Ukraine - Russia's perfidious attack, a chronicle of events

[Alex_Sor]

Business in Ukraine is very dangerous...

 

 

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 06.03.23 were approximately:

Situation update as of 6 a.m., March 6, 2023

Day 376 of the russian full-scale invasion has begun.

The russian federation’s main focus is the offensive operations on Kup’yans’k, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Shakhtars’ke axes. During the day of March 5, Ukrainian troops repelled over 95x enemy attacks on these axes, including in the vicinities of settlements of Bilohorivka, Nevs’ke (Luhansk oblast), Zaliznyans’ke, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, and Ivanivske (Donetsk oblast).

The enemy continues to violate the rules of International Humanitarian Law, striking and shelling with artillery the civilian facilities and homes, and attempts to destroy the critical infrastructure of Ukraine.

During the day of March 5, the adversary launched 31x air strikes and 8x missile strikes. The invaders launched more than 70x MLRS attacks. The threat of further missile strikes by Russia is highly probable across Ukraine.

Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no signs of the enemy forming an offensive groups were found. During the day of March 6, the occupants fired mortars and artillery at Iskryskivshchyna, Volfyne (Sumy oblast), Budarky, Veterynarne, Vil’khuvatka, Strilecha, Krasne, Ternova, and Ohirtseve (Kharkiv oblast).

Kup’yans’k and Lyman axes: the enemy fired artillery at the vicinities of settlements of Dvorichna, Hryanykivka, Masyutivka, Pishchane (Kharkiv oblast), Kuzemivka, Bilohorivka, Nevs’ke, Chervonopopivka, Serebryans’ke forestry (Luhansk oblast), Terny, Spirne, and Rozdolivka (Donetsk oblast).

Bakhmut axis: the adversary continues its attempts to assault the town of Bakhmut and surrounding settlements. The invaders shelled Zaliznyans’ke, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivske, Bohdanivka, Chasiv Yar, Kurdyumivka, Klishchiivka, Shyroka Balka, Ozaryanivka, Druzhba, Hryhorivka, Maiors’k, and New York (Donetsk oblast).

Avdiivka and Shakhtars’ke axes: the occupants conducted unsuccessful offensive operations towards Krasnohorivka, Kam’yanka, Sjeverne, Pobjeda, and Mar’inka (Donetsk oblast). The enemy shelled the vicinities of 21x settlements. Among them are Vesele, Avdiivka, Vodyane, Berdychi, Pervomais’ke, Krasnohorivka, and Vuhledar.

Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: the adversary is defending, attempting to enable a changeover to the offensive in some areas. More than 40x settlements came under fire, including Novosilka, Vremivka (Donetsk oblast), Zaliznychne, Hulyaipole, Kam’yans’ke (Zaporizhzhia oblast), Vesele, Beryslav, Chornobaivka, Antonivka (Kherson oblast), and the city of Kherson. The attacks have caused civilian casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure.

In order to mislead the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the enemy has been maneuvering by moving convoys in the vicinities of settlements of Nova Kakhovka (Kherson oblast) – Armiansk (temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea). These actions cause dissatisfaction among the personnel of the russian occupation forces. The main reason is the insufficient fuel stocks and the lack of even a hint of the maneuvers’ effectiveness.

In the city of Volnovakha (Donetsk oblast), the invaders set up a base for the repair of damaged equipment at a local vocational school. Students are forced to take part in the repair works.

During the day of March 5, Ukrainian Air Force launched 12x air strikes on the concentrations of the occupants, while the missile and artillery units hit 3x command posts, 4x concentrations, and 1x position of air defense systems of the enemy.

Air defense forces shot down 5x enemy UAVs during the day. According to preliminary information, 4x types of "Shahed-136" and 1x "Lancet".

Support the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Bringing our victory closer together!

Glory to Ukraine!

[Alex_Sor]

On February 24, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian troops are shelling and destroying key infrastructure facilities,

conducting massive shelling of residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages.

I am in the capital of Ukraine, the city of Kyiv.
I do not leave the city, I follow what is happening here, reassure my family and friends, explain the situation and follow the press reports.

A lot of panic messages, a lot of fake news from Russian propaganda.
I select only the information that has confirmation.
As a former military man (in the distant past), I have a good understanding of how hostilities are conducted and what weapons are used.

I will answer all your questions.

Since February 24, Russia has attacked Ukraine, many cities of Ukraine have been destroyed.

Because of the war, I lost my business in Ukraine, if you want to help me and my family, my Paypal is: Alex.Sor.2022@gmail.com

[Alex_Sor]

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region has more symbolic than operational significance, and its fall will not necessarily mean that Moscow has changed the course of hostilities.

"I think the city has more symbolic value than strategic or operational value," Austin told reporters during a visit to Jordan, Reuters reported.

"The fall of Bakhmut will not necessarily mean that the Russians have changed the course of these fights," he said, adding that he would not predict if Bakhmut might fall or when.

Austin said that if Ukrainian forces decide to relocate west of Bakhmut, he will not see it as a strategic failure.

