Bob Homans March 16

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Ukraine – 3/16/23 Sitrep
By: Robert Homans & Bohdan Chomiak
March 16, 2023

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the “Territorial Dispute”

In Gov. DeSantis’ world, an unprovoked invasion of one country against its neighbor is nothing more than a “territorial dispute,” and the United States and other democratic countries should give the invading country a “pass” simply because the invading country has nuclear weapons.  

However, if one reads the entire statement that Gov. DeSantis made, in response to Tucker Carlson’s question, his position is not that different from Pres. Biden’s, including no involvement by U.S. troops and no offensive weapons capable of striking Russian territory.   Everything else seems to be on the table.  

The pundits are all now talking about how any Republican candidate for President in 2024, if he or she hopes to be successful, must move more toward the position that they claim is now common among an increasing number of Republican voters, that the United States needs to reduce its support for Ukraine.  

It seems the pundits have forgotten the idea that a president must be a leader, not a follower.   Just prior to the entrance of the United States into WW-II, the level of support for the U.S. staying out of the war and withholding support for the combatants was far greater than is opposing U.S. assistance to Ukraine today.   During the period between the start of WW-II and Pearl Harbor FDR, primarily through legislation including re-instituting the draft and establishing Lend-Lease, brought the United States to a point that is analogous to where we are today, overtly helping a free country in need, without our entering the war.   In 1939 – 1941 the country in need of our support was Great Britain.  Today it is Ukraine.  

My hope is that the Republican 2024 nominee for President will channel his or her inner FDR and, through actual leadership, move his or her supporters along to the idea that a free country in peril deserves all the support that we can give it.

“How Ukraine Tamed Russian Missile Barrages and Kept the Lights On”/The Economist

As reported 2 days ago, the National Bank of Ukraine has done much to keep Ukraine’s economy afloat, despite the prediction of most of the pundits.   Ukraine’s electrical workers have, in the face of continuous Russian assaults to the electrical grid, have kept the lights on.   As the article says, “Ukraine is still winning a historical battle in which few had expected it to prevail. Engineers are now repairing the system faster than it can be destroyed. Prior to the latest attack, Kyiv had enjoyed four consecutive weeks with no outages. The use by Russia of hard-to-replace Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles at the end of winter would appear to indicate increasing desperation in Moscow.”

“Why the Ukrainian Tiger is About to Devour the Russian Bear”/Whitney Tillson

This is a result of Tillson’s recent trip through Ukraine.  It was sent to me by an email recipient –

I believe Ukraine is much stronger than the Russians (or pretty much anyone else) thinks.

Therefore, I think Ukraine's widely expected counteroffensive in the spring will be successful (I would guess it begins in May, once the roads – which are currently mud pits – harden). I expect that, after a few weeks of bloody, brutal fighting, the Ukrainians will break through, the Russians will retreat in a disorderly fashion, and by, say, late summer, every Russian military unit will have been driven out of Ukraine, including Crimea.

At that point, Russian President Vladimir Putin (or, hopefully, his successor) will be forced to sign a peace deal that ends the war (likely with two bones thrown to the Russians: Crimea will be part of Ukraine, but as a United Nations protectorate... and Ukraine won't become part of NATO but will have security guarantees that will be the effective equivalent).

Below are the key slides from my presentation with further details:

News From the Battlefield

Meanwhile, “Reporting From Ukraine” describes a recent setback for Ukraine around Avdiivka.  This is an example of Russia still being able to bring reinforcements into areas where they have been previously unsuccessful.

3/16/23 Sitrep (my comments in bold face)

Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon March 15 to 12:00 noon March 16, 2023

Abbreviations:

RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine

RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders

INTERNATIONAL

March 16

11:31: Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krisjanis Karins arrived in Ukraine on the morning of March 16.

·        He posted a corresponding photo from the Kyiv railway station on Twitter.

·        "I visit Kyiv to confirm Latvia's unwavering support for Ukraine as much as necessary," the politician wrote.

11:18: Israel has allowed the sale of drone control systems to Ukraine, - Axios.

·        Prior to that, Israel tried not to provide military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fearing to cause tensions with Russia and damage its own security interests in Syria.

