War against Ukraine: Partial withdrawal of Russian troops observed

According to Ukraine, the Russian troops are said to have suffered high losses in the north-east and have therefore partially withdrawn. Areas near the Chernobyl nuclear ruins are said to have been shelled again. The IAEA is concerned.

According to the Ukrainian armed forces, some Russian troops have withdrawn after suffering high losses in the north-east of the country. This was announced by the Ukrainian General Staff in its situation report. According to this, the withdrawal of certain Russian units behind the Russian border after the loss of more than half of the personnel was observed.

In many areas, the Russian army does not have enough supplies to fuel its attacks, said Ukrainian presidential adviser Olexii Arestovych. “The front line is practically frozen at the moment. The enemy does not have the means to continue the offensive in many areas.” The Russian troops have problems with material supply – with fuel, ammunition and other materials. “They are naked, barefoot squatters,” said Arestovych.

Ukraine reports destruction of Russian warships

According to British intelligence, Ukrainian forces have begun attacking targets in Russian-held areas. These include a landing ship and an ammunition depot in the city of Berdyansk, according to an update from the British Ministry of Defense, citing intelligence information, published late Thursday evening.

The Ukrainian General Staff had announced that it had destroyed the Saratov landing ship in an attack on the port of the city of Berdyansk, which was occupied by Russian units. Two other such ships, “Caesar Kunikov” and “Novocherkassk”, were damaged. The day before, the Ukrainian Navy announced that it had also destroyed the troop carrier “Orsk”.

It is likely that Ukrainian forces will continue to target logistically critical facilities in Russian-controlled areas, the British report said. This will force the Russian military to prioritize defending its supply chain. This, in turn, will reduce the ability of Russian troops to conduct offensive operations and further hurt already declining morale.

Ukraine: Shelling of Chernobyl area

Once again, Russian troops are said to have fired on areas near the Chernobyl nuclear ruins. Russian forces have shelled Ukrainian checkpoints in the town of Slavutych, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said, citing information from Ukraine’s nuclear regulatory agency. According to Kyiv, this endangers “the homes and families of the operating staff who ensure nuclear and radioactive safety” at the former nuclear power plant, as well as further rotations of employees.

In the small town of Slavutych with around 25,000 inhabitants, which is located outside the exclusion zone, live many people who work in the nearby former nuclear power plant Chernobyl. Director General Grossi was concerned about this development, the statement said. Only a few days ago, the technical staff of the former nuclear power plant were able to go to their houses in Slavutych and rest after almost four weeks of work without changing shifts.

Russian army before new offensive?

According to the Ukrainian army, Russian units would continue blockading the second largest city of Kharkiv and the major city of Sumy. At Izyum in the Kharkiv region, Russian troops were preparing for a new offensive. Moscow is partially managing to maintain the land connection between Russia’s Rostov region on the Ukrainian border and Russia’s annexed Crimea peninsula. According to Ukrainian information, Ukrainian forces were also attacked in the Dnepropetrovsk region.

Russia twice launched rocket attacks on a military unit on the outskirts of the city of Dnipro, a local authority in the region said on Facebook. The unit’s buildings were “considerably” damaged and two fires broke out. There were initially no further details about the victims. The information is not independently verifiable.

According to representatives of the separatists, the Ukrainian army shelled the small town of Zolote in the Luhansk region with artillery. A residential building was damaged and a shed was destroyed, a representative of the Luhansk separatist region said on Telegram. Four grenades were fired at the house.