 

[Alex_Sor]

Created in August last year, the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) was supposed to be a "flexible fund with a low level of bureaucracy" to provide the Ukrainian forces with everything they need. However, the UK-run fund is now suffering from delays at all stages of work, writes The Guardian.

After the start of accepting applications, more than 1.5 thousand suppliers of goods and services sent their proposals to the fund. This was enough to overburden the secretariat of the fund and stall the processing of applications. One of the bidders told reporters that only two employees allegedly deal with the consideration of applications. Sources at the British Ministry of Defense said a larger team was working on evaluating the proposals, but acknowledged that the high level of interest has complicated the selection and, as a result, the supply of a variety of necessary equipment.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/mar/06/british-led-fund-to-provide-weapons-for-ukraine-plagued-by-delays

[Alex_Sor]

A terrible video of the execution of a Ukrainian soldier who was captured by the Russian invaders appeared on the network. On the published footage, you can clearly see that the defender of Ukraine is unarmed.

On the recording, the fighter stands quite calmly and smokes, the voice-over says: "Take it off." In the last moments of his life, the Ukrainian prisoner says "Glory to Ukraine!". After that, an automatic burst is heard, the bloodied defender falls.

the video of the execution of the Ukrainian military can be viewed at the link.

https://t.me/uniannet/91664

The Office of the President has already reacted to the video of the execution of the defender of Ukraine by the invaders and wrote:

     "War crimes are cultivated in Russia. And whitewashed by their propaganda and 'Nazi' myths. The murder of a man taken prisoner is another example of this."

[Alex_Sor]

On the night of Monday, March 6, the Russian invaders launched a new brutal attack against Ukraine - they again launched Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones.

The Russian Federation systematically and cynically terrorizes the Ukrainian people, the speaker of the European Commission said today in Brussels during a briefing, writes Evropeiska Pravda. “Last night, Russia launched another brutal attack against Ukraine using Iranian Shahed drones. This is a continuation of indiscriminate drone and rocket attacks against civilians, including the destruction of an apartment building in Zaporozhye in the middle of the night a few days ago,” the speaker noted.

The speaker emphasized that 13 civilians, in particular, a child, became victims of the Russian attack in Zaporozhye alone. "These horrific actions reflect Russia's systematic and cynical terror against Ukraine and its people," the European Commission stressed.

[Alex_Sor]

For the first time since the beginning of a full-scale war, the invaders are on the verge of capturing Bakhmut, but this will cost them dearly.

As stated in the CNN material, Ukrainian defense in and around the city is "shrinking" due to the pressure of intense artillery, mortar fire, air strikes, as well as significant efforts by the Russian ground forces.

“If and when Bakhmut falls, it might be tempting to ask if Russian forces are improving by learning from the list of mistakes they have made so far in this conflict and finally using their superior numbers and firepower. Answer: probably No," the reporters say.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/06/europe/russia-ukraine-bakhmut-analysis-intl/index.html

According to former Australian general Mick Ryan, the AFU may decide that they have achieved everything they can by defending Bakhmut and withdraw troops to save their forces for further fighting.

"But the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops is not tantamount to disaster if it is carried out in an orderly manner. This should be treated as a common tactic, and not as a harbinger of disaster," Ryan stressed.

The publication also notes that "there comes a time when it is wiser to retreat than to suffer growing losses and a crushing moral blow."

"But for the Russians, the capture of Bakhmut would not change the fundamental shortcomings of their campaign," the journalists added.

At the same time, for the Russians, Bakhmut has become an "obsession" as they have no progress elsewhere.

The situation in Bakhmut

On March 3, Oleksiy Hetman, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, said that in the south of Bakhmut, the occupiers had advanced at least 10 km along the M-03 road and a little less in the north. There are only 5 kilometers between these two groups around Bakhmut

Despite such statements, on March 5, the commander of the Ground Forces, Colonel-General Alexander Syrsky, visited the defending units of Bakhmut and the approaches to the city. He stated that the battles for Bakhmut had reached the highest level of tension.

On March 6, 2023, Bild reported a disagreement between President Zelensky and General Valery Zaluzhny over Bakhmut. Allegedly, they have fundamentally different views on the withdrawal of troops from the city.

https://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/politik-ausland/ukraine-praesident-streitet-mit-general-ueber-die-blutigste-schlacht-des-krieges-83106290.bild.html
A Ukrainian military analyst who wished to remain anonymous told BILD: "The vast majority of soldiers in Bakhmut do not understand why the city is being held."

At the headquarters of the commander-in-chief, it was decided that the defensive operation and further strengthening of the positions of Ukrainian troops in Bakhmuti should continue.

[Alex_Sor]

As of 07.03.2023:
15 enemy ships are on combat duty in the Black Sea, including 4 carriers of "Caliber" cruise missiles with a total salvo of up to 24 missiles;
in the Sea of Azov - 1 enemy ship;
in the Mediterranean, the group's number was reduced to 7 enemy ships, of which 3 were carriers of "Caliber" cruise missiles, the total salvo was up to 20 missiles;
during the day, in the interests of the Russian Federation, the passage of the Kerch-Yenikal Strait was carried out by:
to the Sea of Azov - 17 vessels, of which 6 vessels continued their movement in the direction of the Bosphorus Strait;
to the Black Sea – 21 vessels, of which 6 vessels continued their movement in the direction of the Bosphorus Strait;
Russia continues to violate the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) by turning off automatic identification systems (AIS) on civilian vessels in the Sea of Azov.

