Ukraine loses ‘a whole battalion’ on broken bridge, says Ukraine

Now on the seventy-ninth day of the conquest of Ukraine, Russia continues its offensive— and still causes heavy losses in devices and personnel.

Nowhere is this more evident than along the banks of the Siverskyi Donets in the Luhansk region, where fighting raged and Ukraine bombed a Russian battalion trying to cross a bridge earlier in the week.

New satellite images from the intelligence company BlackSky show the remaining parts of the pontoon bridge built by Russian forces to reach Ukrainian territory. Pictures showed smoke rising from the bridge after Ukrainian artillery hit it on May 10, leaving Russian tanks and trucks jutting out of the water. It was not clear how many Russian soldiers were killed in the strike, but Forbes It was estimated at about 1,000 soldiers and 50 tanks. British Defense Intelligence said all armored vehicles belonging to the Russian forces were lost in the battle.

The BBC reported that Russian forces were relentless in their three fruitless attempts to create bridges to cross the river. Oleh Zhdanov, Ukrainian defense analyst, He told the News Service that the fighting was very fierce Because the orders to seize the land came “from the top”.

“They are moving forward very hard because it’s a political mission, because Putin ordered it,” he told the BBC. He said control of the region is critical to the plan to encircle the city of Severodonetsk, as the Kremlin directs its forces to completely isolate Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region.

However, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry enjoyed evidence of the bridge strike, posting on Twitter that it had “opened the holiday season” for Russian soldiers, whom it referred to as “the Russians”. The post showed the same satellite images and arrogant comment about Russian tourists. “Some bathed in the Seversky Donets, and some were scorched by the May sun,” they said.

New drone footage from Thursday afternoon showed smoke continuing to rise from the area, spoiling visibility and making it difficult for intelligence analysts to assess the current situation. It is unclear whether the smoke was from a battle or was deliberately placed to protect the area from drones.

With battles raging in the east and south, Kyiv prosecuted its first Russian soldier for war crimes at a hearing that kicked off Friday in the capital. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, is facing a war crimes court for the murder of an unarmed 62-year-old man who was riding his bicycle on the side of the road, which was captured in a photo that became iconic in a nearly three-month war. If convicted, the young soldier faces 10 years in prison for life.

With the withdrawal of Russian forces from some areas, a disturbing picture continues to emerge of the depths in which the Russians have sank in carrying out their brutal attempt to wipe out the Ukrainian population. On Thursday, the UK’s ambassador to the United Nations said “credible allegations” of Russian soldiers sexually abusing children were part of a compiled dossier on alleged war crimes committed in the senseless war.