00:50: One of the best American F-16 pilots, retired Lieutenant Colonel Dan Hampton, said he was ready to fight in the skies of Ukraine.

·        Lieutenant Colonel Hampton offers both a simple and complex solution to the F-16 problem for Ukraine. He says it is necessary to invite retired pilots with experience in piloting the F-16 on eastern conditions with those on which the International Legion is fighting in Ukraine. There are actually a lot of people willing, according to the pilot. He's ready to be the first.

·        From 1939 to l941, prior to the United States entering WW-II, many American pilots either enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force or the Royal Air Force.

00:31: Canada, following the results of Ramstein, transfers ammunition for artillery and air defense to Ukraine, says Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand.

·        In particular, 8000 ammunition, air defense missiles and training ammunition for Leopard 1 tanks will be provided.

March 15

23:50 IL FOGLIO: Medvedev hired PMC Wagner to assassinate Italian Defense Minister Crosetto.

·        A $15 million award was offered for the PMC. for the liquidation of Crosetto. Italian intelligence notes that Crosetto was "ordered" because of his recent claims of a significant increase in the arrival of migrants by sea from North Africa, arguing that Russian mercenaries may be behind it.

23:36: The European Union may allocate EUR 500 million for the production of 155 mm ammunition for their further transfer to Ukraine.

·        All options are now being considered, including the use of the EU budget, if required.

22:42: U.S. Department of Defense Chief Lloyd Austin also said that the Netherlands is initiating new contracts to ensure new weapons are deployed on the battlefield in Ukraine.

·        Slovenia has announced a contribution that will help "meet several of Ukraine's priority needs, including armored vehicles."

·        The politician once again stressed that the international coalition will help Ukraine with tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other armored vehicles, conducting exercises for the Ukrainian military on new types of weapons.

22:29: World Media about Ukraine March 15

·        Putin announced the production of weapons to the maximum, the Russian Federation complains about "pathetic" relations with the United States, Britain accused the Russians of "unprofessionalism."

·        Washington Post: It is noted that while Ukraine is preparing its forces for a long-awaited counteroffensive aimed at ousting the invading Russian forces, the head of the United States defense promised to "fully and quickly" provide the weapons necessary "at a crucial moment in Ukraine's course for freedom."

·        Politico: The publication writes that the EU is approaching an agreement to replenish Ukraine's stockpiles of reduced ammunition. In particular, Politico received documents according to which the European Union is finalizing an agreement worth 2 billion euros on the joint replenishment of Ukraine's stockpiles of reduced ammunition, while replenishing the stocks of European countries.

·        CNN: Regarding the incident with a downed American drone over the Black Sea, it is reported that the United States remotely erased confidential software on the MQ-9 Reaper drone before it crashed into the Black Sea to prevent Russia from collecting classified information.

22:15 Bloomberg: India bought Russian oil well above the upper price limit in January.

·        According to the publication, the final price that India pays for Russian oil includes delivery, insurance and other expenses upon arrival at its ports, and in January amounted to $79.80 per barrel.

21:36: Slovakia plans to double its ammunition production, the country's Defense Minister Jaroslav Nagy said.

·        According to him, the production of ammunition has already doubled and now they want to increase it by another hundred percent.

21:25 Results of "Ramstein-10": Sweden will provide Ukraine with 10 Leopard tanks and key components of air defense systems, 2 NASAMS systems will be sent to Norway in partnership with the United States.

·        ▫️ Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley at a briefing after the regular meeting stressed that during the meeting they discussed the goals of the Ukrainian leadership and they will be achieved. Millie said that the United States will continue to help our country in the war against Russia.

·        ▫️ US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that he admires the efforts of the Armed Forces in the defense of Bakhmut, and if the troops are ordered to regroup, this will not mean losing the war.

21:14 Polish MEDIA: Polish intelligence services exposed a Russian spy network that was preparing sabotage on the railway.

·        Poland's Internal Security Agency detained six foreigners linked to a Russian spy network after discovering hidden cameras on important highways and railway junctions that recorded traffic on tracks and transmitted images to the network.

