Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:51 Entry into a number of settlements in the Belgorod region will be restricted from March 20 “for security reasons,” and checkpoints will be installed, said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. He also said that 1,200 children would be sent on March 22 to Penza, Tambov and Kaluga from the “turbulent districts” of the Belgorod region.
22:26 There are power outages in Kursk after the attack on the city, said Governor Roman Starovoyt. He also urged residents “not to approach the wreckage of drones.”
21:53 Kosovo announced a second package of military assistance to Ukraine, which will include mortar shells. The first aid package with trucks, tactical and armored vehicles will be delivered next week, the country's Ministry of Defense said.
21:49 Polish President Andrzej Duda believes that Russia can soon restore its military potential enough to attack NATO countries as early as 2026-2027. In particular, he referred to the report of German experts and thus argued for the need for the Alliance countries to increase defense spending from 2% to 3% of GDP.
21:44 Russian public pages write about the shelling of the Belgorod and Kursk regions. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that air defense systems allegedly destroyed ten RM-70 Vampire MLRS shells and one Tochka-U missile over the Belgorod region.
21:42 For almost two years of work, the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine in the Ramstein format has attracted more than 88 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, said Pentagon head Lloyd Austin.
21:38 Umerov said in an interview with Radio Liberty that Ukraine will receive assistance from its partners in the next two weeks, which will “satisfy our troops.” According to him, during today's meeting Ramstein focused on artillery, air defense, and missiles. “We received this help and are leaving with the results. I hope that unloading will begin in the near future, within 15 days... Enough artillery will be provided for the first step, we also plan to increase production,” the minister said.
Umerov also assured that the Defense Forces are ready for a potential offensive by the Russians from the northern direction: “We have been fighting for the tenth year, we are preparing, we are building all the lines of defense - we also talked about this yesterday in Wiesbaden with our partners, in order to strengthen the engineering component, we will always give fight back and restrain the enemy."
Umerov clarified that the day before a meeting was held in Wiesbaden with the military leadership of key partner countries. The Ukrainian delegation presented a plan for 2024, voiced the critical needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and presented the latest achievements in the construction of fortifications.
Today, the Defense Department team held a separate meeting with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown. “We discussed Ukraine’s plan for 2024, the construction of fortifications, strengthening Ukrainian air defense, and the provision of electronic warfare equipment. Long-range weapons became a separate item,” said the Ukrainian minister.
As for today's meeting in the Ramstein format, its main topic was ammunition, Umerov said. Another important topic is UAVs, because “this is the first full-scale drone war.” The minister noted that several new countries have joined the drone coalition and made contributions, and the first results of this coalition will be the supply of drones to Ukraine in March. The possibility of investing in Ukrainian production of those UAVs that have already shown their effectiveness on the battlefield is also being discussed.
21:11 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke out against sending troops to Ukraine: “As for the proposal put forward by France regarding possible direct military intervention. Our position is not in favor of this hypothesis, since it is a harbinger of a dangerous escalation that should be avoided at all costs.”
20:50 Ukraine’s second recruiting center for the Armed Forces of Ukraine has opened in Zaporozhye, the Ministry of Defense reported.
20:47 The French Ministry of the Armed Forces called “disinformation and an irresponsible provocation” the statement by the Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation Sergei Naryshkin about the alleged presence of the French military in Ukraine and Paris’s readiness to send a contingent of 2,000 people there.
20:43 Luxembourg joined the artillery coalition led by France and Germany, and also announced the purchase of drones for Ukraine in cooperation with Belgium and the Netherlands, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported.
20:36 Canada is allocating $29 million to the Czech initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine. The country will also donate a large batch of night vision devices worth $5.5 million, the government announced. In addition, Canada has officially joined the drone coalition led by Latvia and the UK.
20:33 Belgium decided to send 50 of its military and two aircraft to Denmark to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16. They will stay there for eight weeks, Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said.
20:25 The new, already 20th meeting in the Ramstein format was held against the backdrop of continued problems with American assistance to Ukraine. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, opening the meeting, promised that the United States and the coalition would not allow Ukraine to be defeated in the war against Russian aggression. But in Europe there is more and more skepticism towards the Americans. Read more about the results of the meeting in the material Anniversary Ramstein.
19:42 The White House opposed the idea of providing additional assistance to Ukraine on credit. Biden administration spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said congressmen should approve additional aid to Ukraine rather than discuss a possible loan: “We see Ukraine losing ground on the battlefield due to the inaction of Congress over the past few months. Therefore, the only correct option is this give Ukraine what it needs: a package of additional financing."
