Ukraine has recaptured more territory around Kyiv as Russian forces leave the area. In some instances, Russian troops are abandoning their positions in an orderly fashion, and Ukrainian forces are largely letting them leave.
But Reuters reports that there’s a trail of smashed tanks and dead bodies that marks Russia’s retreat from the outskirts of Kyiv, attesting to some fierce battles that took place in the last several days.
Ukraine recaptured more territory around Kyiv from Russian soldiers who left shattered villages and their own abandoned tanks as they moved away from the capital, while a disputed cross-border strike in Russia complicated peace talks on Friday.
In the hamlet of Dmytrivka to the west of the capital, smoke was still rising from the wrecks of armored vehicles and the bodies of at least eight Russian soldiers lay in the streets, Reuters correspondents saw.
“From one side we were hearing the tanks shooting at us, and from the area of Bucha was a massive mortar shelling,” said resident Leonid Vereshchagin, a business executive, referring to a town to the north.
On Friday, PJ Media’s Kevin Downey Jr. covered the attack on a Russian fuel depot that destroyed several million gallons of fuel. There was some initial speculation that the attack was actually carried out by disgruntled Russian helicopter pilots who were refusing to fight in Ukraine. But U.S. intelligence analysts are now confirming the attack was initiated by two Mi-24 helicopters of Ukrainian origin.
Despite this apparent trolling, many military and intelligence analysts said it had been a Ukrainian attack carried out by two Mi-24 helicopters that swept in low; fired rockets at the fuel depot, causing a massive explosion and igniting fuel tank fires; and then departed, still flying at a very low altitude. No casualties were reported.
If the attack is confirmed, it would mark an audacious and risky move by Ukraine, with its forces shifting from a largely defensive posture to a direct airstrike on Russia at a time when the Russian military appears weakened.
Hitting the fuel supply depot was a stroke of genius. Every drop of fuel used by Russian forces in Ukraine has to be brought over the border by Russian trucks — trucks pulled out of mothballs and put in service for the war. The trucks are poorly maintained and are breaking down regularly.
There are no supply dumps inside Ukraine. Obviously, Russia believed the war would be over before they needed them.
Hitting that fuel depot will have serious consequences for Russia’s invading force.
But the British defense ministry said in its daily intelligence briefing that the fires at the fuel depot, coupled with explosions earlier in the week at an ammunition depot near Belgorod, could affect the Russian war effort and “will likely add additional short-term strain to Russia’s already stretched logistics chains.” The ministry said that Russian forces encircling Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv, about 40 miles from Belgorod “may be particularly affected.”
The incident, which occurred as Russian troops are pulling back from several areas of Ukraine, is deeply embarrassing for Russian forces after their poor performance in the war. The Russian campaign was expected to take days but has dragged on, with huge losses of troops and material. Russian military officials have frequently asserted that Ukraine’s air force is almost destroyed.
Putin is not done with Ukraine yet. He’s not going to retreat into Russia until he has a tangible asset to hold up as a trophy. Meanwhile, the bombs and missiles continue to fall on what appear to be non-military targets. Putting an end to the Ukrainian people’s agony is still a long way off.
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