesture of anger, fueled by the high number of casualties his unit suffered in the conflict. For lack of men, the Kremlin is knocking on the door of Hezbollah, Lebanon’s militiamen who are already allies of Putin during the fighting in Syria. According to Al Arabya TV, 800 have already been hired and will arrive in Ukraine on Tuesday.
Beyond the analysis, on the 30th day of fighting, the Russians again saw that they were hitting civilian targets. The United Nations estimates that 1,081 people have died since the conflict began. During the night Rubizhne was bombed again and two border guards died. The Russians also opened fire on the cities of Creminna, Novodrushesk, Lysychansk, Popasna, Severodonetsk and Rubezhnoye. Due to the constant shelling, the rescuers could not extinguish the fires that had started. The invaders continue the siege of Kharkiv and Sumy, while some units appear to be preparing for a new offensive against Izyum. Exactly in Kharkiv they hit a hospital in Osnovyansk district, where there is also a collection center for humanitarian aid, causing at least 4 deaths and about 20 wounded.
Two rockets reached a military installation on the outskirts of Dnipro in the centraleastern part of the country. The attack caused heavy damage and rescuers are working to see if there are people in the rubble. In Donetsk, the cities of Mariupol, Marinka, Krasnohirka, Avdiivka, Kramatorsk, Novomikhailivka, Dolyna and Pryshyb came under Russian fire. Unfortunately, among the dead and wounded are children.
In Zaporizhia, the Ukrainian army managed to liberate the village of Malynivka, while in Odessa antiaircraft troops shot down three cruise missiles heading for the port. Another rocket attack was partially foiled by the Kiev army in Vinnytsia Oblast, near the border with Moldova. One of the bombs ended its course over a military area.