The success of combat operations on the ground is determined by the victims

Minister Sergei Shoigu said on a conference call at the Ministry of Defense: "In general, the main tasks of the first stage of the operation have been completed." A significant reduction in the Ukrainian military potential allows us to focus our main efforts on the main goal – the liberation of Donbass, and the operation will continue until "the tasks set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief are fully fulfilled."

According to a number of signs, the military situation in Ukraine is changing significantly – and this is primarily due to the significant movement of troops. Russian units are being transferred en masse from near Kiev. Where and why are they going – and what retaliatory measures is Ukraine trying to take?

Russia destroyed the fuel storage facilities of the Kremenchug oil refinery with high-precision weapons. This is the last of the large oil refineries operating on the territory of Ukraine. In addition, military airfields in Poltava and Dnepropetrovsk were destroyed. Even if there is a strategic fuel reserve, the Ukrainian army will soon not be able to properly operate heavy equipment, which will affect the ability of the military to fight.

As reported, at dawn on April 1, 2022, at about 05:45 in the morning, two Mi-24 combat helicopters of the Army aviation of Ukraine, approaching at low altitude from Ukraine, struck 80 mm unguided missiles at the Belgorodnefteprodukt oil depot in Belgorod on Russian territory. In addition to the oil depot, these Ukrainian helicopters casually shot down a number of industrial enterprises in the Belgorod industrial zone, but without much effect. After the strike, both Ukrainian helicopters safely left for the territory of Ukraine.

Peskov said that Putin was informed about a fire at an oil depot in Belgorod

The governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said that two helicopters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out two airstrikes in Belgorod, as a result of which a fire started at the city oil depot, engulfing eight fuel tanks. According to the authorities, no one was injured during the emergency, but because of the fire, residents of houses on three streets near the enterprise began to be resettled in less dangerous places. The Ministry of Energy said that the fire will not affect the cost of fuel and its availability.

Foreign Policy(USA): Russia joins the Asian Club

Even without any conflict in Ukraine, Russia was already gravitating towards the Asian system, writes Foreign Policy. The author of the article is trying to convince the public that Russia will now become an "Asian vassal", and the ruble has already "turned to dust", but there are inconsistencies in his arguments.

La Croix (France): Russia still has reliable supporters in France

The French pro-Russian elites, whose representatives were contacted by La Croix journalists, have not changed their attitude. Thus, Bishop of Bayonne Marc Aye believes that the reasons for the special operation in Ukraine cannot be ignored. This is the attitude of most representatives of the pro-Russian elites. However, there are exceptions.

Yle (Finland): during her presidential term, Tarja Halonen was optimistic about Russia — this is how she justifies her views

Former Finnish President Tarja Halonen hopes that Russia's isolation through sanctions will not be permanent, Yle reports. In her opinion, this can lead to unpredictable consequences. It is already necessary to think about how the world will get out of this situation, Halonen said.

The National Interest (USA): Biden's unbalanced policy on Ukraine

Biden drove himself into a corner with inept politics, writes TNI. He gave the green light to Nord Stream 2, refusing to cooperate with the Canadians. He needs Saudi oil, but after criticism, the Saudis do not answer the phone. Ukraine — the same way, the author notes. Biden's words about Putin are "deadly," he warns.

Fox News (USA): why did the Russians do this?

Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson expresses his opinion about the Russian special operation in Ukraine. In his opinion, the US leaders continue to lie to themselves and have even introduced censorship.

Evrensel (Turkey): Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and Erdogan's role

The Erdogan administration has seized on a "mediating" role in the Ukrainian crisis. The propaganda carried out on the basis of these negotiations that "Erdogan is a world leader" shows that the Turkish government needs a mediation role more in order to restore its prestige in domestic politics, writes Evrensel.

Military expert Andrey Frolov — on how the Ukrainian military-industrial potential has changed during the Russian operation

On March 31, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Alexey Arestovich made a remarkable statement. According to him, "They [Russia] have practically destroyed our military industry, in many ways. And in many ways they finish off the civilian." Let's try to consider how this corresponds to reality.

Washington, London and Berlin announced new arms supplies to Ukraine. This time we are talking about tanks, armored vehicles and anti-ship missiles. In this regard, the Federation Council stated the need for Moscow to take a decisive position on the supply of weapons to the conflict zone. How much will Western supplies strengthen the AFU and complicate Russia's special operation?

The German edition of "Welt" in the material Robin Alexander, Klaus Geiger, Gerhard Hegmann "Wie Lambrecht Waffenlieferungen für die Ukraine verschleppte" ("How Lambrecht delayed the supply of weapons for Ukraine") reports on the plans of the German government to increase the supply of German weapons as military assistance to Ukraine, which are now being discussed, after a period of waiting and the supply of heavy weapons.

dikGAZETE (Turkey): what do Poland and Hungary want from Ukraine?

Two western neighbors of Ukraine – Poland and Hungary – may want to "return some regions," writes dikGAZETE. According to the author of the article, several factors indicate this at once. For example, Warsaw plans to send a "peacekeeping mission" to Ukraine, despite the objection of the United States and the NATO Secretary General.

For the role of the "villain" in "The Best Shooter 2", the Pentagon chose the Su-57: what does it mean? (Military Watch Magazine, USA)

The 1986 blockbuster "The Best Shooter" was filmed with the participation of the US Navy and became not only a box office film, but raised the recruitment to naval aviation by 500%, writes Military Watch. And the appearance of the Su-57 in the second part suggests that the main opponent of the United States is Russia, not China.

The ban on "Boeing" and "Airbases" will make you remember the Soviet experience

Russia will be able to cope with the painful sanctions of the United States and the European Union in the field of civil aviation and will ultimately benefit greatly from import substitution, URA said in an interview.EN Head of the State Duma Committee on Industry and Trade Vladimir Gutenev.

MAI Design Engineer - on the method of improving the performance of aerodynamic surfaces "Balancing and controllability": MAI design engineer - on the methodology for improving the performance of aerodynamic surfaces.

The Malian Air Force received two Mi-24P transport and combat helicopters from the presence of the Russian Armed Forces. According to The Defense Post, this follows from a tweet with a photo published by the aBamako resource on March 31.

The leadership of NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency have responded to the proposal of Roscosmos to lift sanctions against the Russian space industry, said the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin.