Ukraine – 3/29/23 Sitrep
By: Bohdan Chomiak & Robert Homans
March 29, 2023
The Monks of the Pecherska Lavra
The monks affiliated with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), those who are currently illegally occupying the Pecherska Lavra, are refusing to vacate the premises, despite a lawful eviction order.
It is reasonable to assume that the Pecherska Lavra monks are agents of a foreign government, namely Russia. They should be treated as such. According to this article from Ukrainska Pravda, “as of 23 February 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine has investigated nearly 60 criminal cases brought against pro-Russian UOC-MP clergy; over 350 church buildings and 850 persons linked to the church have been subject to thorough checks and inspections. Ukrainian courts have handed down seven guilty verdicts.” In my opinion the UOC-MP is an organ of the Russian State, and it should be completely shut down in Ukraine and all their assets frozen. Instead, the Ukrainian Government is bending over backwards to complete the eviction in a non-confrontational manner.
Tucker Carlson, in one of his more idiotic statements, uses the controversy with the UOC-MP as an example of Ukraine suppressing religion. No Tucker. It is an issue of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine reclaiming control over what is theirs. Several years ago, we attended an event at Tucker’s house for the secondary school we both attended (22 years apart). At this event, Tucker asked my Ukrainian wife if Ukrainians attend church on Sundays.
Tucker’s question to my wife is a prime example of his ignorance, or is it? In today’s Washington Post there is an editorial describing Tucker Carlson’s totally false allegations of U.S. bioweapons labs in Ukraine. Tucker’s question to my wife may simply be a product of his regurgitating Russian disinformation.
It is interesting that the monks are hiding behind the skirts of the same legal protections in Ukraine that would be denied to them in Russia. They’re filing a lawsuit asking that the eviction lawful order be vacated.
Another Good Idea From Tim Ash
Rather than simply turning over the frozen Russian Central Bank assets to Ukraine, a matter that makes some Western lawyers squeamish about maintaining rule of law as they apply to Central Bank assets and even though, as Ash points out in his latest blog, those same lawyers saw nothing wrong with defending the interests of Russian kleptocrats who were parking their dirty money in places like London and New York.
To maintain the sanctity of the frozen Russian Central Bank assets and satisfy the concerns of the lawyers, Ash proposes to invest the assets in Ukrainian assets, including Ukrainian War Bonds, Eurobonds, etc. and, by doing so, invest in Ukraine reconstruction. As Ash points out, this might even give Russia 2nd thoughts about destroying the very same Ukrainian infrastructure that Ukraine will need to repay its obligations.
Larry Summers and others, argue in a recent Washington Post Op-Ed that Western governments holding frozen Russian Central Bank assets already have a strong legal case for releasing those assets and sending them to Ukraine.
News From the Battlefield
According to “Reporting From Ukraine,” Ukraine continues to hit Russian targets in southern Ukraine, possibly in preparation for a counteroffensive going south. It is likely that Ukraine is using satellite-guided glide bombs, provided by the U.S., to hit targets around Mariupol and Berdyansk, at a distance further than the maximum range of HIMARS. Some thoughts concerning a possible counteroffensive:
· As was the case last Fall, there may be more than 1 counteroffensive. In addition to south toward Melitopol, Ukraine can also attack east, along 2 axes in Luhansk Oblast. The least likely, but possible, is an offensive launch from Ukrainian occupied Kherson Oblast across the Dnipro River.
· In addition to better weather, Ukraine appears to be husbanding its new equipment, including well over 100 advanced armored personnel carriers (APC), rather than using them in current battles around Kreminna, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Vuhledar.
· While nice to have, main battle tanks will be a sideshow. Ukraine doesn’t have enough of them, and they have proven to be very effective in the use of armored personnel carriers to cover large territories quickly. APCs, especially the U.S. Bradleys with their “Tow” anti-tank missile, has proven to be a very effective weapon against the Russian T-72.
3/29/23 Sitrep
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon March 28 to 12:00 noon March 29, 2023
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
Wednesday March 29
09:27: The Government of Kazakhstan resigns in accordance with the new constitution, - President Tokayev signed a decree.
· For now, the Cabinet of Ministers of the country will continue to perform its duties until the approval of the new composition of the government. Amanat, a pro-presidential party, won the election and will propose a new prime minister.
