Bob Homans March 25

20230326

Ukraine – 3/25/23 Sitrep

By: Bohdan Chomiak & Robert Homans

March 25, 2023

“Putin Wouldn’t Win a War of Attrition in Ukraine,” by Douglas London/WSJ Op-Ed

The latest cliché being used by the Pundits is that the war is now a “War of Attrition” or “A Stalemate.”  These clichés are about as true as the one common at the beginning of the war, “Ukraine Will Surrender in 5 Days.”   Douglas London, former CIA operations officer takes on the Pundits in his recent Op-Ed in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal.   

In the event there’s a paywall, I will reproduce part of London’s Op-Ed (with occasional commentary from me in bold face) –

“The U.S. is supplying weapons to Ukraine at a remarkably slow pace, perhaps for fear of provoking a calamitous Russian escalation. It seems as if Washington is playing right into Mr. Putin’s hands.   But maybe not everything is as it seems.”   Truer words have never been spoken.

“Russia can walk away without serious consequences beyond its borders, and Mr. Putin knows it. He can ill afford for the Russian people to realize that they could not only overcome defeat, but never had to fight in the first place. But it’s not clear that the solution the Kremlin really wants is a war of attrition.   Can anyone, even Mr. Putin, imagine the Ukrainians quitting? If they lose external support, they still face an existential threat. It seems probable Ukraine would dig in and fight as long as it possibly could, even if the conflict devolved to guerrilla warfare in occupied streets.”   We’ve been saying the same thing for as long as we’ve been sending these emails.   Ukraine won’t stop fighting, and they’ll continue to have ample sources of supply through their western borders.   Ukraine’s Western backers need to understand this – this war is not something that Ukraine’s Western backers can turn off, at a flick of a switch.

“Though he projects an inflexible image, Mr. Putin seems to still think like an intelligence officer. They rarely make the same mistake twice, particularly when they’ve been embarrassed. Were he as reckless and blind to reality as he’s sometimes depicted, Russian forces wouldn’t have withdrawn from Kyiv’s outskirts a year ago. Mr. Putin has shown that he will bend when faced with serious consequences.” At the time, the Pundits described Russia’s withdrawal from around  Kyiv as a “strategic rotation,” rather than what it was, a rout.

“All this suggests that the longer the war endures, the worse things get for Moscow. Time allows Ukraine to deploy the sophisticated weapons now en route and the freshly trained Ukrainian operators returning from the West. More time will also enable the increased productivity of ammunition supply chains the U.S. is building. Add it all up, and Ukraine will likely have what’s needed for its much-anticipated counteroffensive. Mr. Putin may repulse those forces, but betting everything that he can is an immensely risky gamble. If Ukraine prevails, could he survive losing Crimea and having his forces violently pushed back across Russian borders?” 

“Mr. Putin likely doesn’t hope for a war of attrition but wants the world to think he does. His disinformation campaigns have been designed to depict himself, and Russia, as stronger than they are. If he faces an unwinnable war, the best outcome he can hope for is to mask that weakness and intimidate his foes into blinking first. Ukraine may not want to give up, but if an outside power can broker a peace deal, that is Mr. Putin’s best option by a long shot. His openness to China’s lopsided peace proposal suggests that he is eager to fold with gains still in hand.”  The problem for both Russia and the West is Ukraine won’t accept a brokered peace deal without all of its territory being returned to Ukraine.   As Mr. London predicted earlier in his Op-Ed, Ukraine will keep fighting, Russia will continue to incur outsized losses, and the West will have a very nasty guerilla war on its eastern flank.

“What he (Putin) likely most fears is the U.S. and its allies slamming the accelerator. Pushing the Russian leader isn’t without risk, but validating his narrative is more likely to weaken Western resolve and escalate the conflict by inviting him to test its thresholds. It’s imperative that Washington instead work to make the war too costly to Mr. Putin to remove any doubt of Western resolve. Be wary of whatever cards he chooses to show.”   Amen.   

“The Moral & Legal Case For Sending Russia’s Frozen $300 Billion to Ukraine,” by Lawrence Summers/Washington Post

One again, I’ll include quotes for those who cannot read because of a paywall.

“There is elegant justice in using Russia’s state funds, now lying idle, to counter the costs of Moscow’s destruction. Plans have been prepared, with ways to avoid corruption and linked to the European Union. That would be a strategy of hope.”

