Victory Chronicles
-DAY 97

Above: Azovstal defender taken into Russian custody. Photo via Times of Israel 

• After initially allowing Mariupol defenders to contact loved ones with the news that conditions were humane, the Kremlin has apparently shut off communications.  Loved ones are reporting that they no longer receive information and don’t know where the defenders are being held. 

Above: Don’t forget the Defenders of Mariupol now in enemy custody.  Photo via The Guardian

• World attention was largely responsible for pushing Russia to allow the defenders of Mariupol to be taken prisoner instead of being killed.  If world attention moves on, the threat of POW mistreatment and murder increases.

Above: Bakhmut destruction. Luhansk invaders promised they are preserving infrastructure.  Photo via Reuters

• The Luhansk People’s Republic, Russia’s proxy authority in Luhansk, announced that a third of Severodonetsk was under invader control, but admitted that occupation was going slower than expected. Soon afterwards, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai announced that Russian forces were in the center. War analysts believe that Ukrainian forces will make superhuman efforts to drain enemy resources before retreating from the area.

Above: Melitopol residents told invaders to go home.  Photo via Wall Street Journal

• An explosion detonated near the headquarters of the invading authority in Melitopol, southern Zaporizhzhya Oblast.  Assuming it was partisan activity, Kremlin hypocrites quickly twisted it into Ukrainian nazis threatening civilians, especially children.  (Read more)
• It will be recalled that the wide, flat coastal region was quickly occupied in the first days of the war. Popular resistance was equally swift as unarmed Kherson and Melitopol residents marched with Ukrainian flags, stood down tanks and guns, refused a fake referendum and paychecks in rubles. As Russia cracks down on dissent, many analysts expect that covert civilian resistance will grow with time.

Above: Guided multiple rocket launchers come in many configurations, some of which may be taboo for Ukraine aid.  Photo via The Guardian

• US President Joe Biden announced that the US will not send rocket technology that could “reach into Russia”, although one pundit quipped that a long ladder can reach into Russia.  The precise military meaning is unclear as MLR systems have varying ranges depending on many factors. Ukraine desperately needs long-range capacity to push the invaders back.

Above: Tentacles of Russian oil and gas supply to Europe.  Photo via Research Gate

• Amid intense behind-the-scenes sausage making, the EU announced an agreement on a Russian oil embargo imported by sea.  In order to bring in Hungary, the agreement excludes pipeline deliveries. EU President von der Leyen hoped this would reduce imports by 90 percent by the end of the year. (Read more)
• Russia has a boycott on Russian gas supplies to the Netherlands. Russia so far has cut off Poland and Finland for being unfriendly and Bulgaria for refusing to pay in rubles.  Netherland has likewise refused to pay in rubles and Denmark has announced it will continue to pay in euros. Russia demands ruble payments in order to artificially increase demand for rubles.