Russian Invasion Continues to Encounter Setbacks

The February 24th invasion of Ukraine by Russia has continued to encounter setbacks. The five-day invasion now has gone on for longer than a month, and as such there has been plenty of important updates and events that have happened since the last updates. From Ukrainian counter attacks, massacres, and Russian retreats, a lot has changed and with that change comes constant humiliation for Russia.

On April 4, 2022, Russian forces pulled back from Kyev amid stubborn Ukrainian resistance and fierce counter attacks. They retreated all the way to neighboring Belarus where they, according to the US Department of Defense, “are refitting in Belarus, a senior defense official speaking on background said today.” This is not only a big humiliation for Russia, but an important milestone in the battle for Ukraine. Kyiv was the main target of the Russian invasion. Here they hoped to capture the city, overthrow the government, and install a puppet regime, giving them full control of the region. However, at the very onset of the invasion, they started to encounter fierce resistance from brave and determined Ukrainian soldiers who soon grounded the advance to a halt. Now the Russians are in full retreat back across the border to the north. 

As the Ukrainian Army continued to capture towns and villages, the city of Bucha stood out. Here, as of April 12, 2022, 403 bodies of civilians have been found. All of them were massacred by the Russians as they retreated. This has sparked public outcry as more and more situations have been reported as the Russians leave a trail of death in their wake as they retreat. Many politicians have called Putin a war criminal and are vowing to bring him to justice, while Putin, Russia, and its allies are desperately trying to make it seem like they are innocent. They blame the Ukranians saying it’s staged and even going as far as to say that the British did it. However these claims lack evidence and are baseless. 

On April 13, 2022, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, was hit by anti-ship missiles, causing a catastrophic ammo explosion. The ship was marked as sunk. Casualty listings as of April 13 are unavailable. The Moskva was the head of Project 1164, a project known as Atlant. She carried 500+ crew which Russia claims were safely evacuated, however most speculate that that isn't true. This is a major morale booster for Ukraine and the West, while a major defeat for the Russians as the flagship of their fleet has been destroyed by an anti ship missile. The Russians claim it was an onboard fire but those claims have been thoroughly debunked.

As Russia continues its ground war, the toll of the war on Russia is rapidly spiking and increasing to the point where Russia could very well collapse from the inside. On top of that, Russia continues to make enemies out of Finland and Sweden as they try to apply to NATO. As the world watches Russia, they continue to make blunder after blunder, prompting people to say they are a “shell of the USSR.”