Honestly, I don't know what to believe, but from what I've been told, a few takeaways from the last few days is as follows:
- Ukrainians are trying to retake the northern areas the Russians are abandoning.
- Russians struck oil fields near Kremenchuk.
- Russians continue to achieve some successes south east of Kharkov Kharkiv by taking the town of Izyum. Probably as a means to circumvent the Ukrainian troops that have dug in in the Donbass area. Would make sense since the Russians are also launching a multi pronged assault from the south east.
- Russian troops stationed in the north around Chernigov Chernihiv are being redeployed for the Donbass theatre.
- Ukrainians continue their counterattacks from Nikolayev Mikolayiv towards Χερσόνησος Kherson which the Russians continue to repel.
- The Ukrainians might use the Starstreak system not just as AA but as anti-tank weapons. Main point is that western weapons and intel are key to Ukraine's war effort.
- This entire thing was to encircle the city and divert Ukrainian troops from the Donbass. Because this part of the campaign wasn't thought through well enough, we're now seeing the Russian troops from there being recalled and redeployed. Cancelling the Kevin operation instead of embarrassing themselves any further is the right call.
- For the Russians it is absolutely critical to at the very least take everything east of the Dniepr river. Otherwise they might face a much stronger Ukraine if after it's been rebuild by the west. Basically if the Russians don't get their shit together and take the eastern bank of the Dniepr, they might have more or less the NATO equivalent of a Ukrainian Reichskommissarriat at their door if they fail.
- It could be that Russia's "Phase 2" is a war of attrition in combination with trying to outmaneuver the Ukrainians.
At the end, Russia can be reasonably predicted to have Donbass, an enlarged Crimea, and the Black Sea coast up to perhaps Odessa. Ukrainians may get to keep a bit of coastline in the far west, but access to it will depend on the Russian Navy allowing them to use it.
The real problem for Russia (and Ukraine) is how to make peace. Zelensky tried to deescalate the situation in the east by ordering a partial withdrawal in 2019, shortly after he was elected. He wanted to normalize relations with Russia and end the civil war. Azov openly told him to fuck off, other Ukrainian Nationalists threatened to kill him, and he gave up.
Anger, hatred and political extremism in Ukraine are a lot worse now, and the worst murderers in their prisons (including guys who were too extreme even for Azov) have been released and armed, so reaching a peace treaty without being assassinated seems nigh untenable. Their Western backers won't allow it either. Continued State Department funding will be contingent on them not coming to terms with Russia. That means a frozen conflict, like the situation in Cyprus if they're lucky. More like Korea if they're unlucky.
This isn't Bunkerchan. Grow a thicker skin.