Tides of War Change

To help cover themselves due to Ukraine beginning to recapture territory Russia has declared that it is scaling back military operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv. While some units have been seen moving away from the area intense fighting and aerial bombardments continue to rain down on the area. Russia has said it is now going to focus on liberating the Donbas region however they continue to suffer set back there as well.

How bad are Russia's losses? Seven Russian Generals have been killed which is something that is really unheard of. During the Russian operation in Syria, they lost four over the years that they have been involved in that conflict. Today they lost another high-ranking official, a colonel, that was the head of the 200th separate motorized rifle brigade. While these officials are not necessarily the most vital what it is showing is that these leaders are having to go to the front lines to try and motivate their people to keep on pressing forward or try and figure out how to change the plan that isn't working.  

Besides gaining ground in Kyiv we have also seen the Ukrainians in Mykolaiv push closer and closer to Kherson. Kherson is the one "major" city that Russia currently has control of however now it is listed as a contested space because the Ukrainian forces have been able to attack Russian helicopters that have landed at the airport there. Not only here but Kharkiv has also been successful in launching counterattacks and regaining territory from areas sounding the city.

Videos have also begun to emerge of Russian tanks that were abandoned because they are sinking in the mud. When this invasion first kicked off this topic was discussed that the victory needed to be swift before the ground thawed. The tanks also used roads to avoid this issue as Russian tanks are extremely heavy and easy to bogg down. Not only does this give Ukraine an advantage by preventing Russia from moving the way they want but it also provides Ukraine with vehicles, demoralizes Russian troops, and rearms the Ukrainians with weapons they know.

Mariupol 

Mariupol has been sounded completely for over a week now and yet the fighting within the city continues to be intense and Russian gains are minimal at best. While most people would think that this would mean that the city should fall soon it appears the opposite might be happening. Since the area under Ukraine's control is more compact now this means there is less to protect and that really anything that comes at them can be shot. 

The failed Russian advances as well this has resulted in Russia rearming Ukraine by accident. When I first heard about it a couple of days ago I thought that this was mostly occurring in the northern part of the country but only now am I realizing that this is occurring across the whole country. The quick guerrilla-like attacks mean that Russia has to expend more effort than Ukraine. At the same time when Ukraine is able to secure a quick victory or beat back the Russians, they are able to gather the supplies left behind. Reports have even come out that there is some smuggling route into the city that remain open and this is critical to make sure the city continues to get anti-tank and anti-armor weapons as long as the military in the city has means that they can continue to hold out. 

With 85% of the city suffering from major damage this further benefits Ukraine's ability to defend what is left. They know the nooks and crannies of the city and the destruction only creates more for them to utilize in their defense of the city. Mariupol is most likely a huge contributing factor to the Russian reason for shifting focus. 

Museum of War Launch

In less than 24 hours the Meta History: Museum of War is set to launch. These NFTs will follow the development of the invasion of Ukraine in chronological order and I have previously written about them here. It is a project I am super happy to see released and hope to see the continued development of. 

Supplies

A lot has been made about Ukraine and supplying the Ukrainian military and if we were sending the correct things. Comments made by the President have shown that the US and other Western powers have begun to change some of the types of weapons being sent over. The US military is instructing and training Ukrainian soldiers on how to use some of the new weapons being sent in. If this works and the Ukrainians are able to utilize these new weapon systems this could really help turn the tides of war. 

Multiple times a week we are hearing about the newest or latest shipment of arms to the country. We continue to hear different ideas being presented to provide Ukraine with more advanced systems but so far that has failed to materialize. One very very interesting thing that has occurred is that Ukraine has MORE tanks now than it did at the beginning of the war! They have captured over 100 tanks and have managed to keep a ton of theirs useable. While they have been fighting a defensive war the US and allies have begun to provide arms that can be used in an offensive operation to recapture lost territory. If Russia really does move its forces to focus on the Donbas region the Ukrainians will have a great time not only moving more arms to Kyiv but also to the cities under their control along the eastern front.