Ukraine Situation Report: Russian Invasion Day: 299 Poem by Gert Strydom

1
In the north-eastern Ukrainian counter-offence
in the Luhansk oblast Ukraine is pushing deep,
to five key cities the attacks sweep
and in the chilly winter Russia is on defence.

That they are winning, in Russia is the pretence,
while Ukraine on the N-26 highway with its forces forward creep
from Dovrichna with incremental success fatalities heap
on the Russians, they gain at the Russian expense,

as the front to Seviersk runs down,
is also going from Kupiansk, Borova and Lyman,
to Svatove, Kremina, Rubishni, Severedonetsk and Lyschance
to literately each village, city and town
where Ukrainians are disciplined up to the last man
and their thunder-runs do not operate by mere chance.

2
The inter-connected highways go to Bahkmut all the way,
while along these supply-lines Ukraine is digging in.
At Dovrichna in a sliver Ukraine do the Russians slay,
to Bahadonitsky and Tasnarivka start to win,

along the R79-highway where all the paved roads
is of major importance as the ground starts to freeze.
This control over lines of supply bodes
Ukraine Russia out of cities and towns to squeeze,

where this is also primes to move equipment and troops,
while in the Karkiv Oblast east-west still 25 kilometres remain,
with Russian military in their different groups
and north to south 27 Kilometres still to gain.

3
South of Stopova-Novosalivka villages are liberated,
while to Arlinka to the border 6 Kilometres remain,
from Mikolaivka in 10 Kilometres Ukraine is been awaited,
as residents in villages see them victory attains.

In Kyselivka and Kotliarivka Russians are driven back,
the Kraken Special Forces have also Yahidne taken,
in Dobrova with incremental success Ukraine attack,
while Russians are slowly again been overtaken.

On the north-eastern front heavy fighting rage,
as the temperature starts to minus levels fall
and as best they can Ukrainians this war wage,
where with new recruits Russia can only stall

and soon tanks, howitzers and vehicles will move,
as again Ukraine will its metal in thunder-runs proof.

4
In the south in Bahkmut with the Russian offence
Russia proceeds from the Popasna rear-position,
Wagner, Chechen and reservist fatalities are immense,
as Ukrainians face great artillery attrition,

where the Ukrainians are fighting for their lives.
Around Solidar Wagner have some success,
amidst heavy artillery bombardments Ukrainians survive,
along the T-1302 highway try to aggress,

also south of Bahkmut at Komarivka just incremental
Russians move where successful Ukraine does the city hold,
with all their forces fighting coincidental,
as in the ruins great battles do unfold,

the wooded aria Russia tries somehow to take,
are not able to ascertain the enemy by mistake.

5
Mobics / reservists, the Chechens and Spetsnaz come,
Rosvgardiya and everything Russia has in store
and the fighting is bloody and gruesome,
as this territory look like Mariupol more and more

as Russia try Bahkmut along with Wagner to take,
are returning to a garbage-dump time after time,
where in that rubbish they do their own graves make,
are fighting in the chill in the grime,

where in the city ruins in two and a half blocks
from hidden positions Ukraine attacks,
at great Russian expense them backward knocks,
and blunt and off-target this Russian artillery attracts,

while in urban warfare Ukrainian infantry excel,
as they do the Russians by death expel.

6
A small counter-offensive in the city rages,
and back to the trash-pile the Russians go,
as if not able suburban war correctly to wage,
as of about this kind of fighting they do not know,

while even into this trash heap Ukraine do push
and beyond that into plots of farmland,
with a wooded aria open space and a bush,
that to Ukrainians comes in this fighting to hand,

where the heroism Bahkmut to hold astounds,
the willpower and support that into the city go,
from Krematorsk and Sloviansk on the rear ground,
where again Ukraine do about taking bridges out know,

to make it for Russians utterly difficult to progress,
as they act the Russian attacks to address.

7
Much further south in Chongar Ukraine
did a big convoy of military vehicles hit,
where this do not into the range of known weapons fit,
do now to attacks on the Crimea main supply-line attain,

and fatally moving vehicles were hit again and again
as Ukraine do to Russians in Dzankoi commit,
to strip away from Russians each benefit
as on Crimea it does now pressure maintain,

in that aria that do Ukraine to Crimea connect,
and over the restored Kerch Bridge Russians flee
where into their homeland they drive direct,
try to from idyllic Sevastopol far away to be,

as constantly Crimea is now in target range,
to drones and to a missile somewhat unknown and strange.


8
That not only three hundred thousand recruits,
Major-General Andrii Kovalchuk says
Russia will call-up in the early January days,
a million soldiers his numbers to computes.

Putin wants Lukashenko with him in cahoots,
according to intelligence that do secret meetings appraise,
Putin want the number to three million to raise,
try with Lukashenko to settle all disputes,

Putin, to some views extremely ill and ill at ease,
did go to Minsk in Belarus to threaten and beg for support:
for more modern weapons to wage war,
not only for modern military equipment as do him please,
but for soldiers with Shoigu and Lavrof, in escort,
where he wants from Belarus much more.

9
Putin after killing his foreign minister,
is trying to Lukashenko into a corner to put,
try from him Belarusian troops to muster,
where to win in any way is with Putin afoot.

Lukashenko tried from Putin him to distance,
as it became clear that in Ukraine Russia is at a loss,
has reached out to the West for assistance,
knowing full-well what this war is going to cost,

where the 15 previous meetings in Russia had been,
desperate Putin came to Minsk as Lukashenko by the flue
was not with Lavrof seen,
and how to avoid him Lukashenko had no clue,

where Lavrof, Shoigu and Putin do lean on him,
and to keep Belarus out of the war the prospects are dim.

10
Ukraine needs to win on the battle-field,
Russians should be made of the real facts aware,
as Putin and Shoigu do themselves from the war shield,
and Ukraine do for more devastation prepare,

with close to a 100000 Russians killed,
Patrushev, Prigozhin, Kadyrov and Zolotof want more,
as coffins are additional with 35000 Wagner and 5000 Rosgvardiya filled,
they do want to spread this Russian war,

where silent remain people that want Russia to thrive,
as in Soviet KGB-days in power the FSB stays
and those that oppose struggle to survive,
as these men go on with their very evil ways,

as Russia runs on domination, abuse and control
and Putin will another million in his army enrol.

11
During the nine days of holiday as January starts
Putin is set to grab people as they do drink and celebrate,
to send these men to death he has at heart,
even where some Russians do this call-up hate

and Russia with ballistic-missiles to arm,
with many more killer drones Iran sets out,
as Putin aims Ukrainians continuingly to harm,
are at winning at any cost about

and in this more weapons, more air-defence
Ukraine does really ultimately need,
as far as normal humans go the need is immense,
and I pray the world and the West to this to heed:

It's not right when Putin kills women, children and the elderly
when he and others wants despotism world-wide to be.

12
In Ukraine temperatures have dropped,
the rain has stopped and the ground is starting to get hard,
thirty more Russian drone attacks have some electricity stopped,
with some facilities down to the ground charred.

Putin is out to make the people in Ukraine suffer,
where they are willing to, rather than Russian to be,
where with whatever they can they do hardships buffer;
Ukrainians do not want to live under Putin's tyranny.

Incredibly effective counter-offences in this winter is needed,
that Bahkmut become as Stalingrad to Germans had been.
Where Ukraine has all the Western wishes heeded,
they are with taking back Crimea akin,

to stop Russia in this terrible winter in Ukraine,
while in resistance to Russia they do solid remain.


{Poet's notes:
The missile that do hit could be Brimstone-2 that has just been from Britain received by Ukraine.
All Russian fatalities are already past 140000.]
© Gert Strydom