“Transferring frozen Russian reserves would be morally right, strategically wise and politically expedient — particularly with a restive U.S. Congress.”   By this remark, I hope Summers is suggesting that applying the $300 billion in frozen Russian State assets to Ukraine’s needs would encourage some Members of Congress, mostly those from both ends of the political spectrum, to continue supporting Ukraine.

“On Nov. 14, 2022, the United Nations formally recognized that Russia must “bear the legal consequences of all of its internationally wrongful acts, including making reparation for the injury, including any damage, caused by such acts.” The United Nations called for creation of an institution, now, to implement this compensation.”

“Those who hold Russian assets are entitled, under the international law of state countermeasures for a grave breach of international law, to cancel their obligations to the Russian state and apply Russian state funds to pay what Russia owes.”

“In state action against another state’s property, there are no due process concerns. Russia is not a “person” under the U.S. Constitution, and the property being taken is not “private.” There is no sovereign immunity issue, because this is state-on-state; there are no private litigants.”

“Some warn of the precedent of embittering reparations imposed on a bankrupt Germany after World War I. It is a terrible analogy. Russia has received massive windfall oil profits, worth at least $100 billion, since the war started, and these are not frozen. Putin has likely already written off the frozen funds. It is hard to conceive the scenario in which he gets them back, with Ukraine still broke.”  There is another reason why the German Post WW-I analogy doesn’t apply here.  During the early 1920s Germany embarked on an overt policy of debasing their currency, with the objective of forcing the victors to reduce their reparations demands.   Russia, under its very able Central Bank Governor, Elvira Nabiullina, is currently doing precisely the opposite of what Germany did.

“The time has arrived for President Biden to tell his advisers what FDR would have told them: This is the right thing to do. Find a way.” Amen

News From the Battlefield

People are starting to refer to Avdiivka as “the next Bakhmut.”  I’m not sure this is an apt analogy.   The latest “Reporting From Ukraine” describes substantial Russian tank losses to the north and south of Avdiivka.   Three observations:

·       Ukraine is inflicting these losses on Russia without the use of the modern armored personnel carriers that they are currently receiving from the U.S. and other allies.   Bradleys are proven tank destroyers.   There is too much focus on the presence, or lack thereof of Western main battle tanks, and not enough on all of armored personnel carriers Ukraine is getting, much improved versions of what Ukraine effectively used last Fall, in the Kharkiv and Kherson Regions.

·       Russia has still not learned how to conduct combined arms operations, including tanks artillery and aircraft.  This weakness was a major reason for the Russian disaster last year, in front of Kyiv.

·       Forget about modern Western main battle tanks, God knows what will happen if Russia deploys their ancient T-54 tanks against modern Western armored personnel carriers.   Too bad that renowned collector of tanks, Jacques Littlefield, didn’t live long enough to see this.

Unless you want to listen to a promotion for Ground News, the Latest Denys starts at 5:30 into the video.   Denys makes the following observations:

·       The situation around Bakhmut is now static – few if any advances by the Wagners.

·       Ukraine may now have a manpower advantage over the Wagners – 80,000 equal to  a sizeable percentage of Ukraine’s manpower, vs. 50,000 for the Wagners.   If Denys is correct, it is hard to believe that Ukraine isn’t planning some type of counteroffensive.

·       Weather is worsening.   Late winter storms can happen in Ukraine.  I recall a 23 inch snowfall in Kyiv, that took place on March 23^rd 2012.

3/25/23 Sitrep

Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon March 24 to 12:00 noon March 25, 2023

Abbreviations:

RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine

RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders

INTERNATIONAL

Saturday March 25

12:00 Fox News: The number of casualties in missile strikes on U.S. bases in Syria has not been disclosed, but the losses could be serious.

11:20 Reuters: Xi Jinping refuses to speak not only with Zelensky but also with Biden.

·        It is noted that US officials are raising the question of how to reset relations with China, which are rapidly deteriorating.

·        The question remains concerning Anthony Blinken's previously postponed visit to China due to the balloon incident. US representatives are now in Beijing and are trying to "lay the foundation" for this visit, the newspaper writes.

10:35: US President Joe Biden says China has not yet handed over weapons to Russia.

·        "Over the past three months, I have heard that China is going to provide Russia with a significant amount of weapons. Not yet. But that doesn't mean it won't," Biden said.

