Kadyrov's Chechen troops seize Popasna a day before Moscow's Victory Day parade

Chechen President Ramzam Kadyrov announced on his Telegram channel that his troops had taken the small town of Popasna in Luhansk. The information was confirmed hours later by the Ukrainian governor of the region, who reported the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the town. 

OSINT sources confirm that a Chechen advance party has taken up positions in the town of Popasna. This penetration of the Ukrainian line could allow the invasion forces to make a pocketing move and advance further north into the towns of Zoloteo in Sieverodonetsk. In the latter town, located on the front line, a number of artillery shells fell in the last hours of Sunday, leaving 2 dead and up to 7 wounded, according to Ukrainian defence sources. 

The new phase of the war in Ukraine, according to experts, will be slower and will rely much more on Russian artillery support. The Russian armed forces intend to advance more slowly and slowly, but with an artillery roller in advance to make the advance of mechanised infantry much easier.
 
According to Serhiy Gaidai, the Ukrainian governor of Luhanks, in statements made to state television, the Ukrainians have not completely withdrawn from the area around Popasna, but rather have taken up defensive positions prepared in advance of the Chechen takeover of the municipality. Serhiy Gaidai said on television that after the fighting in Popasna "everything was destroyed".

According to various OSINT sources, Kadyrov's Chechen fighters were accompanied by elements of the pro-Russian Donbas militia as well as operators of the Wagner private military company. 

This push on the entire eastern front from Izum to Donetsk comes one day before Victory Day in Moscow. 9 May is a very important and significant date for the Russian Armed Forces. It is the biggest military parade of the year, commemorating the Red Army's victory over the Nazis in 1945. The end of what Russians know as the "Great Patriotic War". 

The date is important to Putin, and any victory in Ukraine is laden with symbolism. After a failed first offensive in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has a facade to maintain at home. 

On 9 May, many eyes will be on this parade, which will be perhaps the most important in years in terms of its significance.