UAF – Ukrainian Forces
RF – Russian Forces
Summary of the Events
RF continue to press towards the outskirts of Bakhmut. UAF have been at a standstill for the most part over the last two days probably to regroup and rest. Russia launched a large-scale missile attack on Ukrainian cities in retaliation for UAF bombing of the Kerch Bridge.
Sloboda Front (UAF)
No change on the ground over the last two days.
Siversky Donets Front (UAF)
RF tried to break through the UAF line between Soledar and Yakovlivka but were repulsed.
Bakhmut Front (RF)
Fighting continues in Soledar and Bakhmutske. UAF has held off any RF advances towards Bakhmut, but the situation is becoming difficult as RF have inched 1.25 miles closer to Bakhmut over the last week. UAF did repel an RF assault against Mayorsk.
Donetsk Front (RF)
RF unsuccessfully attempted assaults towards Ozerianivka, Kamianka, Pervomaiskyi, and Nevelske.
Zaporizhia Front
No change on the ground over the last two days.
Kherson Front (UAF)
UAF liberated Nova Kamianka, the only gain for UAF over the last two days.
Other Regions
Russia launched a massive attack of at least 84 missiles and 24 drone attacks on Ukrainian cities during rush. UAF were able to shoot down 43 missiles and 13 drones. Russia claimed that it was in retaliation for the attack by UAF on a Russian bridge connecting Russia to Crimea, but intelligence shows the attack was already planned before the attack on the bridge. Besides, Russia has been terrorizing civilians for over eight months now. Strikes were made against eastern and central cities in the regions of Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, and Kryvyi Rih. But western regions were also hit with missiles landing in Lviv, Zhytomyr, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk. Then on Tuesday a second wave of attacks were made as 30 missiles were fired against Lviv, Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhia regions. 21 of the missiles were intercepted and shot down though.
Dnipropetrovsk – Five missiles landed on the regional capital of Dnipro, one of them damaging a military vehicle repair facility.
Kyiv – Six Russian missiles struck Kyiv in the early morning hours on Monday. Most hit symbolic historical targets. One target was the statue of historian Mykhailo Hrushevsky, Ukraine’s first president after declaring independence from Russia in 1917. The statue is also right next to Taras Shevchenko University. Another missile landed in Maidan, the site of mass protests that led to the expulsion of pro-Russian Ukrainian dictator Viktor Yanukovych. One missile hit a high-rise office building used by President Zelensky’s staff. Another hit the upscale Golden Gate district. One damaged St. Volodymyr Cathedral, the only church allowed to operate during the Soviet Union. A children’s playground, a pedestrian bridge, and a hospital were also hit. Eleven people were confirmed killed and another 64 injured.
Lviv – Two missiles struck the village of Berezdivtsy just outside Lviv on Monday. The target was a power plant that resulted in the loss of power in the regional capital. Russia then launched another strike against Lviv on Tuesday hitting two energy facilities. One third of the city is now without power.
Zaporizhia – Ten missiles struck residential buildings and businesses in the heart of Zaporizhia killing 14 and injuring 70.
Other News
Moldova summoned the Russian ambassador to demand an explanation on why three of the missiles that struck Ukraine on Monday morning crossed their airspace. Moldova has a region within their own territory which is occupied by Russian forces.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko announced that Belarus and Russia will deploy a joint regional group of forces to be used against Ukraine if the conflict continues to escalate. More than a dozen of the Russian missiles that hit Ukraine on Monday were fired from Belarus territory. But as it is unlikely that Belarusian forces will actually attack Ukraine because the vast majority of its citizens support Ukraine, it is believed that the operation has commenced simply so that RF can take Belarusian arms to carry on their war against Ukraine.
International Support
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell declared that the massive Russian missile strike Monday morning amounted to a war crime and condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms. He also announced that the EU would immediately provide $486 million in military support to Ukraine. He also warned Belarus not to go forward with a joint military force with Russia. Other countries that strongly condemned the attacks were France, the U.S., and the UK. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned the attacks the UN Human Rights Office announced they were investigating them as war crimes.
Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov called on the international community to provide anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems to Ukraine considering the recent mass missile attack by Russia. US President Joe Biden immediately responded that the US would provide such systems.