The Russian army continues to be driven out of the territories it occupied north of Kharkiv. Important battles are taking place further south, in the Donbass.

The Russian army bombarded several cities, including Odessa, Sumy and Mykolaiv.

A major battle is brewing in the Izioum region. According to the Institute for Study of War, the city of Sievierodonetsk would be the next target of the Russian army.

The outcome of the war in Donbass and southern Ukraine is not yet sealed. Three observations appear with increasing clarity.

Findings

First, Russian troops have great difficulty taking cities, and the Ukrainian army excels in urban guerrilla warfare.

Then, the positions that the Russians have been fortifying for years in the occupied territories of Donbass will be difficult to reconquer, because the Ukrainian army does not, for the moment, have the required military capacity.

Finally, the newly conquered territories further south are easier to defend by the Russians, because they are plains.

Veto

Finland and Sweden have formally applied for NATO membership. However, Turkey warns that it will impose its veto as long as both countries support Turkey's pro-independence Kurds.

The Russian government justifies Finland's and Sweden's formal applications for membership to its people by saying that they are errors caused by the "low level" of the leaders of these two countries.

Vladimir Putin also said he saw no threat in these memberships.