08:10 This year, Canada will provide Ukraine with a soft loan in the amount of CAD 2.4 billion (about USD 1.9 billion).
· This figure is contained in the federal budget of Canada, submitted today to the country's parliament.
00:10: The Pentagon believes that Ukraine has a good chance of a successful counterattack. The optimistic statement was made by the head of the US Department of Defense Austin during hearings in the US Senate Armed Services Committee
· "I think we will see an intensification of hostilities in the spring as the conditions for maneuvering will improve, as well as based on what we have already done and continue to do. I think Ukraine will have a very good chance of success."
Tuesday March 28
21:56: "Let China discuss peace proposals with Ukraine": Sunak called on Xi Jinping to negotiate with Zelensky.
· "We call on Xi Jinping to speak directly with President Zelenskyy on any specific peace proposal that China is interested in proposing... It would be right for China to interact directly with Ukraine in this matter," he said.
· The Prime Minister noted that China's recent actions had undermined its status as a neutral party and called for constructive action in this direction. He also stressed that he welcomed the support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
21:30 CNN: The US decision to change the routes of drone flights over the Black Sea due to the incident with Russian fighters limits the collection of intelligence.
· It is noted that spy satellites can compensate for the problem to some extent, but their time above the targets is shorter.
21:10: France recognized the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people, said Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak.
20:35 The Wall Street Journal: The U.S. has suspended the exchange of data on strategic nuclear forces with Russia.
· It is reported that this is the first step that the United States took within the framework of the treaty in response to the suspension of Russia's participation in the State Emergency Service (ed. - the Strategic Offensive Weapons Treaty).
· According to a representative of the US presidential administration, the goal of the United States is to encourage Russia to return to compliance with the treaty.
19:34 Eurostat: The United States came out on top in oil supplies to the European Union, while Russia reduced its share from 31% to 4%.
19:09: Poland will tighten sanctions against Belarus due to the alleged deployment of Russian nuclear weapons on its territory.
· According to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland is conducting daily negotiations by other EU member states on the 11th package of sanctions against Russia. Given Russia's plans to deploy its nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, the new restrictions will also apply to the official Minsk.
6:53: An advance ceasefire in Ukraine could be used by Russia to its advantage, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
· "We must all be conscious and understand that when we call for a ceasefire, with the best intentions to freeze the conflict, it will enable Russia to gain a foothold and prepare for further attack," Blinken said.
5:15 Associated Press: IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi plans to visit Russia.
· The Director General noted that he considers it his duty to resume negotiations on keeping ZNPP safe.
15:26 Sky News: Poland and the United Kingdom will build two villages for Ukrainian immigrants. They will be located in Lviv and Poltava regions.
· The UK has promised to allocate £10 million to fund temporary villages. The British government also said that about 700 people would be able to live in the settlements.
14:40: At the EU summit in December, the issue of starting negotiations on the admission of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU will be considered, said the Chairman of the European Council Charles Michel.
14:11 Euractiv: Bulgaria, through intermediaries, intends to sell Ukraine a large amount of Soviet ammunition.
· "This amount of ammunition that can reverse the course of the war in some areas on the Ukrainian front," said former Bulgarian Defense Minister Boyko Noev.
1:56: NATO reconnaissance aircraft are over the Black Sea. This is evidenced by data from Flightradar24.
· The American electronic reconnaissance aircraft Lockheed EP-3E Aries II was recorded off the coast of Romania, and the Boeing P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft was recorded in Romania with little access to the airspace over the Black Sea.
13:12: Ukraine received three Leopard 2A6 tanks from Portugal.
· This was reported by the Ministry of National Defense of Portugal.
12:56: France intends to increase the supply of 155 mm shells to Kyiv, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornou said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper.
· Lecornue also said that "in the near future, France will supply Kyiv with an anti-aircraft missile system SAMP/T."
NATIONAL
Wednesday March 29
11:09: Due to weather conditions, power outages began in 12 regions of Ukraine - damaged power grids in Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytsky, Chernivtsi, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions, Ukrenergo reported.
· Emergency shutdowns have been introduced in Kyiv. They operate in Shevchenkovsky, Solomensky, Svyatoshinsky, Goloseevsky, Pechersk, Podolsk, Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts.
09:08 Associated Press: If Bakhmut falls in front of Russian troops, Putin will "sell this victory to the West, his society, China, Iran" in order to gain international support and force Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises, — Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
· Zelenskyy also announced his readiness to accept Chinese President Xi Jinping in Ukraine. Earlier this week, Zelenskiy announced that he had requested talks with Xi.