09:56: According to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the retaliatory strikes were carried out at Biden's behest and targeted targets used by groups linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

·        "The air strikes were carried out in response to today's attack, as well as a series of recent attacks on coalition forces in Syria by groups linked to the IRGC. No group will strike our troops with impunity," Austin said in a statement.

09:40: Iranian drones attacked a U.S. base in Syria, there are casualties. The Pentagon struck back.

·        Business Insider writes that during the attack on the territory of the US base, the Avenger air defense system did not work properly. It is not known whether the militants knew about this.

·        This is reportedly a rare case where there are casualties from the United States as a result of attacks by Iran-linked groups.

08:03 More than 20 missiles have been fired at U.S. military facilities near the Konoko oil and gas field in northern Syria, — Al Jazeera.

·        The U.S. does not seek conflict with Iran, but is ready to respond with "force" to protect its military, U.S. President Joe Biden commented on the rocket attack on U.S. military bases in Syria.

08:02: Ukraine's group of lenders, which includes all G7 states, has agreed to defer payments on loans granted to Ukraine until 2027, when the current IMF program ends. This was stated by the Ministry of Finance of Canada.

07:47: The Spanish government will allocate an additional 14.5 million euros to Ukraine to continue the development of the global food security program, which was announced last September by the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

·        This was stated by the Ambassador of Spain to Ukraine Ricardo López-Aranda Hagu at a briefing in Odesa.

·        "Last September, the Spanish Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly proclaimed that Spain would provide more than 236 million euros for the implementation of this program. And now Spain will add another 14.5 million," the ambassador said.

00:21: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the country will be with Ukraine until the end:

·        In an address to parliament in Ottawa, along with U.S. President Joe Biden, he said, Canada has provided Ukraine with "significant military support" such as artillery, ammunition, armored vehicles and tanks, and the Canadian armed forces have been training Ukrainian servicemen since 2015:

·        "As you well know, Mr. President, Canada will continue to stand firmly on the side of Ukraine, whatever it costs. Together we – partners that Ukraine and the world – can count on."

00:07: Austria will arrest Putin if he decides to come to the country.

·        "Austria is a party to the Rome Statute. This means that Austria, like all other contracting parties, is obliged to cooperate with the ICC: arrest warrants issued by the Court must be executed, and persons wanted by the Court must be arrested," the department commented on whether the Austrian authorities will arrest Putin if he arrives in Austria.

Friday March 24

23:36: European Union diplomacy chief Josep Borrell says China has not crossed any "red lines" for the West, and China's proposals for peace show that it does not want to fully become an ally of Russia.

·        Borrell believes Beijing now wants to play the role of coordinator, not mediator. The European Union should welcome such initiatives, despite their shortcomings.

23:20: Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva proposes to create a "peace club" on Ukraine during a visit to China this week.

·        This was reported by The Financial Times.

·        "I propose to create a group of countries that will try to sit down at the negotiating table with Ukraine and Russia to find peace," Silva said.

22:24: Portugal will financially help investigate Russia's war crimes in Ukraine.

·        This is stated in a statement by the Ministry of Justice of Portugal.

·        The country has announced a voluntary contribution of EUR 75,000 to support the international collection of forensic evidence in Ukraine.

18:10: The United States has imposed new sanctions on Belarus and Lukashenko, according to the U.S. Treasury Department's website.

·        The Boeing 737, which is owned by the Belarusian government and used as a presidential plane for Lukashenko, also came under the restrictions.

16:31: A forest fire broke out in the highlands in Spain in the Valencia region on Thursday. This is reported by El Pais.

·        More than 1000 people were evacuated from the surrounding villages, emergency services created a shelter for 600 residents and a field hospital. According to valencian authorities, the perimeter of the territory, devastated in a few hours by a devastating fire, is about 1000 hectares.

15:59: Germany has handed over a new assistance package to Ukraine.

·        According to the German government, it includes:

o   3 engineered armored vehicles Dachs;

o   spare parts for Leopard and Marder tanks;

o   70 MG3 machine guns;

o   30 drone detection systems.

15:29 PAP: The Polish Armed Forces, together with allied forces, will hold military exercises "Zatoka-2023" (Zalew-2023) on March 27-31 near the Vistula Spit, which borders the Kaliningrad region of Russia.

·        A total of 2.5 thousand people will take part in the exercises. Polish and foreign servicemen, about 500 units of various military equipment and watercraft.

