Ukraine Day 7: Russia Changes Tactics, Off Come the Gloves (great videos)

The change in the tactics is attributed to the experience of the first five days of the conflict and the fact that combat generals and senior officers with extensive experience of combat operations in various regions were brought in to command.

The Ukrainian authorities refuse to provide evacuation assistance to their population. Residents in Kyiv are being given up to the mercy of fate. The railway station is jammed. Police and law enforcement forces are absent. Looting and chaos are on the rise.

Russian units are in no hurry to enter the capital. They are expanding the zones of control around it. Russian troops are now close to Brovary, where they have gained a foothold.

On March 1, Russian forces entrenched on the outskirts of Kharkiv, amid heavy missile and bombing strikes against key military infrastructure facilities. There is intermittent exchange of fire in the outskirts. The city administration rejected negotiations on the opening of a humanitarian corridor. Units of nationalist battalions shoot at cars of civilians that try to leave the city.

DPR and Russian units completely surrounded Mariupol. Almost all of the neighboring settlements are under the control of “Eurasian Coalition” forces. The humanitarian corridors will be open until the end of March 2. After that, the final mopping up of the city is likely planned.

Fighting is going on in Volnovakha, the key stronghold of Kiev in Donbas. Ukrainian units are trying to provide cover for the withdrawal of their main forces from the region.

The DPR military officially confirmed that the headquarters of the Ukrainian Task Force “North” was completely destroyed. Almost all the officers were killed. The headquarters of the “East” task force was also destroyed.

LPR forces also enjoyed considerable success. As of March 2, Starobelsk and a number of nearby villages were liberated. Progress is being made towards Severodonetsk and Rubizhne. Svatovo has been blockaded. Russian troops reached Izyum and entrenched their attack positions.

Meanwhile, Russian forces are breaking through defenses near Vasilievka, the stronghold that covers Zaporizhia. Losses on all sides are reported.

These events came amid the complete takeover of the important regional center of Kherson. The administration is cooperating and doing its best to maintain a peaceful situation in the city with the help of the Russian Armed Forces. The disarmament of the members of the “territorial defense” began. The police, ambulance and emergency services are working as usual.

Russian forces are encircling Nikolaev city. As of March 2 morning, the city is already semi-enclosed. The Nikolayev – Krivoy Rog road is cut.

The war in Ukraine from 2014 to the present has already become the bloodiest conflict in Europe in the last 77 years, surpassing all of the Yugoslav wars combined. Over the past six days, according to sources inside the conflicting parties, at least 2 730 personnel on the Russian and LDPR side and 11 150 on the Ukrainian side, including deserters, have been killed or missing.