 

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 07.03.23 were approximately:

Situation update as of 6 a.m., March 07, 2023
Day 377 of the russian full-scale invasion has begun.
The russian federation focuses its main efforts on offensives on Kup’yans’k, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Shakhtars’ke axes. Last day, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled more than 140 enemy attacks.
During the day of March 06, the adversary launched 50x air and 5x missile strikes. The air strikes involved 11x Shahed-136 type loitering munitions; 9x of them were successfully intercepted. Moreover, the occupiers conducted 59x MLRS attacks, including against settlements and civilian targets.  
The threat of missile strikes remains high across Ukraine.
Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no significant changes. No signs of the formation of adversary offensive groups were found.
During the last day the enemy shelled the vicinities of Sen’kivka and Karpovychi (Chernihiv oblast); Starikove, Holyshivs’ke, Pavlivka, Volfyne and Hrabovs’ke (Sumy oblast); Veterynarne, Strilecha, Krasne, Ternova, Ohirtseve, Vovchans’k, and Budarky (Kharkiv oblast).
Kup’yans’k and Lyman axes: the enemy attempted to the brake through Ukrainian defense. Russian forces made unsuccessful attempts to advance towards Hryanykivka, Nevs’ke, Bilohorivka, and Fedorivka. The vicinities of Putnykove, Fuholivka, Dvorichna, Hryanykivka, and Krokhmal’ne (Kharkiv oblast); Novoselivs’ke, Stelmakhivka, Nevs’ke, Chervonopopivka and Dubrova (Luahnsk oblast); and Terny, Yanpil’, Rozdolivka, and Fedorivka (Donetsk oblast) suffered artillery attacks.
Bakhmut axis: despite significant losses the enemy makes further attempts to capture the town of Bakhmut and its vicinities. During the last day, russian occupiers conducted more than 37x attacks in the vicinities of Dubovo-Vasylivka settlement solely. Moreover, the occupiers attempted attacks in the vicinities of Bilohorivka, Fedorivka, Zaliznyans’ke, Yahidne, and Ivanivs’ke, that all failed. The vicinities of Zaliznyans’ke, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut, Ivanivs’ke, Stupochki, Druzhba, Torets’k, Mayors’k, and New York came under mortar and artillery fire.
Avdiivka and Shakhtars’ke axes: the occupants conducted unsuccessful offensive operations towards Novokalynove, Krasnohorivka, Kam’yanka, Sjeverne, Pervomais’ke, Nevel’s’ke, and Mar’inka (Donetsk oblast). In particular, Krasnohorivka, Kam’yanka, Avdiivka, Tonen’ke, Sjeverne, Vodyane, Pervomais’ke, Nevel’s’ke, Mar’inka, Vuhledar, and Velyka Novosilka were shelled by the enemy.
Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: the adversary is defending. In particular, Vremivka (Donetsk oblast), Hulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Huliaipilske, Kam’yans’ke, Tavriiske (Zaporizhzhia oblast), Nikopol’ (Dnipropetrovsk oblast), Zmiivka, Shlyakhove, Kherson, Kozats’ke, Ol’hivka, Tyahyntsi, Antonivka, and Bilozerka (Kherson oblast) were shelled.
The occupiers continue to pressure residents of Zaporizhzhia oblast into receiving russian passports, so that the numbers would reach certain targets. In certain settlements, people who do not have a passport of a citizen of the russian federation cannot receive any cash, including their wages, since January 1. Payments must be made exclusively through russian bank cards.
In order to protect their servicemen, the russian invaders decided to use a part of the city polyclinic in the temporarily occupied Luhansk as a barracks. Bunk beds for the personnel have already been delivered to the premises. At the same time, the management of the medical institution has to resolve a number of issues related to staff accommodation and patient reception.
During the day of March 6, Ukrainian Air Force launched 15x air strikes on the concentrations of russian occupation troops and 1x air strike on enemy anti-aircraft missile system at its firing position.
In addition to the Shahed-136 loitering munition, Ukrainian defenders shot down 1x Su-25 aircraft of the enemy and 8x more UAVs of various types.
Ukrainian missile and artillery units attacked 1x command post, 8x concentrations of enemy troops, 2x russian air defense assets, 1x artillery system at its firing positions, 1x ammunition depot, and 1x radar station of the occupiers.
Support the Armed Forces of Ukraine!
United we will win!

[Alex_Sor]

The Gulf countries are increasing their energy trade with Moscow.

The United Arab Emirates has increased the acceptance of Russian oil in its ports. According to Reuters, this became known thanks to the tracking of ships and information from trade sources.

At the moment, the Russian Federation is selling its oil at reduced prices due to reduced demand due to the imposed sanctions. The restrictions also pushed Moscow to increase cooperation with the Persian Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Reuters notes that it was the Arab countries that resisted US calls to increase oil production to replace Russian supplies.