· "We're ready to see him here. I want to talk to him. I contacted him before the full-scale war. But for all this year, more than a year, we have not had contacts," he said.
07:14 General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
· Over the past day, the Russians launched 18 air and 3 missile strikes, carried out 50 shellings from the MLRS. On March 28, as a result of a missile strike on the infrastructure of the city of Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv region, civilians were injured, private houses were damaged,
· the Russians are focusing their main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mariinsky directions. Bilohorivka, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka and their environs remain in the epicenter of hostilities. Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repulsed 57 Russian attacks in these areas.
· Russians continue to cynically use medical facilities in the temporarily occupied territories for their own purposes.
· Thus, the local hospital of Bilovodsk, Luhansk region, is equipped with a military hospital for 200 beds. Currently, the medical facility treats Russians who have minor injuries. At the same time, all civilians have been "discharged."
· Recently, there has been a tendency when the Russian military refuses to follow the orders of commanders,
· Thus, on March 23 this year, for refusing to perform a combat mission, about 70 people from the units of the volunteer formations "Nevsky" and "veterans" were disarmed and delivered to Makiivka, Donetsk region. A similar incident occurred on March 25, the personnel of the Russian intelligence company operating in the Avdiivka direction refused to comply with the order.
Tuesday March 28
23:52: During a combat mission, Ukrainian pilot, navigator of the aviation squadron, Major Denis Kirillyuk, was killed.
· The 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports this on Facebook.
· "During the combat mission, the deputy commander of the squadron, navigator of the aviation squadron, Major Denis Kirillyuk, was killed," the post reads.
22:51: In the next six months, a shortage of electricity in Ukraine is not expected, said Volodymyr Kudrytsky, chairman of Ukrenergo.
· "The Ukrainian energy system is part of the European one, which means that we will have the opportunity to import electricity if we do not have enough of our own," Kudrytsky said.
19:15: The first three strike companies of the UAV are already fully equipped and ready for battle.
· This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Mykhailo Fedorov.
· "All UAVs are Ukrainian made. Equipment for the strike companies of the Drone Army was purchased by private donors," Fedorov wrote.
18:14 Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on March 28:
· "During the day, the enemy inflicted 11 air and 2 missile strikes, carried out more than 10 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems.
· Today, as a result of a missile strike on the infrastructure of the city of Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv region, civilians were injured, private houses were damaged."
· In the epicenter of hostilities remain the settlements of Bilohorivka, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka and their environs.
· Thanks to professional and coordinated actions, during the day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repulsed 24 enemy attacks in these areas."
· During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces inflicted 5 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the occupiers.
· Units of the missile forces and artillery struck the control point, the area of concentration of enemy manpower, weapons and military equipment, as well as the ammunition depot."
16:10: The Central Election Commission has recognized Iryna Nykorak as an MP from European Solidarity.
· Nikorak will replace Lieutenant General Mikhail Zabrodsky, who resigned due to his return to military service. She is a current deputy of the Kyiv City Council.
14:56: Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO will be a guarantee of security for Europe for decades, foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
· "The reality is that Ukraine's accession to NATO is in the interests of both our country and the Alliance itself. Ukrainian strength, resilience and courage will be a significant contribution to collective security, as well as a large, battle-hardened and interoperable Ukrainian army with allied armies," the minister said.
· Kuleba hopes that this year's NATO summit in Vilnius will decide what the Alliance wants to see Ukraine in its composition.
1:40 Operational Command East: An ammunition depot, two tanks and eight Russian mortars were destroyed last day by the Ukrainian military in the Liman and Kupyansk directions.
· 301 times the Russians struck with barreled and jet artillery in the Liman and Kupyansk directions during the past day.
13:26: Special forces of the SBU Special Operations Center "A" destroyed the TOR-M2 anti-aircraft missile system using a kamikaze drone, the SBU said.
12:12 Ukrenergo: Today, due to bad weather and damage in the networks of distribution system operators, there are significant power outages of consumers in 8 regions in the west and south of Ukraine.
· In Zhytomyr region, there are outages due to significant damage to the networks.
Mordor - russia
Wednesday March 29
08:10: The Center for National Resistance has published a map of the camps where Russia took Ukrainian children.
