1 Institute for the Study of War & AEI’s Critical Threats Project 2022
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment
Mason Clark and Kateryna Stepanenko
April 8, 5:00pm ET
Ukrainian forces retain control of defensive positions in eastern and
southwestern Mariupol, despite Russian claims to have captured most of
the city. ISW was able to confirm the specific locations of ongoing Russian assaults on
April 8 for the first time in several days. Russian forces continue to attempt to regroup
and redeploy units withdrawn from northeastern Ukraine to support an offensive in
eastern Ukraine, but these units are unlikely to enable a Russian breakthrough and face
poor morale. Russian forces along the Izyum-Slovyansk axis did not make any territorial
gains in the last 24 hours. Ukrainian counterattacks toward Kherson continue to
threaten Russian positions around the city.
Key Takeaways
• Ukrainian forces continued to hold out against Russian assaults in
areas of southwestern and eastern Mariupol, notably in the port and
the Azovstal Metallurgy plant, respectively.
• Ukrainian forces continued to repel daily Russian assaults in Donetsk
and Luhansk Oblasts.
• A Russian Tochka-U missile struck a civilian evacuation point at the
Kramatorsk rail station in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 50 and
wounding around a hundred evacuees.
• Russian forces continued attacks south of Izyum toward Slovyansk and
Barvinkove but did not take any new territory.
• Ukrainian counterattacks have likely taken further territory west of
Kherson, threatening Russian control of the city.