Such actions from the UAE are an example of how sanctions against Moscow have caused changes in traditional energy trade flows. Tracker tracking data suggests an increase in Russian oil imports to the UAE after the start of a full-scale Russian invasion and accompanied by the introduction of a measure of restrictions against the business of the aggressor country.

The Refinitiv Eikon platform indicates that the supply of Russian crude oil to the Emirates rose sharply in April 2022.

"Ship tracking data shows that since November 2022, about 1.5 million barrels of Russian crude oil have entered the UAE," Reuters adds.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russian-crude-oil-heads-uae-sanctions-divert-flows-2023-03-06/

[Alex_Sor]

Ukrainian artists Olya Polyakova, Anna Trincher and Pozitiv on the anniversary of a full-scale war presented the song "Way to Peremogi", and now a driving video has appeared.

The video for the song consists of two parallel parts: a powerful live performance from a trio of artists and animated scenes with heroes of patriotic comics, which became part of a charity campaign created in collaboration with the Avrora multimarket chain and the UNITED24 fundraising platform.

"The main feature of the location is a pool of water a few centimeters deep, which creates the impression that the artists are walking on water. This enhanced the transfer of their emotional state and the mood inherent in the song," says director BONDAR.

 

 

[Alex_Sor]

Medicine is one of the most emancipated fields of activity.
In the 18th century, it was the Ukrainian military hospitals that implemented the practical training of the Sisters of Mercy, who were not just there for the wounded - the women learned to provide pre-medical and psychological assistance.
Throughout the entire history of our country, Ukrainian women have been innovators, underground members of the OUN, and revolutionaries.
Today, women serve in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - they carry out medical evacuation, provide medical care to our soldiers, write scientific works, become laureates of international awards, fight for freedom, boldly looking the enemy in the eye.

 

[Alex_Sor]

The Russian occupiers were not lucky enough to catch the eye of the aerial reconnaissance of one of the units of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
With two accurate drops, our UAV operators dispersed this code in different directions, but some of them will no longer be able to rob and kill Ukrainians!
Once again, we warn uninvited guests: you cannot hide from punishment. Get out of Ukrainian land!

https://fb.watch/j8mljc8L1J/

 

[Alex_Sor]

A sapper is probably one of the most difficult positions in the army.

It is they who work in front of our infantry, placing "explosive salutes" in the rear of the enemy, setting up mine barriers. Each such task is associated with incredible risk. But each successful operation will save dozens, if not hundreds, of the lives of infantrymen who hold the line of defense.
Sappers are the first to enter the liberated territories, discover and destroy all the enemy's deadly traps. But they will work for a long time even after our victory, clearing the land of explosives
They joke that sappers walk slowly, confidently and it is undesirable to overtake them.
Our soldiers are our heroes!
Glory to heroes!

 

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 08.03.23 were approximately:

