Ukrainian defenders have been reported to have wiped out a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group amid the ongoing war sparked by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent invasion of Ukraine. The incident unfolded in Ukraine’s Odesa region, according to reports, and it was revealed by Colonel Vladislav Nazarov, an officer of Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command, as the Kyiv Post described his part of the country’s military. The Russian sabotage group had apparently been attempting to make an amphibious landing in the area in which they were successfully taken on by Ukraine’s forces (meaning that the Russian personnel were attempting to come ashore from the waterfront). According to Nazarov, “The enemy received a worthy rebuff; the saboteurs were destroyed.”
The Kyiv Post states that this initial reporting didn’t include further details about losses suffered by the Russians in this particular confrontation, although Putin’s side is known to have already sustained substantial losses in both personnel and equipment throughout the war. A senior NATO official, whose identity was not publicly revealed, recently estimated Russia’s troop deaths during this war at between 7,000 and 15,000 — the wide range demonstrates the difficulty of conclusively pinning down certain figures as the fighting continues, but one thing seems clear: Russian losses have been strategically monumental. Ukraine is believed to now have more tanks under its control than it did at the start of the conflict because the pace at which it’s captured operational Russian tanks has offset the number of tanks that it’s lost.
In another recent strategic win for Ukraine, Colonel Alexei Sharov, who commanded the 810th Guards Separate Order of Zhukov Brigade in the Russian Marines, was killed — and according to the Ukrainian government source Ukrinform, Sharov “commanded infantry who wanted to storm Odesa but were eliminated near Mykolaiv and Mariupol.” Russia has lost well over a dozen commanders during the war. All of this isn’t to say that the impacts on the Ukrainian population haven’t been devastating.
⚡️ Mariupol authorities estimate that about 160,000 people are left in besieged Mariupol, out of the pre-war population of over 400,000.
All of them need to be evacuated from the city due to the deepening humanitarian crisis, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said on March 28.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 28, 2022
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently stated that the Biden administration believed Russian personnel to be guilty of war crimes in Ukraine, where civilian targets have come under attack by Putin’s forces since the war began. According to a report from The Kyiv Independent that emerged this Monday, the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv had been shelled by Russian invaders some 200 times in just 24 hours. And per another report from the same outlet from this Monday, “According to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russian troops are attempting to advance on Kyiv from the northwest and east, capturing nearby roads and villages.” Russian forces have, however, been held back from encircling Kyiv so far, and the rigor of Ukrainian resistance to the invasion makes clear that those like loudmouthed Fox News host Tucker Carlson who speak as though the defeat of Ukraine is a foregone conclusion don’t know what they’re talking about.
⚡️ Armed Forces: Russia attempts to break through defenses near Kyiv.
According to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russian troops are attempting to advance on Kyiv from the northwest and east, capturing nearby roads and villages. Russian forces are currently being held back by Ukraine.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 28, 2022
