#Kharkiv Axis - #Ukrainian troops have bridged the Donets River in 2 locations, moved a large assault force across the river and attacked #Russian forces 90km NE of Kharkiv along critical #RUAF supply lines. #UAF may have seized the town of Zarichne and are still attacking NE.
This video may be the more northern bridging that #Ukrainian troops are using to push towards the city of #Vovchansk, which sits atop a critical supply route that feeds the #Izyum Axis with equipment and manpower from #Belgorod. h/t @5inan_
#Russian leadership is undoubtedly moving troops into the area to counterattack this surprise assault by #Ukraine. If #UAF can capture #Vovchansk they may be able to establish a permanent bridgehead on the E side of the Donets River and use it to attack #RUAF to the S.
The #Ukrainian force was a mix of #Azov Regiment, 36th Separate Marine Brigade, the 12th Brigade of the National Guard, border guards, police, volunteers and the Territorial Defense of Mariupol. Despite months of #Russian demands they did not surrender. reuters.com/world/europe/r…
The Battle of #Mariupol has decimated 95% of the city after weeks of fighting. Most of the infrastructure has been destroyed and most residents have fled or been killed in the fighting. #Russian administrators have struggled to restore water or power to much of the city.
Kharkiv Axis - The Battle for Kharkiv City is effectively over. #Ukraine has defeated #Russian forces and driven them far enough away from the city that there is no longer an imminent threat to the city or its occupants. The battle lasted from February 24 - May 11.
From February 24 - May 11 the city was under the constant threat of cannon artillery shelling and assaults from #Russian troops on the outskirts of the city. Several RUAF assaults breached the perimeter of the city, but each time they were expelled. themoscowtimes.com/2022/03/02/rus…
#Russia then took positions 5-10km away and began to pound the #Ukrainian forces inside with cannon/rocket artillery. For weeks the residents of #Kharkiv were told to remain inside bomb shelters at all times, with many residents moving into the subway. washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/…
#Rubizhne Update - #Russian forces completed the capture of Rubizhne today by capturing the town of Vojevodivka and forcing the remaining #Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the SE corner of the city. RUAF is now in the outskirts of #Severodonetsk. Video confirmation in next post,
#Russian forces posted this video today that shows them at the SE border of #Rubizhne and entering into the Zarya Factory. They appear to be cautious in their movements but no fighting is taking place nearby. Geolocation in next tweet.
The previous video has been geolocated to 48.9976052, 38.3872177 on the SE corner of #Rubizhne, #Ukraine. The below pictures show the location of 1 part of the video shot by the #Russians. Photo 1 shows a wide shot, while Photo 2 provides enough detail to identify the buildings.
#Moldova - Today the Moldovan President Maia Sandu acknowledged that the #Moldovan military was not combat ready. She said, ""For 30 years, the Moldovan army has been left without equipment, without military equipment and combat-ready means. Now we are aware of the consequences,"
The #Moldovan military is one of the smallest in the region with only 6,000 active soldiers and 58,000 reservists. The Armed Forces of #Moldova had an annual budget of $43 Million or just 0.37% of GDP in 2020. Unlike #Ukraine, whose military budget $5.94 billion or 4% of GDP.
In addition, #Moldova has a strict neutrality clause in its constitution that does not allow the deployment of armed forces of other states on its territory. This means any sort of defensive alliance would be unconstitutional. Because of this, Moldova has no plans to join #NATO.
New explosions reported inside #Russia. Residents of the city of #Voronezh 🇷🇺 reported 2 loud explosions overnight. Both explosions occurred in the Shilovo district SW of the city. Voronezh is 170km from the 🇷🇺 controlled #Ukraine border and 250km from the 🇺🇦 controlled border.
#Russian residents now reporting that the explosions in #Voronezh were 🇷🇺 air defense shooting down and unknown object. Video from the city shows a white contrail with what appears to be an impact point of an anti-air projectile. If we find out more it will be posted here.
#Russian owned RIA now claiming that a small reconnaissance drone was shot down over #Voronezh, #Russia. This claim was made by the regional governor. No video of photographic proof has been provided yet.
An ammunition depot in the #Russian village of Staraya Nelidovka exploded overnight. According to the Belgorod governor at 3:35am local, residents heard an explosion followed by 3 more shortly after. The town where this took place is around 15km from the #Ukrainian border.
There has been a series of these unexplained explosions in #Russia since the beginning of the #UkraineRussiaWar. They have typically involved logistics, oil or ammo depots that are essential to the 🇷🇺 war machine. They have also typically been relatively close to the border w 🇺🇦.
Just released video from the ammo depot that exploded in Staraya Nelidovka, #Russia shows secondary explosions and munitions launching away from the site as the fire continues to burn. There is still no confirmed cause for the explosion. There are no known civilian casualties.