Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] 1. Mariupol. The cleanup continues. There is no complete evacuation from the city. Today, an obvious provocation was also arranged with the shelling of the maternity hospital, which had previously been occupied by the Ukrainian military and turned into a stronghold, as evidenced by the local residents themselves.
2. Volnovakha. The cleansing continues, the city has not yet been completely taken, although there are already DPR flags hanging on some buildings. There is still work to be done.
3. Dokuchaevsk. The troops of the DPR took Novotroitskoye and created the prerequisites for an early cessation of shelling of the city. The Armed Forces of Ukraine will gradually retreat to the north, narrowing the front line and preparing for defensive battles in the environment.
4. Donetsk-Gorlovka. On the front, no major changes, although there is a revival in the area of ​​Avdiivka, Maryinka and a number of other points. Perhaps in the coming days, events here will develop more actively.
5. LPR. The occupation of the remaining uncontrolled villages of the republic will continue. Fighting is going on in the area of ​​Severodonetsk and Rubizhne. Agglomeration is still under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Civilians are also being held hostage.
6. Izyum. The RF Armed Forces control part of the city. In the southern regions, the enemy's DRGs roam, the remaining Ukrainian forces are operating south of the city. Attempts at offensive operations in the Balakleya region, as well as the entire "counteroffensive in the Kharkov region" in general, did not bring much success to the enemy.
Well, except for Chuguev, who has been recaptured from himself. There is a suspicion that soon the Armed Forces of Ukraine will greatly regret that they spent the remaining reserves on this activity. Meanwhile, the threat of a boiler in the Donbas after the loss of the Izyum APU continues to grow. Ukrainian sources report that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has allegedly already written off the group, which, in fact, only has the task of dragging out resistance as much as possible after the formation of the cauldron.
7. Kharkov. Fighting continues on the outskirts of the city, inside which a humanitarian catastrophe is growing. Meanwhile, in the region itself, Russian humanitarian aid is being imported more and more actively. It is more or less safe to leave the city except by train. In the evening, the governor of Kharkov announced the capture of Dergachi, who were already under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Chuguev No. 2.
8. Sumy. No big changes. The bulk of the people still cannot leave the city, as Kyiv refuses to use the humanitarian corridors offered by Russia. The situation is similar in Chernihiv.
9. Kyiv. The Russian Armed Forces continue to fortify west of Kyiv, in anticipation of the buildup of Russian Armed Forces in the Brovar area. The Armed Forces of Ukraine still hold Irpin, from where people walk out in the direction of Kyiv. According to the Pentagon, the RF Armed Forces can completely surround Kyiv within 72 hours.
10. Nikolaev. The city is blocked from three sides, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing for street battles, which means that the struggle for the city's foreground is lost.
In general, everyone is waiting for the start of the 2nd phase of the operation, the basis of which should be a full-fledged pocket in the Donbass with a subsequent advance to the Dnieper, the completion of the encirclement of Kharkov (with a possible assault) and the complete encirclement of Kyiv.
The development of the operation in the area of ​​Nikolaev and Odessa is also expected. Realizing this, they are trying to use the remnants of the reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to strengthen the defense of Kharkov, Odessa and Kyiv.
Tomorrow's talks between Lavrov and Kuleba in Turkey will most likely be Ukraine's last chance to avoid further consequences of hostilities, but it will certainly not take this chance.