·        Spies focused on railway infrastructure in eastern Poland, in the vicinity of the airport in Jasyonka near Rzeszów – the main transshipment point for Western weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian military.

20:50: Sweden decided to transfer ten Leopard tanks to Ukraine, and Norway – 2 NASAMS air defense systems.

·        This was stated by the head of the US Department of Defense Lloyd Austin at a briefing following the meeting of "Ramstein-10".

20:23 CNN: The U.S. military remotely destroyed "sensitive software" from the downed MQ-9 Reaper drone.

20:08: Spain will soon send six Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, said Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles.

·        "Just yesterday, the training of 55 Ukrainian servicemen who will be part of the crew and repair team of these tanks was completed," Robles said.

17:56: Denmark will hand over a new $140 million military aid package to Ukraine, according to the Danish Ministry of Defense.

The new military assistance package for Ukraine includes:

•         ammunition for pistols: 5.56 mm caliber cartridges for pistols;

•         additional 12.7 mm heavy machine guns;

•         an additional large number of anti-tank mines;

•         flame arresters and incendiary tubes for 155-mm artillery ammunition;

•         additional air defense missiles;

•         works for the neutralization of bombs in the amount of 21 pieces;

•         15 military generators;

•         8000 hats and 15000 sets of waterproof clothing;

•         6 hangar tents;

•         9 mobile workshops for the repair of larger military equipment.

17:09: Poland is ready to develop energy cooperation with Ukraine through gas production in the western regions and the creation of the Rzeszow-Khmelnitsky energy bridge

·        Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland was seeking to make Ukraine energy independent of Russia. He also stressed that the implementation of certain projects in the energy sector is possible after Ukraine's victory in the war.

16:58: A Falcon 9 rocket launched in Florida with a cargo ship Cargo Dragon to replenish supplies on the ISS, - NASA.

·        Cargo Dragon will deliver more than 2.8 tons of cargo to the station, including food, equipment and materials for scientific experiments.

16:49 The decision on the possible passage of US ships in the Black Sea, which will take the wreckage of the MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down by Russia, will be made in the near future.

16:09: Pope Francis urged Ukraine to "respect religious objects", commenting on the termination of the agreement on the use of the UOC-MP of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

·        In a weekly address from St. Peter's Square, the pontiff asked for "discorded parties (in Ukraine - ed.) respect religious objects", and also praised people who dedicate their lives to prayer, "regardless of denomination."

·        The Moscow Patriarchate has time until March 29 to leave the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra complex.

15:41: Nine countries have pledged to hand over more than 150 Leopard tanks to Ukraine, Pentagon Chairman Lloyd Austin.

·        "The coalition of countries that provides Ukraine with Leopard tanks continues to grow. Now 9 countries have pledged to provide more than 150 Leopard tanks," US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at the tenth Ramstein.

15:13 Financial Times: Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins believes that after the end of hostilities, Ukraine should become a NATO member with all the security guarantees that flow from this.

14:40: The tenth meeting of Ukraine's allies in the "Ramstein" format has begun. The meeting is held online.

·        The main topics on the agenda at Ramstein-10 are likely to be the provision of ammunition and air defense systems. It is also a priority to continue the supply of tanks and heavy armored vehicles for the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

14:26: The Slovak government began to discuss the transfer of its old MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, according to the Slovak newspaper Pravda.

·        Before the meeting, several ministers confirmed in comments to media that they plan to consider the issue of fighter jets.

13:41 Bloomberg: Estonia, Lithuania and Poland offered to reduce the marginal price of Russian oil by almost $10 — from $60 per barrel to $51.45

·        The European Union is due to discuss the "ceiling" of prices on March 15. The bloc needs the unanimous support of 27 national governments to approve such a decision.

12:42: Denmark has agreed to establish a $1 billion fund for economic and military assistance to Ukraine, says the Danish Ministry of Finance.

·        It is noted that the fund is aimed at the needs and wishes of Ukraine regarding the coordinated efforts of Denmark, which will focus on military, civilian and commercial support.

12:12 Bloomberg: Polish government spokesman Peter Müller said several countries wanted to deliver MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine.

·        At the same time, Mueller did not specify which countries we are talking about.