· In the camps, Ukrainian children are taught the anthem and history of Russia, a distorted interpretation of the war: "Ideological processing takes place."
· Currently, 45 children's and 12 military camps have been mapped.
· The Center notes that the map is based on data from open sources and will be supplemented.
00:29 Local Media: In Chechnya, unknown persons with assault rifles attacked a police station.
Tuesday March 28
23:48: Rosneft disrupts deadlines for the delivery of the nuclear-powered icebreaker Russia scheduled for December 2027
· The reason for this was that the Russian army bombed a plant in Kramatorsk, which was supposed to produce unique parts.
· The value of the state contract at the same time may increase from 128 billion rubles at once by 40-60%. At the same time, the Government of the Russian Federation stressed the "impossibility of breaking the deadline for delivery."
23:31: "The deployment of nuclear weapons is in line with international law, so does NATO", - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus
· Thus, they allegedly "forcedly" strengthen their own security. They added that this does not violate the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: "NATO has long had the practice of joint nuclear missions."
23:10 Center for National Resistance: Russia plans to send prosecutors to the occupied territories due to a shortage of local collaborators.
· It is noted that Russian prosecutors will "work" in the format of business trips.
22:28 The Guardian: Putin is preparing the population of Russia for an "eternal war" with the West.
· During a speech to the workers of the aviation plant in Buryatia, Putin once again called the war an existential battle for the survival of Russia.
· According to the publication, despite the failures on the battlefield in Ukraine, the Kremlin leveled any reaction against the war inside the country.
21:51 Bloomberg: Putin has undermined the authority of Chinese President Xi Jinping by announcing the deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.
· In a joint statement, Xi Jingping and Putin announced that all nuclear powers should refrain from deploying nuclear weapons abroad.
· However, a few days later, the Russian president announced plans to send tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which negatively affected China's position as a mediator in the conflict.
17:57: In the new Moscow, a drone with the inscription "Glory to Ukraine" fell near the railway tracks, Baza.
· The drone was reportedly found by a local resident.
4:55 Institute for the Study of War: Due to the failures of the Russian army in Ukraine, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War note rumors about the resignation of commanders of the Eastern and Western Military Districts.
· The report indicates that ISW cannot confirm rumors about the dismissal of Muradov or Nikiforov, but it is worth noting that Russian bloggers are discussing the potential dismissals of commanders related to areas of operations in which Russian troops have failed to achieve significant progress or suffered significant losses.
16:31: Russia has allocated 360 million rubles for Russian books in the temporarily occupied regions, where it destroys Ukrainian literature - the central nervous system.
· "Russians continue to remove Ukrainian books from local libraries in the temporarily occupied territories and replace them with Russian literature," the agency writes.
· At the same time, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation has allocated 200 million rubles for the purchase and distribution of Russian books, about 120 million rubles for the creation of three model libraries and 40 million for financing libraries controlled by the occupiers.
15:40: Russia is distributing a fake video about the shelling of a civilian vehicle by the Ukrainian military, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said.
· Intelligence notes that this is a typical Russian IPSO. The fake nature of the video is evidenced by poor-quality editing, location (the territory where the video was shot is now occupied), Wehrmacht crosses on military cars, as well as the presence of a DVR, which are now banned in Ukraine.
KHARKIV
Wednesday March 29
11:57 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in the Kupyansk district of the Kharkiv region.
10:14 Kharkiv RMA: During the day, Bohodukhiv, Vovchansk, Biennial, Strelechna, Veterenarne and other cities and villages were under the blows of the Russians.
· As a result of a missile strike on the city of Bohodukhiv, 13 residential buildings and a kindergarten building were damaged. A 62-year-old man was injured. Mortars, artillery and tanks shelled the village of Dvorechnaya. Damaged residential buildings and utility buildings. More than 150 blows were recorded. As a result of the shelling of Vovchansk, a civilian industry facility and business buildings were damaged.
Tuesday March 28
13:02 Kharkiv RMA: The enemy again strikes at civilians in the Kharkiv region. Today, two enemy missiles, probably S-300, fell in the city of Bohodukhiv.
· Emergency services are working on site. Previously, without casualties. Information on the extent of the destruction is being clarified.
12:43 Kharkiv RMA: Last day, under russian fire were areas in the settlements of Timofeevka, Krasne, Kupyansk, Biennial, Zapadne and others.
