Ukraine Conflict: Day 50

The missile cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, has sunk during a storm after being hit by two Ukrainian anti-ship missiles on April 13th. The vessel was reported to be in critical condition and on fire after the missile strike; at the time of the sinking, it was being towed to Sevastopol, the crew having been allegedly evacuated.

The Ukrainian military claims to have destroyed several Russian units near Kherson. An Orlan-10 drone was also downed by Ukrainian marines in the area, while a recent prisoner swap was conducted here.

Another Orlan-10 drone was shot down over Odessa, while several criminal gang members were detained by the Ukrainian Security Services here for ‘cooperating with the Russian Federation’ in the event of a Russian capture of the city.

Meanwhile, the claimed downing of 2 Russian fighter jets on Day 49 appears to be verified by footage of a wrecked Su-34 and Su-24 near Izyum.

False Flag Attack in Klimovo?

According to the Russian health ministry, 8 civilians have been injured due to Ukrainian shelling of Russian towns in the Bryansk region of Russia. Fires have also been seen here. Russia also claims that 6 helicopter airstrikes were made by Ukraine in this region.

Ukraine claims that these attacks are ‘false flag’ operations, intended to discredit Ukraine and justify an escalation of Russian military activity in the north of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the outskirts of Horodnya, 40 miles southwest of Klimovo in Chernihiv oblast, appear to have been shelled by Russia.

Kiev

Russia claims to have hit a repair facility in Kiev with Kalibr missiles, where air defence and anti-ship missiles were allegedly being repaired.

Kharkiv

Two missile defence launches were recorded over Belgorod, while Russian shelling and helicopter activity was reported northwest of the Kharkiv front, signalling a possible extension of the front lines to Velyka Pysarivka in this region.

War Damage

An infographic by Ukrainian state media appears to show significant devastation in regions of the country as a result of the Russian invasion. A tractor drive was also killed driving over an anti-tank landmine in Nova Basan, Chernihiv oblast; whether it was a Ukrainian or Russian mine has not been ascertained.

Other

US B-52 strategic bombers continue to patrol the skies over Romania and Poland, bordering Ukraine.

General Alexandr Dvornikov has recently (10th April) been appointed chief of Russian military operations in Ukraine. According to Western media, Dvornikov has a ‘brutal’ reputation, having commanded in Chechnya and Syria. He has been dubbed the ‘Butcher of Syria’ by the objective and unbiased Western media for using ‘scorched earth’ tactics in the region. NBC describes him as a ‘goon’ who ‘flatten(ed) cities like Aleppo in Syria’ and used ‘tools of terrorism throughout that period, including working with the Syrian forces’. Whether General Dvornikov lives down to his foreign reputation remains to be seen.