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We like to be precise with our 
content and not cash in on the

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ongoing conflicts, so instead of spamming 
your timelines with hot takes constantly,

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we decided to take our time and summarize 
the continuing Russian invasion of Ukraine

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with monthly videos. This conflict will 
enter history as pivotal both historically,

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and in terms of military science, so we will 
have more to say over the next while. For now,

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allow us to present to you our video on the 
first phase of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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And with a look at the war’s beginning, we can 
also recommend a celebration of a war coming to

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In October 2021, the Russian army started 
a build-up on the Russia-Ukraine and

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Belarus-Ukraine borders. The Kremlin explained it 
with planned military exercises, brushing aside

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all the concerns and declaring that they had a 
right to move their forces wherever they deemed

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necessary within their borders. But soon, the 
United States started asserting that the massing

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of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border was a 
build-up for an impending invasion of Ukraine.

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The Russian government vehemently denied this, 
while some NATO states and Ukraine considered

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the US reports exaggerated. Nevertheless, by 
December, Russia started making demands: for

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NATO to guarantee that Ukraine would never join 
the organization; that Alliance would withdraw

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its forces from countries that joined the alliance 
after 1997; that NATO would stop its expansion;

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that NATO would seek agreement with Russia for any 
activities in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Caucasus,

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and Central Asia. Naturally, the United States and 
its allies rejected these proposals. Despite the

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Russian assurances and attempts of Western leaders 
like French President Emmanuel Macron to find

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common ground, the tensions continued growing. 
On 17 February, forces of the unrecognized

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Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and 
Ukraine accused each other of shelling.

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Unrecognized governments of Donetsk and Luhansk 
ordered the evacuation of their populations.

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On 21 February 2022, the Russian president 
Vladimir Putin made a threatening speech,

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questioning Ukrainian statehood and 
calling it a Bolshevik-created entity.

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On the same day, Russia became the first country 
to recognize the so-called Donetsk People’s

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Republic and Luhansk People’s republic, justifying 
this step by claiming that a genocide had been

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committed by the Ukrainian government and neo-nazi 
groups against Russian-speaking people in Donbas.

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In the early morning of 24 February, Putin 
announced the start of the special military

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operation to denazify and demilitarize 
Ukraine. A military conflict in Ukraine,

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which started in 2014, turned into a 
full-scale war with the invasion of Russia.

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According to different estimates, Russia deployed 
150k to 200k troops out of total active personnel

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of approximately 900k, along with up to 40 
thousand separatists from Donetsk and Luhansk,

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later joined by a few thousand troops from Syria 
and separatist republics of Abkhazia and Ossetia.

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It is safe to assume that most of the best Russian 
troops were deployed to Ukraine. At the same time,

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the rest of the active personnel are mostly 
conscripts stationed throughout vast Russia.

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The Russian army divides into Battalion Tactical 
Groups (BTG), which are autonomous military units

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consisting of infantry, armored and unarmored 
military vehicles, artillery, field hospitals,

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and so on. According to the latest pre-invasion 
figures provided by the official US sources,

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Russia amassed approximately 120 BTGs on the 
border with Ukraine. BTGs usually have 600-1000

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infantrymen, are supposed to have 10 tanks, 
and between 40 and 70 other armored vehicles.

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This allows us to estimate that 1200 tanks 
and 4800 to 8400 other armored vehicles

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are being used in the Russian expeditionary force 
if all BTGs are equipped by the book, which is

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rarely the case, especially in an army known for 
vast corruption and poor administration. According

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to the IISS Military Balance, Russia possesses 
1391 military aircraft and 544 attack helicopters,

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but it is impossible to know how many of them 
Russia is exactly using in the war in Ukraine.

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The same source shows that Ukraine has 
active personnel of approximately 200k

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troops, more than 3k armored vehicles, 
132 military aircraft, and 55 helicopters.

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Since Ukraine has declared general mobilization 
and armed volunteer Territorial Defense,

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we could assume the actual number of people 
resisting the invasion is way higher.