· The Russians struck the village of Guryev from two helicopters. Damaged residential buildings and utility buildings. As a result of a mortar strike on the village of Pervomayneve, a private household was damaged. No casualties.
· In Kupyansk, a 50-year-old civilian was detonated on an unknown explosive device. He died from his injuries.
12:29 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in the Kharkiv region.
LUHANSK
Wednesday March 29
11:49 Luhansk RMA: Active hostilities take place near Kreminna and, especially, Bilohorivka. There, the Russians actively use artillery and aviation. Russian troops have no success.
DONETSK
Wednesday March 29
11:36 Ukrainian Military Intelligence believes that despite claims by "Wagnerians" about allegedly establishing full control over the Azot factory complex north of downtown Bakhmut, the area is still controversial.
· The Russians are probably not allowed to occupy this sector by a shortage of personnel due to recent statements about the leave of belligerent Russian prisoners into the wild.
11:29: The Battle of Bakhmut continues, although the number of Russian attacks has decreased, - British intelligence.
· The British Ministry of Defense notes that one of the key achievements of the Armed Forces in this direction was the pushing of the "Wagnerians" from route 0506: a country road, which has become the most important supply line for the Ukrainian military. Militants "Wagner" were only a few hundred meters from her.
10:46 Donetsk RMA: Shelling of Vuhledar and nearby villages took place — without casualties.
· In the Kurakhivska community, a house in Vovchenka was damaged, under shelling from the outskirts of Kurakhove, Avdiivka and the Mariinsky community.
· 3 people were wounded in Bakhmut and 2 in the city of Chasiv Yar. In Kostiantynivka, 1 house was damaged. In the Soledar community, under fire from Minkivka and Orikhovo-Vasylivka, in Toretsk — the outskirts of the community. Isolated attacks took place in the Siverska community, without casualties.
10:00 Institute for the Study of War: Analysts estimate that Russian troops occupy about 65 percent of Bakhmut.
· The report says that Wagner PMC forces likely captured the AZOT industrial complex in northern Bakhmut and continue to advance inland.
· ISW estimates that Russian troops have advanced another five percent of Bakhmut's territory over the past seven days.
08:50: On March 28, units of the anti-aircraft missile forces of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a Russian Su-24M bomber.
· It happened at about 13.30 in the Bakhmut direction.
08:26 Donetsk RMA: On March 28, Russians wounded 5 residents of Donetsk region: 3 in Bakhmut and 2 in the city of Chasiv Yar.
Tuesday March 28
20:57 Operational Command East: During the day, the Ukrainian military eliminated or wounded more than 200 Russian soldiers in the Bakhmut area.
· "Only in the area of the settlement of Bakhmut in a day there were 14 combat clashes with the enemy. 86 occupants were killed in a day, 117 were injured," Cherevaty said.
15:56 British intelligence: The Russian army lost most of the tank regiment near Avdiivka, trying to surround the city from the south.
· The regiment is part of the 3rd Army Corps, which suffers from discipline problems and low morale. Despite their exercises in Belarus, Russian formations still demonstrate limited combat capability.
12:02 Donetsk RMA: In the Donetsk direction, Kurakhove came under artillery fire 7 times – the building of a state-owned enterprise was damaged.
· 2 people were injured and 2 houses were damaged in Kostiantynivka. At least 1 wounded person is known in Bakhmut. It was loud in the Toretsk and Chasovoyarsk communities. In the Soledar community, Minkivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Fedorivka and Rozdolivka are under fire.
· 2 kamikaze drones hit Zarechny – without casualties.
· On March 27, Russians killed 1 resident of Donetsk region — in Sloviansk, - the head of the OVA Pavel Kirilenko.
· Another 34 people in the region were injured.
ZAPORIZHIA
Wednesday March 29
07:25: Temporarily occupied Melitopol was left completely without light. As a result of the shelling, the facilities of the power supply system were damaged, emergency services said.
06:43 Explosions are heard in the temporarily occupied Melitopol, says Mayor Ivan Fedorov.
· "Melitopol: loud! Several explosions were heard in all districts of the city. The invaders are fussing. We are waiting for details from the General Staff," Fedorov said.
DNIPRO
Wednesday March 29
KHERSON
Wednesday March 29
Tuesday March 28
17:54 Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.
12:22 Kherson RMA: Russians attacked peaceful settlements of Kherson region 60 times.
