Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:29 The SBU liquidated 47 agent networks in 2023, department head Vasily Malyuk said in an interview with ICTV. According to him, the networks included a variety of traitors - from current people’s deputies to representatives of the Defense Forces. He also said that the SBU has already carried out 13 successful attacks on Russian refineries, which have reduced the export of petroleum products by a third. In addition, with the help of sea drones Sea Baby and Mamai, they have already managed to hit 11 Russian ships and unblock the Black Sea. Malyuk also announced new special operations “on land and at sea.”
22:13 It will take years to restore CHPP-5 in Kharkov after the Russian attack; the city is powered by other regions, said Natalya Verbovaya, a representative of the press service of the thermal power plant.
21:58 Russian troops continue their offensive in the Bakhmut area and are approaching the outskirts of Chasova Yar, Donetsk region. The city could provide Russian troops with a route to Konstantinovka, the southern edge of the large urban agglomeration in the Donetsk region that the Russian Federation has long viewed as a major operational target in Ukraine. Read more in the material Dangerous Area .
21:14 British Defense Minister Grant Shapps said that “there is no connection between Ukraine and the terrorist attack near Moscow that Britain is aware of.” At the same time, he recalled that ISIS terrorists took responsibility for the shooting. “We must resist Putin’s attempts to tie this together,” the minister stressed.
21:11 Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba discussed with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell the possibilities of strengthening Ukrainian air defense systems, the Foreign Ministry reported.
21:09 Iceland has joined the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine and will allocate about 2 million euros for it, the country’s Foreign Ministry reported.
21:06 The Russians attacked a private residential area with a controlled aerial bomb in the town of Dergachi, Kharkov region, injuring four people, the prosecutor’s office reported. More than 20 private households were damaged.
21:00 Russia has modernized Zircon missiles, which turned out to be hypersonic and better than Kinzhal, writes Defense Express. According to the publication, this time experts were able to collect more fragments of this missile, which made it possible to conduct a more detailed examination and find out to what extent the Russians managed to modernize it.
Analysts claim that the Russians managed to develop a hypersonic jet engine and install it on Zircon. Thus, the Zircon, unlike the X-47 Kinzhal, is still hypersonic and can maintain a constant hypersonic speed. When approaching the target, the missile picks up speed up to 9000 km/h, and it is very difficult to shoot it down.
20:54 Putin said that the terrorist attack in Crocus near Moscow is “a link in a series of attempts by those who have been fighting the Russian Federation since 2014 at the hands of the Kiev regime.”
19:47 The Southern Defense Forces clarified that Russian troops struck the recreational area of Odessa with a double strike along a ballistic trajectory. Two buildings were destroyed and windows were broken in houses around them. It is preliminary known that four people were wounded.
19:36 The Russians launched a missile attack on Odessa, currently three people are known to be wounded, said Oleg Kiper, head of the OVA. There is damage to civilian infrastructure.
19:31 Ukraine is definitely not involved in the attack by ISIS terrorists on Crocus near Moscow, as the Kremlin continues to claim, said White House Advisor John Kirby. "This is just another manifestation of Kremlin propaganda. This is all they can do in an attempt to connect with what they are doing in Ukraine, in an attempt to find at least some justification for their continuous violence and robbery," he said. Kirby also confirmed that the American side warned the Russian leadership in advance about ISIS plans for a terrorist attack.
18:58 Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergei Andreev ignored the call to the Polish Foreign Ministry, where he was invited due to the violation of the country’s airspace by a Russian missile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Pavel Vronsky said. According to him, Warsaw will now send a diplomatic note to the Russian Foreign Ministry through another channel demanding clarification of the fact that the Russian missile violated Polish airspace.
Meanwhile, Andreev, in a commentary to Russian media, said that he refused to come to the Polish Foreign Ministry because allegedly “there is no evidence that we are talking about a Russian missile.” He added that he invited the Polish side to send him a corresponding note by courier or mail.
18:04 Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian air defense has shot down more than 2,000 cruise and ballistic missiles, the Ministry of Defense reported.
