Russia’s War in Ukraine Is Now Officially a Disaster for Putin

On day 19 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces are battering Ukrainian cities in an attempt to force the Ukrainian defenders into submission. But overall, the Russian advance across Ukraine has largely stalled.

Russian shelling of major urban centers remains unrelenting, and civilian casualties have been mounting. 

Russian Strikes Across Ukraine 

On Sunday, Russian aircraft launched eight air-to-ground ballistic missiles against a Ukrainian military camp in Western Ukraine, killing almost 40 military personnel and civilians and wounding over 130, according to Ukrainian officials. Before the war, the Ukrainian military facility, which is only 11 miles from Poland, was known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center and hosted U.S. and NATO troops that trained the Ukrainian military. 

The Russian advance across Ukraine has largely stalled. Over the weekend, there weren’t any major developments. The Ukrainian capital Kyiv continues to hold fast, and Ukrainian troops have even regained some territory in the suburbs around Irpin. Russian troops have failed to encircle Kyiv. 

“Russian naval forces have established a distant blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade. Russian naval forces are also continuing to conduct missile strikes against targets throughout Ukraine. Russia has already conducted one amphibious landing in the Sea of Azov and could look to conduct further such operations in the coming weeks,” the British Military Intelligence stated.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that as of Monday, Ukrainian forces have killed, wounded, or captured almost 13,000 Russian troops, destroyed 77 fighter, attack, and transport jets, 90 helicopters, 389 tanks, 150 artillery pieces, 1,249 armored personnel carriers, 64 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), two boats, 617 cars, 60 fuel tanks, 34 anti-aircraft batteries, and eight unmanned aerial systems. 

The accuracy of these numbers remains uncertain as official channels tend to overestimate enemy casualties for domestic psychological reasons. Nevertheless, independent reporting is showing large numbers of Russian losses, especially tanks, armored personnel carriers, and vehicles of all types. 

Mariupol, Ukraine: An Unfolding Tragedy 

In Mariupol in the south, the situation continues to be dire. 

With a population of more than 500,000 people, Mariupol is gearing up to be a humanitarian disaster. The city has been under siege for days, and the population is without power, water, and food. Attempts to create humanitarian corridors so civilians can evacuate the battlefield have failed, largely because of the constant Russian bombardment. Ukrainian officials claim that more than 2,100 civilians have been killed in Mariupol since the start of the war. 

On Sunday, the United Nations reported that almost 600 civilians have been killed and 1,067 wounded in the war thus far in Ukraine. Those figures include at least 85 dead children and more than 100 wounded. But the U.N. stated that these numbers are most likely misleading and that the actual death toll is higher.

1945’s New Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.