NATIONAL

March 16

09:43 Operational Command South: In the Black Sea, atypical activity of the russians was noticed — they have 20 ships and a lot of units of the auxiliary fleet.

·        According to OK South spokeswoman Gumeniuk, all the ships are dispersed, so perhaps the Russians are trying to find the wreckage of an American drone.

·        Among the ships there are also 4 carriers of cruise missiles "Kalibr" with a possible volley of 28 missiles.

08:58: Exactly one year ago, on March 16, 2022, russian terrorists launched a bomb airstrike on the drama theater in Mariupol, where more than 1000 civilians were staying.

·        On March 25, the Mariupol City Council said that according to eyewitnesses, about 300 Ukrainians were killed in the bombing of the theater. The Associated Press agency conducted its own investigation and concluded that up to 600 people could have died as a result of the airstrike.

08:00: Since February 2022, Russia has inflicted 5 thousand missile, 3.5 thousand aviation and 1.1 thousand drone strikes through Ukraine.

·        This was stated by First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna Danylo Kubai.

07:11 General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: The Russians are focusing their main efforts on the Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mariinsky and Shakhtarsky directions. Over the past day, they carried out more than 75 attacks in these areas.

·        Over the past day, Russian troops launched 3 missile strikes, in particular, on the civilian infrastructure of the city of Kharkiv. They also carried out 29 air strikes and carried out 79 shellings from the MLRS.

·        Over the past day, the Aviation of the Defense Forces inflicted 16 strikes on areas of concentration of Russian personnel and military equipment

·        Ukrainian soldiers shot down a Russian Su-25 aircraft and 13 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types. Units of the missile forces and artillery, in turn, hit the control point, 3 areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment, as well as 2 radar stations, an electronic warfare station and an anti-aircraft missile system at the firing position.

06:46 Politico: Counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may begin in May: two scenarios named

·        It is noted that hundreds of Western tanks and armored vehicles, shells, special equipment for the construction of bridges are now heading to Ukraine - everything that is needed for a counterattack.

·        The counteroffensive itself may begin as early as May. Kyiv has not yet decided on a strategy, the publication notes, but he has two options. The first is to move south through the Kherson region to the Crimea, and the second is to move east from its northern position, and then to the south, cutting the Russian land bridge.

March 15

21:53 Minister of Digital Transformation: Ministry of Digital Transformation is testing ChatGPT to provide services to Ukrainians in Diia.

·        "Work on the introduction of ChatGPT in the work of the ministry is carried out together with Microsoft," Fedorov said.

20:41: Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with American entrepreneur and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs.

·        "We discussed the importance of maintaining world unity around the support of Ukraine.

·        He spoke about the public services portal "Diia" and a special tax regime for representatives of the IT sphere "Diia.City", - the president wrote.

20:29: The head of Rheinmetall told details about the construction of a tank plant in Ukraine.

·        Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger claimed that the concern had already created the concept of a tank plant in Ukraine and transferred it to the Government of Germany.

·        According to the general director of the concern, in order to start production of a tank plant in Ukraine, it is necessary for the Ukrainian government to make such a decision. It is noteworthy that the facilities will not belong to Rheinmetall, and the company will rent the premises.

·        In response to a question about the start of construction, Armin Papperger said that Ukraine should determine whether it will be deployed during the war or after it ends.

20:14: People's Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko wrote an appeal to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in which he asks to dismiss conscripts whose demobilization is postponed.

·        Describing the problem, the MP noted that today those who are serving in the army remain military conscriptions in the spring of 2020 and autumn 2020. Their demobilization is postponed, presumably, until the end of martial law. Meanwhile, almost 66% of conscripts served the terms of service established by the law of Ukraine.

19:40: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny had a telephone conversation with the Chief of the Joint Staff of the French Armed Forces, General Thierry Burcar.

·        "We discussed the issue of strengthening air defense and training of the Ukrainian military.

·        We agreed to develop cooperation and maintain dialogue in the future," Zaluzhny wrote.

18:15 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on March 15:

·        "During the day, the enemy launched 3 missile strikes, in particular, on the civilian infrastructure of the city of Kharkiv.

