Ukraine: Carries out devastating strikes on Russian Airbase.

(Crimea) Over a period of 2 consecutive nights Ukraine struck the Russian military airbase at Belbek  which is situated around 5 miles north of Sevastopol formerly known as Sevastopol International Airport Belbek when under Ukrainian control, since Russia annexed the area in 2014, it has only been used as a military airbase, which Moscow has used to great effect in its war against the Ukraine.

On the nights of the 14th and 15th of May the Russians claimed that they had stopped and prevented attacks on the Airbase stating they had shot down 10 recently supplied US MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System missiles (ATACMs) and then daylight broke allowing satellite photos of the airbase to reveal that something did get through and that quite a bit of damage was caused:

Resulting in the loss of:

1x S400 Missile system

2x Mig 31 (Used by Russia to launch cruise missiles into Ukraine)

1x Mig 29

1x Su 27

1x fuel compound 

There is claims that more aircraft were damaged, but that the Russians removed them from sight so as keep the full details to themselves.

Maxar pictures show Russia’s destroyed MiG-31, MiG-29, Su-27, as well as a depot at Belbek airbase in Russia-occupied Crimea. This will significantly reduce Russia’s air raids capacities. Imagine what these ATACMS could do with Belgorod airfields from where Russia bombs Kharkiv. pic.twitter.com/PmJpkMYvdZ

— Sergej Sumlenny, LL.M (@sumlenny) May 17, 2024

Interlude: John Williams : "Imperial March"

Ukraine: Russia opens up new front above Kharkiv.

(Kharkiv)  On Friday the 10th May (The day after the Russian 9th of May celebration and where Putin gave a speech about fighting the Nazis) Moscow open up a new front against Ukraine by crossing the border into the northern part of the Kharkiv Oblast with 35000 troops.

After 4 days of fighting, not much is known but it appears that Russia has advanced around 5 miles into Ukraine, which to be fair isnt that good going for a country which outnumbers the other feller in everything bar the will to fight. In fact whilst the western media is pushing the narrative that the Russians just walked in, it hasn't been exactly easy going for the Russians and they have suffered heavily, but that said it isn't the first time that Moscow has turned a blind eye to causalities suffered

At this moment in time, nobody knows what Putin is after, some say he wants a buffer zone to prevent  Kyiv from striking inside Russia, but when we see UAVs striking targets 700 miles into Russia, that plan of action comes across as moot. Maybe he wants to divert Ukrainian forces from the Donbas in which to take some pressure off his forces there, or maybe, just maybe he wants to take Kharkiv, believing that will place pressure on Zelenskyy to step down, affording the new President the freedom to sue for peace on Russian terms.. Only time will tell