Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:17 In the Vinnytsia region, a Russian drone hit a residential building, three people were injured, said the head of the OVA Sergei Borzov.
22:14 France will never take the initiative in military operations in Ukraine, Macron said. According to him, France is “a force for peace” and is not at war with Russia. However, the West, according to the French president, should not allow the Russian Federation to win. Macron also called the situation at the front in Ukraine “fragile.” “Today we are not in a situation where we need to send troops to Ukraine, but we do not exclude such a scenario,” the French president added.
21:53 Russia has already launched about 50 North Korean-made missiles in Ukraine, said the head of the Kharkov Regional Prosecutor's Office Alexander Filchakov.
| Did they stop for food at the nearest 7-11 before going on to hit their targets? |
21:34 The US Department of Defense will not be able to allocate a new package of military assistance to Ukraine, said Pentagon Deputy Speaker Sabrina Singh. She called the provision of the latest $300 million aid package to Ukraine a “unique case.” Singh also added that military assistance to Kyiv is related to the need for emergency support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to Singh, the Pentagon has no data on the possibility of its repetition.
21:29 In the morning, the Russians fired mortars at the town of Seredina-Buda, Shostkinsky district, Sumy region, four people were wounded, the prosecutor’s office reported. At least seven private homes were damaged.
21:26 Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Ermak said that he had a telephone conversation with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó, during which the parties agreed to hold a bilateral meeting between the teams at the government level next week.
21:12 Ukraine and Latvia have begun negotiations on concluding a bilateral security agreement, the Presidential Office reported.
21:04 The third day a raid of Russian volunteers is taking place in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. In these regions of the Russian Federation, active battles and explosions are recorded. In Belgorod itself, two people were killed and 17 more were injured as a result of several shellings. All shopping centers in the city have been closed, and the local population is trying to evacuate on their own. More details about what is happening can be found in the material Fighting for the Russian Belgorod region.
20:47 Repair crews of Ukrenergo have restored the reliability of power supply to the Zaporozhye NPP, the company said. A 330 kV high-voltage line connecting the station with the main network is included in the work. Now the supply of electricity for the ZNPP’s own needs occurs through several high-voltage lines, which significantly enhances the safety of the station’s operation.
20:31 Russia has lost 350 thousand of its soldiers killed and wounded in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He clarified that this assessment is based on data from Western intelligence services. According to Stoltenberg, Russian casualties in Ukraine have “increased significantly” recently.
20:18 Bulgaria sent Ukraine the first batch of promised armored personnel carriers, the country’s Ministry of Defense reported. The operation to transport armored vehicles began on January 29, and the first convoy of 30 cars departed on March 7.
19:53 Sweden has joined the Czech initiative to supply artillery shells to Ukraine and will allocate 30 million euros for it, Defense Minister Paul Johnson said.
19:37 Ukraine will probably still receive assistance from the United States, which has not been voted on in Congress for six months. Only it can be in the form of a loan. This idea was voiced by House of Representatives representative Mike Johnson, who, in fact, blocked the earlier vote. About what this means, see the material Not help, but credit.
19:01 In Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, the number of wounded has increased to six, among them a seven-year-old child, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak. During the day, Russian troops attacked the city three times with kamikaze drones and four times with heavy artillery. Almost ten high-rise buildings, five private houses, two educational institutions, cafes and shops, three administrative buildings, and a pharmacy were damaged.
18:50 The German defense concern Rheinmetall plans to build at least four factories in Ukraine, said CEO Armin Papperger. The enterprises will produce shells, military equipment and air defense systems. “Ukraine is now an important partner for us, and we see a potential of 2 to 3 billion euros per year,” Papperger noted.
18:46 The Pope, with his statements about the war in Ukraine, “entered a garden into which no one invited him,” said the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell: “His Holiness, the Pope entered a garden into which no one invited him. Call on Ukraine "surrender is more than a wish for peace. I believe that now is not the moment when we need to ask Ukraine to surrender. On the contrary, this is the moment when we need to continue to help."
18:43 The leader of the faction of the ruling SPD party in the Bundestag, Rolf Mützenich, stated the need to “freeze” the war in Ukraine: “Why can’t other European countries provide more funds after all their statements? Isn’t it time for us not only to talk about how to wage a war ", but also to think about how to freeze the war, and then end it? In October 2022, the American government feared the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. This should give us pause." Earlier today, the Bundestag for the third time rejected a draft resolution from the opposition on the supply of Taurus to Ukraine.
