NASA FIRMS satellite tv for pc imagery is designed to trace forest fires. Seems, it’s additionally nice at letting us know what’s taking place on a battlefield.
I added the larger, highlighted metropolis names for higher readability. Aside from one hearth northwest of Kyiv, that complete entrance is quiet. We all know that Ukrainian troops are mopping up after Russia’s withdrawal. That lone hearth could possibly be an remoted skirmish, or it could possibly be Ukrainians blowing up unexploded munitions and landmines. Chernihiv can also be quiet, together with Sumy. There’s motion south and southeast of Kharkiv, the place we all know Ukraine is on the counter-offensive. As we’ve mentioned in earlier updates (right here and right here), Ukraine is inside attain of slicing off a significant provide path to Russian forces making an attempt to encircle Ukraine’s defensive positions on the Donbas entrance.
Talking of Izyum, which Russia reportedly took immediately, it’s lifeless quiet. At all times so bizarre to see issues so calm after weeks of motion. The remainder of the Donbas entrance is on hearth, because it has been day by day of this struggle.
North of Kherson, we see fires on the roads as much as Kryvyi Rih, in that ill-fated and fairly silly try to achieve as much as it. We all know Ukraine is rolling again that entrance, and the fires recommend that Russia is definitely attempting to defend their captured territory. There’s additionally hearth in Kherson correct for the primary time shortly. The Pentagon has been hinting at partisan actions for days (“Russia isn’t absolutely in management”), although there hasn’t been any affirmation or proof of it anyplace I’ve discovered.
The largest shock? The street between the Russian cities of Melitopl, between Kherson and Mariupol, and Vasylivka, to its north, is instantly lit up.
Vasylivka is the sting of Russian-held territory within the space. simply south of Ukrainian held Zaporizhzhia. I’m not seeing something on Twitter or Telegram suggesting Ukrainian counter-offensive actions within the area, however these fires are all new, and the truth that they hug this freeway suggests ambushes or one thing bigger. We’ll positively regulate the area within the coming days. In the meantime, to the east of right here, Mariupol continues to hold on. Rubble makes nice defensive positions for city defenders. As long as they’ve meals and ammo saved, they could have the ability to maintain out indefinitely. There was hypothesis early on that town, making ready for struggle, had stashed away meals and ammo in underground tunnels, and will combat for some time—thus tying up the Chechen TikTok army indefinitely.
One factor we all know for certain, Season One in all this present is completed, with the Battle for Kyiv story arch neatly wrapped up. Season Two, Battle for the Donbas, is shaping as much as be even more durable than the primary.
