Back Story Newsletter
Good morning,
It’s a banking holiday here in the UK so I will write but keep it short!
And Muslims around the world are getting into the festive Eid spirit as the holy month of Ramadan concludes.
Ukraine Counter Strike
Russian military leaders have suffered another major loss after its widely reported Major General Andrey Simonov was killed in Kharkiv yesterday according to a Ukrainian interior ministry adviser. If true, he is the ninth Russian general to die in Ukraine.
36 Colonels have been killed and 300 officers in total on the Russia side say Ukrainians. An extraordinary number by any account, and for an army that operates top down, meaning soldiers at lower levels have very little command authority, its a major problem for the Russian force.
But the real buzz is on a Ukrainian attack on a Russia forward military base near Izyum. This was the operating base of the 2nd army and numerous reports say Russia’s top General Valery Gerasimov had been at the base to reorganize Russia’s offensive.
Initial reports say 200 soldiers were killed at the base by Ukrainian artillery fire. And that Gerasimov himself sustained a shrapnel wound to his right upper hip/leg. Later reports say Gerasimov escaped injury but was evacuated after some of his entourage were killed.
Dozens of high staff officers were reportedly killed in what is a highly successful counter attack by Ukrainian officials using intelligence to strike a command headquarters.
Britain's ministry of defence has said Putin's troops in the east are still struggling to make ground despite the renewed support, citing poor tactics and the deployment of low-skilled troops as reasons for the slow progress.
Disorganization and chaos at the eastern battle front is drawing Russia commanders into the battle in an attempt to drive their forces forward.
Here’s the big picture…Russian leader Putin’s insane war needs to show success by May 9th, the annual Victory Day celebration on Red Square and thats only a week away.
Russian forces do occupy large swaths of the east, but are continually facing counter attacks and some villages have been exchanged in strikes and counter strikes.
What is Putin going to announce next Monday? Some say it will be a series of recognitions of Peoples Republics, also known as Russian controlled and annexed areas.
But the war is not going well for Russia. It has been pushed out the north and for the moment abandoned focusing on Kyiv.
Russia wants to takes Odessa in the south and form a land bridge to Crimea, cutting off Ukraine from the Black Sea, and even has its sights on taking Moldova. But Ukraines valiant defence of cities, especially Mariupol, split the Russian offensive line which even now is stalled in many places.
More evacuations from Mariupol of civilians will continue today bringing harrowing tales of survival and death in the steel plant.
Ukraine meantime is gaining arms, including heavy artillery to strike farther at Russian targets.
The British Minister of Defense Ben Wallace has mused that perhaps Putin, on May 9th, may declare a World War to clear the path towards a general mobilization of Russian to fight.
Putins recent comments - ‘This is becoming a war. This is a proxy war’, which it is not. noted Wallace.
“‘Nazis are everywhere, basically. They’re not just in Ukraine. NATO is full of Nazis’.
Ben Wallace - “And I think what he’s going to try and do is move from his quote unquote special operation, he’s been laying the ground for him to say: ‘Look, this is now a war against Nazis and what I need is more people, more Russian cannon-fodder, basically’.
All of the above adds up to a dramatic and charged week ahead, with ferocious fighting taking place in SE Ukraine.
Have a good Monday everyone.
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Dana Lewis