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Moreover, thousands of volunteers joined Ukraine’s 
international brigade. While talking about the

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comparison of forces, it is necessary to note that 
the Ukrainian army has come a long way since 2014.

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The army has been significantly modernized. 
Its military arsenal is much better, as the

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United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, and others 
have provided Ukraine with anti-tank weapons like

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NLAW and Javelin, anti-aircraft missile systems 
such as Stinger, along with TB2 Bayraktar drones.

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The Russian offensive started with a massive 
shelling and airstrike campaign throughout Ukraine

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with more than 100 missile strikes to destroy 
the Ukrainian military infrastructure, bases,

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anti-aircraft missile systems, arms depots. 
The later events demonstrated that Russia

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failed to achieve its goal, as the Ukrainian 
military infrastructure, albeit heavily damaged,

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managed to mostly stay intact. This was followed 
by a ground offensive in four general directions.

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The Northern Offensive by the Russian troops 
deployed in Belarus towards the capital Kyiv.

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The Eastern Offensive from Belgorod towards 
Kharkiv. The Donbas (Southeastern) Offensive

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from the territories controlled by 
pro-Russian separatists and Voronezh

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towards the Ukrainian-controlled territories of 
the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. The Southern

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Offensive from Crimea towards Kherson, Mykolaiv, 
and ultimately Odesa. It looks like the Russian

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strategy was to rapidly advance towards major 
urban centers, taking large cities like Kyiv,

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Kharkiv, Odesa as soon as possible to break 
the morale and resolve of the Ukrainians

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and force the government to capitulate, along 
with ensuring the land connection between the

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separatist-ruled part of Donbas and Crimea, and 
securing the whole Black Sea shore of Ukraine.

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These 4 offensive axes were supposed to merge 
after securing advances along the frontline

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to make pincer and envelopment movement more 
possible. The exact political endgame of the

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Russian offensive still puzzles analysts with 
claims ranging from installing a pro-Russian

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puppet government to dividing Eastern 
Ukraine into several pro-Russian states.

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The Ukrainian defense strategy was 
to orderly withdraw to urban centers

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while fighting advancing Russian forces, 
bogging them down in urban warfare,

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ambushing and attacking their supply lines. 
It would be illogical for the Ukrainian army

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to defend all the terrain along the whole of 
the massive front, given the Russian advantage

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in firepower. The analyst Michael Kofman 
calls this tactic trading space for time.

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On the first day of the invasion, Russia made the 
most significant advance on the Southern Front,

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where the 58th Combined Arms Army (CAA) advanced 
for about 60 kilometers pushing the Ukrainian 57th

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Motorized Brigade back and taking the North 
Crimean Canal and reaching the outskirts of

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Kherson. On the Northern Front, the 35th CAA 
took Chernobyl and the Chernobyl power plant,

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while the 36th CAAs pushed towards the capital 
Kyiv bypassing Chernihiv. The Ukrainian 1st Tank

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Brigade managed to halt the Russian advance, 
as it failed to capture the city of Chernihiv.

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The 41st CAA’s advance towards Kyiv from Sumy was 
also halted in the outskirts of Sumy by the 56th

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motorized brigade. The Russian airborne attack 
on the Hostomel Airport near Kyiv by the elite

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31st Guards Air Assault Brigade of the Russian 
VDV (elite Airborne Army) also failed after the

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Ukrainian counter-attack. The rapid capture of 
Kharkiv did not happen either as the 1st Guards

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Tank Army could not break the resistance 
of the Ukrainian 92th Mechanized Brigade.

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The advance of the Luhansk Militia and the 
Russian 20th CAA towards Severodonetsk met

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the resistance of the Ukrainian 53rd Brigade with 
heavy fighting around the town of Schastya. The

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elements of the 8th CAA and the Donetsk Militia 
pushed the 54th Mechanized Brigade towards the

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Northwest from the Ukrainian-“DNR” line of contact 
and the 56 Motorized Brigade towards the East

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along the Black Sea shore with heavy fighting 
around Mariupol, but failed to reach its

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overall goals of taking over the rest of Donetsk 
oblast and breaking the Ukrainian resistance.