·        The enemy also launched 26 air strikes and carried out more than 23 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems."

·        "Due to their own powerlessness, the occupiers are fighting the civilian population in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region.

·        After effective fire damage on March 12-13, areas of concentration of the enemy, and as a result of heavy losses, the invaders strengthen regime measures in certain settlements."

·        "Russian occupiers, as a rule, move in civilian cars taken from local residents of the Kherson region.

·        Also on March 14, the movement of the convoy of occupiers towards the Crimea was noted, along with the looted property."

·        "In another settlement of the Kherson region, the enemy is carrying out counter-sabotage measures.

·        Justifying their actions, they accuse the villagers of killing a Russian soldier whose body was found."

·        "During the day, the Aviation of the Defense Forces of Ukraine inflicted 8 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the occupiers.

·        Also, this day, our soldiers shot down an enemy Su-25 aircraft."

·        "Units of the missile forces and artillery in a day hit the control point, 3 areas of concentration of enemy personnel and military equipment, as well as 2 radar stations, an electronic warfare station and an anti-aircraft missile system in a firing position."

17:37: In two days, DTEK's specialists returned electricity to more than 6 thousand families in 26 settlements in the Donetsk region.

·        "Power engineers managed to gain access to equipment damaged by hostilities and promptly repair it," the message says.

17:14: Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the following decrees on dismissal:

·        Serhiy Gaidai from the post of head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration;

·        Maxim Marchenko from the post of chairman of the Odessa regional state administration;

·        Serhii Gamaliy from the post of head of the Khmelnytsky Regional State Administration.

·        The relevant decrees are published on the website of the President's Office.

16:28 Operational Command North: The Russian army once again shelled the border of Chernihiv region. Mortars were fired at the Semenivska community

·        The military recorded about 18 hits. There is currently no information about civilian casualties.

16:13: According to a survey by the Razumkov Centre, Ukrainians trust the most:

·        Armed Forces of Ukraine (almost 96%),

·        Volunteers (88%) and volunteers (87%).

·        The president is almost 83%.

·        Of the state services, rescuers (85%), border guards (82%), as well as the Security Service of Ukraine, which is trusted by 74% of citizens, have the greatest support for Ukrainians.

13:56: Current map of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine according to British intelligence as of March 15.

12:57: The other day, the American newspaper The Washington Post questioned the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian army because of losses at the front. This information does not correspond to reality.

·        This was stated by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov.

·        "To shake things up by providing information that is not true is not exactly a pleasant thing. Please note that there are no surnames – they have some sources. And they are starting such a game now," Danilov summed up.

12:26 Ukrenergo: Electricity production is sufficient to cover consumption.

·        There are still network restrictions in Zhytomyr and Kharkiv regions as a result of network damage caused by the latest Russian attack on March 9.

·        There are also still network restrictions in Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv and Kyiv regions.

Mordor - russia

March 16

11:42 russian media: The building of the FSB Border Guard Service is on fire in Rostov-on-Don.

·        Local residents report that an explosion was heard before the fire.

11:01: Russian Defense Ministry wants to capture Vuhledar to compete with Wagner PMC

·        According to British intelligence, over the past week, Russian attempts to storm Vuhledar have almost certainly slowed down. This came after repeated, extremely costly, failed attacks over the previous three months.

·        Russia's only last notable tactical success was achieved in the Bakhmut direction, dominated by Wagner's PMC forces, which are now in public enmity with the Russian Defense Ministry.

10:12: Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmitry Lubinets posted a video showing military training courses for schoolchildren and kindergarten students organized by Russians in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol.

08:01 Yonhap: North Korea today carried out another missile launch in the direction of the East Sea.

07:41 Institute for the Study of War: American analysts noted that the pace of Russian operations along the entire front line in Ukraine has decreased compared to previous weeks.

·        The ISW also believes that the general offensive of the "Wagnerians" on Bakhmut is approaching its climax. Therefore, Ukrainian forces probably have more opportunities to resume the initiative.

00:53: The governor of the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, Gladkov, said that 2 missiles were fired over Belgorod.

·        Local publics write about a possible fall in rocket breaks in the same area as the CHP.

