3/6/24 Ukrainian General Update LanguageLearner

3/5/24-3/6/24 Update, day 741-742 of Russian invasion.

Belarus/Western Border:

RU struck W Ukraine with drones overnight, specifically targeted Khmelnytskyi, where power infrastructure was damaged.

The EU proposed to extend the agreements with Ukraine and Moldova on road transport, extending bilateral transportation rights.

The Latvian government has approved a list of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus banned from import, due to be enforced on March 8th.

Putin promised support to the leader of pro-Russian Moldovan autonomous region of Gagauzia, after she made an unannounced visit to Russia. Moldova has accused RU of interfering in its elections this year.

Moldova suspended the Cold War-era Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty today

The EU has proposed suspending the UA/Polish free trade agreement as a concession to polish protestor's. The argument is that since UA has restored its shipping capabilities in the Black sea, and only 5% of grain is transported through Poland, this would be an acceptable compromise to restore border access.

Polish farmers’ protest actions in Warsaw have turned into fights, which have resulted in several police injuries after violence erupted outside the parliament building when protestors attempted to break in.


Kyiv/Central Ukraine:

Overnight the RU forces launched UA with five S-300 missiles and 42 Shahed attack drones. Air defense forces destroyed 38 drones.

Ukraine expects the mobilization bill to be approved by end of month, and passed by early April. Currently, amendments are being discussed regarding the abolition of conscript service (which is distinct from mobilization), eligibility of deferments for continuous higher education, and other exemptions.

A major consideration is for removing exemptions from convicts who have subsequently finished their sentences for certain crimes- previously people with comparatively minor crimes had been completely exempted from military service. UA notes that there is no desire to mobilize people from active prison populations, or those who have committed heinous crimes.

UA PM Denys Shmyhal stated that UA is allocating $242 million USD for the recovery of 12 oblasts, including repairs to infrastructure and residential structures.

He additionally stressed that there is no question of using punitive measures to bring back Ukrainians from abroad, only incentives.

Ukraine will require approximately US$37.3 billion in external financing to cover the state budget deficit in 2024.

A man was hospitalized in Kyiv after he injured himself with an explosive, some 5000 rounds of ammo and 28 explosives were found at his house.


Northeast Ukraine/Kharkiv city:

Sumy was struck by 3 Shaheds overnight, damaging public infrastructure.

RU continues to shell the border communities of the Chernihiv region, broadly with 120mm mortars.

UA struck an oil depot in Belgorod overnight, presumably via drones. UA additionally struck an oil and lubricant storage depot at the Mikhailovsky mining and processing plant in Kursk with drones.


Kupyansk/East Kharkiv

RU reportedly has some 100,000 troops between Kupyansk and Lyman, with 40,000 of them being assault troops. Per UA intercepts, RU soldiers here are demoralized and generally undersupplied, contributing to their lack of successes.

UA troops were visualized replenishing minefields to the NW of Synkivka, in the contested area between the RU occupied forest and the UA fighting positions. There remain reports that RU has rotated troops away from Kupyansk and instead towards Lyman.

No RU assaults were recorded over the last day.

RU shelled a heating plant in Kupyansk, killing a 58 year old woman. Additionally, RU shelled a school.


Kreminna/Lyman axis:

UA repelled 6 RU assaults towards Lyman over the past day.

There has been no observed RU gains, and in fact a larger proportion of abandoned and destroyed RU T90-M have been seen here as of late. It appears that RU may be having issues with APC availability here, as their soldiers have been seen using chinese supplied Dessert Cross 1000 3 seater ATV's here en masse.


Kramatorsk/Bakhmut:

RU launched 6 assaults W and SW of Bakhmut, in efforts to dislodge UA troops from their positions in the hills around Klischivka. RU troops continue to skirmish and contest the village of Ivanivske, where better equipped and trained RU forces are noted in contrast to regular forces utilized.


Avdiivka/Pokrovske:

UA commanders in Avdiivka claim that there is a series of prepared defensive positions dating back to December, primarily utilizing natural terrain features such as hills and rivers.

RU attempted to assault 23 times across the line over the last day.

Per UA, RU airstrikes have decreased to as much as 25% in volume in the last two weeks due to the interception of the A-50u and UA aerial interceptions of Su-34 bombers.

RU shelled Pokrovsk with 4 S-300 missiles, damaging a number of apartments and a bank.

A US supplied HIMARS system was destroyed on video by an apparent RU MLRS strike SW of Pokrovsk.


Donetsk/Luhansk occupied regions:

RU is enlisting finance and law students in Luhansk to "monitor" the voting turnout. Additionally, all family members of "LPR" government agency staff are required to participate.

RU is heavily pushing forces SW of Marinka towards Novomykhailivka, launching 39 assaults over the past day.