14:44: EU leaders have supported continued work on oil price restrictions.

·        This is stated in the conclusions of EU leaders, which were published by the spokesman of the President of the European Council Barend Leits on Twitter.

·        "The European Union remains committed to maintaining and increasing collective pressure on Russia, including through possible further restrictive measures, and will continue to work on the marginal price of oil together with partners," the conclusions said.

12:01 Delfi: Lithuanian Foreign Minister will visit Kyiv today.

·        At the same time, the goals of Gabrielus Landsberg's visit and the planned meetings are not officially announced. On the minister's agenda, published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there is also no information about this.

NATIONAL

Saturday March 25

11:47: Today we celebrate the Day of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

·        The SBU cleanses its native land from the invaders, fights against the internal enemy and detains traitors who called the "Russian world".

·        "We beat so that the occupiers pay in full for every crime! But they remembered forever: Ukraine is a free state that is able to protect its future! And Ukrainians is a glorious people with a heroic history," the SBU stressed.

07:07 General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

·        Over the past day, Russia launched 50 air and 11 missile strikes, carried out 75 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems at the positions of Ukrainian troops and civilian infrastructure of settlements, and killed civilians.

·        Russia focuses its main efforts on conducting offensive actions in the Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mariinsky and Shakhtarsky directions.

·        Ukrainian defenders repulsed 59 enemy attacks on them.

·        On March 22, servicemen of the Federal Service of the National Guard of the Russian Federation raided the settlement of Chaplynka, Kherson region.

·        During the inspection, personal documents of citizens, vehicles and mobile phones were subject to special attention.

·        And in Energodar, Zaporozhye region, Russians organize "excursions" to Volgodonsk for high school children, to the Rostov NPP.

·        Over the past day, Ukrainian aviation has inflicted 17 strikes on areas of concentration of Russians.

·        At the same time, Ukrainian defenders shot down a Russian Mi-24 helicopter and 6 enemy unmanned aerial vehicles of various types.

·        Units of rocket troops and artillery, in turn, hit 2 control points, 4 areas of concentration of Russian troops, two anti-aircraft missile systems, an ammunition depot, an artillery unit at a firing position and 2 electronic warfare stations.

Friday March 24

21:40: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny had a telephone conversation with the Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.

·        "I informed my colleague about the operational situation along the entire front line in the Bakhmut direction - the most difficult.

·        They also discussed the issue of strengthening Ukrainian air defense. We agreed to develop cooperation and keep in touch," Zaluzhny wrote.

21:25: Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Oleksandr Kamyshin from the post of his freelance adviser.

·        The relevant decree is published on the website of the President's Office.

·        Thus, Alexander Kamyshin stayed in this position for only three weeks.

20:13: Volodymyr Zelenskyy established military administrations in Severodonetsk, Popasna and Mountainous Luhansk regions.

·        The relevant decree is published on the website of the President's Office.

20:00: The Government has extended a special period with preferential electricity prices, said the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.

·        "The PSO mechanism will be valid until April 30 this year. The price of electricity will remain unchanged until the end of the heating season," Shmyhal wrote.

19:46: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko visited the forward positions of the Ukrainian military in the east.

·        "The soldiers of the 93rd OMB "Kholodny Yar", which defends Bakhmut, handed over hemostatic turnstiles, the Starlink communication system. And also, from the capital's volunteers - a pickup truck.

·        He also visited and supported today the OMB fighters who hold forward positions near Vuhledar. At their request, he brought 12 Mavic 3T drones equipped with thermal imagers and batteries for them," Klitschko wrote.

19:31: Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis with the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, III degree.

·        "Thank you, your country, your great people for supporting Ukraine," Zelensky wrote.

19:18: The unemployed in Ukraine will now receive profiling and vocational guidance services, prime minister Denys Shmyhal said.

·        "A career advisor will help you choose the profession to which a person is inclined. We involve employers in the educational process.

·        Training will be paid by the state under a special certificate," Shmyhal wrote.

18:25 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on March 24:

·        "During the day, the enemy inflicted 40 air and 5 missile strikes.

·        He carried out more than 20 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems at the positions of our troops and civilian infrastructure of settlements. Civilians were killed.

·        The likelihood of further missile and air strikes throughout Ukraine remains high, as the Russian occupiers continue to use terror tactics."

·        The enemy focuses its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mariinsky and Shakhtarsky directions.