Operational information as of 06.00 03.08.2023 regarding the Russian invasion
The three hundred and seventy-eighth day of the Russian large-scale invasion has begun.
The occupiers are concentrating their main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Kupyan, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiiv and Shakhtar directions. Unsuccessful offensive actions continue in the districts of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Kamianka, Avdiivka and Maryinka of the Donetsk region.
Last day, our defenders repelled more than 100 enemy attacks in the indicated directions.
The invaders launched 24 air strikes and 1 missile strike. In particular, during the airstrikes, the enemy used 1 UAV of the Shahed-136 type. He was shot down. The occupiers also launched more than 60 attacks from multiple rocket launchers.
On the Volyn, Poliske, Siversk and Slobozhansk directions, the operational situation has not changed significantly. The formation of hostile offensive groups was not detected. At the same time, the enemy continues to maintain its units near the state border of Ukraine. During the past day, the enemy carried out mortar and artillery shelling of the areas of Senkivka and Karpovichi settlements of Chernihiv region; Starikove, Bilopillya, Golyshivske, Pavlivka, Volfine and Grabovske - Sumy region and districts of 18 settlements of Kharkiv region. Among them are Udy, Veterinarne, Strelecha, Krasne, Zelene, Ustinivka, Aniskine, Shevyakivka, Dvorichna and Zapadne.
On the Kupyansk and Lymansk directions, the enemy conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the direction of the settlements of Hryanikyvka, Bilogorivka, Spirne, Vyimka, Nevske, and Fedorivka. Conducted artillery shelling of Putnykovo, Figolivka, Dvorichna, Hryanikyvka, and Krokhmalne settlements of Kharkiv region; Novoselivske, Stelmakhivka, Nevske, Chervonopivka and Dibrova - Luhansk and Terna, Yampil, Rozdolivka and Fedorivka in Donetsk region.
In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy, despite significant losses, continues to storm the city of Bakhmut. He also conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of Berkhivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Orihovo-Vasylivka, Bohdanivka, Ivanivske and Klishchiivka settlements. Over the past day, the enemy made more than 30 unsuccessful attacks near Orihovo-Vasylivka alone. The areas of the settlements of Orihovo-Vasylivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Bohdanivka, Stupochki, Predtechine, Oleksandro-Shultine, Diliivka, Zalizne and New York were shelled with artillery.
On the Avdiyiv and Shakhtarsky directions, the enemy carried out unsuccessful offensive actions in the direction of the settlements of Oleksandropil, Kamianka, Severne, Vodyane, Maryinka, and Novomykhailivka of the Donetsk region. The enemy launched more than 20 attacks near Maryinka alone. More than 25 settlements, including Berdychi, Orlivka, Avdiivka, Vodyane, Pervomaiske, Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Novomykhailivka, Vugledar, and Prechistivka, came under enemy fire.
The enemy is defending in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions. It shelled the areas of more than 30 settlements near the contact line, in particular, Olhivske, Zatyshsha, Charivne, Pavlivka, Prymorske of the Zaporizhia region, as well as Kachkarivka, Mylove, Zmiivka, Ivanivka, Kherson, and Inzhenerne.
In the settlement of Strilkove Genicheskogo district of the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region, in local primary education institutions, teachers and educators of the so-called occupying "authorities" force students and parents to stay after classes and study the constitution and legislative acts of the Russian Federation, as well as enemy history and literature. During breaks, children are forced to learn and sing the Russian national anthem.
In the village of Ulyanivka of the Vasylkivskyi district of the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhya region, by order of the so-called "Russian occupation administration", grain crops from the neighboring farms and farms of the district are brought to the local hangar. Occupiers, under the guise of buying at significantly reduced prices, simply confiscate grain.
Aviation of the Defense Forces made 7 strikes on areas where the occupiers were concentrated during the day. Also, our defenders shot down an enemy unmanned aerial vehicle of the "Orlan-10" type. At the same time, Ukrainian rocket and gunners struck
1 Buk-M1-2 anti-aircraft missile system,
5 areas of concentration of the enemy's manpower, 3 warehouses of fuel and lubricants and 1 complex of radar reconnaissance and control "Zoopark".
In general, last day our defenders eliminated 700 Russian invaders, destroyed 4 tanks, 9 armored fighting vehicles, 7 artillery systems, 3 UAVs of operational-tactical level and 7 different vehicles.
Support the Armed Forces! We are approaching victory together!

[Alex_Sor]

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the massive Russian missile attack on March 9 and published creepy photos of the aftermath of the attack.

     "A hard night. A massive missile attack throughout the country. Kiev, Kirovohrad region, Dnipropetrovsk region, Odessa region, Kharkiv region, Zaporozhye, Lviv region, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zhytomyr, Vinnitsa. Attacks on critical infrastructure facilities, residential buildings. Unfortunately, there are injured and dead. My condolences to the family," the president said.

According to him, all services work at the places of "arrivals", the resumption of the work of the energy system continues, restrictions were applied in all regions.

"The enemy fired 81 rockets, trying to intimidate the Ukrainians again, returning to their miserable tactics. The occupiers can only terrorize civilians. This is all they can do. But this will not help them. Responsibility for everything they have done will not escape," Zelensky said.

Attack on March 9 - what kind of missiles Russia hit

According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, on the night of March 9, Russian troops fired 81 missiles of various bases: X-101 / X-555, Caliber, X-22, Kinzhal, X-31P, X-59, S-300, as well as the Shahed-136/131 UAV.

Of the 48 Kh-101 / Kh-555 cruise missiles fired by the Russians, the Kalibr missiles of the Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed 34.

[Alex_Sor]

Russian missile strikes led to a complete blackout of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

This was reported by the State Enterprise "National Nuclear Power Generation Company" Energoatom ".

"Today, March 9, 2023, at 3:53 a.m., as a result of Russian rocket attacks, the last communication line of the occupied Zaporozhye NPP with the Ukrainian energy system was disconnected," the report says.

In particular, now the station is de-energized and went into blackout mode for the sixth time during the occupation, the 5th and 6th power units are being transferred to a cold state, 18 diesel generators have been turned on to power the ZNPP's own needs. Fuel for their work remains for 10 days. "The countdown has begun," the message says.

"If it is impossible to update the station's external power supply during this time, an accident with radiation consequences for the whole world may occur," the company said.

In addition, all domestic nuclear power plants located in Ukrainian-controlled territory have unloaded capacity due to the threat of rocket attacks. "As of 6:30 am, all power units in total give out 4,700 MW to the energy system," it was reported.

"Due to the occupation of the plant and the interference of representatives of Rosatom in its work, the possibilities of the Ukrainian side to maintain the Zaporizhzhya NPP in a safe mode are significantly limited," the message says.

"Now the actions of the entire international community are urgently needed to withdraw Russian terrorist groups from the territory of the Zaporozhye NPP, transfer it under the full control of the competent legitimate operator - Ukrainian Energoatom, and restore the conditions for maintaining the nuclear, radiation and physical safety of the nuclear facility," the message says.

 

[Alex_Sor]

The Russians today, March 9, fired at the territory of Ukraine for the first time, simultaneously firing 6 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. In general, the Russian Federation struck with different types of missiles.

