APU surrounded
“Russia has launched what Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov calls the second phase (special operations – socialbites.ca) in Ukraine, and there are early signs that it may go better for Russia than the first,” the article says.
Citing an unnamed Ukrainian governor, Bloomberg reported Tuesday that “after a heavy nightly artillery fire from a 300-mile (482 km) front line to the east, Russian troops captured part of Ukrainian territory, including the city of Kremennaya.”
“As a result, they threaten to encircle an area in the upper part of the eastern front, where up to 40% of Ukrainian troops in the area are concentrated,” says the publication.
In addition, “convoys of tanks and other armored vehicles” were observed moving northward along the road from the port of Mariupol in the southeast.
Ukraine’s ability to quickly deliver Western weapons to a distance of 1,350km from the Polish border will also become an issue as Russia intensifies bombing of transport infrastructure across the country.
Deadlines for completion of special operations
The article also talks about the possible timing of the completion of Russia’s special operation. According to experts, the Russian Federation “risks repeating big mistakes if it tries to win by May 9.”
Bloomberg also touched upon the April 19 statement of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who believes the war will continue for a few more months. And press secretary Max Blaine believes that, despite the “advantages in numbers and firepower”, the Russian troops have “low morale”, are advancing slowly, the Russian commanders “repeat past mistakes”, so “a new offensive will not be decisive.” “.
In addition, the article, citing sources, reports that the number of Russian troops “for the scale of the task” is small – “about 80 thousand people.”
Russian forces also resumed heavy shelling of Mykolaiv, the gateway to the key port of Odessa, and took a series of steps outside the Donbas region, where Putin had declared independence, demonstrating their intention to continue gains already made in the south.
According to them, “any victory” that Russian President Vladimir Putin can declare on May 9 will not befit Ukraine and will not end the war.
Second stage of special operations
In an interview with India Today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Russian Federation has launched the next phase of a military special operation in Ukraine aimed at taking full control of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.
“The operation in eastern Ukraine is aimed at the complete liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics, as it was announced from the very beginning. “This operation will continue, the next phase of this operation is starting, and I think now will be an important moment,” Lavrov said.
According to him, Russia recognized the people’s republics within the borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. At the same time, the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that in 2014, when a referendum was held on the right to self-determination of the DPR and LPR, these regions voted for complete independence. But later the Ukrainian troops “smashed” a significant part of the territories from each of the republics.
On April 15, the former commander of the Russian Air Force, the head of the Heroes’ Association, Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov, in an interview with Arguments and Facts, said that in the next stage of the special operation, Russia should seize control of Odessa. .
“Mariupol and some other fortified areas are holding the units back. As soon as we break this Gordian knot, it will become much easier, and then we will take over the grouping between the Dnieper and Izium, which is already essentially surrounded and in a cauldron. Next is Odessa. While there is an advance in the Nikolaev region, Odessa It also gets clogged up like appendicitis, but I think it’s time to come,” he said.
Source: Gazeta
