Ukrainian defenders are continuing to obtain substantial battlefield successes in their ongoing war against the forces of Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Now, yet another Russian military commander has been killed amid fighting in Ukraine; the newly reported fatality is Colonel Denis Kurilo, who’d commanded the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, as the Ukrainian government information source Ukrinform described his position. Kurilo was reportedly taken out near Kharkiv, where heavy Russian bombardments have unfolded throughout the war. (Over 1,100 apartment blocks have been destroyed by Russian attacks there.) According to a statement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on by Ukrinform:
‘During battles near Kharkiv, the enemy’s 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade lost two battalion and tactical groups and the brigade’s commander, colonel Denis Kurilo. The losses of the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade came to more than 1,500 troops.’
⚡️Prosecutors say Russian troops kidnap mayor in Kherson Oblast.
The mayor of Hola Prystan was kidnapped on March 28, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine said. Previously Russian troops had kidnapped other mayors in occupied territories.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 29, 2022
A senior NATO official recently estimated Russian troop deaths in Ukraine to already number between 7,000 and 15,000 — the broad range shows the difficulty of conclusively pinning down certain figures as fighting continues, but the estimates are high enough to make it clear that, by all appearances, Russian forces have lost substantial portions of their ranks throughout the war. Putin’s army has also sustained significant equipment losses. Although the rapidly shifting conditions of the war mean that specific numbers have likely shifted since the initial reporting, information recently came out that Ukraine was actually believed to have added to the total number of tanks under its control since the conflict began. Ukrainian forces were believed to have captured operational Russian tanks at a fast enough pace to more than offset tank losses on their own side. On a different but related note, at least seven Russian generals have also apparently been killed in the war.
⚡️National Bank of Ukraine: Russian occupiers seek to introduce rubles in occupied areas of Ukraine.
The National Bank of Ukraine said the move was a violation of international law.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 29, 2022
Ukrainian defenders have also obtained victories with the liberation from Russian control of certain areas, including the Kyiv suburb of Irpin. Other liberations include spots in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. CNN’s Jim Sciutto said Tuesday that ‘Russia is beginning to withdraw some forces from around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, in what the US assesses is a “major” strategy shift, two senior US officials tell me. In the US view, this is not a short-term adjustment to regroup, but a longer-term move as Russia comes to grips with failure to advance in the north.’ Amid peace negotiations, Russia has now stated that it will “drastically reduce” fighting in the Kyiv area — something that (obviously) isn’t some kind of unilateral move but actually comes after significant battlefield defeats for Putin’s rampaging army. Fighting is, however, growing in the eastern parts of Ukraine (and it hasn’t stopped elsewhere) — Ukrinform reported Monday that in “the Donetsk direction, Russian invaders increased fire pressure and intensified storming activities in most areas.” As for deliberations over a potential peace deal, there’s been talk of putting a particularly wide-reaching proposal to a vote by the people of Ukraine.
⚡️At least 7 killed by Russian attack in Mykolaiv.
Russian forces destroyed Mykolaiv’s regional state administration building in the morning of March 29. At least seven people were found dead under the rubble, while 22 others were injured, the State Emergency Service reported.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 29, 2022
