The spokesman for the Kremlin Peshkov he said yesterday that "the operation could be completed in the near future. It continues, we are achieving our goals. Substantial work is taking place both militarily, in terms of the progress of the operation, and through the negotiations that are being negotiated with the Ukrainian counterparts". Everyone is looking forward to May 9 when the triumph over Nazism is celebrated at Moscow's Red Square. A date repeatedly evoked by Putin himself.
Peshkov he then confirmed that "both Russia and Ukraine are willing to hold new talks in Turkey, but remain far from agreement on a joint text ".
Moscow's objective, net of the obvious failures on the ground, is to consolidate its presence and hegemony in the region of Donbass, having total control of the coasts bordering the Azov Sea.
Western intelligence confirms that Russia is leaving the north of the country by turning back to the south and east. Most of the foreign diplomatic offices are reopening their offices in Kiev, including the Italian one. At the civil buildings still standing, the first lights begin to be seen, a sign of a gradual return to normality.
In reality, Lbero writes, despite moving numerous battalions to the east, and having evacuated not only the Kiev sector, but also that of Sumy, the Russians still maintain large forces in the northeastern part of Ukraine just east of Kharkiv, given that they are given advancing south of Izjum. The Kharkiv front would allow the Russians to protect the right flank of their probable descent from the north behind the Ukrainian rear in the Donbass, which would close the Kiev troops in a pincer.
The Russians, in fact, would be sending vehicles and supplies along the railway between the Russian hub of Valujki and the Ukrainian one of Kupjansk, just north of Izjum. Meanwhile, in the South, some pockets still resist in Mariupol, near the port and the area of the Azovstal steelworks, as long as the ammunition lasts. The Russians are also pressing on Popasna and Rubizne. Further west, the Ukrainian army is still resisting near Mykolaiv, making a land advance to seize Odessa from behind impractical for now.
Missiles launched from the Black Sea towards some Ukrainian ports (Odessa in primis ed) were reported, confirmation from the Russian Defense Ministry which reported a bombing of a logistic center: "High-precision missiles Bastion they destroyed the Foreign Mercenary Collection and Training Center near Krasnoselka, north-east of Odessa ”.
The Slovak Prime Minister, Edward Heger, said his country gave Ukrainians S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, receiving Patriot missiles from the United States. L'Australiainstead, it sent 20 armored cars Bushmaster, while Germany, for now, is denying the sending of its Marder infantry tracks so as not to leave the Bundeswehr off guard. The US has made public the arms supply for Ukraine: "1.400 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, 5.000 Javelin anti-tank missiles, 7.000 other anti-tank systems and hundreds of Switchblade explosive drones ”.