Both Ukrainian servicemen and fighters of nationalist battalions in all eastern and southeastern parts of the front are surrendering.
Thu 1:14 pm +01:00, 3 Mar 2022WAR IN UKRAINE DAY 7: STORM OF MARIUPOL, FIGHTING AROUND KIEV, BESIEGE OF KHARKIV (VIDEOS 18+)
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On March 2, the situation near Kharkiv remains difficult for both sides of the conflict. Russian units, having suffered losses in the previous days, do not seek to go deeper into the city. At the same time, Russian forces are carrying out targeted strikes on the military facilities and hideouts of the Ukrainian military in the city. On March 2, a missile strike destroyed the city’s territorial defense headquarters. Two missiles reportedly hit the facility, the building was destroyed.
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The encirclement of Kharkiv has not yet been carried out. The Russian army has fully occupied and controls the large settlement of Balakleya in the Kharkiv region.
In the afternoon of March 2, Arsen Avakov, the former minister of the Interior of Ukraine, who was behind the founding of the nationalist battalions, arrived in Kharkiv. At that time, some UAF units and nationalist battalions began to leave Kharkiv. Apparently, this was due to Avakov’s arrival and redeployment of these units in the direction of Kiev. The Ukrainian side realizes the futility of prolonged defense of the city.
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On the night of March 3, the Russian Defense Ministry’s special operations forces continued their activities in the city, aimed at identifying the main defense nodes and eliminating the UAF command staff.
On March 2, Kharkiv was actively fleeing the local population towards the west. The Ukrainian Armed Forces stopped preventing the evacuation of civilians.
The online activists in Kharkiv were blaming Russians for targeting the loval school No17:
Meanwhile, inside the school:
The city of Mariupol remains blockaded by the joint forces of Russia and the DPR. Fighting is going on the outskirts of the city. At the same time, the joint forces do not begin the major assault, but several clashes were recorded in the city’s outskirts.
On March 2, the mayor of Mariupol Vadim Boychenko confirmed the beginning of street fighting in the city. According to him, Mariupol is being stormed from the northern and northwestern directions.
No attempts of counter-offensive attacks by Ukrainian forces were reported.
Given the large number of Ukrainian armed forces and nationalistic fighters in the city, it will not be possible to take it quickly. The main place of concentration of Ukrainian nationalist forces is Ordzhonikidze district, the left bank of the Kalmius River.
However, the UAF have no forces in the region to deblockade the city. The roads leading to Mariupol are under control of the joint forces of Russia and the DPR. On March 2, the DPR units closed the ring around Mariupol and took control over the settlements of Primorskoye, Priazovskoye, Shevchenko and Berdyansk.
As previously stated by the representative of the DPR, there is still a chance to organize the evacuation of civilians. For example, the Consulate General of Greece in Mariupol is compiling lists of residents with their own vehicles, for whom a “green corridor” should be secured, so that they could go to Romania and further to Greece. The evacuation of women and children is also reportedly being worked out.
However, the nationalist battalions, which are hiding in large numbers in residential areas of the city, are in no hurry to let their ‘human shields’ go.
The Ministry of Defense of Russia reported that in Mariupol, militants of the Azov battalion mined the workshops of the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal. Nationalists are ready to blow up the plant with people in case of a breakthrough in the city. Also, the Russian representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia claimed the preparation of provocations with civilians in hostage, including women and children, were detected in the local schools.
At the same time, unlike in Kharkiv, the civilian territorial defense is inactive in Mariupol. The distribution of weapons is limited.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in the city is deteriorating. There is no food and medicine supply in the city, people are starting to starve. In many areas, power grids, water utilities and various civil infrastructure have been damaged. Despite the fact that the assault has not yet begun.
In the Kiev area, the Russian units continue their successful encirclement of the city. Throughout March 2, there was fighting in the northwestern part of Kiev near Irpen. To the southwest of Irpin, there were battles for control over the E40 Kiev-Zhytomyr highway.
To the southwest of Kyiv near Vasylkiv, the situation was unchanged. A humanitarian corridor was still opened. Russian troops encircling Kyiv from the southwest are spotted on the outskirts of Vasylkiv. Sporadic exchanges of fire occur. Both sides refrain from strikes against residential areas or the highway.