Zaporizhia/Southern Axis:

UA repelled 5 RU assaults towards Orikhiv, as UA defenses and drone activity remain high. RU launched 328 barrages on 6 towns, predominantly around the former counteroffensive zone.

An RU collaborator in Berdyansk who was involved in organizing the RU presidential elections there, was killed by a bomb.

3 RU Uragan long range MLRS systems were hit in a strike near Vuhledar.

RU will be unable to replenish the nuclear fuel at the ZNPP, due to the fuel expiring and RU successfully driving off all former UA power plant personnel from the Energoatom consortium. Only 8/360 employees chose to stay on with the RU occupation administration. Due to differences between the RU and UA Nuclear power plants and modernization, RU engineers are apparently having difficulties in operating the cold shut-down plant. RU has also recruited untrained locals to perform work in the plant, which doesn't solve the experience issues.

At the beginning of 2022, 9000 employees worked at the ZNPP.

RU forces bombarded Nikopol with drones, hitting a market area and killing a 72 year old woman.


Kherson:

RU continues unsuccessful efforts to push UA forces out of Krynky, and shelled a number of high rise apartments in Kherson.

Drone strikes continue across the Dnipro river on both sides, as RU troops here are reportedly receiving incredibly antiquated T-55 tanks.


Odessa/Black Sea/Crimea

RU forces launched a missile strike on Odesa port infrastructure during a meeting between UA President Zelensky and Greek PM Mitsotakis, missing them by a scant 100 meters. Per UA Southern command, they were allegedly not the intended target for the strike.

The missile strike killed at least 5 people.

Overnight, 18 drones were fired at Odesa and intercepted, with falling drones damaging a gas pipeline and houses. Overall,

Footage continues to emerge of the UA USV strike on the RU Sergei Kotov corvette off the coast of Feodosia, which also had a KA-27 naval helicopter aboard. The ship was sunk, killing 5 sailors and wounding another 27 sailors who did not evacuate. Footage emerged showing very impromptu defense by the crew, consisting of sporadic machine gun fire and rifles scattered across the bridge as they attempted to shoot the incoming USVs.

RU continues to suppress Crimean activists and minorities on the peninsula, arresting a number of activists.


Russia:

Per ISW, The RU government withheld data on welfare recipients in 2022, likely to cover up military casualties in the first year of the war in UA or the Kremlin's failure to deliver promised welfare benefits to the vulnerable. It resumed publishing stats in 2023 and 2024.

An explosion occurred at the Shagonar Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHPP) in the Republic of Tuva, a federal subject of the Russian Federation, leaving the city without central heating. One of the people injured during the incident later died in hospital.

RU income from oil and gas sales increased by more than 80% in February compared with last year, surpassing $10 billion USD. It happened due to the increase of prices on Russian oil despite Western sanctions.

RU stated they will not deploy their supposed modern T-14 Armata tank to Ukraine, due to "lack of cost effectiveness". The tank is widely viewed as a project that exists more on paper then in reality.

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) has asked the FSB and the Russian Prosecutor General's Office to investigate the possible involvement of Western intelligence services in the death of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, on the 71st anniversary of his death.


General:

Over the last day UA forces conducted 17 airstrikes and RU forces conducted 80 air strikes (including drones), and 65 MLRS strikes.

Yesterday Ukrainian forces eliminated:

1250 x soldiers (Total 420,270) [7 day avg 933]
40x APC
21x Tank
1x Air defense
51x Artillery (1xMLRS)
66x vehicles
58x UAV
1x Corvette
1x Helicopter aboard (Ka-27)

estimated cost: 173 million USD

total estimated cost- $97.9 Million/day per last 30 days, $2.9 Billion USD over last 30 days.


Overseas:

Ukrainians in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria who have missing relatives can submit their DNA samples at the end of March to search for their relatives.

Neither Zelensky or Navalny's wifes will attend the US SoTU despite invites, with Zelenska claiming a scheduling conflict in kyiv and Navalnaya stating she is too fatigued after the death of her husband.

Ukraine's allies have provided almost all of the funding required to carry out the Czech initiative to purchase 800k of artillery shells

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has decided to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris as neutrals.

Argentinian populist president Javier Millei suggested that he will visit UA before July of this year.

UA special forces are participating in combat operations in Sudan against rebels and Russian military formations, as part of a strategy aimed at undermining Russia's military and economic operations abroad per the WSJ.

The US State Department has imposed new sanctions against Russia. The restrictions affected Wagner PMC as well as the RU Aerospace Forces

 retired US Army Lt Col was arrested on and charged with unlawfully disclosing classified information about national defence and the Russian-Ukrainian war through a dating website, to laughably poor attempts asking him "Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room?? It is very interesting"