Over the past 24 hours, there have been several important news:
1. Biden announced the appointment of Bridget Brink as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. Previously, the Biden administration has been criticized by lawmakers for delaying the appointment of a new ambassador to Kiev, especially in the context of the War between Russia and Ukraine. Brigitte Brick, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, met with refugees from Ukraine on the Slovak-Ukrainian border and thanked the Slovak government and citizens for their hospitality and support.
2. The British Minister of Defence stated that Ukraine has the right to use Western weapons to attack military targets in Russia in order to disrupt its logistical and supply lines. In response, Russian officials responded that if Ukraine used British weapons on Russian territory, Russia threatened to shell Kiev with "high precision". The UK also announced the removal of tariffs on Ukrainian goods, the reduction of tariffs on all goods imported from Ukraine to zero, and all quotas will be removed.
3. The German Federal Government allows the supply to Ukraine of the anti-aircraft self-propelled device "Cheetah" anti-aircraft self-propelled guns. "Cheetah" 35 mm double-barrel self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system, effective range of 4000 meters, effective height of 3000 meters, total combat weight of 46.3 tons, cross-country speed of 40 kilometers, system reaction time of 6-8 seconds. As a three-position integrated self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, the Cheetah intercepts low-altitude targets such as cruise missiles and helicopter gunships, and the effect is sometimes better than surface-to-air missiles.
"Cheetah" anti-aircraft self-propelled artillery
4. Sweden will transfer a batch of archer self-propelled guns to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The archer is the most automated truck gun in the world, can fire the first shell within 23 seconds after parking, and shoot all 25 magazines in 2 and a half minutes, and the whole process of loading, aiming, and shooting does not require human participation. The archer's road speed is 70 km/h, and the maneuverability is excellent. Its high reaction speed and high mobility make it particularly suitable for operations in the Great Plains of Eastern Wudong.
Archer self-propelled artillery
Back to the battlefields of Ukraine —
Mariupol
Yesterday, the Russian army carried out 35 air raids on the Aeszov Steel Plant, in addition to using various ground heavy weapons to bomb the Aeszov Steel Plant. Among them, there is the extremely destructive UR-77 minesweeper armored vehicle that I mentioned earlier.
Sources say that the Russians plan to completely occupy Mariupol by May 9, so they will intensify their bombing to clear the ground facilities of the Azov steel plant and create conditions for a final ground attack.
The bombed Azov Steel Works
The continuous bombardment caused an increasing number of civilian casualties, many buried under the rubble, Ukrainian soldiers did everything they could to rescue them, and doctors operated on the wounded civilians in the shelling, saving many lives.
Wounded civilians in the bombing are receiving medical treatment
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is on a visit to Russia, announced yesterday that he had received a promise from the Kremlin hosts to assist the UN in evacuating the trapped civilians in Mariupol and leaving them "in any direction they choose". I don't know if such a promise will eventually be fulfilled.
Yesterday, a recent video (below) shows that the bloody street battles between the Ukrainians and the Russians continue. In the video, a Russian soldier crawls on the ground after being wounded by a Ukrainian sniper, but no one dares to rescue him.
Alessovich, Zelenskiy's military adviser, responded yesterday to concerns about the situation of the defenders in Mariupol by saying, "They were preparing for this moment in the years before the war." I'm pretty sure they have enough ammunition, food and medicine for the coming weeks. ”
Southern Front
Yesterday, in the Russian-controlled "Dezuo Republic" (red area pictured below) near Odessa, there were multiple explosions in which the attackers attacked the Ministry of State Security with two grenade launchers and tried to blow up a local bridge.
Russian officials accused these incidents of being planned by the Ukrainian side, and the Ukrainian side retorted that this was a fake flag operation written and performed by the Russian Federal Security Service "to create panic and anti-Ukrainian sentiment."
Previously, the Russian army tried to recruit troops in the "German Left Republic" to launch an offensive against Odessa, and the local Russians were less willing to participate in the war, and even some Russian recruitment offices were burned down by anti-war activists.
German left "Ministry of State Security" after the bombing
On the Kherson front, the Ukrainian and Russian armies were tugging, and the front was constantly changing hands.
The latest war report shows that the Ukrainian army repelled two Russian attacks, destroying two Russian tanks, three armored vehicles, four engineering equipment vehicles, two military vehicles, and 48 Russian soldiers killed.
