On the Russian-Ukrainian front, the Russian army has been on the offensive recently, and the results are considerable.
According to reference news reports, on April 28, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Syrsky, admitted that the Ukrainian army was facing a difficult situation, the Russian army had an advantage in terms of strength and means, and the Ukrainian army had no choice but to retreat, abandoning three villages on the front line.
It seems that the offensive of the Russian army on the front line is relatively smooth. However, Putin cannot take it lightly, and not long ago, Putin received three more headaches in succession.
First, the NATO Secretary General made a surprise visit to Kyiv.
According to Reuters, on April 29, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made an unannounced surprise visit to Kyiv and held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as participated in a joint press conference. Stoltenberg admitted that NATO did not fulfill its promises to deliver weapons to Ukraine in the past few months, but is now confident in fulfilling its commitments, and said that "it is not too late for Ukraine to win."
The NATO Secretary-General's trip seems to be sending comfort to the Kiev authorities, but the United States has already approved a spending plan of more than $60 billion for Ukraine, and it is not unlikely that NATO will deliver weapons to Ukraine as soon as possible. After a few months of delay, NATO is afraid that it has also accumulated enough armaments to aid Ukraine.
Then, for the Russian army, the top priority is not only to prepare for it, but I am afraid that it is also necessary to weaken the Ukrainian army as much as possible before Western military aid arrives, otherwise the Russian army will face greater military pressure.
The Russian army also seems to be showing signs of adjusting its strategy, and in recent times, the Russian army has frequently attacked the Ukrainian army's railway network, which makes the Ukrainian side suspect that the Russian army may be brewing a new large-scale offensive.
Second, the Crimean bridge could be attacked again.
According to reference news on the 29th, citing Russian media reports, Lithuania's former foreign minister and current ambassador to Sweden Linkvičius posted a picture on social media platforms, including images of the Crimean bridge and missile launches, and also accompanied by the text assassination of the Crimean bridge will soon be attacked.
In fact, before that, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also revealed in an interview with the German newspaper "Bild" that the Ukrainian side is brewing a new counteroffensive plan, such as attacking the Crimean bridge.
The Russian army continues to advance on the front line, constantly occupying new strongholds, and the Ukrainian army really needs new results to boost morale. And after the success of Kyiv's last attack on the Crimean bridge, Kyiv seems to be encouraged and seems to think that an attack on the Crimean bridge is more feasible.
At the same time, Russia's air defense and security have so far been quite flawed, and after the West upgraded its long-range weapons to aid Ukraine, it is not impossible for the Ukrainian army to use missiles to attack the Crimean bridge to achieve greater destructive effects. Once the Ukrainian army succeeds again, it will undoubtedly be a "slap in the face" to Russia.
Third, Russian police were suddenly attacked by militants.
According to a report by China News Network citing TASS on the 29th, recently, police checkpoints in the North Caucasus region of Russia have been attacked one after another. A week ago, two policemen were killed at a police checkpoint in the Karachay-Circassian region, and on the night of the 28th, another police checkpoint in the area was attacked by the same group of militants, and a shootout broke out at the scene, injuring four policemen, but killing all five attackers.
It seems that this group of militants did not come up on an improvised basis, but specially planned the attack and sabotage. As a matter of fact, Russia's border regions, especially the North Caucasus, have been infested with extremists for many years, and terrorist attacks and armed conflicts have occurred frequently, and for Putin, chaos in the North Caucasus has always been a thorny issue.
Now, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, and the West attaches great importance to the Caucasus and Central Asia, and has stretched out its "strategic tentacles" to these regions in a high-profile manner, as if it intends to open up a "second battlefield", or create a "backyard fire" phenomenon for Russia.