New Delhi: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 and is evidently the largest military assault by one European state on another since World War Two.
According to the Western countries the initial battle plan was aimed at swiftly toppling Ukraine’s government in Kyiv, but even after more than two weeks of military assault, Russia has control of only one Ukrainian city so far – the southern Dnipro River port of Kherson.
During the first week of military assault, Russia shifted from strategic strikes against military targets using cruise missiles to a stalled ground attack and, currently, a broader siege of major cities, including bombardments using rocket artillery and cluster munitions, sometimes against residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
The war has forced millions of Ukrainians to flee their country and servive as refugees in other nations.
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Targeted missile attacks
During the initial hours of the invasion, cruise missiles were widely deployed, and precision short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) were fired en masse in a war for the first time. According to U.S. estimates, the first Russian onslaught included more than 100 missiles launched from land and sea.
On Friday, Feb. 25, Ukraine’s military command said areas near the cities of Sumy, Poltava and Mariupol were hit by Russian 3M14 Kalibr cruise missiles launched at the country from the Black Sea.
Stalled ground war
In the two main fronts in the east and north, Russia so far has little to show for its advance, with Ukraine’s two biggest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, holding out in the face of increasingly intense bombardment.
Ukrainian civilians are supporting regular troops as they try to repel Russia’s advance, including through civil defence units and independent militia that have formed across the country.
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Siege tactics
Russia has shifted its strategy from directly attacking Ukrainian defences to siege warfare in recent days. Russian forces warned Kyiv residents to flee their homes last week before bombarding the city and rained rockets down on Kharkiv, flattening homes and other civilian infrastructure.
Kharkiv region head Oleg Synegubov has said Russian missile attacks had hit the centre of Ukraine’s second-largest city, including residential areas and the regional administration building.
The Mariupol city council said Russian forces were constantly and deliberately shelling vital civilian infrastructure in the southeastern Ukrainian port, leaving it without water, heating or power and preventing it from bringing in supplies or evacuating people.
Putin has fired 8 generals over losses in war
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sacked his top eight generals and is reportedly furious at Russian intelligence officials over Moscow’s losses in the Ukraine war, Kyiv has claimed.
Ukraine’s Defence Secretary Oleksiy Danilov claims that the Russian President has so far fired eight generals for poor strategy and a series of embarrassing defeats for Russia.
“[The enemy] had about 8 generals removed from their posts because they did not complete the task,” Danilov was quoted as saying.
“New ones have been appointed. We clearly understand what is happening in the Russian Federation. I can tell they’re desperate,” he added.
The Russian never thought that “this nation is so united”, stated Danilov.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s ministry of foreign affairs has shared the details of the losses that Russia has incurred since the invasion of Ukraine started, noting that more than 12,000 Russian troops have been killed till now.
The ministry also said that 353 Russian tanks, including 1165 armored vehicles of different types, 57 aircraft, 83 helicopters, 125 artillery pieces, and 58 MLRs, have been hit in the combat so far. The Ukrainians have alson destroyed facilities also include 60 cisterns, 558 vehicles, 3 vessels, 7 UAVs, and 31 Russian anti-aircraft warfare systems.
(With agency inputs)
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