Malazan Empire: Werthead - Viewing Profile - Malazan Empire

Some Russian sources are saying that Tuapse (pop. 63,000) may have to be evacuated as the situation is becoming untenable. The entire town is getting hit by "oil rain" and some locals have already left under their own power.

Ukraine allegedly ceased running all target approvals by the United States some months ago.

Ukraine has failed to gain a licence to produce Patriots on Ukrainian soil, despite believing they can build at least 60 a month (the same as the USA), scaling up later in the war, and able to sell back to the United States and allies. As a result, Ukraine is switching to a native Patriot-style design which will by wholly home-built.

French analysis that Russia is currently shipping around 50% of its normal export capacity due to multiple oil terminals being offline, reducing its ability to capitalise on the Middle East crisis.

Russian casualties in the conflict have surpassed 1.32 million.

The €90 billion aid package for Ukraine has been provisionally approved after Hungary and Slovakia removed their objections. That could be finalised as soon as tomorrow.

Ukrainian personnel have arrived in Saudi Arabia to train Saudi and American military personnel on Sky Map, an anti-drone countermeasures system.

Ukrainian artillery regiments have deployed exoskeletons. This allows them to carry up up to a dozen howitzer shells (or a few artillery shells) at a time rather than just one. Not quite Starship Troopers, but the first-confirmed use of an exoskeleton in combat.

One key advantage that Ukraine has capitalised on is the intermediate drone range, previously dominated by the Russian Lancet. Anti-Lancet weapons and tactics have proliferated, and Ukraine has deployed Ram 2X and Hornet, and then iterated. A huge advantage is that Ukraine is working with partner countries to develop new drone types at a scale Russia cannot match, in facilities Russia cannot reach. The intermediate range (up to 100 miles) is now dominated by Ukrainian drones, meaning that Russian logistics is being degraded almost completely next to the front, forcing reinforcements and resupply units to inch towards the front under the cover of night (dubious), tree cover (until very recently, nonexistent) and drone nets (only quasi-effective).

Gerasimov has confirmed the full Russian capture of Luhansk Oblast, leaving people to ask, "again?"

Massive strike on the Tuapse oil terminal, they really did a number on that this time. It was ablaze for some time.

After some days of denial, Russian milbloggers are admitting that the Lyman front is close to cracking. Ukrainian forces have definitively penetrated significant distances into the Russian lines and reached Yampil, which is way in the rear. Ukrainian forces have pushed from Lyman itself to reach Highway 00528, threatening Russian logistics, and additional units have been reported close to Zarechne. It appears that Ukrainian units have also met Russian units engaged in offensive action head-on at Bohuslavka and just east of Staryi Karavan. Russian forces seem to be in disarray. Reaching Yampil has also cut the T-05-13 resupply route which is causing major problems.

The Azov Battalion has claimed that Ukraine has gained air and drone superiority over the central Donetsk front extending as far as Donetsk City itself. Russian tactical drone use seems to have dropped hugely in this area and Ukrainian aerial dominance is creating massive headaches for Russian resupply to their main offensive effort in the fortress belt area.

Ukraine reports that repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline are nearly complete and oil shipments to Hungary could resume within a week.

Moldova has blocked transit through its territory for multiple senior Russian commanders and Transnistrian collaborators. This effectively traps them in Transnistria as clearly Ukraine is not going to wave them through.

A private defence contractor shot down Shaheds over Kharkiv, apparently the first time a private defence company as destroyed Russian combat drone.

Sweden's King Gustaf has visited Ukraine. During the visit it was confirmed the Ukrainian pilots would start Gripen training soon.

Ukraine has destroyed a Rubikon UAV base near Mariupol.

Trump has finally acknowledged recent Ukrainian successes, stating that "Ukraine is moving forwards."

A Russian drone appears to have lost maneuvering capability and flown over 16km into Romanian territory. Romanian forces are trying to locate it.

Excellent end to the day. Interesting to see how fast they can now unlock the aid for Ukraine or if Slovakia will continue to mess around.

Moldova has completed its formal and withdrawal from the CIS, which has taken an immense amount of time. Interesting to see if other countries follow, the CIS no longer really fulfils much of a function.

Boris Johnson, to his credit, has spent 48 hours on the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and received a warm welcome from Ukrainian soldiers, who have not forgotten Johnson's early support during the initial invasion (or him randomly wandering around Kyiv for a meet-and-greet with civilians whilst the city was still regularly under air attack and he was the sitting UK PM).

The Orthodox Easter ceasefire is kind of in place, but seems mainly to have resulted in a drop of long-range drone and missile attacks. Close-range combat along the front is still taking place.

Ukraine has counter-attacked near Malievka, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and have advanced along the Vorona River and crossed back into Donetsk Oblast. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is very close to being fully 100% liberated.