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On 25 February heavy fighting on all fronts 
continued. The Russian troops forced their

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way into Obolon mere 9 kilometers away 
from the Ukrainian Parliament building.

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The 95th Air Assault Brigade and the 72nd 
Mechanized Brigade were there to protect Kyiv.

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At this point, the United States even offered 
Ukrainian President, Zelenskyy to leave the

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capital, to which he reportedly replied: “The 
fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride”.

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The threat to the capital was real, as during his 
speech to the nation he called the Ukrainians to

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brace for an offensive and urged them 
to prepare for a hard battle for Kyiv.

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Zelenskyy’s refusal to leave and insistence to 
fight against the odds turned him into a hero

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and the symbol of the Ukrainian resistance, 
further mobilizing Ukrainian society and

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galvanizing the international community 
to adopt crippling sanctions on Russia,

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such as disconnecting several major Russian 
banks from SWIFT. But the situation continued

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to be difficult for the Ukrainians. The American 
intelligence predicted that the fall of Kyiv

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would happen within 96 hours. Even though the 
Russians failed to capture Sumy, they continued

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their march towards Kyiv from there, advancing to 
Romny. On the Southern Front, Russians developed

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their success by capturing Novo Kakhovka and 
moving closer to securing Kherson and Melitopol.

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Taking Melitopol was essential to continue 
the march along the Black Sea shore to merge

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with Russian and separatist units trying to 
take Mariupol, along with advancing towards

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Zhaporizhie, which could have encircled the 
Ukrainian units fighting on the Donbas front.

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In Kharkiv and Donbas, the situation remained 
more or less stable, and there were even reports

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of the Ukrainian counter-offensives pushing 
back the Russian units to the border in Milove.

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February 25 was also the day when the defenders 
of the Zmiinyi Island, south of Odesa,

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famously responded to the Russian demand of 
surrender: “Fuck off, Russian military ship!”.

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On February 26, the Russian army mostly used 
special forces and airborne troops to fight

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the Ukrainian defense in Kyiv. With the 36th 
CAA giving up on the rapid capture of Chernihiv

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and bypassing it to move towards the capital, 
it looked that other Russian units around Kyiv

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waited for its arrival to strike Kyiv with massive 
force. Similarly unable to take the city of

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Kharkiv with a direct assault, the 1st Guards Tank 
Army divided into two groups to bypass the city

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to possibly envelop the Ukrainian 
units in the city or move towards Kyiv.

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The situation in the Southeastern Donbas 
front remained relatively stable as well.

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The Russian troops and separatist militia captured 
the port of Berdiansk and the Berdiansk Airport.

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DPR separatists also claimed to capture Pavlopol 
and Pischevik, while LNR separatists also claimed

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to seize Lopeskyne and Markivka. Russia 
continued its advance on the Southern front.

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The 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division 
of the 58th CAA of the Russian army

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continued fighting in Kherson, while also 
sending units toward the city of Mykolaiv.

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Other elements of the 58th CAA were 
engaged in fighting to seize Melitopol,

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along with advancing towards Enerhodar and 
the Zaporizhian power plant in the north.

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Oleksiy Arestovych, the advisor to the Ukrainian 
president, admitted on February 27 that Ukraine

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lost control over the whole of Berdiansk. 
Prevailing in Kherson and Melitopol, capturing

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Henichesk and Kherson Airport meant that the 
Russian offensive on the Southern front developed

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its success, increasing the threat on Mykolaiv 
and Odesa in the West and Mariupol in the East.

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First reports of the Russian army merging its 
offensives in the Southern and Southeastern

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Front around Mariupol also emerged on that day. 
But the continuing assault on Zaporizhzhya,

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namely on Enerhodar, Vasylivka and Tokmak meant 
that the 58th CAA, the most successful unit of the

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00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:14,320
Russian war effort so far, had to fight in three 
different directions, dividing its resources.

