Some Points.

Larry Johnson pointed me to a good solid professional, former US Army, Jacob Dreizin, who surely understands the issue. I give you some taste of Jacob's sitreps here: 

It will be difficult for the Ukraine to use regular motorized forces on the offense in this area, as they would be traversing flat, open country, and would be hugely susceptible to air and rocket strikes, especially as Russia has largely finished off the Ukraine’s high-altitude air defenses east of the Dniepr in the last week.  However, in place, they could conceivably blunt a Russian effort to deepen the Donbass blockade substantially westwards in line with the Little Saturn (1942-1943) playbook. 

I like, in fact--love, references to Little Saturn, and if we begin to draw parallels to WW II (some of them are correct), and you know how squeamish I am drawing those parallels, recall what Zhukov did in Winter of 1945 in Pomerania and WHY he did it, instead of going for the jugular of Berlin. That explains a lot in terms of Russian view of this operation and blocking and liberating Mariupol the way it was done. 

Right now Kadyrov guys started storming of the Azov Steel plant and US media go bananas making all kinds of shit up with new BS of the week that Putin suffers from cancer. As I say all the time--they are single cell creatures in US media. And now another living fraud, Nikita Khrushchev's seed, Nina, spews her ignorance around (she has degree in Russian language and comparative literature, face-palm) and now predicts Russia's "dark fate":

Whatever happens in Ukraine and in the rest of the world, Russia’s fate is sealed: A future as dark as its darkest past

Generally speaking, this woman just confirmed what I state all the time: US loves all kinds of ignoramuses and people with agenda to "consult".  I am sure Khrushchev's granddaughter knows it all(/s). 

In related news, it is down right stupefying to observe the whole industrial-economic drama unfolding in Germany. Holy smokes. As Bernhard points out:

Europe Must Learn To Cheat On Its Sanctions (Just Like The U.S. Is Doing It)

Russia, of course, gave EU a face saving (cosmetic really) "exit" of sorts when stated, OK, you may open Ruble accounts in Gazprom Bank. You transfer Euros there for gas, but until euros are converted to Rubles, you don't have the gas. Simple as that. EU is hysterical, because they know what is coming. And now Germany begins to remove metals from Russia from sanctions, LOL. It is a complete mad-house in the combined West. So, here is your primer for weekend. In conclusion:

Here is Konashenkov's briefing and Iskandering of the staff of VSU near Kharkov, many foreign nationals there among reported 100 KIAs.