The time came to March 20, and in the blink of an eye, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has entered its 25th day, and the situation has undergone new changes.
From the russian military's first use of hypersonic missiles to combat, the launch of "Fortress" missiles from Crimea, the launch of cruise missiles from the Black Sea, the attack on Ukraine's large underground missiles and aviation ammunition depots, the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Center in Odessa, and warehouses near Lviv Airport, Putin is adjusting his military strategy.
On March 20, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian military fired a "dagger" hypersonic missile at Ukraine, destroying a large fuel storage site in Nikolayev.
In addition, Russia also released a video of the targeted bombardment of the Ukrainian ammunition depot with a "dagger" on the 19th, and the "dagger" that fell from the sky hit the ammunition depot at a nearly vertical angle, and then destroyed the building, followed by fire.
Russia has said that in the field of hypersonic weapons, the strength of the Russian military is significantly superior to that of the United States, and anti-missile facilities are like decorations in front of it. The Russian military fired 2 "daggers" in a row, which obviously has the meaning of knocking the mountain and shocking the tiger and deterring NATO.
Of course, testing the actual combat effect of the "dagger" and confirming the strength of Russian weapons to the world are also Russia's goals, after all, Russia's economic pillar is the export of weapons and energy.
For now, Russia has slowed the advance of ground forces and intensified targeted bombardments with high-precision weapons aimed at large military installations in Ukraine.
Another shift in Russian tactics was the launch of a "beheading" operation. Ukrainian media revealed that the commander of the 25th Ukrainian Airborne Brigade Oleg, has been killed a few days ago, since 2015, Oleg has been serving as the brigade commander of the 25th Airborne Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, and has made military achievements, is a colonel of the Ukrainian Army.
After Russia's Pravda revealed that "the deputy commander of the Russian army Andrei was killed on the battlefield", the Russian Defense Ministry chose silence. This time, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has not expressed its position on this matter, and whether it is related to the Russian army is still unknown for the time being.
Russian security forces revealed that the Russian army beheaded 2 Ukrainian colonels near Kiev, named Akhmetto and Dmitry, who was an officer in the intelligence agency of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and Dmitry was a colonel in the Ukrainian Navy.
Generally speaking, when Ukraine remains silent, the results of the "beheading" announced by Russia should be reliable, otherwise the Ukrainian Defense Ministry will certainly condemn Russia for "lying" and vice versa.
This means that, so far, at least 3 Ukrainian officers have been killed.
On the whole, the situation was still glued, and in Kiev, Chernihiv and Kharkov, the Russian army, which occupied air supremacy, did not launch a fierce attack, and the Ukrainian army sometimes launched a counterattack.
In the past few days, kiev has been bombarded every day, and 20,000 to 30,000 Russian troops deployed near Kiev have chosen to encircle and not attack, control the main routes in and out of Kiev, and build fortifications facing Lviv in order to prevent ukrainian troops from reinforcing Kiev from Lviv. In the direction of Lviv, Ukraine deployed combat forces of 4 to 6 brigades.
On the other hand, the Russian military chose not to play the card according to the routine, firing missiles from the Black Sea on Kiev, because most of the Ukrainian air defense facilities in Kiev are deployed in the east of Kiev. Ukraine believed that Russian missiles would be launched from the Russian mainland, but the Russians took it by surprise and chose to launch air strikes from the south and north.
For now, until the Russian ground forces massively reinforce Kiev, the Russian army will not easily launch a general offensive against Kiev.
The place where the fighting was most intense was in Mariupol. On March 18, the Russian army, the Donbas civilian armed forces, and the Chechen army jointly invaded the center of Mariupol, the Russian army provided fire cover, and the main force of the showdown with the Ukrainian army was the pro-Russian armed forces, and the main military task of the Chechen special forces was to annihilate the extreme forces such as the Azov battalion.
On the 19th, Ukraine admitted that Mariupol had been lost, and after a fierce street battle with Chechen special forces, the Azov battalion had been compressed to the last position. With Mariupol completely under siege, it was almost impossible for the Azov battalion to break out.
