[Korrespondent] 22:48 Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said that one of the main tasks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a belligerent is to destroy the enemy’s physical strength: “Unfortunately, losses are an inevitable consequence of war. There are no losses without losses. But enemy losses are many times greater. they have an advantage in the number of personnel and weapons.They had more losses in 2014-2015, but now that ratio has almost doubled in our favor.We have such days in the East when the ratio of those killed reaches 1 to 10. This, of course, not every day, and the average coefficient is lower, but nevertheless.
22:16 Zelensky said in an evening video message that "today there is something to thank for our fighters who are fighting in the Bakhmut direction - they are fighting steadfastly, effectively."
The President also commented on the decision to complete the lease of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate: “Today, a step has been taken to strengthen the spiritual independence of our state, to protect our society from the old and cynical Moscow manipulations of religion. Ukraine is the territory of the greatest religious freedom in our parts of Europe. That's how it has been since 1991. That's how it will always be."
21:44 Zelensky took part in the second Summit for Democracy, organized by the United States under the chairmanship of Biden. "What is the strategy of the free world in relation to totalitarian Russia, which is looking for how to produce more totalitarian accomplices in the world? Is there such a strategy? I will tell you what it should be. Evil must lose the war. If it loses now, it will know that will lose always and everywhere," the Ukrainian president said.
21:28 Croatia will probably soon be able to complete the transfer of 14 Mi-8 helicopters to Ukraine, Defense Minister Mario Banozic said at a joint briefing with Reznikov.
21:07 The inspectors found no signs of serious violations in the use of American aid by Ukraine, said USAID head Nicole Anjarella. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the United States has created a multi-layered system of control over American assistance to Ukraine and conducted outreach on how to report suspected violations, she said.
Anjarella noted that her office received 178 reports of possible violations related to Ukraine, but to date there are "no serious criminal findings related to the provision of assistance to Ukraine by the United States."
21:58 About 6,000 Wagner PMC mercenaries and up to 30,000 recruits, including prisoners, are fighting in Bakhmut, Mark Milli, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. "They are suffering huge losses in the Bakhmut area. The Ukrainians are causing these guys a lot of death and destruction," the general said.
He also expressed concern about the rapprochement between Russia and China: "I would not call it a real full union in the true sense of the word, but we see how they are moving closer, and this causes problems. And then if you add Iran ... I think these the three countries together will be problematic for many years."
20:34 Zelensky said that he had a "productive conversation" with Italian Prime Minister George Meloni: "We talked about our bilateral and international initiatives. The path to peace in Ukraine is the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of our state and the implementation of our peace formula."
20:29 The American side estimates Russia's losses in the war with Ukraine at more than 220,000 killed and wounded, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said.
19:46 Switzerland has joined the tenth package of EU anti-Russian sanctions since March 29.
19:23 The Budget Committee of the Bundestag approved funding for Ukraine in the amount of 12 billion euros until 2032, reports AFP. The funds are to be used for direct arms deliveries to Ukraine and for the replacement of Bundeswehr weapons whose stocks have been depleted by supplies to Ukraine.
For the current year, the committee has approved overspending in the amount of 3.24 billion euros, which are not yet included in the previous budget. For subsequent years until 2032, the committee approved a total of 8.82 billion euros. The Committee has approved the purchase of ten new Type 2000 self-propelled howitzers as replacements for systems that Germany has already donated to Ukraine. The decision provides for an option to purchase 18 more of these self-propelled howitzers.
19:09 Russian propaganda does not stop talking about the fact that Western sanctions allegedly only benefit the country. But the reality, as usual, is quite different. Even Putin has publicly acknowledged that sanctions could have a negative impact on the state of affairs in the country's economy. And the Wall Street Journal published an article with the headline "The Russian economy begins to collapse." Read more in the article How sanctions work .
18:54 The Russians continue to storm Bakhmut, they have a partial success, the General Staff said in the evening summary . However, the Defense Forces hold the city and repel numerous enemy attacks.
In the Armenian and Dzhankoy regions of Crimea, the Russians continue the construction of fortifications and trenches, actively attracting local residents to the work.