The residential area in Kiev:
The strike on the Kiev outskirsts:
In the direction from Chernihiv and Mena to Kiev, Russian troops are approximately 40 km from the eastern outskirts of Kiev. In the direction from Priluki to Kiev, they are within 15 km of the Ukrainian capital.
The UAF blew up a bridge in Baryshevka. This settlement is 10 km north of the E40 Kiev-Boryspil-Poltava-Kharkiv highway. It can be assumed that Russian troops are close to this highway and that they are preparing an operation to intercept it with further advance to Boryspil.
Inside Kiev, the situation remains extremely difficult. Gangs of looters continue to operate inside the city. No organized evacuation of the civilian population is taking place. At the same time, information has emerged that evacuations are being organized for the families of military and civilian officials.
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On March 2, Russian aviation and artillery did not strike Kyiv. Chechen Special Forces of the Russian Armed Forces were noted to be active in Kiev’s suburbs from the northern direction. Footage emerged of Russian servicemen with a Chechen accent assisting in the evacuation of local residents.
In the direction of Mykolaiv, Russian units attempted to encircle the city in order to blockade it and get a passage to Odessa. On March 2, the Russians failed to cut off the Nikolaev-Krivoy Rog highway. On the afternoon of March 2, the Russian airborne troops landed from helicopters on the outskirts of Mykolaiv, the success of the operation as well as the objectives of the action are unclear.
This is how marauders are punished in Ukraine:
The amphibious landing in Odessa on March 2 did not take place. Russian ships appeared on the horizon in the morning and after a brief demonstration withdrew. This action led to another round of panic in the city and among the UAF commanders. As a result, a merchant ship was fired upon in the raid of the port of Odessa. Panic coexisted with euphoria and street crime in the city. Air-raid alarms were sounded at night, as in previous days. At the same time, many restaurants and bars in the city continue to operate. There were no Russian air strikes against Odessa.
Despite the fact that the main forces of Russia and the DPR were previously sent to break through to Mariupol, which ended yesterday with a complete encirclement, on March 2, Russian troops continued to strengthen their positions, moving north.
The Russian army took control over the town of Kamenka-Dneprovskoye in the Zaporizhia region. The Russian military secured the main infrastructure facilities in the city. The city of Vasilevka, Zaporozhye region, also came under the control of Russian troops.
A missile was reportedly launched from Melitopol towards Zaporizhia.
On March 1, it was announced that the Zaporozhye NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, located in the city of Energodar, came under the control of the Russian Armed forces in order to avoid provocations from Kiev. However, local sources said that armed locals continue to block the road to the NPP and Russian soldiers have not yet managed to agree on joint control of the station.
In the Luhansk and southern Kharkiv oblasts of Ukraine, LPR forces continue their offensive north and northwest toward the junction with Russian units near Kharkiv. On March 2, the settlements of Svatovo, Starobelsk and Novoaidar were occupied. Deep coverage of the Severodonetsk-Lysychansk agglomeration, in fact the last major stronghold on this front lines, was underway.
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The Russian units of the Kharkiv military group occupied Balakleya and approached Izyum with further plans to advance toward Slavyansk.
After the loss of centralized command in the region, the UAF units retreated, abandoning their equipment.
On March 2-3, 2022, the most threatening situation for the UAF is developing in this theater of the military operation. Tens of thousands of UAF servicemen may be completely surrounded.
The DPR units are fighting positional battles to the West and Northwest of Donetsk. On March 2, an attack attempt by the UAF in the direction of Horlivka was unsuccessful. Both sides suffered significant losses. In this section of the front, DPR units act as an anvil, waiting for a hammer blow to the flanks of the largest UAF grouping in eastern Ukraine.
On the one hand, the seventh day of the conflict demonstrated a certain tiredness of the advancing Russian troops; on the other hand, the Russian command seems to have taken into account the mistakes of the past days and the Russian offensive became a full-scale army operation rather than a cavalry special operation on the enemy’s rear. The morale and technical condition of the most combat-ready units of the UAF is deteriorating. Both Ukrainian servicemen and fighters of nationalist battalions in all eastern and southeastern parts of the front are surrendering.
