22-05-22 11:34:00,
For the Saker Blog by Saker Staff
This is a short sitrep just to bring the latest information together. First, Brian Berletic does a fine job of describing the battlefield for us, without drowning it in detail. He makes a lot of sense and touches on those ‘wonderful M777 howitzers’, which, if we believe the Wurlitzer Media, are making a decisive difference. Well, they are not.
A summary of Berletic’s update for Russian military operations in Ukraine for May 21, 2022:
- Ukrainian militants in the Azovstal steel works have unconditionally surrendered numbering between hundreds (current Red Cross count) to thousands according to Russian sources;
- Mariupol has been secured by Russia since mid to late-April – Ukraine finally admits however that its “combat operations” have fully ended;
- Russia continues to make progress in the Donbas region – Ukrainian forces are being encircled in Severodonestsk and Lysychansk – the salient around Papasnya is expanding both west and north as part of this major encirclement;
- Pentagon admits Russia still poses the majority of its combat power – possess a “numerical advantage” over Ukraine – and is making “slow, uneven” progress, but progress nonetheless;
- Kharkov “offensive” has either stalled or is in the process of being rolled back;
- US M777 howitzers have been found, tracked, targeted, and destroyed by Russian forces;
- Additional attempts to send heavy weapons will face similar technical, tactical, strategic, and manpower challenges;