Day 24, Phase 2

A bombed out residential building in Kyiv. Photo by Umit Bektas/Reuters

Claire Parker for The Washington Post writes about genocide on the 54th day of Putin’s special operation during the ninth year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Better late than never. Maybe her next article will be about fascism¹.

British Intelligence map

I don’t have any special insight on fighting in eastern Ukraine. Neither does British Intelligence.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says the number of operational, tactical aircraft sorties by Russian aircraft has increased by more than 1.5 times over the last couple of days.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said:

"The Russian Armed Forces are completing the establishment of an offensive grouping in the eastern operational zone. At the same time, the enemy does not stop launching missile and bomb strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. In particular, the number of operational and tactical aircraft sorties by Russian aircraft has increased by more than 1.5 times.”

He added that Russian military units are preparing for an offensive in eastern Ukraine in order to establish full control over the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and to ensure the stability of the land corridor with the occupied territory of Crimea.

---

Here’s a vid of cars returning to Kyiv this morning.

1. During most of this period, journalists told us fighting in eastern Ukraine was partly a civil war involving rebels and separatists opposing the central government in Kyiv.