Summary of the Events of the Day
Russian forces took four communities in the Donbas as they converge on Kramatorsk from all sides. Russia also continues to destroy rail lines and bridges to slow down the reinforcement of Ukrainian troops with weapons from the West. Ukraine may have struck weapon factories within Russian territory. And Moldova may be drawn into this conflict as Russia has its eye on them as well.
Battle for the Donbas (Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol)
Russia made some significant advances towards capturing the prize of Kramatorsk. From Kreminna, they took the town of Zarichne and from Luhansk they took Novotoshkivske. And from Izyum they have moved south and taken Zavody and Velyka Komyshuvakha. Russia used illegal phosphorous chemical weapons against Avdiivka.
Battle for Southern Ukraine (Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia, and Odesa)
Ukraine destroyed an anti-aircraft system on Snake Island which had been taken by Russia early in the conflict escalation.
Russia fired another missile and destroying the bridge over the Dniester Estuary at Zatoka. This cuts off arms shipments to Ukraine by road or rail through Romania.
Other Regions
Ukrainian defense forces shot down a missile over the Dnepropetrovsk region.
In the late evening, Russia fired around 50 mortars at the border community of Esman in the Sumy Region.
Other News
A weapons factory blew up in Russia just 40 miles north of Kharkiv. It is not known whether it was hit by Ukraine or was an accident at the factory. Russia cannot blame Ukraine as they would lose face by admitting Ukraine successfully attacked a weapons factory in Russia. But Ukraine also cannot take credit as it would give Russia a reason to escalate the war. So, probably Ukraine did hit the factory but neither side can admit it.
Russia seems to be creating a false flag incident in the Russian-back breakaway region of Transnistria to justify bringing Moldova into the war. Pro-Russian rebels claim that infrastructure was attacked by Ukrainian rockets.
International Support
Austria has reopened its embassy in Kyiv.