March 15

16:43: The SBU laid charges against the "head of the DPR government", who organized the export of Ukrainian grain from Mariupol to Russia, the SBU said.

·        As a result of investigative and operational actions, the sanctioned "head of government" of the terrorist organization "DPR", Russian citizen Vitaliy Khotsenko, was notified of suspicion.

·        In the ranks of the occupation authority, the defendant fulfills Moscow's tasks for the logistics of militants participating in the armed aggression against Ukraine.

15:58 Chinese Defense Ministry press service: China, Iran and Russia have launched security bond-2023 maritime exercises in the Gulf of Oman, which will last until March 19.

·        Security Bond-2023 was reportedly developed based on previous joint exercises by China, Iran and Russia in 2019 and 2022. It is planned to work out air reconnaissance, rescue operations, maneuvering, etc.

15:28: RosMEDIA is posting a video, probably from the cockpit of a Russian Su-27 aircraft passing alongside an American MQ-9 drone.

·        The moment of the drone crash in the video is unrecorded.

14:14 "Yanukovych's debt" of $3 billion: The High Court of Britain ruled in favor of Ukraine.

·        The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine reported that the Russian Federation tried, through a confidant, to convince the English court to rule in its favor, applying an abbreviated procedure and thereby avoiding detailed research. However, the Supreme Court rejected Russia's request.

·        The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal explained that the UK court had recognized the position of defending Ukraine on forcing and threatening our enemy to use force, which Russia had committed 10 years ago to force the country to issue these Eurobonds.

·        The $3 billion loan (now $4.5 billion with accrued interest) was the first tranche of a loan of up to $15 billion, extended in December 2013 by the Russian Sovereign Wealth Fund to Ukraine, soon after former P.M. of Ukraine, Mykola Azarov, announced that Ukraine would not be signing the EU Free Trade & Association Agreement.   The bond has been traded on the Irish Stock Exchange and disputes is subject to UK law.   For the original bond issuance, Russia and Ukraine were both represented by U.S. law firms.   It has been rumored that the bond proceeds ended up in the pockets of former President Viktor Yanukovich and members of his former government, collectively referred to as “the family.”

13:59: By 2030, Russia planned to establish political control over Moldova — an investigation.

·        Journalists received the document "Strategic Goals of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Moldova", according to which the Russian Federation planned to establish control over Moldova's policy by 2030. The strategy was based on three spheres of influence: military-political, economic and humanitarian.

·        It is argued that the goals of the strategy were: "Countering the influence of NATO and the EU on Moldova", "Moldova's involvement in the CSTO and other international projects under the auspices of the Russian Federation", "Settlement of the Transnistrian conflict" mediated by Russia on the basis of the special status of Transnistria", "Strengthening pro-Russian sentiments in society through information influence and educational programs, counteraction to "Romanianization".

13:11: In Kerch, in the temporarily occupied Crimea, a fire broke out on the territory of a former iron ore plant.

KHARKIV

March 16

11:18 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in the Kupyansk district of the Kharkiv region,

10:27 Kharkiv RMA: Last day, Russians shelled Kharkiv and border settlements in Chuhuiv, Kupyansk, Kharkiv and Bohodukhiv districts, -

·        In Kharkiv, as a result of a strike by a S 300 missile, an educational institution, several cars were damaged and windows in a residential multi-storey building were broken. No casualties.

·        In the village of Gatishche, 3 private residential buildings were damaged. In the village of Lemishche, 7 private houses and infrastructure were destroyed by massive shelling.

00:07: On the afternoon of March 15, the Russian military shelled Grigoryevka, Kupyansk district. This was announced by the acting head of the Kupyansk district military administration Andrei Kanashevich.

·        More than 60 hits were recorded in the village. As a result of the shelling, 12 private houses were damaged. There are no injured or dead.

March 15

14:11: The SBU detained an FSB agent in Kharkiv who was preparing terrorist attacks against Ukrainian pilots and special forces, the SBU said.

·        The attacker was engaged in the preparation of terrorist attacks against servicemen of the Defense Forces located on the territory of the regional center.

·        To do this, he followed the Ukrainian defenders – he tried to establish their places of temporary deployment and residence, as well as routes of movement in his own cars.