19:03 The Pentagon has launched a website, the purpose of which is to give the public more information about how the American authorities control the allocation of military aid to Ukraine. A website called Ukraine Oversight allows you to report cases of corruption or irregularities in aid transfers to Ukraine.
18:27 Today it became known that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will meet with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris in early May. Western media later reported that Putin would likely visit him before Xi's trip to France. Read about what Beijing and Moscow are up to in the May negotiations.
17:51 Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation Sergei Naryshkin said that France is allegedly preparing a contingent to be sent to Ukraine, at the first stage it will amount to about 2,000 military personnel.
17:38 The European Union, as part of its commitment to supply Ukraine with a million artillery shells, will transfer about 500 thousand ammunition by the end of March, said European Commission Speaker Peter Stano.
17:35 Ukraine has begun negotiations with Estonia on concluding a bilateral security agreement, the Presidential Office reported.
17:16 Previously convicted Russian soldiers shot three civilians in the occupied village of Kokhany, Kherson region, the opposition Russian publication Astra reports, citing sources. The bodies of men with gunshot wounds to the head were found by neighbors in the hallway of one of the houses. Later, two servicemen from the Volgograd region were detained on suspicion of murder.
16:40 Last week, the Cabinet of Ministers made a decision on the National War Memorial Cemetery of Ukraine. They decided to build the complex on two plots of Gatny, Fastovsky district, Kyiv region. What is known about the project and who will be buried in this cemetery - in the material Like in the USA: a military cemetery will be built near Kiev.
16:33 The Russians dropped explosives from a drone onto a car at the entrance to the village of Osokorovka, Novovorontsovsk community, Kherson region, two people were injured, OVA reported.
16:07 Umerov stated at the Ramstein meeting about the need to “put an end to Russia’s air and artillery advantage.” According to the minister, the basic needs of Ukraine remain unchanged: ammunition, air defense, UAVs, electronic warfare systems.
15:54 Finland will allocate 30 million euros for the Czech initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense reported.
15:26 German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius clarified that the new aid package to Ukraine will include 10 thousand artillery ammunition from Bundeswehr stocks, 100 units of armored vehicles and 100 units of transport. In addition, the package includes 180 thousand artillery shells, which are part of the Czech initiative to purchase 800 thousand ammunition for Ukraine. Deliveries are planned to begin this summer, that is, in about 2-3 months. Previously, another 100 thousand 155 mm artillery shells were ordered from Germany; deliveries are planned to begin this year.
14:49 Borrell said that he would propose to the European Union to use 90% of the proceeds from Russian assets frozen in Europe to purchase weapons for Ukraine through the European Peace Fund.
14:15 German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at today's meeting in the Ramstein format announced a new package of military assistance to Ukraine worth 500 million euros. At the same time, he clarified that it will not contain Taurus missiles. According to the minister, more than 7 billion euros of aid to Ukraine have already been planned for this year.
13:57 Since the beginning of March, Russian troops have used 130 missiles of various types, more than 320 Shahed drones and almost 900 guided bombs against Ukraine, Zelensky said.
13:38 GUR helps volunteer formations operating on the territory of the Russian Federation, said intelligence representative Andrei Yusov: “If we are talking about the actions of the RDK and the Legion of Freedom of Russia, the Siberian Battalion, then this, in particular, is the responsibility of Ukraine... These people came to the aid of the Ukrainians "freed themselves from the Russian occupiers and are showing themselves courageously and heroically in many sectors of the front, directly participating in serious operations. Therefore, of course, Ukraine should help those Russians who are fighting the Putin regime."
12:56 Zelensky said that on the eve of the meeting of the European Council he had a telephone conversation with its President Charles Michel - they discussed further steps towards the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, further support and possible ways to increase the supply of artillery ammunition.
12:49 Putin will visit China in May, where he will meet with Xi Jinping, Reuters reports, citing sources. It is likely that their meeting will take place before the Chinese leader's trip to Europe.
12:24 Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said at the Ramstein meeting that the United States will not allow Ukraine to lose: “We know that the conditions in which the Ukrainian army is fighting are extremely difficult. Unfortunately, the civilian population is suffering from attacks by Russian drones. Therefore, today our "The message is clear enough. The United States will not allow Ukraine to lose. Our coalition will not allow this. And the entire free world will not allow this."