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00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:21,120
On other fronts the situation remained more or 
less stable as Russia made small gains such as

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the capture of Kupyansk, the encirclement of 
Konotop, but the 41st CAA’s attack on Pryluky

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and the 1st Guards Tank Army’s attacks on Kharkiv 
and Okhtyrka were repelled. By now, it had become

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clear that the strategy of causing collapse of the 
Ukrainian defense by rapid mass offensive on major

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Ukrainian cities had failed, as the Ukrainian 
army not only remained functional in the cities,

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00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:51,600
but also managed to harass Russian supply lines 
and inflict major losses on the Russian manpower

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00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:57,279
and military vehicles. In response to the 
Western sanctions and failure to rapidly

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defeat the Ukrainian resistance, Putin ordered 
Russia's nuclear forces on high alert. The valiant

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00:16:03,519 --> 00:16:09,679
defense of Ukraine caught the West by surprise, 
as contrary to almost unanimous expectation of the

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fall of Ukraine, the Ukrainian army remained 
a force capable of defending the country.

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As a result, for the first time in history, 
the EU announced direct military aid to a

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foreign country - Ukraine, while Germany made 
a major turn in its foreign policy by sending

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weapons to Ukraine and stating its intention 
to dramatically increase its military spending.

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00:16:32,799 --> 00:16:39,439
But Russia still possessed major resources 
sufficient to defeat Ukraine. On February 28

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satellite images of a 64-kilometers long massive 
column of tanks, military vehicles, and artillery

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moving from Belarus towards the western part of 
Kyiv were shared on social media. Along with that,

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in the Kyiv front, elements of the 41st and 36th 
CAAs moved to bypass Sumy and Chernihiv to merge

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00:16:59,519 --> 00:17:05,759
with an aim to make a push toward East Kyiv. 
Presumably, the overall goal was to attack Kyiv

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from a number of directions, but the maintenance 
of a formidable force by Ukraine in Chernihiv and

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Sumy oblasts caused a major threat to the 
extended supply lines of the Russian army.

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00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:24,400
Elements of the Ukrainian 1st Tank Army conducted 
defensive actions against the 41st and 36th CAAs

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stalling the Russian advance in Nizhyn. Along 
with maintaining a solid defense around Kyiv,

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the Ukrainian forces also engaged in 
pointed counter-attacks, such as in Makaryv

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and Borodyanka. In Donbas heavy battles around 
Volnovakha, Starobilsk and Mariupol continued.

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00:17:42,799 --> 00:17:49,039
In Kharkiv, Ukraine set a defensive line between 
Chuhuiv and Balakliia, preventing Russians from

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00:17:49,039 --> 00:17:55,039
encircling Kharkiv and moving towards Poltava 
and Dnipro. Numerous reports of heavy shelling

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00:17:55,039 --> 00:18:02,079
of civilian areas in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol 
and other cities of Ukraine continued. Also, the

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00:18:02,079 --> 00:18:08,639
first death of a Russian general in the war was 
reported, as the deputy commander of the 41st CAA

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Major General Andrey Sukhovetsky was allegedly 
killed. On a diplomatic front, as expected the

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first round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations 
in Belarus did not bring any positive results.

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00:18:22,799 --> 00:18:26,720
The first day of March brought several 
setbacks to the Ukrainian defense.

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00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:33,600
Reports of capture of Kherson and Melitopol 
meant that now the 42nd Motor Rifle Division

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00:18:33,599 --> 00:18:40,000
was free to move towards Mykolaiv, while other 
units of the 58th CAA engaged in Melitopol

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00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:45,519
could join the attack on Mariupol from the West, 
making the encirclement of the city a real threat.

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00:18:46,319 --> 00:18:50,559
Reports of the Belarusian army joining 
the Russian offensive were not confirmed.

