Ukraine War Update NEWS: Overnight & Other News
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"The spring offensive will deploy the second most powerful military formation on the planet...to crush the Russians"
Hello Team!
Jonathan provides his daily update on the Ukraine War news for April 25, 2023. There is a lot to cover in this packed update.
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🪦 DISCLAIMER FOR GENERAL STAFF LOSSES DATA
- These are real people with real lives and real families who love them. Don’t let the numbers sap your humanity.
- These numbers probably aren’t accurate but they’re the best we have and we don’t need them to be accurate to be indicative of patterns of activity.
- All losses are estimates. Losses cannot be counted with accuracy because of the conditions on the ground.
- Both sides would see it to be of their advantage to minimize their own losses maximize the other side’s losses.
- Neither side releases their losses but we have enough transparency from the Ukrainian side to have confidence in they are indicative.
- Personnel losses are hard to count. If a soldier gets injured, heals up, and returns to the front line only to get injured again, is that one loss or two? Also, how to deal with losses from PMC’s or soldiers fighting with RF from occupied territories?
- Equipment losses are hard to count. If an AA complex involves several parts and one part gets disabled, is that a loss, or a fraction of a loss? If a tank gets disabled, repaired, back into the fight, then disabled again, is that one lost tank or two?
- All recorded losses are vulnerable to multiple reporting. We have already seen numerous cases of multiple drones in the air reporting the same loss from different angles as multiple engagements.
- Losses are not always reported on the same day they occurred. It is frequent that drone losses are reported at least 24 hours after other terrestrial equipment losses. Certain losses may not be reported for days or weeks for military intelligence reasons.
Russian Losses
- Ukrainian General Staff reports 690 Russian personnel losses, 5 tanks, 12 APCs, 14 artillery systems, 2 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 24 drones, 31 vehicles/fuel tanks, 6 pieces of special equipment
- UK Defense Intelligence notes Russian average daily casualty rate has fallen by around 30% in April compared to heavy losses in Jan-Mar. Confirms general downward trend reported by Ukraine is likely accurate.
Overnight News
- Important railway junction in Ilovaisk attacked, a site of a 2014 massacre of Ukrainian troops
- Tokmak, a key target for upcoming Ukrainian counter-offensive, was also hit. Russians have heavily entrenched defenses around the city.
- Ukraine has developed the Hrim-2 missile with disputed range (280-500km). Two were fired at Crimea - one hitting Feodosia port, the other shot down near Kerch. This puts the Kerch bridge in range.
- Russians targeted Kupiansk city center with S-300 missiles, hitting a historical museum
- Five missile strikes from Belgorod hit industrial sites in Kharkiv in an ongoing Russian effort to cripple Ukraine's economy
Military Aid
- Infographic shows the scale of Ukrainian forces being readied for the spring counter-offensive, more powerful than the armies of major European nations. Could include 18+ combat brigades plus 9 National Guard brigades.
- Steady flow of Western equipment continues to arrive for training and deployment including tanks, IFVs, APCs, self-propelled artillery from numerous countries
- US has stopped buying Switchblade 300 kamikaze drones in favor of the larger Switchblade 600 with 50km range and Javelin-sized warhead
- EU head of diplomacy Josep Borrell says ammunition supplies to Ukraine are increasing and will ramp up further in coming days
Geopolitics
- 11th package of EU sanctions against Russia still under discussion, unlikely before late May
- G7 proposing a new sanctions approach banning everything by default with only specific exceptions. EU and Japan resisting the US plan as unworkable.
- Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov clashed with Western countries at UN Security Council, rejecting "sovereign equality of states". Ecuador's representative strongly rebuked Russia prompting Lavrov to walk out.
- US Air Force shifting refueling mission for Ukraine from Germany to Poland, increasing Poland's importance as a military hub
- Controversy as China's ambassador to France implied Crimea was part of Russia. Beijing later contradicted her statements.
Odds & Ends
US officials warn Russian forces could launch new offensive operations once weather improves in the spring. Jonathan is skeptical they have the capacity and capability to do so while also preparing to resist the anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive.
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Wrap Up
Jonathan thanks viewers for watching this longer than usual update packed with significant developments. He invites viewers to like, subscribe, share and support the channel if they are willing and able.
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