The five villages in the direction of Kherson were liberated by the Ukrainian army, and the Ukrainian forward had approached the Chernobaevka airport in Kherson, and this progress made the urban area of Kherson less than 10 kilometers away from the Ukrainian artillery fire.
Kherson's latest situation map
In addition, near Velyka Oleksandrivka in the Kherson region (see black spot below), Ukraine destroyed a Russian ammunition depot, which not only lost a large amount of ammunition and many vehicles, but also killed more than 70 soldiers.
The destroyed ammunition depot of the Russian army
In Orisiv, Zaporizhia Oblast, the Russians launched a long-planned offensive against the Ukrainians stationed there, only to suffer a major defeat.
Yesterday, the 110th Brigade of the Ukrainian Army in Zaporozhye released a video (below) that carried out a successful artillery attack on a Russian armored regiment stationed in zaporizhia Oblast, and the drone captured the scene of the Russian armored vehicles in a mess after the attack.
Kharkiv
Fierce fighting continued near the city of Kharkiv, with Russian troops constantly shelling Ukrainian-controlled cities and settlements, leading to multiple fires. Kharkov Oblast Governor Sinegubov said that on the 26th, 3 people were killed and 7 injured in the shelling. Transmission lines were damaged due to shelling, and one-third of the city was cut off.
The Russian and Ukrainian armies made progress in Iyum, Kharkov. The Russians pushed the front line a little further south of Iyyum. The Russian Air Force is also very active, yesterday, a Russian Su-25 fighter, raided a Ukrainian special forces detachment trying to infiltrate, machine gun fire, Several Ukrainian soldiers were killed and several people were wounded.
The Ukrainians, on the other hand, took the opportunity to attack from the western flank of Iyum. Because of threats to the Iyyum flank, the Russians were unable to advance in the direction of Barcinkove and Slovyansk.
Iyzym's latest battle map
Yesterday, the 128th Brigade of the Ukrainian Army in Iygum released a video of russian T-72 tanks destroyed by anti-tank missiles (below). Drones filmed tanks burning and exploding, and the graphics were more spectacular than the special effects of any Hollywood blockbuster.
Eastern (Donbass) Front
The latest war report shows that the Donbass Ukrainian army killed 160 Russian troops, destroyed 3 tanks, 5 armored vehicles, 12 transport vehicles, two sets of artillery systems and an air defense system, and a drone.
In the battle in Donbass yesterday, the Ukrainian army used the latest type of multiple rocket launchers provided by partner countries for the first time to attack Russian positions near Novochahmutka in the Donetsk region, which the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said caused fear and panic among the Russian army.
Some analysts said that the Ukrainian army should use the US military's MLRS (M270) or Haimas rocket artillery, which is extremely powerful. As I mentioned before, it is possible to fire 12 rocket launchers with mother-daughter warheads at a time, covering an area of up to 6 football fields.
Imagine that when rocket shells exploded overhead, thousands of shrapnel shot down like raindrops, the weak armor on the top of the tank could not be stopped, and the personnel had no place to hide, it is no wonder that the Russian army panicked.
Yesterday, the Russians again claimed to have taken Rubine, but this was refuted by the Ukrainians. The 4th Rapid Anti-Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, which fought in the day of Ruby, released a video of Ukrainian tanks and infantry fighting vehicles fighting together (below), with tanks blocking the front and bombarding with heavy artillery, and infantry fighting vehicles frantically outputting in the back.
In Popasna, the focus of another battlefield, the Russian army's multiple rounds of attacks have never shaken the Ukrainian defense line. The Russians suffered heavy losses, and the latest photos released by the Ukrainian army (below) said that about 20 Wagner mercenaries were killed near Popasna.
Yesterday, the self-propelled artillery company of the 80th Brigade of the Ukrainian Army released a video in which the Ukrainian army wrote the names of Ukrainian cities such as Mariupol on the shells and fired these angry shells at the Russian positions.
Guard Common Sense 418
Yesterday's battle situation, that's it.
At the end of the article, I would like to share a group photo of Finnish volunteers fighting in Ukraine. What struck me the most was a sentence written by the Finnish volunteer who posted the photo:
"What do we live and die for? Accumulate as much money as you can? A career of self-satisfaction? Or for others and for what we all believe in? ”
Group photo of Finnish volunteers
From these Finnish volunteers, I saw an idealistic feeling. It is this sentiment that drives them to leave a life of abundance and ease, to fight for their ideals and convictions, for the conscience and justice of mankind.
Hats off to these Finnish warriors and to the noblest idealists of our time!
May you be safe, and may good luck always guard you!