It was just after 9.00 this morning when Ukrainska Pravda released the news according to an attack on Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine, by the Russian armed forces. Chernihiv is located about 150 km north of the capital Kiev, near the border with Russia and Belarus and has a population of about 250 thousand people. The bombing comes as the war has entered its third year and approaches what could be a critical moment.
The numbers of the attack on Chernihiv
From the first news reported by the mayor Oleksandr Lomako it was immediately clear that the number of dead and injured was destined to rise: as of now 17 dead and dozens injured, including several children who are finding assistance and treatment in various hospitals in the city. The exact dynamics of the attack are not yet clear but, as reported by the mayor and some witnesses, this morning at 9.03 three explosions were heard, not in the central part of the city but in a densely populated neighbourhood.
A school and a hospital were also destroyed, while other victims were searched under the rubble. Three Iskander cruise missiles of Moscow hit an area in the center of the city, destroying it an eight-story building and also causing 61 injuries, including three children. Also damaged four skyscrapersa hospitala higher education institution and dozens of cars.
Kiev requests air defense support after Chernihiv
This morning’s attack on civilians adds fuel to the fire on the controversial issue of military assistance to Kiev by Western countries. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kulebaafter the missile attack, immediately points the finger towards the west: “Three days ago in the Middle East we saw what reliable protection of human lives from missiles consists of – said Kuleba, echoing what the Ukrainian president also said yesterday Volodymyr Zelensky – Ukraine’s partners have the necessary means to help us save Ukrainian lives with the same level of efficiency“. “These innocent people would not have been killed or injured if Ukraine had sufficient air defense capabilities“, said Kuleba. The minister then thanked Germany for having decided on 13 April to send Ukraine another Patriot systemurging “other partners to follow suit during meetings with G7 allies in Italy this week“.
Full support to Kiev from the NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, while more than a few ally niche on the point. Ukraine “needs more” military aid. “That’s why if allies are faced with the choice between meeting NATO capability goals and providing more aid to Ukraine, my message is clear: send more to Ukraine“. Stoltenberg reiterated this today in Brussels while receiving the prime ministers of Denmark, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. “Denmark – he added- is a very good example, he supplied all his artillery to the Ukrainians, But he also has clear plans to replenish the national stockpile. At our meeting today we agreed that NATO should have a greater role in coordinating security assistance and training for Ukraine. We also agree that Ukraine needs long-term, predictable financial support. And we will continue to work on this urgently“.
After Chernihiv Zelensky points the finger at the “allies”
The lack of further support from Western partners is leaving Kiev increasingly at the mercy of these types of attacks from the Kremlin. The Ukrainian president is currently begging Western countries to provide more air defense equipment, including a greater number of surface-to-air missiles. Zelensky, in an interview with PBSsaid earlier this week that Ukraine recently ran out of air defense missiles while defending itself from a major attack with missiles and dronespart of a new Russian campaign that is targeting energy infrastructure. As Minister Kuleba also reiterated, Kiev needs at least others 7 Patriot batteries to protect the cities and economic centers of Ukraine from destruction. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are entrenching themselves in anticipation of a major Russian offensive that could arrive as early as next month. Kiev meanwhile is opting for long-range drones and missile attacks behind Russian lines, designed to disrupt Moscow’s war machine.
The Russian “meat grinder”.
The BBC defined it as a “meat grinder strategy”. Meanwhile, the budget of Russian military casualties in Ukraine it would have now exceeded the threshold of 50,000. The British broadcaster confirms this, specifying that in the second year of the war, deaths on the front line increased by 25% compared to the previous year. In the report, the BBC Russian, the independent media group Mediazone and volunteers have counted deaths since February 2022 and taken into account new graves in cemeteries, as well as analyzing open-source information from official reports, newspapers and social media.
“According to our results, More than 27,300 Russian soldiers died in the second year of fighting, a testament to how territorial gains have come at an enormous human cost. The term meat grinder – continues the BBC – has been used to describe the way in which Moscow relentlessly sends waves of soldiers to try to weaken Ukrainian forces and expose their positions to Russian artillery.”. The overall death toll would be eight times higher than the only official public recognition than the number of victims ever given by Moscow in September 2022. The actual number of Russian deaths is likely to be much higher, therefore. The cross-analysis does not include the deaths of militants in Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
If these deaths were added, the death toll on the Russian side would be even higher.
Tags: Putin meat grinder strategy soldiers front