Zelenskiy presented the 2 commanders of the Azov battalion with the medal of "Hero of Ukraine", and the Azov battalion, which could not be retreated, could be severely damaged at any time. At this time, the Russian Defense Ministry revealed a message that felt "unexpected".
The Russian Defense Ministry said on March 19 that Ukrainian officers who surrendered to the Russian army revealed that the Azov battalion was planning to attack diplomatic personnel and facilities in the United States and other Western countries, in Lviv, and then throw the pot to Russia.
This means that although the command of the Azov battalion is in Mariupol, elsewhere in Ukraine, the influence of the Azov battalion can not be underestimated.
In order to capture Mariupol, the Russian army did not toss less, as to whether it will attack Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa and other places next, it may depend on the progress of negotiations.
The process of the Russian army taking Kherson can be said to be a long drive, without any stubborn resistance, but the capture of Mariupol is not a simple matter, the battle is quite fierce, and the Russian army and pro-Russian forces have paid a greater price.
The question arises, why does Putin insist on attacking Mariupol?
For now, there are at least 4 reasons. The first is to tell the Ukrainian army that the Russian army has the strength to break through and complete the target one by one, so that Russia can deter the Ukrainian army and improve the morale of the Russian army.
Second, Mariupol is the stronghold of the Azov battalion, just near Donbass, and in Russia's view, the primary goal of "de-militarizing" Ukraine is to annihilate the Azov battalion stationed in Mariupol.
Third, if the Russian army can connect Donbass, Mariupol, Kherson, and Crimea, the next advance will be easier, and the attack on Nikolayev and Odessa will be more advantageous.
Fourth, the advantages gained on the battlefield can be transformed into chips on the negotiating table, and at a time when the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations are unresolved and Kiev and Moscow have their own calculations, the loss of Mariupol may change Ukraine's attitude.
In short, the Russians insisted on capturing Mariupol both for tit-for-tat and tactical considerations, as Mariupol was Ukraine's military stronghold.
On the surface, Zelenskiy has been calling for Putin to dialogue, and Ukraine has stressed that "it is expected to sign a peace agreement", but in fact, the differences between Russia and Ukraine are still obvious, and no one will easily compromise. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Russia and Ukraine are close to reaching an agreement on issues such as "Ukraine remaining neutral", but the United States has been interfering in the negotiations.
Putin said he had no objection to meeting zelenskiy, but Ukraine was doing everything in its power to delay the negotiation process.
Obviously, it is the initiative of war and peace, not on the side of Ukraine, if the United States is not willing to stop there, it is difficult for Ukraine to bypass the United States to have direct contact with Russia, after all, the United States is the initiator of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
In order to add fuel to the fire, the United States even wants Turkey to hand over the S-400 imported from Russia to Ukraine to fight the Russian army, just as it instigated Poland to deliver warplanes to Ukraine.
In order to knock the United States and NATO, Putin once again showed nuclear deterrence.
Under Putin's layout, 22 russian aircraft, including the "doomsday plane", were collectively dispatched, and then flew to Omsk and other places, with Il-96-300PU inside, which is called Russia's "Air Force One" and can command operations in the air at critical moments.
The Tu-214PU is known as the "Doomsday Aircraft", on which Russian officers can direct the launching of intercontinental missiles, as well as command Russian nuclear submarines and strategic bomber operations. When these ace planes appear at the same time, the United States and NATO will inevitably feel like walking on thin ice.
Putin did this mainly to send a tough signal to NATO. Russia has repeatedly issued warnings that NATO must not provide military assistance to Ukraine, but the United States and Britain have not paid attention to Russia, and Putin has unveiled a "doomsday plane" at this time, and the meaning of knocking NATO is self-evident.
For Russia and Ukraine, the top priority is to reach an agreement and achieve a ceasefire, and the more critical the moment, the more Russia and Ukraine and all parties should remain calm, rather than continue to promote the escalation of the situation. Endless wars will only bring pain to Russia and Ukraine, and an early armistice between Russia and Ukraine is the expectation of all mankind and the voice of peace-loving countries.