Wednesday, March 29

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Civilians cross a damaged bridge in Staryi Saltiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on March 28, 2023. (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Kuleba: EU and NATO membership for Ukraine guarantees European security. Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO will “guarantee the security of the European continent for the next decade,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at the U.S.-Adriatic Charter informal meeting on March 28.

Guardian: Russia pushing for ‘forever war,’ says Peskov. The Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told guests at a private party in Moscow that Russia’s war will last for a “very, very long time,” the Guardian reported on March 28.

Russian Defense Ministry to increase weapons production ‘seven fold’. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it will increase its ammunition production by “seven to eight times” by the end of the year, CNN reported on March 28.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia suffering heavy losses in Avdiivka, making ‘marginal progress’. Russian troops have prioritized an operation trying to encircle Donetsk Oblast’s Avdiivka but have made “only marginal progress” in the area, losing many armored vehicles, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on March 28.

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CNN: Military action increases around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, says IAEA head. Fighting has intensified near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi told CNN on March 28. Grossi and his team are on their way to visit the nuclear power plant for a second time to assess the situation firsthand.

Obudsman: ‘Unfortunate’ that UN report doesn’t highlight positive treatment of Russian POWs. A recent monitoring trip of premises for Russian prisoners of war determined that their treatment was in line with the Geneva Conventions, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported on March 28.

Ministry confirms deportation of over 19,000 Ukrainian children to Russia. Russian forces have unlawfully transferred or deported 19,514 Ukrainian children to Russia, violating the Geneva Conventions, the Reintegration Ministry reported on March 28.

SBU: Former Motor Sich head blocked delivery of combat helicopter during invasion. Former Motor Sich President Vyacheslav Bohuslayev impeded the delivery of a combat helicopter to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense in April 2022, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) wrote on March 28.

Zelensky travels to Sumy Oblast, hands ‘Hero City’ award to Okhtyrka Mayor. President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the city of Okhtyrka in northeastern Sumy Oblast on March 28, marking the one-year anniversary of its liberation by the Ukrainian military.

ISW: Wagner Group has likely taken industrial complex in Bakhmut. Kremlin-controlled private mercenary Wagner Group forces have likely taken the AZOM industrial complex in northern Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update.

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Ukraine’s sports minister: As Russia kills our athletes, it’s not the time to allow Russians back to international sports.

The Kyiv Independent spoke with Gutzeit about how sports remains an integral part of Russian propaganda, the role of the international sports federations in whitewashing Moscow, and why some of them have already started admitting athletes from Russia to international competitions.

Photo: Mykola Synelnykov

Ukraine’s state defense conglomerate UkrOboronProm transformed into stock company.

The long-running drama over the reform of UkrOboronProm, Ukraine’s problematic state-owned defense production giant, is seeing a new round amid Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of the country.

Photo: Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Official says Avdiivka ’being wiped off the face of the earth.’

Avdiivka is located near the embattled city of Bakhmut and just north of the Russian-occupied regional capital of Donetsk. It has recently faced an uptick in assaults as Moscow’s forces attempt to advance in the area.

Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The human cost of Russia’s war

8 killed, 66 injured as Russia attacks 9 Ukrainian regions over past 24 hours. Russia struck 124 settlements using mortars, tanks, artillery, S-300 missiles, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), Kh-31 cruise missiles, drones, and tactical aviation, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry media center reported on March 28.

Russia launches missiles at Kharkiv Oblast, injuring 1. Russian forces launched two S-300 missiles at the city of Bohodukhiv in Kharkiv Oblast on March 28, the Prosecutor General’s Office wrote. As a result of the attack, a 73-year-old man was injured and is currently being treated in the hospital for a concussion.

General Staff: Russia has lost 171,730 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on March 28 that Russia had also lost 3,602 tanks, 6,966 armored fighting vehicles, 5,502 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,653 artillery systems, 525 multiple launch rocket systems, 277 air defense systems, 305 airplanes, 291 helicopters, 2,235 drones, and 18 boats.

International response

Media: Bulgaria may secretly send $189 million worth of ammunition to Ukraine. Bulgaria will likely sell “hundreds of thousands” of ammunition rounds to Ukraine through intermediaries, the country’s former defense minister Boyko Noev told Bulgarian TV channel, cited by Euroactiv.

Portugal delivers Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Three German-made Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks sent by Portugal have already arrived in Ukraine, the Portuguese Defense Ministry reported on March 27.

Minister: France to double supply of 155 mm ammunition to Ukraine. France will double its supply of 155 mm shells to Ukraine, bringing it to 2,000 per month, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu told Le Figaro in an interview published on March 28.

VOA: US favors hybrid tribunal to punish Russian war crimes. The U.S. is in favor of a special hybrid tribunal to punish Russian war crimes in Ukraine, Voice of America (VOA) reported on March 28.

In other news

France recognizes Holodomor as genocide against Ukrainians. President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked France on March 28 for recognizing the Holodomor as a genocide against the Ukrainian people. One hundred and sixty-eight deputies of the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, voted in favor of the resolution. Two voted against it.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleksiy Sorokin, Dinara Khalilova, Teah Pelechaty, Kate Tsurkan, Olena Goncharova, Anastasiya Gordiychuk, and Lili Bivings.

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