The head of the Russian mercenary, Prigozhin, died in a plane crash, this is the official version of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. However, just two days ago, Russia** also ordered all mercenaries to be loyal to Russia, a measure taken by the Kremlin to "defend the Motherland". These mercenaries, including the well-known Wagner Group, are Russia's secret in Ukraine and elsewhere**.
Prigozhin's death allowed the Kremlin to purge these uncontrolled mercenaries. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu finally smiled, sacrificing Russia's most elite troops and also eliminating a potential threat. Without Wagner's support, the Russian offensive in Kupyansk reached a stalemate, with 100,000 troops losing to Ukrainian resistance.
Prigozhin's followers also understood that their rebellion had no result and only a dead end. If they still want to confront Moscow, they have to be prepared not to let people like Lukashenko mess with them.
U.S. intelligence believes that Prigozhin's plane was destroyed by a bomb, a common tactic used by the Russian authorities to stabilize the political situation. CNN and The Washington Post, among others, have shared the same view, denying Russia's claim that the plane was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile.
The cause of Prigozhin's death has not yet been determined. Some suspect that it was Shoigu's masterpiece, some suspect that Prigozhin's pilots retaliated, and others suspect that it was an assassination by Ukraine or the United States. However, the most suspicious person is still that person.
The Wagner Group is also in chaos right now. These experienced fighters have become the object of contention from all sides. The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freikorps in Ukraine are trying to persuade members of Wagner to surrender. Many members of Wagner have left Belarus, but their whereabouts are unknown. Do they want to retire, take revenge, or join other mercenary groups?I think that the Wagner Group has lost its former influence and will most likely disappear into the long river of history, whether in Russia, Belarus, or Africa.
Next, let's take a look at the news from the sky:
1. Greece ** has brought us good news, they will not only help the Ukrainian Air Force train F-16 fighters, but also provide some assistance with anti-aircraft missiles. They want to send some of their Russian-made "Daur" and "Wasp-AKM" short-range air defense systems to Ukraine. These systems, they don't use anymore, because they no longer buy parts from Russia.
According to open sources, the Greek army has 21 "Doyle" and 38 "Wasp-AKM", and these systems will be useful for the Ukrainian army.
2. However, there is also sad news that two training planes of the Ukrainian army collided in the air, resulting in the death of three pilots. The accident occurred on the 25th in Zhytomyr Oblast, in northern Ukraine, and the cause is currently being investigated.
This is a heavy blow to the Ukrainian Air Force. They were already not strong, and this time they lost three more pilots and two trainers. Even more sad is that one of the deceased was the famous fighter pilot Pirkichkov, codenamed "Juice". In the early days of the war, he had a fierce battle with Russian fighters in the skies over Kyiv and became famous. He also played an important role in pushing Western countries to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.
Zelensky expressed his condolences to these fallen pilots, saying that they were heroes of Ukrainian airspace and that they will always be remembered.
Pilot training is divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The primary flying propeller aircraft, the intermediate flying jet trainer aircraft, and the advanced flying aircraft flying actual combat aircraft, or the first two-seater trainer aircraft. The L-39 trainer plane that had the accident this time was used to train intermediate pilots.
Airplanes are dangerous to fly, with a variety of temperature and pressure changes, and people and machines to work in harsh environments, which can cause significant losses if you are not careful. On 31 January 2000, an Alaska Airlines passenger plane crashed, killing all 88 people. Of those, 35 are employees of the company. The reason for this accident turned out to be because a screw that controlled the horizontal tail was not lubricated, and the threads were smoothed, causing the pilot to be unable to control the plane, the plane lost control, crashed into the ground, and everyone died instantly.
This story teaches us that flying can't be sloppy. Now, many Ukrainian pilots and ground crews are being trained for the F-16, a long process, but not shortened, and they must fully master the skills to ensure that they can fight in the sky and come back safely.
Diplomatic news:
1. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of destroying another 130,000 tons of grain, which was supposed to be given to the people of Egypt and Romania.
He said Russia's attacks on Ukrainian grain, ships and ports are causing a global famine. Russia's actions have endangered not only Ukraine, but also many innocent people around the world.
