TODAY’S MAP
Lviv, founded in the 13th century as a regional principality in Kyiv-Rus, has gone by many names depending on which imperial power was in control. Leopolis was the name under Austro-Hungarian occupation. Image via Lviv Travel.
LVIV
Almost immediately after evacuations from Azovstal began, explosions were heard overnight in Lviv. In early reports, Lviv Oblast Governor Maksym Kozytsky said that Lviv had been under attack but that “our air defense system has worked.”
This marks the second night this week that the enemy has sent missiles toward the historic city near the Polish border.
Small peaceful villages in Chernihiv Oblast north of Kyiv and residential areas of Odesa Oblast were also hit with missiles in the night, civilian casualties reported.
MARIUPOL
Severely wounded Ukrainian defenders taken out of Azovstal. Photo via Reuters.
President Zelensky ordered the last fighters in Mariupol to stand down and end military hostilities, affirming that their superhuman efforts have achieved important military goals. All efforts are now focused on saving their lives.
An evacuation has begun for combatants trapped in Azovstal underground tunnel system for more than seventy days. Ukrainian officials said that 264 service members had been evacuated by bus to illegally-occupied eastern Ukraine.
LUHANSK-DONETSK LINE
Severodonetsk residents scramble for food during breaks in shelling. Local police are still on the job trying to keep residents safe. Photo via Sky News.
With the loss of the battle for Kharkiv, enemy forces are focusing energies on the battle for a small slice of Luhansk Oblast. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai announced that over 80 percent of Luhansk Oblast is controlled by enemy forces.
As usual, the enemy is heavily bombarding housing and hospitals in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. The cities are well-prepared for the battle having lived under Kremlin threat for eight years.
KHERSON
Detailed map of Ukraine (green) and enemy (red) control of Kherson Oblast. Beleaguered Chornobaivka airport in lower right quadrant. Map via Ukraine Battle Map
Ukraine destroyed a fuel depot near Chornobaivka airport in northern Kherson oblast in the tenth attack on the air base. A hail of grad rockets took out a warehouse in territory that Ukraine keeps destroying yet enemy forces keep returning to. Can we expect a postage stamp soon?
Ukrainians point out that invaders in Kherson are coming from Crimea in large groups that are hard to hide on the vast wide-open steppes of southern Ukraine. Thus Chornobaivka is considered by the invaders as a good option for mobilization of personnel and equipment ahead of a planned assault in the Odesa direction.
UNITED STATES
Leading senators in both parties are drafting a bill that would allow American courts to have jurisdiction over cases of war atrocities committed in other countries if the guilty party comes to the United States. Senator Chuck Grassley, born in 1933, stated, “The United States must not become a safe haven for war criminals
ALLIES
Long-planned NATO war games commenced in Estonia with 15,000 personnel from 14 countries including Sweden and Finland. Estonia is one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters and firmly rejects any off-ramps or appeasement of Moscow. Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said the only acceptable conclusion of the war on Ukraine is a military defeat of Russia.
KREMLIN
Little men in a big room, CSTO leaders gathered in Moscow. Photo via New York Times.
The diminutive dictator hosted a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization – Moscow’s counterbalance to NATO – comprised of leaders from Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Belarus. Notably, Putin super-fan Lukashenko of Belarus berated other member states for not sufficiently supporting Russia in its time of need.
The BBC quoted western military sources that say Putin is personally running the war day- to-day with his chief of staff in a development reminiscent of the last days of the Third Reich.
Territorial Defense Forces in Dnipropetrovsk region sharpen their skills. Photo via NewsNPR
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