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00:18:51,519 --> 00:18:56,879
On March 2, the Western intelligence sources 
reported that Russia was switching its military

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00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:02,960
tactic from head-on offensive on cities to 
attritional war, wearing down the Ukrainian

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army by continued assault on its defensive 
lines and shelling of Ukrainian cities to break

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the morale of the population as the overall 
pace of their offensive remained well below

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expected. Ukrainians report reclaiming of Horlivka 
by the forces of the 96th Air Assault Brigade and

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Makariv by defenders of the Kyiv perimeter. During 
the next few days both sides claimed taking Irpin,

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Bucha and Hostomel, towns in the vicinity of Kyiv, 
capture of which was crucial for the success of

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the Russian campaign in Kyiv. It indicates that 
heavy fighting was going on around this area,

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but these reports also stipulated that the 
Russian attacks were mostly carried out by

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1 or 2 BTGs at the same time, which 
was interpreted by military experts

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00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:56,719
as inability of the Russian army to carry out 
coordinated attacks by a large number of units.

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00:19:57,599 --> 00:20:02,399
Another point of the Russian offensive in the 
Kyiv front was Brovary, but the attempts to

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push back the Ukrainian army by the 41st and 36th 
CAAs were repelled. Within the next several days,

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00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:16,960
these unsuccessful attacks would continue. 
On other fronts Russia took Balakliia,

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00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:21,680
repelled the Ukrainian counter-attack on 
Horlivka and engaged in heavy battle to

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00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:28,480
take the Mykolaiv airport on March 3. But possibly 
the biggest gain of the Russian army on this day

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00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:34,640
was the capture of Svatova, which is situated 
between Kharkiv and Luhansk, by the 6th CAA

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00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:40,320
and by the Luhansk militia. This allowed the 
Russian Eastern and Southeastern axis to link.

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00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:46,319
The only positive result of the second round 
of negotiations was the agreement to open

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00:20:46,319 --> 00:20:51,519
corridors for civilians stuck in encircled 
cities like Sumy, Chernihiv and Mariupol.

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00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:59,200
On 4-6 March Russia made important 
gains on several fronts. In the South,

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the 58th CAA took Enerhodar and the power plant 
in the vicinity, along with Tokmak and Vasylivka.

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00:21:06,319 --> 00:21:10,720
There were also reports of successful 
Russian advance on the Mykolaiv airport

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00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:15,839
and heavy fighting in the Mykolaiv oblast, which 
was defended by the 57th motorized brigade.

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Along with that, the 6th CAA and Luhansk 
separatist forces started attacking Izium

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00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:28,240
and Severodonetsk. The fall of these cities could 
have been disastrous for Ukraine, as it could have

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00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:33,839
possibly allowed the Russian units to encircle 
the 56th Motorized Brigade and other Ukrainian

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00:21:33,839 --> 00:21:40,159
units fighting in Donbas. Heavy fighting was 
reported along the Chuhuiv-Balakliia line, which

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00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:46,720
the Ukrainian defense managed to withstand. They 
were not as successful at the Nizhyn-Pryluky line,

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00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:52,559
as Russians were able to penetrate it pushing 
within 20kms of central Kyiv from the Northeast.

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The Russians also managed to encircle Okhtyrka.
On March 7, Ukraine managed to reclaim the

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00:21:59,759 --> 00:22:05,440
Mykolaiv airport and Chuhuiv. The massive tank 
column in the west of Kyiv still threatened

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00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:10,400
the city, but no significant fighting or 
movement in that direction was reported.

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00:22:11,279 --> 00:22:17,039
This was also the day when the first international 
volunteers joined the defense of Kyiv. In the

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00:22:17,039 --> 00:22:22,879
South, Russia repeated its tactic of bypassing 
the cities, which it failed to take with a head-on

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00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:28,960
assault, as the 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault 
Division bypassed Mykolaiv towards Voznesensk.

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The aim was to force the Southern Bug river 
and advance on strategically crucial Odesa.

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00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:40,640
On March 8 Russia took steps to 
solidify its encirclement of Mariupol,

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by capturing the highway between the city and 
Volnovakha, while also moving elements of the

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00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:52,240
41st CAA to the Sumy oblast to strengthen its 
extended and constantly attacked supply lines.

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00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:59,759
On March 9-12, the Ukrainian 1st Tank division 
managed to repel the Russian offensive by the 90th

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00:22:59,759 --> 00:23:05,920
tank division and 55th motorized rifle brigade on 
Chernihiv, along with establishing a connection

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00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:11,680
with the pocket of resistance in Nizhyn. Heavy 
battles continued in Izium and Severodonetsk.