17:35 It will take years to restore the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station after a missile attack, said the General Director of Ukrhydroenergo Igor Sirota. According to him, the dismantling of the remnants of the ceiling and walls of the turbine room is now ongoing - but this will take weeks. It is not yet known what damage is on the four floors below the station, which are now littered. Units at the station were hit and equipment burned down. Some equipment needs to be produced from scratch, and the machine room needs to be completely reconstructed. An approximate estimate of the cost of restoring the Dnieper hydroelectric station can be given ten days after the completion of the removal of the rubble, Sirota noted.
17:27 During the day, the Russians fired at Kherson and the deoccupied settlements of the region from artillery, MLRS, drones and aircraft. One person died - preliminary, as a result of explosives being dropped from a drone, the prosecutor's office reported.
17:03 A Russian court sent four suspects in the shooting at the Crocus concert hall in the Moscow region to pre-trial detention. From the photos from the courtroom, it is clear that the suspects were brutally tortured. Such actions of Russian law enforcement officers seriously angered the terrorist group ISIS, Iranian media report. As a sign of protest against the torture and interrogation of members of their organization, the terrorists announced further terrorist attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation and personally threaten Putin. Read more in the article There will be revenge .
16:38 Russian planes dropped two more aerial bombs on the Belgorod region - over the past week it is already known that six FABs fell in the region, reports the opposition Russian publication Astra. So, on March 22, FAB-250 was found near the village of Shalaevo, Valuysky urban district. On the same day, the same aerial bomb was found 5 km from the village of Kazinka in the same district. In both cases, residents were not evacuated, ammunition was confiscated, and there were no casualties.
15:54 Russia today launched strikes on Kiev with two of its newest ZM22 Zircon missiles, writes the specialized publication Defense Express, citing sources. Experts note that this is the second publicly known use of this missile after an unsuccessful attempt to attack Kyiv on February 7. Then, probably, the damaged rocket fell on the road in the Desnyansky district.
15:46 Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called on allies, in particular Poland, to shoot down Russian missiles over NATO countries: “Once may be a mistake. But if we allow it to happen again, it will be regarded as encouragement. Therefore, we must change our attitude and send a very clear signal that if this happens again, the missiles or drones will be shot down."
15:03 The Russians fired at Volchansk, Chuguevsky district, Kharkov region, one person was killed, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA.
14:59 The number of victims in the Pechersky district of the capital has increased to ten, one person remains in the hospital, said Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.
14:22 The Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara, owned by Rosneft, stopped CDU-5, one of two primary processing units, after an attack by drones, writes Reuters. Thus, half of the plant's capacity was disabled.
14:15 In Odessa, as a result of a night attack on an energy infrastructure facility, emergency power outages were introduced, the work of the thermal power plant, two city boiler houses and Infoxvodokanal pumping stations was stopped, said city mayor Gennady Trukhanov. Currently, water supply and drainage have been restored, and the operation of boiler houses in the Peresypsky district has also been resumed. Work is underway to launch a thermal power plant. There is a power shortage in the city, so a decision was made to temporarily stop city electric transport and increase the number of buses. During the period of restoration work at the damaged facility in Odessa, 161 indestructibility points will be opened.
14:09 In Kharkov, starting from Tuesday, March 26, heating will be turned off. According to the mayor of the city, Igor Terekhov, Russian strikes on the city on March 22 virtually destroyed the main energy facilities, and in order to reduce the load on the energy system, a decision was made to end the heating season early. “Only this will make it possible to provide electricity to the maximum number of consumers and provide hot water to the homes of Kharkov residents,” explained the mayor.
Terekhov also said that today it was possible to launch train traffic at all metro stations with an interval of 20 minutes, while at the same time there is still not enough capacity for ground electric transport. Instead of trams and trolleybuses, there are free municipal buses.
13:53 The Russians probably hit Kiev with Zircon anti-ship missiles, said Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of the Southern Defense Forces.
13:45 The number of victims in the Pechersky district of Kiev has increased to seven, of which two were hospitalized. Rescuers continue to clear the rubble, said Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.
13:29 The missiles that the Russian Federation fired at Kiev were aimed at the premises where high-ranking SBU officials are located, the Kyiv Post reports, citing sources.