· The Russian army shelled residential areas of Kherson 8 times. An educational institution, private and apartment buildings were damaged in the city. 5 residents of Kherson region were injured of varying severity.
ODESA
Wednesday March 29
KYIV
Wednesday March 29
10:31: In the Kyiv region, due to deteriorating weather conditions, accidents occurred on electric power plants, says DTEK
· Most of the outages are in the Vyshgorod, Kyiv-Svyatoshinsky and Vasylkiv energy centers.
SUMY
Wednesday March 29
Tuesday March 28
22:12: Volodymyr Zelenskyy: He returned from our Sumy region - today he was in Okhtyrka, in Trostyanets, in Sumy, in the positions of our border guards.
· Impressions are special. The region is next to the enemy. The threat is constant. The shelling of our border is constant. But life, our people are stronger than any fears. The recovery continues, the business is gradually returning, people are rebuilding their lives.
· He had the honor to give Okhtyrka a special award of the hero city. The city, which with its resistance helped save the eastern and central Ukraine. He congratulated Trostyanets on the anniversary of liberation from the occupiers. He held a meeting with representatives of local authorities of both Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
16:41: Volodymyr Zelenskyy got himself acquainted with the service of border guards to cover the borders of the state in the Sumy region.
· "Ukrainian border guards are working in close cooperation with other components of the Defense Forces of Ukraine to protect the state border from the enemy," the President wrote.
14:26: "It is an honor for me to present today Okhtyrka with the honorary award of the hero-city, the city-defender, the victorious city.
· In the Sumy region, in our Okhtyrka, we honor the real Cossack courage and indestructibility of our people - our heroes, all Ukrainians and Ukrainians," Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
KHMELNYTSKYI
Wednesday March 29
08:37 Khmelnytsky RMA: As of the morning of March 29, 23 settlements remain without power supply in Khmelnytskyi. To eliminate the outages, 20 emergency crews and 36 units of equipment of Khmelnytskoblenergo JSC were involved.
CHERNIHIV
Tuesday March 28
4:27 SBU press service: The SBU detained a border guard who tried to "leak" information about the protection of Ukraine's northern borders to the FSB.
· The defendant was an inspector of the Chernihiv border detachment. Even before the start of the full-scale invasion, the official was recruited by an officer of the FSB.
State Emergency Services: Yesterday and cumulative discovery and liquidation of explosive objects.
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
Often some comments by Bob Homan in the newsletter irritate me, and I just let them roll off my back as a duck does with water. Sadly, I am inclined to respond to two items today. The first being the quote: "Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), those who are currently illegally occupying the Pecherska Lavra, are refusing to vacate the premises, despite a lawful eviction order." A few paragraphs later, with this additional statement: "It is interesting that the monks are hiding behind the skirts of the same legal protections in Ukraine that would be denied to them in Russia. They’re filing a lawsuit asking that the eviction lawful order be vacated". Mr. Homan, are you advocating for two catagories of law enforcement in Ukraine? One for Russian citizens and one for everyone else? Being denied a right to present a specific a legal remedy in ones own country does not discount one from filing such a lawful challenge in the United States of America where the remedy is permitted does it not? If Ukraine is truly becoming a country where the rule of law exisit for everyone, and if the legal filing is also lawful, then shouldn't we be celebrating Ukraine's enlighted approach toward jurisprudence?
My second irritation is the constant backbitting with Tucker Carlson. "Tucker Carlson, in one of his more idiotic statements, uses the controversy with the UOC-MP as an example of Ukraine suppressing religion. No Tucker. It is an issue of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine reclaiming control over what is theirs. Several years ago, we attended an event at Tucker’s house for the secondary school we both attended (22 years apart). At this event, Tucker asked my Ukrainian wife if Ukrainians attend church on Sundays." Are you serious? Ukrainian jurisprudence has not yet thoroughly concluded as you describe above, I openly wonder how such an intelligent person may make such a boneheaded judgement? On the occasion when Mr. Carlson asked about church attendance, I see only legitimate curiosity. On my first visit to Ukraine I had the same query, so many churches, and no one I had met admitted to church attendance. An aquaintance invited me to go to church with his mother, and that is how the question was settled. Ignorance on any subject is always cured with education, and stupidity has no cure. In the Army it was the stupid question was the one that never got asked.
I thank you for your kind attention and I will joyfully move on with my life.