·        Ukrainian soldiers repulsed more than 38 enemy attacks on them."

·        In the temporarily occupied settlements of Luhansk region, the invaders continue to put pressure on civilians.

·        It is becoming increasingly difficult to move between settlements.

·        In particular, only locals can get to the village of Plugatar with special passes."

·        During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces inflicted 16 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the occupiers.

·        Our defenders shot down the enemy's unmanned aerial vehicles "Shaheed-136" and "Lancet".

·        At the same time, Ukrainian rocket launchers and artillerymen hit 2 control points, 4 areas of concentration of enemy manpower, weapons and military equipment.

·        As well as 2 anti-aircraft missile systems, an ammunition depot, an artillery unit in a firing position and 2 stations of electronic warfare of the enemy."

17:33: Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the World Bank delegation headed by Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde.

·        "We are grateful for the number of programs that the World Bank is implementing in Ukraine, especially after the start of a full-scale war," the president wrote.

16:47: At the initiative of the Association of Families of Defenders of Azovstal, a petition was posted on the President's website with a proposal to make May 20 in Ukraine the Day of Honoring the Defenders of Mariupol.

·        We offer to sign the👉 petition https://petition.president.gov.ua/petition/184972

16:15: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the staff of the Security Service (SBU), on the 31st anniversary of the creation of the special service.

·        The President presented 16 state awards to the servicemen of the Security Service of Ukraine, including the transfer of the Order of the Golden Star to the relatives of the deceased Hero of Ukraine.

·        In addition, Vasyl Malyuk presented employees with 20 departmental awards.

15:13 President's Office: Marganets of Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as Orlivka and Pervomaiske in Donetsk region, are under fire.

·        According to him, there is a wounded woman in the village of Pervomaiske.

14:59: Ukraine has fulfilled 72% of its obligations under the Association Agreement with the European Union - government portal.

·        It is noted that the greatest progress has been made in the following areas:

o   statistics and information exchange - 96%,

o   intellectual property - 94%,

o   justice, freedom, security, human rights - 91%,

o   humanitarian policy - 91%,

o   public finance management - 90%.

14:29: Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at an event on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the National Guard of Ukraine and the graduation of officers of the NSU Academy and the NSU Institute.

·        "Today we are adding 334 more reasons to our victory, which Ukrainians bring with all our might. 334 soldiers of the National Guard who have completed their training and join the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine," the President of Ukraine said.

14:15: Today, until 20:00, online voting for candidates for the Anti-Corruption Council at the Ministry of Defense continues: every Ukrainian can take part, according to the Ministry of Defense.

·        Open nationwide online voting takes place on the platform of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption. 29 candidates submitted documents to participate in the competition. Among them, 15 members of the Public Anti-Corruption Council will be elected for a period of one year.

·        Every citizen of Ukraine can vote for no more than 15 candidates. The 15 candidates who received the largest number of votes will be considered elected to the Public Anti-Corruption Council.

13:43: Right now, the priests of the UOC-MP are removing valuables from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Photo from the subscriber.

13:18: SBU cyber specialists exposed two FSB agents who conducted reconnaissance and subversive activities in the Kyiv region and Zaporizhia, where the enemy's henchman was the design engineer of the Motor Sich enterprise.

·        In early February 2023, they were recruited by a personnel officer of the FSB department in the Altai Territory. At the direction of the enemy, agents investigated the locations of Ukrainian military facilities and law enforcement agencies.

·        The court chose a measure of restraint for them – detention. An investigation is underway to establish all the circumstances of the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.

12:44: Operational Command South spokeswoman commented on the situation in Nova Kakhovka.

·        Natalia Gumeniuk said that the Russians remained in the city, but they began to loot and change into civilian clothes.

·        Such actions were observed earlier before the de-occupation of other regions.

12:14: The court arrested ex-MP Renata Kuzmin in absentia.

·        The former fugitive MP from the banned OPFL party, Renat Kuzmin, who is suspected of high treason, was arrested in absentia.

·        According to the SBI, the court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention (in absentia) without an alternative in the form of bail.

Mordor - russia

Saturday March 25

11:05: The Russian offensive near Bakhmut stopped due to extreme exhaustion of troops - British intelligence.