12:58 Zelensky showed the consequences of a missile attack on Kiev:
12:27 Over the weekend, the Defense Forces hit two landing ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Yamal and Azov in Crimea. A communications center and several infrastructure facilities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the peninsula were also struck. Experts in the West say they are amazed at the work of the Ukrainians and announce a change in the tactics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Read more in the article Strike at Putin .
12:22 Debris from a Russian rocket destroyed part of the building of the Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design named after Mikhail Boychuk in Kiev, the Ministry of Culture reported. The central part of the building was damaged, in particular, the sports hall, congress hall and exhibition center were completely destroyed. The premises of the departments and auditoriums of the institution were also significantly damaged. According to preliminary information, there were no deaths, two people were hospitalized.
12:06 Starting from April, Ukrainians will be able to submit applications to the International Register of Damage through Diya, said the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Mikhail Fedorov. He has already signed a corresponding agreement with the executive director of the international Register of damage caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine, Markiyan Klyuchkovsky. Ukrainians will be able to submit applications about damaged or destroyed apartments, houses, dachas, etc. It is planned that later it will also be possible to submit claims through Diya about forced displacement, harm to life and health, torture and sexual violence, as well as damage to infrastructure and business losses.
11:59 The State Emergency Service clarified that as a result of a missile attack, a three-story gym building in the Pechersky district of Kiev was damaged. Rescue operations continue, there may be people under the rubble. In Darnitsky and Solomyansky districts, private houses were damaged due to falling debris.
11:45 According to updated information, as a result of a missile attack on Kiev in the Pechersky district, a three-story non-residential building was damaged, without subsequent burning, the KGVA reported. A multi-storey building was damaged in the Solomensky district, and a fall of debris was recorded in Goloseevsky. The number of victims in the Pechersk region has increased to five, Klitschko said.
11:27 The Russians attacked Kiev with two ballistic missiles from the territory of Crimea. Both targets were destroyed, their type is being determined, the Air Force said. The head of the KGVA Sergei Popko said that, according to preliminary data, a multi-storey building in the Pechersky district of the capital was damaged as a result of the attack. Currently, four victims are known, including a 16-year-old teenager, said Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko. Also in the Pechersky district there is destruction in a non-residential three-story building. In the Goloseevsky district, rocket debris was found in a forest belt.
10:56 The head of the SBU, Vasily Malyuk, confirmed that the service had been striking Russian oil refineries: “For more than two years, the SBU has been hitting the enemy every day in the most painful spots - the Crimean Bridge, warships in the Black Sea, tanks, electronic warfare and air defense systems, oil refineries and "other objects that work for the Russian military-industrial complex. All these are our legitimate goals, because they are bringing war to Ukrainian soil."
10:38 The head of the Ground Forces Training Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Viktor Nikolyuk, announced his resignation. The major general announced that he would lead “one of the formations and one of the directions of the front.”
10:19 One power unit of the Novocherkassk State District Power Plant was damaged after an attack by a UAV, reports the opposition Russian publication Astra. According to journalists, the state district power plant was attacked by all 11 UAVs, the destruction of which was reported to the Russian Ministry of Defense in the morning. After the attack, two power units went offline, one of the idle power units (the eighth) was damaged. There were no casualties.
09:58 The reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs was damaged as a result of yesterday's attack on Crimea, reports the opposition Russian publication Astra. According to sources, on the night of March 23-24, 18 missiles were launched at Sevastopol, 11 of them were shot down. The military unit on Rudneva Street, the large landing ship Azov and Yamal, and the reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs were damaged, which was hit by two missiles at once. No casualties are known.
09:17 Air defense at night destroyed eight of the nine Shahed-type attack UAVs that Russia attacked from the Crimean Cape Chauda, the Air Force reported. The drones were destroyed within the Nikolaev and Odessa regions.
09:10 The death toll as a result of the Russian attack on Krivoy Rog on March 12 has increased to six - one of the wounded died in the hospital. As of today, seven more people injured as a result of the shelling remain in hospitals - three of them are in serious condition, said the mayor of the city, Alexander Vilkul.
08:58 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) states that Russian troops are trying to advance in the direction of Chasov Yar, Donetsk region, but are unlikely to be able to threaten the populated area with a cordon or occupation in the coming months.