18:12 Crimean publics report an explosion in the village of Gvardeyskoye, near the Simferopol airport. The head of the local "administration" Igor Chichkin said that it was the work of air defense.
17:45 Russians are launching Shahed kamikaze drones in small groups from different directions, Yuri Ignat, speaker of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said. According to him, there were launches both from the territory of Belarus and from the northern regions of the Russian Federation - Bryansk or Kursk. Now they have begun to do it concentratedly from both directions in small batches, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already adapted. "We just need more air defense systems to cover the vast territory of Ukraine. In addition to them, modern Western fighters are desirable, which could fully cope with the situation," Ignat added.
17:27 In the Izyum district of the Kharkiv region, near the town of Barvenkovo, a car ran into an anti-tank mine - two people died on the spot, two more were injured, the State Emergency Service reported.
16:54 The Russians fired on the village of Podoli, Kupyansky district, Kharkiv region, three people were injured. One of the wounded is in serious condition, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said.
16:41 Danilov said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are armed with dozens of models and thousands of drones, including attack UAVs with a flight range of more than 3,000 km.
16:29 Specialists of Ukroboronprom repair about 90-95% of all armored vehicles directly in the areas of warfare, the concern said. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, field repair teams of Ukroboronprom enterprises have restored more than 3,000 vehicles, of which over 1,500 are heavy and the same number are lightly armored. Specialists repaired some equipment 5-6 times, and it is still working at the front.
16:24 The government is preparing to launch pilot projects for the comprehensive restoration of de-occupied territories and has already chosen one settlement each in Kiev, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv regions, in which large-scale restoration will begin on the principle of build back better (rebuild better than it was). We are talking about the restoration of not only housing, but also hospitals, schools, cultural facilities, etc. Everything will be restored taking into account safety requirements and modern practices, Shmyhal said.
The Prime Minister also noted that a compensation mechanism for damaged and destroyed property should be launched in the near future.
16:17 Zaluzhny said that he had a telephone conversation with the Supreme Commander of the NATO Allied Forces in Europe and the Commander of the US Armed Forces in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli: "We paid attention to important defense issues. We discussed the supply of weapons, equipment and ammunition."
16:15 Ukraine can inflict several counterattacks on Russian positions, for this the formation of counterattack corps is already being completed, Reznikov said in an interview with Gazeta Wyborcza. According to him, Ukraine's partners "quite consciously support the idea of a counter-offensive not only at the political but also at the military level." NATO army generals are aware of the plans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and believe that their implementation is real, Reznikov added.
The minister also noted that the Ukrainian military know the tactics of the Russians, and those, in turn, do not know what to expect from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They are afraid of a Ukrainian counteroffensive and are already preparing defense lines, in particular, they have already formed three rings of defense in Crimea, and are building fortifications on the southern beaches. "This means that they are dissipating their defense resources, their society sees that the "special operation" is not going according to plan. Their morale is falling, they are already accepting defeat," Reznikov summed up.
15:54 Reznikov said in an interview with the Polish newspaper Wyborcza that the Russian offensive is in full swing, but the enemy is quickly exhausting its capabilities due to the holding of Bakhmut by Ukrainian forces. According to his estimates, in the Bakhmut direction, the Russians lose an average of 500 people killed or wounded per day. "Hence the fundamental decision of our command: to hold Bakhmut, despite their own losses. Because its defense limits the capabilities of the Russians and gives us stability along the entire front line," the minister said.
Reznikov also said that Bakhmut himself and the hills that are next to him are a convenient territory for defense. "If we got out of it, it would mean the need to defend in another place where there is no such convenient form of terrain," he explained.
According to Reznikov, the Russian plan was to break through the front in the Bakhmut area and attack with full-scale forces of aviation, artillery and armored vehicles in order to occupy the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions. "For them, this is important from a political point of view. They wanted to show that at least one of the goals announced by Putin at the beginning of the invasion has been achieved. But this did not happen, and Bakhmut remains our fortress," the minister added.
15:27 IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, during his visit to the ZNPP, told Russian journalists that depleted uranium shells do not pose a radiological hazard. According to him, the issue of using weapons with depleted uranium has been studied at the IAEA for quite a long time.