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00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:17,039
Russian offensives on Brovary by the 6th 
Guards Tank Regiment, on Hadyach by the 4th

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00:23:17,039 --> 00:23:22,799
Guards Tank Division, and on Krivyi Rih by 7th 
Guards Mountain Air Assault Division were also

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00:23:22,799 --> 00:23:30,000
successfully repelled. But the Ukrainian situation 
around Mariupol continued to deteriorate,

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00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:35,680
as the Russian forces and Donetsk separatists 
moved into portions of eastern part of the city,

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00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:40,799
along with taking Volnovakha. The 
infamous tank column in Northwest of Kyiv

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00:23:40,799 --> 00:23:48,799
by now had dispersed and redeployed elsewhere.
The most important event of 13-16 March was the

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00:23:48,799 --> 00:23:54,799
ballistic strike at the Yavoriv training center 
near Lviv, as the Russian Defense Ministry claimed

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00:23:54,799 --> 00:24:01,039
that 180 “mercenaries” were killed in this strike 
on the base, where training of foreign volunteers

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00:24:01,039 --> 00:24:07,680
was conducted. By these dates it had become quite 
clear that Russia had stalled in all directions

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00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:12,160
and was unable to conduct any major 
offensive operations anywhere, but Donbas.

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00:24:13,599 --> 00:24:18,639
While the Russians made some gains in Izium and 
pushed around Rubizhne, the Ukrainian offensive

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00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:24,640
towards Kherson pushed the 20th Guards Motor Rifle 
Division and reached the town of Posad-Pokrovske.

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00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,799
The Ukrainians also broke 
the encirclement of Okhtyrka.

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00:24:29,839 --> 00:24:36,639
On 19-20 March reports of Russian troops digging 
trenches and deploying minefields around Kyiv

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00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:42,000
indicate that Russians had given up on offensive 
operations to take the capital and prepared for

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00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:50,079
a defensive war. On March 21-24 Ukraine gained 
ground around Kyiv by counter-attacking towards

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00:24:50,079 --> 00:24:56,240
Bucha, Vorzel, Moshchun, Makaryv, and Irpin, 
while Russia made progress in Izium and Mariupol.

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00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:04,160
On 25-29 March, Ukraine capitalized on low 
morale and poor supply of the Russian army

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00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:10,880
and made considerable progress on several fronts. 
The Ukrainian army solidified its successes on the

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00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:17,280
Kyiv front by pushing back the 37th Separate 
Motor Rifle Brigade and the 31st Guards Air

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00:25:17,279 --> 00:25:23,440
Assault Brigade from Irpin and the 90th Tank 
Division further away from Brovary and reclaimed

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00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:30,680
Lukyanivka. In the Sumy-Kharkiv axis, the 93rd 
Brigade took back Trostyanets, Boromlia, and Mala

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00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:37,039
Rohan, and end the encirclement of the city of 
Sumy, forcing the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade

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00:25:37,039 --> 00:25:42,879
to withdraw to Russia for presumed redeployment 
in Donbas, where Russia still had a capability

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00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:48,320
to launch successful offensive operations and 
made some gains around Izium, Severodonetsk,

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00:25:48,319 --> 00:25:53,599
along with capturing more of Mariupol putting 
the Ukrainian defense of the city in an even more

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00:25:53,599 --> 00:25:59,519
desperate situation. On the Southern front, the 
Russian offensive had completely stalled as well.