This was announced by the speaker of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat on the air of Channel 24. He noted that today's Russian missile attack was large-scale.

“I don’t remember that this happened at all before. Six “Daggers” were fired by the enemy in total. Various aircraft were used, in particular, strategic long-range aviation and the MiG-31K,” he said.

[Alex_Sor]

Bakhmut...

Pictures from the War...

 

 

[Alex_Sor]

Information about the massive missile attack on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine.
Made 81 launches of missiles from different bases:
- 28 launches of Kh-101/Kh-555 air-based cruise missiles;
- 20 launches of Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles;
- 6 launches of X-22 air-based cruise missiles;
- 6 launches of Kh-47 "Kinzhal" air-based cruise missiles;
- 8 launches of guided air missiles: 2 – Kh-31P; 6 – X-59;
- 13 launches of S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles.
In addition, 8 launches of "Shahed-136/131" attack UAVs were carried out.
The forces and means of the 3C Air Force of Ukraine in cooperation with the units of other Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed 34 cruise missiles from 48 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, "Kalibr", as well as 4 "Shahed-136/131" UAVs.
As a result of organized countermeasures, 8 Kh-31P and Kh-59 guided air missiles did not reach their targets.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 09.03.23 were approximately:

Situation update as of 6.00 a.m., 9th March, 2023

Day 379 of the full-scale russian military aggression has begun.

The enemy continues to focus its efforts on offensive operations on Kup’yans’k, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Shakhtars’k axes.

During the last day, Ukrainian military repelled more than 110x russian attacks.

The enemy continues to violate rules and principles of International Humanitarian Law. Russian occupiers keep targeting civilian objects, residential districts and critical infrastructure across Ukraine.

Information about the night missile attack will be released later during the day. During the previous day, the enemy carried out 25x air strikes, 2x missile strikes, and conducted 32x MLRS attacks.

Volyn’, Polissya, Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no significant changes, no signs of the formation of offensive groupings identified. However, the enemy shelled the vicinities of Senkivka (Chernihiv oblast); Kharkivka and Atyns’ke (Sumy oblast); Strilecha, Ternova, Vilcha, Kam’yanka, Dvorichna, and Holubivka (Kharkiv oblast).

Kup’yans’k and Lyman axes: the enemy attempted unsuccessful offensives in the vicinities of Hryanikyvka, Spirne, and Bilohorivka. Russian artillery bombarded vicinities of more than 15x settlements, including Vilshana, Kup’yans’k, Kislivka, Pershotravneve, Pishchane, and Cherneshchyna (Kharkiv oblast); Stelmakhivka, Nevs’ke, and Chervopopivka (Luhansk oblast); as well as Novoselivka, Kolodyazi, Dibrova, Berestov, Yampil’, Sivers’k, Rozdolivka, and Yahidne (Donetsk oblast).

Bakhmut axis: the occupiers continue attempts to seize the city of Bakhmut. Our defenders repelled attacks in the vicinities of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivs’ke, and Oleksandro-Shultyne settlements. More than 10x settlements, including Zaliznyans’ke, Hryhorivka, Bohdanivka, Bakhmut, Kostyantynivka, Kurdyumivka, Ozaryanivka, Diliivka, Druzhba, New York, and Pivnichne (Donetsk oblast) suffered enemy shelling.

Avdiivka and Shakhtars’k axes: the enemy carried out unsuccessful offensive actions in the vicinities of Kam’yanka, Severne, Pervomais’ke, Nevels’ke, Novomykhailivka, Mar’yinka, and Vuhledar (Donetsk oblast). The vicinities of 20x settlements were subjects to enemy attacks. Among them are Oleksandropil, Lastochkine, Avdiivka, Vodyane, Pervomais’ke, Karlivka, Heorgiivka, Vuhledar, Zolota Nyva, Velyka Novosilka, Nevels’ke, Krasnohorivka, Pobyeda, Prychistevka, and Neskuchne (Donetsk oblast).

Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: the enemy stays on the defensive. The vicinities of more than 30x settlements came under enemy fire, including, Vremivka, Novosilka and Novopil’ (Donetsk oblast); Hulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Biloghir’ya, Mala Tokmachka, Orihiv, Novoandriivka, Kam’yans’ke, Temyrivka, Olhivske, Chervone, Staroukrainka, Charivne, and Novoandriivka (Zaporizhzhia oblast); as well as Zmiivka, Vesele, Mykolaivka, Ol’hivka, L’vove, Ponyativka, Mykil’s’ke, Antonivka, Zelenivka, Dniprovs’ke, Kachkarivka, Chervoniyi Mayak, Tyaginka, Tokarivka, and Fedorivka (Kherson oblast).

According to preliminary information, the armed forces of the russian federation have almost used up the entire stock of artillery ammunition kept in storages in the central part of russia. Nowadays, we observe movement of ammunition from depots located in other oblasts of russia to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

There is also an unsatisfactory state and quality of new batches of ammunition due to improper storage and violation of service rules and regulations. Almost 50% of them have visible signs of rust damage. In the conditions of intense hostilities and the existing unsatisfactory state of ammunition, one should expect their shortage in the artillery units of the russian army within the next 2-3 months.

