Some 34 air-, ground- and sea-launched missiles yesterday morning:
Nine X-101/X-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95 MS strategic aviation aircraft (launch area Saratov region - Russian Federation),
Nine X-59/X-69 guided missiles (from Belgorod region and from the Sea of Azov),
Two S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles (from Belgorod region - Russian Federation)
Two Iskander-K cruise missiles (from Crimea),
Four X-47M2 Kinzhal (Dagger) aeroballistic missiles from MiG-31K aircraft (launched from Russia’s Ryazan and Tambov regions - Russian Federation),
Eight Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s Air Force says it shot down 21 missiles, most of which targeted underground gas storage sites around Stryi near Lviv in western Ukraine.
I read Lawrence Freedman’s column in The Financial Times1.
There is something fundamentally wrong with his nut graph:
Actually, the President’s Office has exacerbated — not helped to resolve — “manpower problems” by continuing to mismanage forced conscription. In addition, Z’s managers are making unhelpful — probably illegal — attempts to alienate Ukrainians living abroad.
“Resource wars,” which this one is, are won in the rear, when the civilian population of the losing side revolts2. Would-be new recruits in Ukraine and abroad are increasingly worried about their supreme commander-in-chief, who can’t seem to get his act together.
Looking on the positive side, lilacs.
Politico does a post-mordem analysis on Speaker Mike’s months-long deliberations on putting the assistance supplemental to a vote in Congress3.
And, finally, what Americans think.
What new aid really means for Ukraine — and for Putin. Kyiv will have to husband its new resources carefully before trying to liberate Russian-occupied land (The Financial Times, April 27, 2024)
‘March or April’: How Zelenskyy gave Johnson a deadline for military aid. A December meeting between the speaker and Ukrainian president influenced Johnson’s decision to approve military aid for Ukraine (Politico, April 27, 2024)