Russian Ops in Ukraine: Advances in Donbas, Ukraine Surrenders at Azovstal

May 18, 2022 Update for Russian military operations in Ukraine for May 17, 2022:

1. Russia continues to make slow and steady progress in Donbas, the primary area of Russia’s focus;
2. Additional Russian salients and encirclements take shape within the much largers Izyum, Lyman, Severodonetsk, Papasnya cauldron area;
3. Ukrainian “offensive” northeast of Kharkov appears to have been a costly photo-op and little more;
4. Ukrainian militants hiding in the Azovstal industrial complex begin to surrender dealing a mostly political blow to Ukraine;
5. Ukrainian militants had long since been out of the fight (since mid to late-April);
6. Pentagon claims most M777 howitzers are already on the front in Kharkov and Donbas;
7. US M777s have yet to make any discernible difference on the battlefield;
8. Pentagon admits Russia still has the majority of its combat power prepared against Ukraine available to it;

Report: The New Atlas
(YouTube channel)