2. White House adviser Jake Sullivan announced that the United States and Europe will freeze Russian assets in their countries until Russia agrees to compensate Ukraine for its losses and take responsibility for their destruction of Ukraine in the war.
According to public reports, the United States has frozen $330 billion in Russian assetsFrance** froze 22 billion euros in assets of the Central Bank of Russia and 15 billion euros in private accounts;The UK** froze nearly 21 billion euros;Germany** froze more than 5 billion euros;Italy** froze about 2 billion euros.
Finally, let's take a look at the situation on the battlefield:
1. The war has been going on for 550 days, and the Russian army has launched an offensive in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. There were 40 battles between the Ukrainian army and the Russian army.
In the Zaporizhzhia direction, the Ukrainian army continues to advance towards Novoprokopivka, Mala Tokmachka and Ochletuvati, all of which are close to Lobodine and are the areas recently liberated by the Ukrainian army. Yesterday, the Ukrainian army captured 17 Russian troops in the Tavria direction, which is the highest in recent times and shows the superiority of the Ukrainian army.
Experts from the Academy of American Affairs believe that the Ukrainian army is very close to victory, and as long as they advance another 7 to 10 kilometers, they can include the main supply line of the Russian army, that is, the "land bridge" connecting Russia mainland and Crimea, into the range of their rocket artillery. In this way, they can cut off the logistics of the Russian army ** and force the Russian army into a difficult situation.
The Ukrainian army is now moving in two key directions, trying to achieve this goal. Once successful, the Russian army will face a "domino" effect, and they will have to rely on the Crimean bridge to maintain the front line, but this will not be enough.
2. In terms of air strikes, drones continue to attack targets in Russia, but not civilians. A drone crashed into a residential building in Kursk, causing only minor damage:
The Russian army also launched airstrikes on Ukraine, but Ukrainian air defense systems shot down 4 Kh-101 cruise missiles in the early hours of this morning.
3. In terms of war crimes, yesterday the Russian army carried out attacks on nine regions of Ukraine, using artillery, aircraft, drones, mortars, and cruise missiles.
However, there is good news today as well. In the Kyiv region, more than 100 health facilities destroyed in Russian attacks have been rebuilt.
4. According to the report on the results released by the Ukrainian side today, the Russian army has lost 260,820 people, of which 550 are new today:
The Ukrainian army also destroyed tanks: 4,396, of which 6 are new today;Armored vehicles: 8,554 units, of which 15 are new today;Artillery: 5403, of which 24 are new today.
Finally, let's talk about Ukraine's scramble for the Black Sea.
I recently discovered that the Ukrainian Navy is systematically trying to control the Black Sea, at least the western part of the Black Sea. Although they do not have large surface ships, submarines or aircraft carriers, they use various methods to strike Russian targets in the Black Sea.
In April last year, the Ukrainian Navy sank the Russian cruiser "Moskva". Recently, they used unmanned boats at sea to damage a Russian landing ship and an oil tanker transporting military supplies. They also sent special forces, landed at Cape Tarhankut, and undermined the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system of the Russian army. They also sent to a Ukrainian army boat ** near an offshore drilling platform, which, although unsuccessful, showed their intentions.
If we look at these things together, we will see that the Ukrainian Navy is trying to regain control of the Black Sea, or at least the Black Sea from Odessa to the southwestern half of the Crimean peninsula. They have already achieved some results.
Due to the sinking of the "Moskva", the surface ships of the Russian Navy have rarely appeared in this area. Because of this, last year, Russian troops withdrew from the occupied Snake Island. Because their ships and air defense systems were hit or destroyed by the Ukrainian army, they could not survive on the island.
And after the landing ship and tanker were damaged, the surface ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet did not dare to approach the southern part of the Crimean peninsula anymore. They now mainly use the port of Novorossiysk.
Now the Black Sea Fleet has almost become a "bathtub fleet": their small frigates, which can only launch cruise missiles in the Sea of Azov, can attack the heart of Ukraine. However, if the Ukrainian Army can break through south of Zaporozhye and approach the Sea of Azov, then they will have to leave the Sea of Azov, otherwise they will be sunk by the Ukrainian army's "Neptune" or "Storm Shadow" anti-ship missiles.