00:49: By mid-March 2023, Russia probably redeployed about 1,000 troops trained at the Obuz-Lisnovsky training ground in Belarus

·        Intelligence from Britain's defence ministry reports that although no new rotation of troops has been noticed, Russia is likely to have left the tent camp in place. This indicates that the possibility of continuing the curriculum is being considered.

Friday March 24

23:52 Bloomberg: After the failure of the winter offensive in Ukraine, the Russian command intends to move to the defense.

·        This year, the Kremlin expects to recruit up to 400 thousand contractors.

22:40: New interception of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine

·        The wife of a mobilized serviceman of the Russian Federation says that her husband does not exist on any list of mobilized or contracted of russian soldiers, and is not listed in any military unit.

17:27 Social Networks: In Sevastopol, in the temporarily occupied Crimea, explosions were heard.

15:46: Footage of a nuclear-weapon submarine drone test conducted in North Korea.

13:59: Ukraine handed over to Russia all seriously wounded prisoners of war who could be transported.

·        This was announced by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

KHARKIV

Saturday March 25

09:25: Head of Kharkiv RMA on the situation in the region:

·        As a result of massive shelling of the Chuhuiv district, at least 2 residential buildings were damaged in Vovchansk, 4 residential buildings in the village of Vilcha, and shells hit in the open area in the village of Buhaivka. In addition, an infrastructure facility was destroyed in the Chuguev district.

·        In the village of Kruglyakivka, Kupyansk district, as a result of shelling, a residential building was damaged and a fire broke out. In the village of Pershotravneve, Izyum district, shelling destroyed a garage and a private car.

DONETSK

Saturday March 25

10:20: At night, the Russians fired rockets at Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, shelling the city center and the industrial zone.

·        "No casualties. We are clarifying information on the destruction," said Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko.

Friday March 24

23:07 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region.

21:55: The commander with the call sign "Magyar" showed a pond in the Donetsk region, crowded with fish.

·        "These are also consequences of the war. For 9 years there has been no possibility of catching fish," Magyar said.

17:55: In Bakhmut, border guards repelled three attacks by "Wagnerians", according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

·        "The enemy stormed one of the defenders strongholds twice. With the fire support of mortars, the fighters delayed the approach of the invaders' reserve.

·        The border guards forced the mercenaries to finally retreat in a rifle battle. Estimated losses - 4 killed occupiers and 10 - wounded," the SBGS wrote.

12:29 Donetsk RMA: In the middle of the night, the Russians launched a missile strike on Konstantinovka – they targeted the Center for Accounting for Homeless Persons, where 10 people were staying at that time. As a result of the strike, 3 people were killed and 2 wounded.

·        In the evening, an air missile strike took place on Avdiivka - missiles hit a residential area and the outskirts of the AKHZ. Also under fire were Krasnohorivka, Marinka, the village of Konstantinovka, Hirnyk, Chasiv Yar, New York, Toretsk, Orikhovo-Vasilyevka, Minkivka, Vasyukovka.

·        1 person died in the city of Chasiv Yar.

KHERSON

Saturday March 25

10:50 Kherson RMA: The Russian army attacked the Kherson region 67 times a day.

·        In particular, the Russians carried out 7 attacks on Kherson itself — 23 shells hit private and apartment buildings, as well as a medical facility.

·        "Unfortunately, there are casualties. Two people were killed, six were injured," Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Friday March 24

17:40 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.

15:33 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.

13:29: Seven children from the Kherson region have returned home, the OWA said.

·        It is noted that in October last year, the children were taken to Evpatoria to a children's camp, allegedly "for recovery." They were returned thanks to the efforts of volunteers from the "Save Ukraine" organization.

SUMY

Friday March 24

22:57: Consequences of the night shelling of the city of Bilopillia in the Sumy region.

·        The Russians dropped dozens of air bombs on it. There is still no exact data on all the damage in the city.

13:00: The Sumy RMA showed the consequences of shelling by Russian troops from the MLRS and barreled artillery of the Belopole community.

·        According to the RMA, 2 are dead and more than 10 injured.

CHERNIHIV

Friday March 24

17:08 Operational Command North: Russian troops struck the border of the Chernihiv region. As a result of the shelling, a civilian was killed.

·        "At about 12:20, shelling was reported, probably from a 120 mm mortar, near the settlement of Horodyshche. As a result of the shelling, 1 private house burned down and 1 local resident of the settlement was killed," the operational command writes.

·        Civilians are urged not to visit the border strip and move at least 20 kilometers inland.

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