11:13
Wagner: We are in Bakhmut’s Azom factory
Wagner Group mercenaries have posted pictures on social media showing them at the Azom industrial plant in Bakhmut. The photos were published on the channel of the paramilitary group created by Yevgeny Prigozhin. Meanwhile, Russian state agency RIA Novosti writes that Russian forces have seized control of part of the downtown metal processing plant where Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Bakhmut’s medal to defenders in December. The site has a network of underground tunnels, battles between Russians and Ukrainians also take place underground.
10:39
Missiles on Kherson, a woman died
Kharkiv governor Oleg Synyehubov said this morning a woman had been killed as a result of a Russian military action. “The enemy continues to shell civilians and civilian infrastructure in Vovchansk. Unfortunately people are dying. Today, around 10 a.m., during the shelling of the city, an enemy shell hit a civilian car. A 55-year-old woman who was on board died instantly,” the governor wrote on Telgram, the Guardian reported.
10:15
Explosions in Kherson
Ukrainian state television Suspilne reports that explosions were heard in Kherson this morning.
09:31
Kremlin: “Peace efforts are good, but impossible at the moment”
“Russia appreciates the efforts of some countries to put the Ukrainian conflict on the path to peace, but at the moment it is impossible” because “the Russian Federation must achieve its goals”. This is what Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, as reported by RIA Novosti.
09:23
Russia ‘does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague’
Russia “does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague”. This was the Kremlin’s comment on the ICC’s announcement yesterday that war crimes warrants would be issued against Russian officials. The tax office reports it.
09:19
Alarm siren in Kyiv
The siren has just sounded Kyiv to display an air raid warning. The interactive maps also show that the alarm was also raised in other regions of the country.
08:21
Russian forces make ‘minimal gains in East’
Russian forces are attacking in a 256 km (160 mile) arc into eastern Ukraine “to give themselves a tactical advantage over possible spring offensives,” but their “gains are minimal and at dire costs to both sides,” writes the New York Times (Nyt) in an article published on their website. “From Kupyansk in the north to Avdiivka in the south, via Bakhmut, Lyman and dozens of cities in between, Russian forces are attacking along a 160-mile arc in eastern Ukraine,” the newspaper wrote. The NYT notes that “with few people or buildings intact, the most contested sites have little beyond the control of roads and railroads that the Kremlin deems important to its goal of conquering the entire eastern region… Attacks can.” also provide better positioning for the next attack, information on counterpositions and propaganda value». “However, Russian gains are minimal and come at terrifying costs for both sides. Western officials and analysts put the number of dead and wounded on the Russian side at around 200,000. They have not publicly stated the number of Ukrainian casualties, but they suspect they are also huge,” the newspaper continued. The New York Times recalls that Western military analysts had predicted a new major Russian offensive in the spring after Moscow drafted 300,000 troops last fall and sent many of them to Ukraine. Now, he writes, they are questioning whether Russia’s military is so depleted that it can handle little more than the types of attacks already underway. At the same time, they expect a counteroffensive by the Ukrainians in anticipation of a large influx of Western weapons and new troops in the coming weeks and months.
08:20
Kadyrov fears losing Putin’s favor
According to analysts at the Institute for the Study of the War (ISW), the nervousness shown by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in his meeting with Vladimir Putin yesterday shows his fears of losing favor with the Russian president for failing to engage in any serious military action Success can boast of two military units in Ukraine. “Kadyrov appeared visibly nervous during the meeting, possibly indicating that he felt considerable pressure to present Chechnya, himself and his troops to Putin in a positive and productive light,” the ISW report said, “the troops are currently playing.” a minimal front-line role in Ukraine and appear to conduct mainly offensive operations near Bilohorivka, Lugansk Oblast.’ «Kadyrov probably hoped to strengthen his position during the meeting with Putin. For his part, he probably hopes to put pressure on Kadyrov to increase the role of Chechen fighters in combat operations, given the ongoing casualties suffered by both the Wagner Group and Russian conventional forces in the ongoing offensive operations in Ukraine United States think tank.
08:19
“Ukraine short of troops and ammunition”: reveals the Washington Post
According to a Washington Post report, Ukraine’s armed forces have suffered significant casualties in men and weapons since the war began, and Western officials are questioning whether opposing Bakhmut is a wise strategy. “The quality of the Ukrainian armed forces has deteriorated after a year of casualties, the mood of the frontline troops is somber, some Ukrainian officials are questioning Kiev’s readiness to organize the spring counteroffensive. WP reports that Ukraine may have suffered as many as 120,000 killed and wounded compared to Russia’s 200,000, although losses are kept secret even from allies.