During the day, Ukrainian Air Force conducted 11x air strikes on the concentrations of russian troops and military equipment, and struck 1x russian anti-aircraft missile complex.

Our missile and artillery troops attacked 2x concentrations of enemy troops and hit 1x command post of certain russian military formation.

Support the Armed Forces of Ukraine!

United we will win!

Glory to Ukraine!

[Alex_Sor]

The Chinese government is increasingly convinced that it can become a preeminent power in Asia and a major power in the world only by weakening the influence of the United States.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes believes that one of the reasons for the strengthening of partnership between China and Russia is that Beijing wants to weaken the influence of the United States. "The People's Republic of China, which increasingly challenges the United States economically, technologically, politically and militarily around the world, remains our unprecedented priority," The New York Times quoted her as saying.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/us/politics/china-us-intelligence-report.html

At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Haynes was asked whether the relationship between China and Russia is a "temporary marriage of convenience" or a "long-term love affair." She replied that this is not just a temporary partnership, but it has some limitations. "We don't see them becoming allies like we do with NATO allies," she explained.

The report says China will continue to view Russia as an important strategic power despite criticism.

Haynes called China the most serious and consistent rival of the United States in the field of intelligence. They believe that China's military wants to be strong enough by 2027 to prevent any U.S. intervention in the armed conflict in Taiwan.

China is seeking to expand its nuclear arsenal and is building hundreds of new silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to US intelligence. "Beijing is not interested in agreements that limit nuclear weapons, and will not enter into negotiations that secure the advantages of the United States or Russia," the report says.

[Alex_Sor]

"... If you want to understand people, do not listen to what they say. For if I decide to go into battle, saving the bins of my kingdom, the most militant ones will come forward, those for whom death is a symbol of faith, and they will talk about glory and an honorable death in battle, because no one dies for the bins..."
(c) Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Citadel"

I want to offer you an article written by my friend Valery Pekar.
This is an "inertial scenario" - and I support his thoughts. Now in Ukraine everything is going exactly according to this scenario... unfortunately...

...

Win the war, lose the peace: an inertial scenario
(c) Valery Pekar

I wrote all this a long time ago and really didn't want to publish it. After all, in such a difficult time, one should first of all raise the spirit, and not say unpleasant things. But you can't keep silent either.

"Win the war, lose the peace" — this formula has been actively used by more than a dozen Ukrainian political scientists and journalists for several months now; I have not been able to establish the authorship, although it seems that the formula first appeared chronologically from the mouth of David Williams, who paraphrased a statement from Ursula von der Leyen's speech at the conference on the restoration of Ukraine in Lugano, and it comes from the Truman Doctrine of 1947.

When predicting the future, the so-called inertial scenario always appears in the field of vision — the most likely scenario that occurs if subjects do nothing to move to other, better, more desirable, less probable scenarios that require active intervention.

I want us to realize the inertial scenario.

I have no doubts about our victory in the war. It's not easy there either (Russia has been defeated, but Ukraine has not yet won, and now Russia is doing everything possible to make the defeat mutual, because it justifies its own defeat; more detailed here). But in a war, at least it is clear what to do, and not only at the tactical level (the Armed Forces of Ukraine beats the enemy, the whole nation supports and helps), but also at the level of strategy (see the Manifesto of Sustainable Peace "The World After Our Victory"). So, we do what we must and bring our victory closer.

From this point we look further. What state of affairs do we have immediately after the victory?

1. We won. The transition from war to peace is much more difficult than the transition from peace to war. The country lost a hundred thousand of the best people. The country lies in ruins, some cities have been completely destroyed, and in some regions there is a real humanitarian catastrophe. There is a huge hole in the budget, because the economy has shrunk a lot. Our best people, the military, return home exhausted, the first priority for them is the restoration of health and accommodation. Similarly, a significant part of the active minority of those who tirelessly worked for victory in the rear is exhausted. The whole society is affected by severe trauma.

2. The reforms have not been carried out - they are "out of time", and no one particularly intended to carry them out. Ukraine has not fulfilled its obligations, therefore it receives neither sufficient money for reconstruction from international partners and donors, nor membership in the European Union. The Ukrainian political elite insists on both money and membership ("first European integration, then reforms", "winners are not judged", "you owe us because we saved you", etc.), but international partners are not convinced by this rhetoric. First, they have not forgotten the numerous previous deceptions. Secondly, they are afraid of the appearance of a new cohort of oligarchs who will stand up to embezzle their money, and then answer to them in front of their voters. Third, no one in the EU needs a large country that is a problem, not an opportunity.

3. The restoration of the country is put on hold. The end of hostilities and martial law actualizes the question of the return or non-return of those who left: European governments will gently push out those who have not taken root, and encourage those who can take root (because everyone needs educated hardworking people). Millions of families will face a choice: women with children return home to their husbands or men join their families. The decision will be made according to the assessment of the situation at that time.

