Putin’s War: The Daily Ukraine Brief --- February 26th
Putin’s War: The Daily Ukraine Brief --- February 26th (24hr to 3pm)
1. Russian troops attempted several times over the day to take control of territory near Kherson city on the Northern bank of the Dnipro. This attempt was hampered by the fact that there is only one bridge crossing the Dnipro in the area, and it has been heavily targeted by both Ukrainian and Russian troops. The bridge is now dotted with wrecked armour, from both sides, that have attempted to cross the river. Several columns of Russian vehicles that made it across the bridge have also been destroyed, either by artillery fire or drone strikes.
2. Footage has emerged of Russian armour north of the Dnipro River near the city of Zaporizhzhia. These appear to be scattered units and likely either special forces or saboteurs rather than a concerted effort to control territory, however the full extent of their presence on the Northern bank of the Dnipro is unclear.
3. Russian forces heading North-East from Crimea appear to be posing the largest threat to Ukrainian positions at the current time, with several columns advancing quickly towards the city of Mariupol. If they reach Mariupol (they are currently around 70km out of the city) it would threaten the rear of the Ukrainian line around the Donbas and potentially force a large-scale retreat from fortified positions in the area.
4. After two days of assaulting Kharkiv, Ukraine's 2nd largest city, from the North, it appears that Russian units have made a more significant effort to encircle the city and attack from multiple directions. Destroyed Russian armour has been seen to the South-West of Kharkiv and it can be assumed that Russian forces now have a considerable presence around the city.
5. In the early morning a significant attempt was made by Russian forces to breach defensive lines in the capital of Kyiv. There were several gun-battles in the middle of the city between Russian special forces and saboteurs and Ukrainian forces and militias, however it does not appear that any of these attempts were successful. One mechanised column of infantry appeared to breach the initial defences of the city in the early morning, but was repelled, suffering losses. It is also reported that Ukrainian troops managed to retake positions near the Kyiv Hydroelectric Powerplant that were captured by Russian forces early in the morning.
6. Russian forces attempted a pre-dawn airborne assault on an airfield near the city of Vasykiv, just over 15km South-West of the outer suburbs of Kyiv. This assault was supported by aircraft, with significant fighting on the ground. Ukrainian and US official sources have reported that two troop transport IL-76 planes were shot down in the pre-dawn period. This would amount to a significant loss of specialised Russian troops; however, the shoot-downs cannot be verified as no footage is available. The assault failed not long after dawn, with Ukrainian troops retaking the position, although scattered Russian units were seen in the area for much of the day.
7. There were several incursions into Luhansk region today, both from Occupied territory in the Donbas, and from Russia. The town of Stanytsia Luhanska was captured by Russian and LNR forces after Ukrainian troops withdrew. This town is where a kindergarten was shelled by LNR/Russian forces on Feb 17th. There is likely significant Russian control in Eastern Luhansk region, however the exact extent of this control is unclear.
Nathan Ruser