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00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:08,480
On 30 March, reports of withdrawal of several 
Russian units from the Kyiv axis started to

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00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:14,400
emerge, whether due to heavy losses or as a part 
of a campaign to deescalate military operations

258
00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:20,640
around Kyiv. Along with that, redeployment of 
Russian units, such as the elements of the 20th

259
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:26,720
CAA and the 1st Guards Tank Army to Belgorod 
for replenishment to presumably later send

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00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:31,279
them to the Donbas front continued.
During the next couple of days,

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we witnessed several instances of fighting on the 
Northern Front with Ukrainian success and then a

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00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:45,120
complete withdrawal of Russian units from Kyiv and 
Chernihiv oblasts. The 35th, 36th, and 41st CAA

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00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:51,119
made an orderly withdrawal towards Belarus, while 
reports of redeployment of the 90th tank division

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00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:57,919
and 2nd guards motor rifle division to the Donbas 
front emerged. On April 2, the Ukrainian Defense

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00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:05,039
Ministry stated that Ukraine was now controlling 
all of the Kyiv Oblast. On April 4, the governor

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00:27:05,039 --> 00:27:10,319
of Zhytomyr Oblast also stated that the region 
was now completely under Ukrainian control.

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00:27:11,279 --> 00:27:17,839
By April 5, there were no Russian troops left in 
the Chernihiv Oblast either. Ukraine prevailed in

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00:27:17,839 --> 00:27:24,000
the Northern Front and the Battle of Kyiv against 
all odds. But Russian loss came at a very high

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00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:30,240
price for the Ukrainian military, infrastructure, 
and particularly, the civilian population. As the

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00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:35,680
Ukrainian army reclaimed Bucha, it witnessed 
horrific scenes of hundreds of civilians lying

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00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:41,279
dead on its streets. Satellite images taken on 
the days, when the Russian army still controlled

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00:27:41,279 --> 00:27:46,720
this town, prove beyond reasonable doubt that 
this massacre was indeed committed by Russia.

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00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:54,080
Ukraine also staged counterattacks in 
Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts. On 31 March,

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00:27:54,079 --> 00:28:00,319
they liberated Malynivka, Vesele, Zelenyi Hai 
and other towns in the Zaporizhia oblast, along

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00:28:00,319 --> 00:28:06,639
with several towns and settlements in the Kherson 
oblast, including Novovoronstovka on 1-2 April.

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00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:13,279
But around the same dates, Russia continued 
very slow, but steady progress in Donbas,

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00:28:13,279 --> 00:28:18,559
as they claimed to capture Zolota Nyva in the 
Donetsk oblast and Zhytlivka in the Luhansk

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00:28:18,559 --> 00:28:24,079
oblast. On April 1, Ukraine admitted 
that Russia was able to capture Izium

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00:28:24,079 --> 00:28:29,439
after days of heavy fighting. But arguably, 
the most important event of this day

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00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:34,640
was the Ukrainian strike on a fuel storage 
depot in the Russian city of Belgorod,

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00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:39,200
which was the first incident of spillover of 
the war in Ukraine to the Russian territory.

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00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:46,240
On April 4, reports of the advance of the Russian 
forces from the Kharkiv axis towards Slovyansk

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00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:52,559
started emerging. According to various military 
experts, capture of Slovyansk created options

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00:28:52,559 --> 00:28:57,679
to link up with the Russian units fighting in 
Rubizhne, or advancing towards Horlivka, both of

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00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:02,480
which carried a potential risk of encirclement 
for the Ukrainian units on the Donbas front.

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00:29:03,519 --> 00:29:11,519
By 5 April, elements of the 1st Guards Tank Army, 
including the elements of the 2nd GMRD, 4th GTD,

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00:29:11,519 --> 00:29:21,599
47th GTD, the 106th GAD, the 144th MRD and the 
3rd MRD were redeployed to Izium and we can expect

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00:29:21,599 --> 00:29:25,919
most of the Russian offensive operations 
to be conducted along the Donets River,

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00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:32,080
which the Ukrainian 25th Airborne Brigade and 
the 81st Air Assault Brigade will try to defend.

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00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:39,040
The presidential aide Orestovych noted in his 
interview that the Ukrainian army faces 8 to 1

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00:29:39,039 --> 00:29:46,079
numerical disadvantage on this axis. On 6 April it 
was confirmed that the Russian army completed its

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00:29:46,079 --> 00:29:54,399
withdrawal from the Sumy oblast too. These forces 
were to be redeployed in Donbas too. Lastly,

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00:29:54,400 --> 00:30:00,400
the situation of the Ukrainian units in Mariupol 
was getting increasingly more desperate. According

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00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:07,840
to British Intelligence, by April 7 Russia 
already controlled 76% of the city. But it is also

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00:30:07,839 --> 00:30:13,439
reported that the Russian units participating in 
the siege of Mariupol are suffering heavy losses

296
00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:18,559
amid fierce resistance by the Azov battalion 
and units of the regular Ukrainian army.