15:16 Reznikov said in an interview with Estonian National Broadcasting (ERR) that Ukraine is planning a counteroffensive in several directions. Answering a question about when Leopard tanks could be seen on the front line, the minister said: "You will be able to see them in a counteroffensive by the decision of our General Staff. This is already planned in several directions. It depends on the most appropriate moment, on how they "They will decide. It also depends on the weather conditions. In the spring we have a very wet ground, you can only use caterpillar vehicles. I think we will see them in April-May."
Reznikov is also convinced that "this year we will see very positive changes for Ukraine, we will continue to liberate the temporarily occupied territories."
14:58 Rafael Grossi, during his visit to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant captured by the Russians, said that the IAEA is developing a new concept for protecting the station, discussing it with Moscow and Kiev. At the same time, he stressed that the agency would offer "realistic measures" to avoid a catastrophe at the ZNPP. Grossi added that he considers it possible to resolve the issue of the plant's safety.
14:22 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, together with partners from other countries, controls the possible deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus and monitors the situation inside Russia, military intelligence representative Andrei Chernyak told TSN: "We control the situation that is happening on the territory of Belarus, in particular, where Russian units. We control the situation inside Russia as well. This is a priority not only in the Ukrainian special services, but also in the world community. Total control. So far, we see an information campaign at the level of statements and words, nothing more."
According to intelligence estimates, statements about the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus are another blackmail of the Russians.
14:16 The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence is working on improving the mobilization procedure, Fyodor Venislavsky, member of the committee, representative of the president in parliament, told Ukrinform: "According to the results of a meeting of the defense committee, where all top-level leaders responsible for mobilization measures, found out why such wrong situations arise, for example, when a serviceman was immediately sent to the combat zone after being called up for service. We took control of these issues. This will definitely not happen again. The perpetrators will be held accountable."
According to the deputy, the committee is now developing legislative changes that will help resolve the issue of issuing subpoenas to internally displaced persons liable for military service who are forced to live outside their place of permanent registration.
13:50 Lavrov said that NATO "is actually fighting on the side of Kiev, there is nowhere to get deeper into the conflict."
13:21 Politico writes that former Trump-era US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is called another likely Republican presidential candidate, is due to arrive in Ukraine on April 3. The publication notes that with his visit he will try to demonstrate support for Ukraine and stand out against the background of Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who criticize military assistance to Ukraine.
13:05 Peskov said that it is impossible to achieve the goals of the "special operation" by political and diplomatic means in the case of Ukraine.
In turn, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev said that Russia "will certainly achieve all the goals of the special operation, achieve the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, ensure its territorial integrity and the security of the population."
12:44 IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi arrived at the Zaporozhye NPP, Energoatom reports. This is his second visit to the nuclear power plant captured by the Russians. This time, Grossi plans to see how the situation at the ZNPP has changed, communicate with the nuclear scientists who operate it, and also act as a guarantor of the rotation of members of the IAEA permanent mission, which has been working at the Zaporozhye NPP since September 2022.
12:23 Ukraine spends 130 billion hryvnias on the war every month, Finance Minister Sergei Marchenko said at a meeting with the European Business Association. He added that the state budget revenues amount to 80 billion hryvnia per month.
12:02 Spain is going to transfer the first six Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine immediately after Easter, writes El País, citing sources in the Spanish government. According to the publication, the tanks have already been repaired at the plant in Seville, and this week they are taking part in exercises at the Cerro Muriano training ground in Cordoba. In Europe, Easter this year is celebrated on April 9th.
11:56 In the Cherkasy region, the curfew has been reduced: from April 3, it will operate from 00:00 to 04:00, the head of the OVA, Igor Taburets, said.
11:19 British intelligence reports that the Armed Forces of Ukraine pushed Wagner PMC mercenaries away from one of Bakhmut's supply lines - road 0506. This secondary road connecting Chasov Yar and Khromovo has become a critical supply line for Ukrainian defenders. Previously, Wagner's forces were within a few hundred meters of her.
Analysts also point out that on March 26, Wagner announced that he had taken full control of the AZOM factory complex north of the center of Bakhmut, but this territory is probably still being fought over, as it has been for the past two weeks. And since Wagner confirmed that he released at least 5,000 fighters from among the prisoners who served their time, the lack of personnel is likely to hinder Russian offensive efforts in this sector, intelligence said.
10:46 Ukraine needs 20 Patriot batteries to defend against Russian missiles, and even that may not be enough, "since no country in the world has been attacked by so many ballistic missiles," Zelensky told the Associated Press. According to him, the Ukrainian military has been training in the United States since January on the use of Patriot systems, but they have not yet been deployed in Ukraine.
The President also said that one European country sent another air defense system to Ukraine, but it did not work, and they "had to change it again and again." However, he did not name the country.
10:42 Zelensky said in an interview with Associated Press that if Ukraine does not win the battle for Bakhmut, pressure will increase on Kiev to find unacceptable compromises with the Russian side: "If he [Putin] feels a little blood - feels that we are weak - he will put pressure , press, press. According to the president, if Bakhmut falls, Putin "will sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran." Zelensky stressed that in the event of a defeat in the battle for Bakhmut, Ukrainian society may feel tired and push for a compromise. But so far, he hasn't been under that kind of pressure.
10:38 The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that a meeting between Xi Jinping and Zelensky is not planned. "We maintain communication with the Ukrainian side, there is no information about a possible meeting," the message says.
10:14 In Belgorod on the evening of March 27, a drone hit the gas pumping station of Gazenergoset. According to preliminary data, it was a home-made aircraft, according to the Russian telegram channel Baza. The drone was allegedly launched from Volchansk, Kharkiv region, 6.5 km from the border with Russia. Fragments damaged an empty gas tank with a capacity of 30 thousand liters, as well as a gas pipeline. There were no casualties.
09:43 On the night of March 29, anti-aircraft missile troops destroyed a Russian Su-24M bomber near Bakhmut, the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
09:21 Zelensky said in an interview with Associated Press that he invited Xi Jinping to Ukraine: “We are ready to see him here. I want to talk to him. there were contacts.
08:54 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of March 29.
- personnel - about 172,340 (+610) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3609 (+7),
- armored combat vehicles - 6966 (+0),
- artillery systems - 2659 (+6),
- MLRS - 526 (+1),
- air defense systems - 277 (+0),
- aircraft - 306 (+1),
- helicopters - 291 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2239 (+4),
- cruise missiles - 911 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 5507 (+5),
- special equipment - 288 (+1).
08:21 The Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions. Belogorovka, Bakhmut, Avdeevka, Marinka and their environs remain at the epicenter of hostilities. Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repulsed 57 enemy attacks in the indicated directions, the General Staff said in the morning summary .
According to the General Staff, recently there has been a tendency for the Russians to refuse to obey the orders of their commanders. So, on March 23, for refusing to carry out a combat mission, about 70 people from the units of the “volunteer” formations Nevsky and Veterans were disarmed and delivered to Makeevka in the Donetsk region. A similar incident occurred on March 25 - the personnel of the enemy reconnaissance company operating in the Avdeevsky direction refused to comply with the order.
07:52 Explosions again in the occupied Melitopol - the mayor of the city, Ivan Fedorov, announced an explosion near the substation of the locomotive depot. Power went out in the northern and western parts of the city, as well as in Semenovka, Tambovets, and some other surrounding villages.
Russian media write, citing emergency services, that "Ukrainian militants" shelled a railway depot in Melitopol early in the morning - there is damage and destruction, people were not injured.
06:57 The UN Security Council will hold a meeting on Friday, March 31, to discuss Putin's intention to place nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. This agenda item is worded as a "threat to international peace and security."
05:26 Biden said he was concerned about Russia's plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, but added that "they haven't done it yet."
05:04 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the start of exercises of strategic missile troops with Yars complexes.
02:50 Ukraine most of all now needs air defense, long-range weapons and armored vehicles, and F16 "at this stage of the war" will not help Ukrainians, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said. At the same time, he expressed confidence that in the future Ukrainians will be able to get Western fighters. According to him, it could potentially be either the F16 or other fourth-generation aircraft. Austin added that if the decision on the fighters is made, "then it will take approximately 18 months to provide these capabilities."