18:40 Le Monde writes, citing sources, that Macron announced in a closed circle on February 21 that he would send the military to Odessa. The newspaper clarified that at that moment he was holding a glass of whiskey in his hands. “In any case, next year I will have to send some guys to Odessa,” said the French president. Five days later, in a conversation with reporters, he said that “nothing can be ruled out.”
According to the publication, the French authorities have been considering the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine since at least June 2023, when this issue was raised at a meeting of the National Defense and Security Council.
18:23 The European Commission is preparing to put forward a proposal to confiscate billions of euros of income received from Russian sovereign assets frozen in Europe in support of Ukraine, writes The Guardian. An unnamed EU official told the publication that Russian assets frozen in Europe are likely to generate between 15 and 20 billion euros in after-tax profits between now and the end of 2027, depending on movements in global interest rates.
17:44 In the Sumy region over the past two days, 800 explosions occurred - this is the six-month “norm” of shelling in the region, said the head of the OBA Vladimir Artyukh. According to him, the enemy has increased the use of KABs, including cluster ones.
17:18 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Scholz, they discussed further political, economic and defense cooperation, the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for armored vehicles, artillery and air defense. The President thanked Germany for joining the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine. In addition, they discussed the organization of the Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine, which will be held in Berlin in June.
16:50 Governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said that another 11 air targets were allegedly shot down on approach to Belgorod, two people were injured as a result of the shelling.
16:27 Due to Ukrainian drone strikes, three oil refineries stopped in Russia. In particular, the country's largest oil refinery is the Ryazan plant of Rosneft PJSC near Moscow, the slightly smaller Novoshakhtinsky plant in the south of the Rostov region and another one - Norsi of Lukoil PJSC in Nizhny Novgorod. As Bloomberg notes, in two days of attacks in the Russian Federation, 12% of oil refining capacity was damaged. About what consequences this will have for the country's economy, see the material Impacts on refineries: gasoline is already becoming more expensive in Russia.
16:09 A guardian family, in which three orphans and children deprived of parental care, aged 11 to 17 years, are being brought up, was returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine, said the head of the Kherson OVA, Alexander Prokudin. During the occupation, children were forced to go to Russian school, and if the mother refused, they were threatened that the children would be taken away.
15:12 The Russians attacked the Kharkov region with an S-300 missile, no casualties were reported, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.
14:38 Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson announced the development of a new bill to help Ukraine, which will differ significantly from what the Senate approved. According to him, the United States should provide military assistance to Kyiv not for free, but on credit, or transfer weapons under Lend-Lease. Thus, the assistance will not be financed by American taxpayers. Johnson also suggested that frozen assets of the Russian Federation could be used for financing.
14:26 Syrsky said that he continued to work in the brigades that hold the defense in the Zaporozhye direction. According to him, the operational situation in this area is under the control of the Defense Forces; the enemy continues to attack in the Rabotino and Verbovoy areas, “but without much success.” The commander-in-chief also noted that “the confrontation between drones and electronic warfare has come to the fore, and only the one who is the first to achieve a separation from the enemy in this competition will have a chance to win.”
Syrsky also called it positive that it was possible to launch the process of rotation and replacement of units and subunits that have been performing combat missions on the front line for a long time. “This will stabilize the situation and have a positive impact on the moral and psychological state of our soldiers,” he added.
13:43 Since the very morning, the Russians have been shelling Nikopol, Dnepropetrovsk region - there are already five casualties in the city, including a seven-year-old child, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak.
13:10 The Air Force uses “all available means and instruments” to counteract enemy tactical aviation and keep it at a distance, and, if necessary, destroy the enemy, said the commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Nikolai Oleshchuk. He emphasized that “anti-aircraft missile units, including Patriot, continue to carry out missions in certain areas of the front-line territories.” Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced another alleged destruction of the Patriot air defense system.
12:32 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian military allegedly thwarted an “attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces” to break into Russian territory in the Sdaryushino area in the Belgorod region.
12:23 Governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the air defense allegedly shot down ten air targets on approach to Belgorod, while one person was killed and three were injured.
12:19 In Sumy, the number of deaths as a result of the strike on a five-story building on March 13 increased to three - rescuers released another body, the State Emergency Service reported. Work continues.