12:08 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported another large-scale cyberattack on facilities in the Russian Federation. This time, not only Russian state, but also private structures were under attack. In particular, Rostelecom resources were attacked; access was gained to the electronic document management system of the government of the Belgorod region and fake mailings were carried out to 12 thousand local officials; the server infrastructure of the hosting provider 1Gb.ru, etc. was captured and destroyed. Intelligence claims that the damage caused to the enemy could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
11:41 In Russia, Admiral Alexander Moiseev was officially introduced as the acting commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy. Earlier, the media wrote, citing sources, that the previous commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Nikolai Evmenov, was dismissed after Ukrainian attacks on Russian ships.
11:35 About 9,000 children will be taken from the Belgorod region to other regions, said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. According to him, 16 civilians were killed and 98 injured in the region as a result of shelling over the past week. This morning, two adults and a child were injured as a result of the shelling, Gladkov claims.
11:32 The situation on the left bank is tense, enemy losses during assaults reach 70%, said the speaker of the Southern Defense Forces Natalya Gumenyuk: “On the left bank the enemy is trying to knock out our units, but continues to save armored vehicles. Those assaults that the Defense Forces have carried out in the past day, again inflicted losses on the enemy up to 70% of the assault groups."
11:23 German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said before the Ramstein meeting that due to discussions about the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, Kiev’s basic defense needs could be ignored. According to him, a sufficient amount of artillery ammunition, longer-range rocket artillery and air defense are the truly pressing issues for today.
10:59 Czech President Peter Pavel said that Europe will soon begin to produce enough ammunition to meet the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He also recalled that the Czech Republic is now trying to find ammunition for Ukraine around the world.
10:37 Belgium is preparing a military aid package worth 412 million euros for Ukraine, writes Le Soir. The package will include 300 Lynx LMV armored vehicles, artillery ammunition and three Alkmaar-class minesweepers.
09:58 Belgorod public pages write that since the morning the city and the region have been under fire again, in some houses the windows were broken from the blast wave. Fires are being recorded in the suburbs, and burning cars and houses are reported. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that nine Vampire MLRS missiles were allegedly shot down in the Belgorod region.
09:19 Today the 20th meeting in the Ramstein format will take place in Germany. The meeting will be chaired personally by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin.
09:03 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of March 19:
- personnel - about 432,390 (+840) people,
- tanks - 6819 (+10),
- armored combat vehicles - 13,049 (+35),
- artillery systems - 10,698 (+30),
- MLRS - 1017 (+0),
- air defense systems - 721 (+1),
- aircraft - 347 (+0),
- helicopters - 325 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 8318 (+10),
- cruise missiles - 1922 (+0),
- ships/boats - 26 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 14,191 (+50),
- special equipment - 1735 (+4).
08:32 At night, the Russian army fired S-300 missiles at the private sector of the city of Selidovo, Donetsk region, wounding four people, the prosecutor’s office reported.
07:59 Over the past 24 hours, 61 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In particular, the enemy tried 25 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novopavlovsk direction - in the areas of Krasnogorovka, Georgievka, Novomikhailovka, Vodyanoye, Urozhaynoye of the Donetsk region. Nine more attacks were repelled in the Avdeevsky direction (in the Berdychi, Orlovka, Tonenky, Nevelsky districts of the Donetsk region) and the same number in the Orekhovsky direction (in the Staromayorsky districts of the Donetsk region and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region).
In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled three enemy attacks in the Sinkovka area of the Kharkov region; on Limansky - four attacks in the Ternov area of the Donetsk region; on Bakhmutsky - seven attacks in the areas of Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka, Andreevka of the Donetsk region; on Kherson - three attacks.
05:26 China is trying to convince Europe to allow Russia to sit at the table of the upcoming peace negotiations, possibly in Switzerland, otherwise Beijing will boycott such meetings, Politico writes, citing sources. According to them, this message was reinforced during the recent European tour of Chinese Special Envoy Li Hui. Then the Chinese Foreign Ministry officially stated that Li Hui promised to “support the timely convening of a peace conference with equal participation of all parties.”
Politico reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris in early May. He will probably also talk about Moscow’s participation in the negotiations there.
03:51 The EU has prepared legislation according to which Ukraine can begin receiving income from frozen Russian sovereign assets as early as July, Bloomberg writes, citing draft documents. The proposals, which require the support of all member countries of the bloc, would use a windfall tax to finance arms sales to Ukraine and the development of its defense industry. We are talking about an amount of approximately 3 billion euros per year.
00:18 The head of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed, believes that if additional assistance for Ukraine is approved, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will slowly push back the Russians by the end of the year. However, no radical breakthrough is expected. Reed also suggested that with additional help from the United States, the Ukrainian army will be able to go on the offensive in 2025.