Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:13 The air force has shot down seven Russian military aircraft this week, and since the beginning of February, Russia has lost 15 aircraft, Zelensky said in an evening video message. At the same time, the president noted that since the beginning of this week alone, the Russians have already used almost 400 guided bombs, more than 50 Shahed attack drones and more than 40 missiles.
21:02 During the day, the Russians attacked the Nikopol district of the Dnepropetrovsk region with artillery and kamikaze drones, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak. One person was injured in the Pokrovskaya rural community. A total of 13 private houses were damaged. In the Krivoy Rog region, air defense forces destroyed an X-59 guided aircraft missile.
20:56 In Odessa, a search operation has been completed at the site of a Russian strike on a high-rise building: 12 people were killed, five of them were children from four months to nine years old, said Oleg Kiper, head of the OVA.
18:51 Discussions by German officers about the possible use of Taurus missiles in Ukraine do not mean a “green light” for their supplies, said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. According to him, during the officers’ conversation about a possible strike on the Crimean Bridge, “there was no talk about specific planning.”
The minister also called the publication of the recordings a “hybrid disinformation attack” from Russia. He added that an investigation into the leak is currently underway and the first results will be available early next week.
16:37 In Odessa, a woman injured as a result of a Russian drone attack on February 23 died, said Oleg Kiper, head of the OVA. Throughout her stay in the hospital, her condition remained extremely serious.
16:15 The Russians struck the center of the city of Kurakhovo, Donetsk region - at the moment, 16 people are known to be wounded, two of them are in serious condition, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin. At least 15 high-rise buildings were damaged. According to preliminary information, the Russians used a guided bomb.
15:43 Russia and Ukraine have reached the maximum of what could be achieved by military means, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: “Our position is that both sides have already reached the limits of what can be achieved by military means. We believe that now The time has come to conduct dialogue towards a ceasefire."
15:34 The operational situation in the Avdiivka direction is stabilizing - Ukrainian troops are holding the villages of Berdychi, Orlovka and Tonenkoe. The enemy did not capture them, the fighting continues, said Dmitry Likhovy, spokesman for the Tavria group of troops. According to him, the Russians have reduced the intensity of assaults and airstrikes, which may be due to the frequent destruction of fighter jets.
13:40 Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that Italy will withdraw the SAMP/T air defense system from the country because it is needed elsewhere: “I received a message from the Italian government that the Italian air defense system, which was leased to us for a year,, will be withdrawn from Slovakia because it is needed elsewhere."
13:22 At night, the Russians shelled the village of Ponyatovka, Daryevsk community, Kherson region, one person was killed, the OVA reported. Also in the morning, the enemy attacked the Ship area of Kherson, one person was injured. Over the previous 24 hours, one person was killed and another was injured as a result of Russian shelling in the region.
11:27 At night, the Russians attacked Mirnograd and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, five people were wounded, the prosecutor’s office reported. In Mirnograd, the enemy fired four S-300 missiles at a residential area - three people were injured, at least 12 multi-storey and 13 private houses, educational institutions, a store, and a bus were damaged.
The Russian army hit Pokrovsk with an Iskander-M missile. Residential buildings were also at the epicenter of the explosions - two people were injured, apartment buildings, cars and a gas main were damaged.
10:51 Special Representative of China Li Hui visited Moscow on March 2 and met with Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated following the meeting that “any discussion of a political and diplomatic settlement is impossible without the participation of Russia and taking into account its interests in the security sphere.”
10:17 The death toll in Odessa has increased to ten - rescuers unblocked the body of an eight-month-old baby, who was held in the arms of the deceased mother, the State Emergency Service reported. In total, three children are among the dead, and the search and rescue operation continues.
09:05 In Odessa, at the site of yesterday’s Russian attack on a high-rise building, the body of the ninth victim was found under the rubble, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. The search operation continues. In Odessa and the region, mourning has been declared today for those killed as a result of the Russian attack.
08:37 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of March 3:
- personnel - about 416,800 (+1160) people,
- tanks - 6640 (+16),
- armored combat vehicles - 12,639 (+28),
- artillery systems - 10,188 (+35),
- MLRS - 1003 (+0),
- air defense systems - 696 (+0),
- aircraft - 347 (+1),
- helicopters - 325 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 7843 (+14),
- cruise missiles - 1915 (+0),
- ships/boats - 25 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 13,332 (+65),
- special equipment - 1620 (+3).
08:18 Over the past 24 hours, 71 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, Pobeda and Novomikhailovka. In addition, 14 enemy attacks were repulsed in the Avdeevsky direction (in the areas of Berdychi, Orlovka, Tonenkoye and Nevelskoye of the Donetsk region) and 15 attacks in the Bakhmutsky direction (in the areas of Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka and Andreevka).
In the Kupyansky direction, four attacks were repulsed in the Tabaevka area of the Kharkov region; in Limansky - eight attacks in the Ternov and Yampolevka areas of the Donetsk region; on Orekhovsky - four attacks in the Rabotino area and west of Novoprokopovka, Zaporozhye region. In the Kherson direction, the Defense Forces are holding their positions and repelled one assault by Russian troops in the area of the village of Krynki.
07:39 At night, the Russians launched a missile attack on the Dnieper. A fire broke out at the site of the attack, but the fire has already been extinguished, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak. In addition, the enemy struck Nikopol with a kamikaze drone; no people were injured.
04:54 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that air defense systems allegedly destroyed 38 drones over Crimea. Vehicle traffic on the Crimean Bridge was temporarily blocked. Crimean public pages write about explosions in Feodosia, presumably in the area of an oil depot.