4. There is no well-paid work in Ukraine, because jobs in the private sector require private investment, and the public sector is already overloaded. The conditions for creating your own business do not bear comparison with the neighbors (a large part of businesses have already relocated to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe). Schools and hospitals, without which life is impossible, are restored in minimal volumes. Newly liberated territories and completely destroyed cities require huge funds just to start life. Inflation, contained in 2022-2023 thanks to international aid, is starting to spin up — because in the absence of donor money for recovery, the state will be forced to turn on the printing press to rebuild at least critical infrastructure.

5. The situation worsens, but does not cause protest: in Ukraine, people usually protest against injustice, and not against the deterioration of living conditions, and this happens as a result of sudden events, and not the slow "cooking of a frog on a low fire". And there is no one to protest: the active minority is exhausted, and perhaps even divided by artificial strife. Controlled media and social media contributors label any criticism of the government as undermining national unity. By the way, Russian propaganda has also not gone anywhere, even if Russia is already beginning to collapse under the influence of military defeat.

6. Control over all law enforcement agencies (including anti-corruption agencies), over parliament and the media belongs to one small group of people. The oligarchs, who usually in Ukrainian history supported political pluralism for their own interests (and thereby in some cases played a positive role), as a result of the war actually left the scene. The decentralization reform is rolling back, local leaders are faced with a choice: to swear allegiance to the central government or to be repressed, at least limited in their abilities and covered in mud, and certainly without the resources to rebuild.

7. The political elite gets full control over life in a ruined country and does not understand that in order to restore it, it is necessary to partially give up this control. The dialogue between the Ukrainian authorities and international partners resembles a dialogue between an autopilot and an answering machine. In the best case, European integration moves according to the "Kindergarten" scenario, although it would be correct to call it "Orban.ua" - we are becoming similar to the great Hungary, where there is formally democracy, free market and the rule of law, but in fact control over politics, economy and the media is concentrated in the hands of one clan, which opposes its country to Europe and distributes some money to grateful paternalists in exchange for constant support (the probability that such a country will be welcomed into the EU is small). In the worst case, we have an essentially Russian scenario of "Kill the dragon and become a dragon", which means Putin's posthumous victory.

8. Against this background, the key reforms of previous years are winding down, and the people who implemented them risk going to prison (such cases are well known from the beginning of 2023). Behind the scenes of this scene are characters close to the Russian special services (all names are known). The corruption vertical is closed at the top, anti-corruption bodies are under control, supervisory boards are destroyed, public organizations are either bought (not always for money, often for access to the media and the offices of power), or pushed to the margins. Court positive bloggers explain to the people in simple language why it is necessary.

9. The most politically dangerous group are popular military and volunteer leaders. The most popular and most active of them are "removed from the board" by criminal proceedings for exceeding their powers, violating the rules and making decisions that caused material damage to the state (I think you understand perfectly how much officers and generals exceeded their powers during the war, and volunteers violated the rules). The exhaustion of society, the huge unsatisfied demand for justice and the awareness of the scale of our losses demand revenge on someone. Protests are marginalized, statements about the supremacy of justice over justice in conditions of low legal culture are not heard.

10. Since the international partners did not provide either money or membership in the European Union, the people are told that the West abandoned us, drained us and deceived us. This plain and obvious thesis explains poverty and ruin, unemployment and rising prices well. For the next 25 years, Ukrainians experienced a sharp resentment for this behavior of the West. We are turning into a nation of offended victors, unable to draw conclusions (they are drawn either by the vanquished or by the successful victors). Here comes China with very favorable loan offers... Western intellectuals wisely shake their heads, repeating the phrase "Ukraine never wastes a chance to waste all chances." This is how a generation passes. Everything that will happen after that is another generation, another story.

The peculiarity of inertial scenarios (let me remind you, inertial is the most likely scenario that occurs if the subjects do nothing) always consists in the fact that they are formed by trends that are very well visible. Alternative scenarios are formed by the active actions of subjects, unnoticed or new trends and "black swans" (jokers), while the inertial one is always clearly visible. God's mills grind slowly, and because of this, there are almost no sudden events - everything that happened to us for decades was predicted by those who watched the trends.

Therefore, if you do not like what is written, you should first go through the points and ask yourself which specific points you do not agree with because you deny the trends described there. And then evaluate how much your objections affect the whole picture. And think about what exactly you can do.

Usually, no one likes an inertial scenario, it causes disgust and disgust. That's why it exists, to motivate him to turn away. After all, good (desired) scenarios require persistent and coordinated efforts of an active minority — those social forces that are able to look into the future and act for its improvement. The active minority always determines the direction of development, and the passive majority - its speed. But the active minority can be exhausted, scattered, split, beheaded, humiliated, pushed out of public space. And then the inertial scenario of the future unfolds as it is shaped by the powerful trends of today.

It would be appropriate to conclude the text with a call for joint work and an outline of an action plan to move from the rails of the inertial scenario to the desired one. But I will put a full stop here. Because we have not yet passed the stage of awareness, we have not reached the stage when understanding the state of affairs prompts decisions and actions. Remember Colonel Boyd's cycle of "observe - evaluate - decide - act"? To shrink from the abyss, you must first look into it. Welcome, take a look.

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 10.03.23 were approximately: