When the Russia-Ukraine crisis began, the prevailing hope was that war would not escalate and be avoided. Now, however, not only military strikes have begun, but the first data of military operations show that the fear of advancing in the Azov region for the protection of Ukraine, pales in the face of the visible possibility of occupation of all Ukrainian territory.
The first information speaks of the destruction of the air defense network of Ukraine and any naval units that the country had. The dominance of Russian forces is complete, without even a large-scale invasion. However, all indications are that we are now very close to an operation aimed at perhaps the whole of Ukraine; Sirens have also been heard in Lviv, where foreign diplomatic missions have been transferred.
It seems that from the statements of the Russian leadership and the military movements on the ground, the objective purpose has changed. There is talk of complete demilitarization and de-Nazification. Is there any other way to achieve this than an operation aimed at occupying the whole of Ukraine? In fact, at the moment when he does not seem to face much resistance?
The impossibility of promoting a diplomatic solution with emphasis on the broad autonomy of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, combined with the Cold War climate and the non-commitment of military forces to defend Ukraine have produced concrete results. Could NATO try to prevent a symbolic reinforcement of Ukraine with forces that are not very strong, but those that would act as a “trigger” (trigger) to prevent? Probably not. This is what the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have done. But there are other facts.
On the operational front, loud explosions are heard this morning in Kiev, Odessa (southern) and in many parts of eastern Ukraine, after the announcement of Russian President Vladimir Putin that he ordered a military operation against this country, journalists report.
The first information speaks of sweeping blows of the Russian forces in the Ukrainian air defense, both in the anti-aircraft systems and in the fighter planes. Russian media claim that the Ukrainian defense capability has received sweeping blows. Russian forces have reportedly attacked Kiev International Airport. It should be considered certain that forces will also appear – the fifth phalanx of the Russians, coming from inside the Russians in Ukraine.
The 92nd Ukrainian Brigade in Kharkov and their weapons depots in Odessa have been hit. Military targets have also been hit in Mariupol. The 25th and 92nd Ukrainian Brigades in Dnipropetrovsk have been hit hard. At the same time, artillery forces on the Russian-Ukrainian border severely hit military targets. Reports indicate that Russian forces have also infiltrated the region of Belarus.
In the meantime, naval operations have been carried out in the Sea of Azov region. A telegram has been issued claiming that all Ukrainian warships have sunk and that Marine forces have been deployed in the area.
In the capital, at least two loud explosions were heard in the center, followed by ambulance sirens. In Mariupol, the largest frontal town with half a million inhabitants, where a strategic port is located, several residents reported hearing artillery fire from a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city.
Closer to the front, in Kramatorsk, at least four loud explosions were heard. Six hundred kilometers from there, in southern Ukraine, in Odessa, a port on the Black Sea, explosions were also heard. The Russian news agency Interfax recently reported that Russian forces have arrived and are now operating in Mariupol and Odessa.
