The latest: Putin’s forces appear to be shifting their focus from the Ukrainian capital to the south and east of the country, with the Russian military hitting an oil refinery and fuel storage facility in the port city of Odessa on Sunday morning.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a televised speech late Saturday that he knew Russian forces had “reserves to increase pressure on the east”, but that Ukraine was “strengthening our defenses” in the region and in Donbass in particular.
Status of the game: Zelensky said Russian forces had bombed in and around Kyiv and Chernihiv as they withdrew, but Ukrainian forces had recaptured the area. Meanwhile, the UK Department of Defense said in a briefing late Saturday that there had been a “concentration of air activity” in southeastern Ukraine last week, “most likely as a result of a resurgence of Russian military operations in the area.”
The Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday morning that the Russian navy was maintaining a “remote blockade” of the Black Sea and Azov Seas, preventing Ukraine from gaining access to water supplies.
What to watch: “Despite continued Russian efforts to reduce Ukraine’s air defense capability, Ukraine continues to be a significant challenge to Russian air and missile operations. As a result, Russian aircraft remain vulnerable to short-range air defense systems.” said the Ministry of Defense.
“Russia’s inability to find and destroy air defense systems has severely hampered their efforts to gain broad air control, which in turn has significantly affected their ability to support the advance of their ground forces on various fronts.” the report adds.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with comments from the Odessa Regional Military Administration official and the UK Department of Defense’s information update on Sunday.
