The Russian Aerospace Forces moved their activity to the west of the Dnieper

As of March 21, 2022, the activity of Russian aviation west of the Dnieper has increased, which may indicate a significant degree of combat mission fulfilment in the eastern part of Ukraine. The activity of the Russian Aerospace Forces is mainly at night, implying the necessary qualifications of pilots and technical equipment.

In addition, unlike the first stage of a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine, Russian forces have switched to strikes against enemy manpower accumulations – which, apparently, was the result of the intractability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and autonomous detachments of Ukrainian nationalists.

According to the Ministry of Defence, a group of Russian Ka-52 and Mi-28N helicopters destroyed 8 tanks, 4 BMPs and 3 BTRs overnight. In total, the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed 44 Ukrainian military facilities overnight, including six Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems. Since the beginning of the operation, 216 drones, 1,506 tanks and 152 MLRS installations have been destroyed.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the destruction of multiple launch rocket systems in the settlements of Nalivaykovka and Zolochevo, which confirms the continuation of the tactics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to deploy military assets in urban developments.

Cruise missiles struck a training centre in the village of Novaya Lyubomirka (Rovno region), which led to the elimination of more than 80 foreign mercenaries and Ukrainian nationalists. An ammunition depot and the headquarters of a mechanised brigade in the area of Silets (Lvov region) were also destroyed.

On March 18 and 19, hypersonic “Kinzhal” missiles were successfully used in combat conditions, which has already caused a violent reaction from Western countries. In particular, Germany officially expressed its "concern".

On March 18, 2022, one of the underground missile and aviation ammunition depots of the 136th missile and ammunition supply center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed near the village of Delyatin, Ivano-Frankovsk region; on March 19, a large fuel and lubricants storage base of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (military unit A-3476) was destroyed near the settlement of Konstantinovka, Nikolaev region. According to known information, in both cases, the "Kinzhal" launches were made from the airspace of Crimea, which gives an idea of the length of the operational-tactical "hypersonic arm" of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The information previously announced by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation about the plans of Ukrainian nationalists to carry out a "chemical" provocation was confirmed – an ammonia leak occurred in the city of Sumy at the local enterprise "Sumykhimprom". According to the local Ukrainian administration, the affected area was about 2.5 kilometres. As of the present moment, a catastrophe has been averted.

The Defence Ministry once again stressed that the Russian forces did not plan to and do not strike any Ukrainian facilities for the storage or production of toxic substances.

"On the ground”, the main theatres of military operations did not present surprises, with the exception of the increasingly frequent surrender of Ukrainian military and security forces. In the Kiev suburb of Nikolaevka, a command post of the Ukrainian army was captured, 61 servicemen surrendered and more than half of them were senior officers.

On the Donetsk front, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation advanced another 4 kilometres and completely took Sladkoye, at the moment the defeat of the “Donbass" nationalist battalion is being completed. The allied forces of the DPR are completing the defeat of the 53rd mechanised brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, developing an offensive in the direction of Novomikhailovka.

In addition, Republican forces are fighting against the 25th brigade of the Ukrainian Airborne Forces, gradually taking control of Verkhnetoretskoye.

Fierce street fighting continues in Mariupol, based on known data, the chances of the complete destruction of the Ukrainian nationalist group are becoming much higher than their surrender.

In the agglomeration of Donetsk there are heavy battles near Maryinka and Avdeevka, artillery duels continue, as well as massive shelling by the Ukrainian side of peaceful settlements on the territory of the DPR.

The probability of the encirclement of the Ukrainian group entrenched in the suburb of Kharkov, Izyum, has increased, there is no comprehensive information about the course of hostilities in this area.

According to unconfirmed official data, Z units came close to the southern suburbs of Krivoy Rog in the Dnepropetrovsk region. The geography of this settlement will be a very serious task both for taking it under control and for defence.

The formation of Krivoy Rog along the iron ore deposits has led to the fact that the length of the city is 126 kilometres. Accordingly, reliable blocking of this settlement requires serious resources, and even greater capacities will be required to capture it.