Situatie dag 66 infographic
Graphic shows situation report following day 66 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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OEKRAÏNE

Oorlogssituatie Oekraïne – dag 66

By Duncan Mil

April 30, 2022 - The 66 days of Ukraine’s confrontation with the Russian military began with both sides using artillery with little direct contact. “There’s just a lot of back and forth,” a senior U.S. defence official told Global Security.

“On any given day, it changes... They [Russia] are making some slow, incremental progress but not enough that it changes the battlefield situation.”

The official said that there are now 92 Russian battalion tactical groups (BTGs) inside Ukraine, with slightly more than 20 BTGs in Russia for rest & refitting.

“We still assess they’re having morale and cohesion problems.” Russia still does not have any air superiority over Ukraine -- air space is still “so dynamic and so contested.” Moscow continues to mount airstrikes from inside Russia.

In Mariupol, Russian airstrikes continue to bombard the Azovstal steel plant to overpower the remaining Ukrainian defenders and claim a propaganda victory. Moscow has redeployed some forces from Mariupol to join offensive operations around Kurakhiv.

Ukrainian intelligence warns that Russian forces are disseminating pro-Kremlin disinformation and mounting Russian false flag attacks in Transnistria, intended to draw Moldova into the war.

“Control over the south of Ukraine is another way out to Transnistria, where there are also facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population,” said Rustam Minnekayev, deputy commander of Russia’s Central Military District. President Vladimir Putin made a similar claim in his attempt to justify the invasion of Ukraine.

In the capital Kyiv, the U.K. ambassador has joined 27 other foreign diplomatic missions operating in Ukraine.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 30/04/2022; STORY: Graphic News
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