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00:30:19,279 --> 00:30:25,279
In the run-up and on the first few days of the 
war, almost everyone expected a quick Russian

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00:30:25,279 --> 00:30:31,039
victory and the collapse of the Ukrainian 
army. It was only a question of when. But

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00:30:31,039 --> 00:30:36,639
the Ukrainian army has defied the odds by 
standing tall and more recently prevailing

300
00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:41,200
in the Battle of Kyiv and reclaiming some 
of the lost territories in other regions.

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00:30:42,799 --> 00:30:48,799
Despite the overwhelming advantage in firepower, 
bad planning by the Russian command manifested in

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00:30:48,799 --> 00:30:54,480
an inability to conduct major offensive operations 
in the coordination of a large number of units

303
00:30:54,480 --> 00:31:00,480
and different branches of the military; poor 
logistical preparation was demonstrated by images

304
00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:06,799
of incapacitated military vehicles due to lack of 
fuel and insufficient food supplies proved by the

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00:31:06,799 --> 00:31:13,200
Russian looting of civilian stores; low morale, 
the clear indicator of which is scores of Russian

306
00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:18,960
servicemen, particularly conscripts surrendering 
to Ukrainians, since they don’t really understand

307
00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:23,600
what they are fighting for and are just 
completely unprepared to the brutality of war;

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00:31:24,559 --> 00:31:30,319
inability to ensure air domination despite the 
huge numerical advantage in military aircraft

309
00:31:30,319 --> 00:31:33,679
has made the Russian war effort 
in Ukraine to go horribly wrong.

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00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:38,880
Around Kharkiv and South of Ukraine, the 
Russians have been pushed back as well.

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00:31:39,759 --> 00:31:44,160
The only axis, where Russians and 
pro-Russian separatists can hope to gain any

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00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:51,200
considerable success is the Southeastern front.
The Russian General Staff has stated in late March

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00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:56,400
that its main focus is on the so-called 
“liberation” of Ukrainian-controlled territories

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00:31:56,400 --> 00:32:01,920
of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, since it remains 
the only front, where Russians can realistically

315
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:07,360
hope for success. Russia continues to 
employ the tactic of shelling cities,

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00:32:07,359 --> 00:32:16,079
including civilian areas causing the death of 1611 
civilians, according to the UN. Mariupol, Kharkiv,

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00:32:16,079 --> 00:32:22,000
Sumy, and other cities have been heavily damaged. 
Millions of Ukrainians have fled their country.

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00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:27,920
Both sides have suffered heavy losses, but 
Ukrainians have inflicted way more damage on

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00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:34,240
Russians than was expected. By April 7 Oryx 
military analysis blog visually confirmed

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00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:41,839
Russian losses at 448 destroyed or abandoned 
tanks; 750 armoured vehicles, 20 fighter jets,

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00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:48,880
32 helicopters, and three navy ships, 
against Ukrainian losses of 95 tanks,

322
00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:55,920
under 200 armoured vehicles, 18 aircraft and 
helicopters, and 15 ships. According to the NATO

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00:32:55,920 --> 00:33:04,240
estimates of 29 March, 7k-15k Russian soldiers 
have been killed in Ukraine. The US sources

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00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:09,839
reported on 9 March that 2k-4k Ukrainian 
soldiers were killed during the invasion.

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00:33:11,119 --> 00:33:16,159
Soon we will summarize the second month of 
this conflict, which proved to be not the

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00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:22,800
Short Victorious War Vladimir Putin hoped for, but 
a war of attrition that could change the fate of

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00:33:22,799 --> 00:33:28,159
the entire region, so make sure you are subscribed 
and have pressed the bell button to see it.

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00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:34,400
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