08:47 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of March 25:
- personnel - about 437,390 (+640) people,
- tanks - 6887 (+11),
- armored combat vehicles - 13,183 (+25),
- artillery systems - 10,877 (+22),
- MLRS - 1018 (+0),
- air defense systems - 726 (+3),
- aircraft - 347 (+0),
- helicopters - 325 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 8539 (+29),
- cruise missiles - 2010 (+18),
- ships/boats - 26 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 14,454 (+47),
- special equipment - 1785 (+7).
08:31 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported that on March 23, the 13th ship repair plant of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol was attacked, where, among other things, the large landing ship Yamal was moored. According to military intelligence, the damage to the ship is critical: a hole in the upper deck resulted in a list to starboard. Now the Russians are continuously pumping water from the stricken ship, which took part in the annexation of Crimea and was under repair from 2017 to 2023.
07:59 Over the past 24 hours, 60 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, Urozhaynoye, Donetsk region. Another ten enemy attacks were repulsed in the Avdeevsky direction - in the areas of the settlements of Berdychi and Pervomaisk, Donetsk region.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled one enemy attack in the Sinkovka area of the Kharkov region; in Limansky - eight attacks in the areas of Belogorivka, Luhansk region and Yampolevka, Vesyoly, Donetsk region; on Bakhmutsky - eight attacks in the Bogdanovka, Kleshcheevka, Andreevka districts of the Donetsk region; on Orekhovsky - three attacks in the districts of Staromayorsky, Donetsk region and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region; on Kherson - one attack.
07:26 At night, the Russians attacked energy facilities in the Nikolaev and Odessa regions with drones, the Southern Defense Forces reported. Before the drone attack, the enemy launched an X-31P anti-radar missile from a tactical aircraft to interfere with the air defense. The missile lost its combat capability in the air. Next, the Russians attacked with several waves of Shahed-131/136 type drones and managed to destroy four UAVs in each area.
In the Nikolaev region, an enemy drone hit an energy facility, a fire broke out, which was promptly extinguished by rescuers, no people were injured. As a result of falling debris in the private sector of Nikolaev, a two-story residential building was destroyed; there was also a fire there, which has already been extinguished. Several surrounding houses were damaged by the blast wave. According to preliminary data, 11 people were injured, two of them were hospitalized.
In the Odessa region, the debris of a downed drone damaged an energy facility, a fire broke out, which caused a blackout in part of Odessa and nearby settlements. The fire was extinguished, no people were injured. Ukrenergo clarified that at night Russian drones attacked two substations in the southern region. Due to equipment damage in Odessa and the region, consumption limitation periods have been increased in order to protect surviving equipment from overload.
03:53 In Novocherkassk, Rostov region of the Russian Federation, drones attacked a thermal power plant - Novocherkassk State District Power Plant, local publics write. Eyewitnesses report that they counted several dozen drones and more than ten explosions. Governor of the Rostov region Vasily Golubev said that two power units of the Novocherkassk State District Power Plant were temporarily taken out of service after a fire, the causes of which are being established.
02:52 OSINT analyst Tyler Rogovey published a satellite image showing the consequences of missile attacks on Russian large landing ships Yamal and Azov in Sevastopol. “You can see two hits: on the pier near one ship, and on the dry dock near the other. It is impossible to see visible damage on the ships themselves,” the expert writes. At the same time, he added that one of the ships was being towed into a dry dock, and it probably received some damage. A stain is also spreading from the ship, which may indicate a leak of fuel and lubricants.
Rogoway noted that after a cursory examination of high-resolution satellite images, there were no obvious signs of serious damage to the landing craft, but this does not mean that they were not hit, and this assessment may change.
Ukraine hit Russian ships Yamal and Azov in Sevastopol / @Aviation_Intel
01:45 The NATO Parliamentary Assembly plans to grant Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia the status of candidates for joining the Alliance. This is a new status for the country in the Assembly, which agreed to create a Standing Committee as part of a comprehensive partnership reform. Changes to the partnership must be ratified by the full Assembly at the 2024 spring session in Bulgaria at the end of May.