“Russia hopes to address issues that have previously limited its invasion by geographically concentrating combat power, shortening supply lines and simplifying command and control,” said a British military intelligence report released early Saturday. “It was forced to merge and redeploy exhausted and disparate units from the failed advances in northeastern Ukraine. “Many of these units are likely to suffer from poor morale.” About two weeks ago, the long-awaited large-scale military operation in Donbass and the second phase of Moscow’s withdrawal from areas north of Kiev in early April, which revealed the brutality of mass graves with hundreds of civilian bodies buried in residential areas, about two weeks ago. The war began, with Russian forces carrying out one of the largest barrage of missile strikes since the beginning of the invasion. According to the Russian Interfax news agency, Moscow’s artillery units hit 389 Ukrainian targets overnight, including 35 checkpoints, 15 weapons and ammunition depots, and several areas where Ukrainian troops and equipment were concentrated. The statement added that Russian missiles also hit four ammunition and fuel depots. The report has not yet been independently verified. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST However, while acknowledging its own heavy losses from Russian attacks in the east, Kyiv claimed to have inflicted “colossal” Russian losses during Moscow’s attempt to fully occupy the eastern Donbass region. “We have serious losses, but the losses of the Russians are much, much greater … They have colossal losses,” said Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych. The English-language newspaper Kyiv Independent uploaded to Twitter a graph showing an account of Russia’s military losses caused by the Ukrainian armed forces, using data from the Ukrainian army. As of April 30, 23,200 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion began. The losses included the destruction of 190 Russian planes, more than 1,000 tanks, eight warships, about 1,700 small vehicles, nearly 2,500 armored personnel carriers and 436 artillery pieces. Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, was hit by more deadly bombings on Saturday, with Ukrainian forces making some gains in the surrounding area. Although Ukraine has retained control of Kharkiv, the city has been repeatedly hit by Moscow forces and continues to face daily attacks. One person was killed and five were injured in artillery and mortar attacks, the Kharkiv regional military administration said in a Telegram report. “The situation in the Kharkiv region is dire. “But our army, our intelligence, is a significant tactical success,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his latest televised speech. Ukrainian forces say they have recaptured the village of Ruska Lozova, near Kharkov, which had been occupied by Russian troops for two months, and evacuated hundreds of civilians. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby was taken aback on Friday as he described the devastation in Ukraine and denounced Putin’s “misery.” Pentagon spokesman fights with tears over Putin’s “impoverished” invasion of Ukraine – video Ukrainian prosecutors say they have identified more than 8,000 war crimes committed by Russian troops and are investigating 10 Russian soldiers for suspected atrocities in Bukha near Kyiv. It has been a month since the Ukrainian army ousted Russian forces from the Kiev region, but local police and volunteers are still finding new graves. More than 1,000 bodies have been recovered there, according to Ukrainian prosecutors, who said many more people were killed by bombs, making their remains difficult to find. Moscow confirmed on Friday that it had carried out an air raid on Kyiv during a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Zelensky called for a stronger global response after the coup, saying “a deliberate and brutal humiliation of the United Nations by Russia has gone unanswered.” Guterres has also toured Bucha and other suburbs of Kiev where Moscow is said to have committed war crimes. Guterres wrote on Twitter on Friday: “I am moved by the resilience and bravery of the Ukrainian people. My message to them is simple: We will not give up. “ He added: “The UN will redouble its efforts to save lives and reduce human suffering. “In this war, as in all wars, the people always pay the highest price.” Reuters, Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press contributed to this report