DONETSK

March 16

10:46: The SBU exposed an agent group of russian military intelligence that "drained" the positions of the Defense Forces near Bakhmut to the russians

·        The enemy agents included two residents of Kramatorsk. One of them is a nurse of the combat unit of the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the behest of the aggressor, they collected intelligence about the locations and movements of the Defense Forces in the Bakhmut direction.

·        Besides, they recorded the results of Russian shelling on Ukrainian infrastructure to correct repeated Russian strikes.

09:57 Donetsk RMA: During yesterday, the Russians conducted intense fire on Konstantinovka: they shelled the city from Tornado-S and Uragans.

·        6 people were injured, a school, 5 high-rise buildings, 20 private houses and 11 civilian cars were damaged.

09:45 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region.

08:31 Donetsk RMA: On March 15, Russians killed 1 resident of Donetsk region in Bakhmut.

·        Another 11 people in the region were injured.

March 15

15:39 AFP: Russian army used white phosphorus weapons to attack near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region on 14 March

·        AFP journalists at the scene reported that on March 14, ammunition with white phosphorus was fired from Russian positions. According to them, two shells were fired at intervals of five minutes in a deserted area near the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine.

ZAPORIZHIA

March 16

11:11 Social Networks: Explosions were heard in the Zaporizhia area,

March 15

23:06: In the temporarily occupied Berdyansk, a fire broke out in a hotel complex, where the Russian military liked to relax.

DNIPRO

March 15

19:53 Dnipro RMA: Russian shelling in Manganese killed two women.

·        "Previously, four other women and one man were injured. 7 multi-storey and 4 private houses, an outbuilding were damaged," Lysak wrote.

KHERSON

March 16

11:23 Social Networks: Explosions are heard again in Kherson,

09:34 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson

09:28 Kherson RMA: Russians attacked peaceful settlements of Kherson region 88 times.

·        The Russian army shelled residential areas of Kherson 5 times. The guns targeted private and apartment buildings. 3 people were injured of varying severity.

March 15

14:56 Kherson RMA: In the Kherson region, Russian explosives detonated civilians

·        "The event took place in the Stanislavska community. There, during the sowing work in the field, cluster munition detonated. A civilian in the region was injured in the explosion," the report said.

21:59 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region

21:04 Social Networks: Explosions are heard again in Kherson.

17:26 Social Networks: Explosions heard in Kherson

15:40 Social Networks: Explosions heard again in Kherson

14:06 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.

MYKOLAIV

March 15

23:20: In the Bashtansky district of the Mykolaiv region, a bridge over the Ingulets River was restored.

·        It was destroyed by Russian troops in November 2022. It was restored by servicemen of the 36th Road-Restoration Konotop Regiment of the State Special Transport Service.

·        The sponsor of the restoration through UNITED24 was the company AWT Bavaria.

KYIV

March 15

13:26: Kyiv signed a cooperation agreement with the Polish city of Wroclaw, said the mayor of the capital Vitali Klitschko.

·        "Today, during the online meeting, I thanked the Mayor of Wroclaw Jacek Sutrick for the help of the authorities and the community of his city to the Ukrainian capital. For the support of Kyiv, humanitarian assistance and economic.

·        Wroclaw, since the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion, has received 150 thousand Ukrainian refugees. In particular, 80 thousand children," the mayor said.

SUMY

March 15

22:56 Sumy RMA: During the day, the Russians shelled the territories of 4 communities: Krasnopilskaya, Khotinskaya, Shalyginskaya, Novoslobidskaya. 14 enemy shellings from various types of weapons were recorded - 161 "arrivals"/shot.

·        According to the military, the operational situation in the border regions of Sumy region is currently under control. The formation of enemy offensive groups near the state border was not detected.

ZHYTOMIR

March 15

19:27: In Zhytomyr, from 18:00, schedules of power outages are expcted, said the head of the Zhytomyr RMA Vitaliy Bunechko.

·        "Be careful, do not use elevators," Bunechko wrote.

Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins. Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.

SOURCES

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/

https://espreso.tv/

https://cutt.ly/Blyskavka

www.ubn.news