11:51 Employees of the Russian Guard, together with the military and employees of the FSB border department, are fighting, “repelling an attack by enemy saboteurs” in the Kursk region, the law enforcement agency reported. In turn, the Legion of Freedom of Russia stated that two warehouses with ammunition were destroyed in Tetkino, Kursk region.
11:07 The governor of the Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, said that the “Ukrainian DRG” allegedly did not give up attempts to enter the territory of the region, but they were not allowed to do so.
10:52 The Russians carried out missile and air strikes on radio engineering facilities in the Sumy region, the OVA reported. Television and radio broadcasting transmitters in Sumy, Shostka, Belopolye and Trostyanets were temporarily disabled. As a result of the damage, part of the region's territory is temporarily unable to receive Ukrainian television and radio signals. There may also be interruptions in mobile communications.
10:18 At a meeting of EU ambassadors on March 13, representatives of Malta, Luxembourg and Hungary opposed the purchase of ammunition from Ukraine at the expense of frozen Russian assets, Politico writes. Earlier, a similar plan was proposed by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
09:40 The Russian Volunteer Corps appealed to residents of the Kursk and Belgorod regions to immediately evacuate: “Your leadership has not taken any measures for your protection or evacuation, and the shelling of peaceful cities and villages in Ukraine continues as before. We are forced to return fire on military facilities in border regions."
09:07 Russian public pages write about a missile attack on a test site near the village of Trekhizbenka in the occupied Lugansk region. At least ten Russian servicemen were killed.
08:49 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that air defense systems allegedly “intercepted and destroyed” 11 drones over the territory of the Belgorod region and three over the Kursk region at night. In addition, eight rockets were allegedly destroyed over the Belgorod region. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that one person was killed and three were injured in Belgorod. In Grayvoron, one person was injured and several apartment buildings were damaged.
08:35 At night, the Russians massively fired attack drones at television infrastructure facilities in the Kharkov region. Restoration work continues on some of them, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. In addition, the enemy fired an S-300 missile at the Shevchenkovsky district of Kharkov. No casualties were reported; non-residential civilian premises were damaged.
08:04 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of March 14:
- personnel - about 427,840 (+970) people,
- tanks - 6757 (+5),
- armored combat vehicles - 12,938 (+17),
- artillery systems - 10,565 (+11),
- MLRS - 1017 (+0),
- air defense systems - 717 (+2),
- aircraft - 347 (+0),
- helicopters - 325 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 8220 (+15),
- cruise missiles - 1920 (+1),
- ships/boats - 26 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 13,959 (+27),
- special equipment - 1708 (+9).
07:46 The number of victims as a result of the missile attack on Krivoy Rog has increased to 50, five were killed, said the head of the Dnepropetrovsk Air Force Sergei Lysak. 17 people remain in hospitals, seven of them are children. Today is a day of mourning in the city.
07:31 At night, the Russians attacked Ukraine with 36 Shahed-type attack drones, of which 22 UAVs were destroyed, the General Staff reported in its morning report.
Over the past 24 hours, 79 military clashes took place at the front. In particular, the enemy tried 29 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novopavlovsk direction - in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Georgievka, Novomikhailovka and south of Zolotaya Niva in the Donetsk region. Another 20 enemy attacks were repelled in the Avdeevsky direction - in the areas of the settlements of Berdychi, Orlovka, Tonenkoye, Pervomaiskoye and Nevelskoye in the Donetsk region.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled four enemy attacks in the areas of Tabaevka, Kharkov region and Stelmakhovka, Luhansk region; in Limansky - 11 attacks in the areas of Belogorivka, Lugansk region, as well as Ternov, Yampolevka and Verkhnekamensky, Donetsk region; on Bakhmutsky - three attacks in areas east of Chasov Yar, Bogdanovka and Kleshcheevka of the Donetsk region; on Orekhovsky - seven attacks in the Staromayorsky district of the Donetsk region, west of Verbovoy and Rabotino of the Zaporozhye region; on Kherson - two attacks.
05:52 At night, the Russians attacked the civilian infrastructure of four cities in the Sumy region with attack drones: Sumy, Shostka, Trostyanets and Belopolye. Missile attacks were also carried out on Shostka and Trostyanets. The consequences of the attack are being clarified, OVA reported.
04:24 The United States plans to open in Australia the first foreign plant for the production of GMLRS long-range guided missiles for HIMARS, which will be sent to Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal writes, citing American and Australian officials. The first batch of 12 GMLRS missiles is scheduled to be tested in late 2025, and the country expects to produce thousands of munitions annually by 2030.