Olenya air base in Murmansk and Belaya airfield in Irkutsk have both come under attack as part of a large scale and apparently successful Ukrainian operation targeting Russian air bases. Ukrainian FPV drones can be seen flying directly into Russian Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers, which can be seen exploding and burning fiercely.

Just FYI: you cannot "hack" a pager into a) detonating or b) producing a blast akin to if that pager case was packed with a small amount of high explosive. You could potentially compromise a pager or any other device so it produces a relatively violent fire when it is being charged; that is very, very different to what we're seeing in the videos coming out of Lebanon.

Confirmation from Russian media outlet “MASH” that Ukrainian forces have indeed dropped one of the bridges across the Seim River.

More evidence of the ultimate goals of this operation - to take and hold a significant amount of land.

https://twitter.com/yarotrof/status/1824447266884567503

Another image of the same bridge with the characteristic GMLRS impact marks clearly visible.

Russian channels claim HIMARS/M270 strikes caused the bridge’s destruction.

Air raid in Kyiv; a group of cruise missiles are approaching the city, now monitoring groups are reporting potential launches of “Kinzhal” aero ballistic missiles. The subway is full of people taking shelter. If you’re in Kyiv I suggest taking shelter or at the very least, not being outside - expect impacts or falling debris.

Been speaking to a large number of Ukrainian military and civil society figures over the past days. The general consensus is that the situation on the front is going to get worse before it gets better. A lot of blame can be laid on some of the ridiculous restrictions imposed on Ukraine by Western partners. But my sources also identified significant issues with command and control and basic competence in the Ukrainian military leadership.

Mass shooting at concert at the Crocus City Hall, Moscow.

Early in March multiple countries issued warnings about potential attacks:

"The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts" - US Embassy

https://twitter.com/novayagazeta_en/status/1771228761477791938

According to Russian media at least 12 are believed dead, with at least 50 more believed injured.

Russian media also reports the building is on fire and firefighters are unable to respond due to the risk of gunfire.

Very loud explosions in Kyiv. Not just defence - in the distance I could see at least two clear impacts. People in the street below running to take shelter in the subway. A loud whistling sound as a cruise missile flies overhead, followed by another loud explosion. Ukrainian surface to air missiles flying into the sky.

I’m in Orikhiv Raion, speaking to the commander of a Ukrainian military unit currently deployed in Robotyne. As he described, the situation there is very tough for the Ukrainian defenders… “The Russians are advancing around 250 to 500 metres per day. They’re hitting us with everything; artillery, FPV drones, aviation (glide bombs) and helicopters”. His unit - like every other unit we spoke to - mentioned the lack of Ukrainian artillery support due to supply issues.

Big story: The British government names the Russian FSB unit behind "hundreds" of hack and leak attacks targeting high profile British public figures.
therecord.media/uk-names-fsb-u… This is also long awaited official confirmation that Jeremy Corbyn did use documents stolen by the FSB during the 2019 general election.

At the time, he called such claims "nonsense" and "conspiracy theories", whilst refusing to reveal who had provided them to his campaign.

"The plane that crashed in the Tver region belongs to Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to BAZA and journalist Ksenia Sobchak. There were 7 people on board the Embraer business jet, they died."

https://twitter.com/echofm_online/status/1694390751839314029

Important caveat; just because the aircraft belonged to Prigozhin doesn't mean he was necessarily aboard the plane and is among the dead. He may very well be, though.

Last night the Ukrainians successfully struck the Kerch Bridge - which connects the occupied Crimean Peninsula with Russia - for the second time.

Severe damage was caused to the structure which is now closed.



Footage of part of the damaged Kerch Bridge taken from a passing train.

The adjacent railway bridge seems to be still operational, but the road bridge is currently closed in both directions.

Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov, now under the control of his mercenary organisation. Well connected Russian Telegram channel "Fighterbomber" - which is run by a pilot in the Russian airforce - confirms Wagner did indeed shoot down three Russian helicopters - two Mi-8 transport helicopters and an Mi-35 helicopter gunship.

The Chongar bridge - which connects the temporarily occupied parts of Kherson Oblast with Crimea, was hit and heavily damaged last night - most likely with a 'Storm Shadow' cruise missile.

We saw from Ukrainian strikes on the Antonovsky Bridge in Kherson that strikes like this might not disable foot traffic from crossing, but quickly makes the bridge impassable to heavy military vehicles.

https://twitter.com/yarotrof/status/1671770466069929985

Kherson: Russian forces are shelling Ukrainian rescuers attempting to evacuate civilians from their flooded homes.

📸: Stas Yurchenko Confirmation of Russian shelling of Ukrainian rescue operations from The Times journalist Catherine Philp who is on the ground in Kherson right now.

https://twitter.com/scribblercat/status/1666771034089967617

The Kakhovka dam in Nova Kakhovka has been destroyed overnight, almost certainly by Russian forces, in an attempt to stymie the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south of Ukraine. Footage from ground level shows catastrophic damage to the Kakhovka dam. A large number of settlements including the city of Kherson are now at risk of "catastrophic" flooding.

The goals of these incursions into Russia seem pretty obvious to me - to embarrass the Putin regime, to force Russia to re-deploy troops to defend the border areas, and to demonstrate that the war can and will cross the border into Russia proper. Russia had long assumed - probably correctly - that the site of Ukrainians charging into Russia would make their Western partners nervous. Kyiv has neatly sidestepped that by using Russian proxy forces instead of Ukrainians.

Earlier footage suggested a Ukrainian tank was involved in this skirmish, possibly crossing the Russian border. A reminder to Moscow that you can't expect the country you invaded to respect your imaginary "red lines".

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1660577163181948928

Footage showing the tank, apparently operated by Ukrainian-aligned Russians fighting with the ZSU, at the Russian border checkpoint in Kozinka, Belgorod.

Loud explosion heard in Kyiv - apparently the work of air defence. Another explosion, the sky lit up in the distance, gunfire can be heard as Ukrainian air defence engages incoming drones.

Russian propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky now reported to have been killed in an explosion in St. Petersberg.

Speaking after Putin's speech in Sept. 2022, Tatarsky said the following about Ukraine - "We'll conquer everyone, we'll kill everyone, we'll loot whoever we need to". The moment of the explosion in St. Petersburg earlier.

Russian state media has now confirmed the death of Tatarsky.

The famous Bucha BRDM, nearly a year to the day after the city was liberated and the Russian massacre of civilians was discovered by the world.

During the initial Russian push to Kyiv, their armoured vehicles opened fire at the monument, believing it to be an active ZSU vehicle. A lot of the damage has now been fixed in Bucha - life here can look surprisingly normal. In Borodyanka, (pictured) twenty minutes down the road, the destruction is far more severe.

Irpin to the south is also heavily damaged in places.

Russian state media and pro-Russian sources on Telegram getting very, very animated about a Ukrainian "invasion" of Bryansk, which has apparently "taken hostages".

Note - there is no independent confirmation that anything is happening at all.

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1631218234128052224

And yes, the irony of Russians complaining about an "invasion" (even an imaginary one) is not lost on me.