Monday, March 4

Russia’s war against Ukraine

People lay flowers and toys outside a multistory building in Odesa on March 3, 2024. The building was hit in a Russian drone strike overnight on March 1-2 that killed 12 civilians, including five children. (Oleksandr Gimanov / AFP via Getty Images)

Rescue operations end in Odesa with 12 killed, including 5 children, after Russian drone attack. Search and rescue operations at an apartment building hit in a March 2 Russian drone attack that killed 12 civilians, including five children, concluded at around 9 p.m. local time on March 3, according to a Facebook post by the Internal Affairs Ministry.

Air Force: Russian air activity over Ukraine reduced after recent significant aircraft losses. Russian air activity over Ukraine has reduced over the past week after the Russian military suffered significant aircraft losses, Yuri Ihnat, the Air Force’s spokesperson, confirmed in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda on March 3.

UK Defense Ministry: Average number of daily Russian losses reaches new high in February. The average number of estimated Russian casualties in February was approximately 983 per day, marking an all-time high since the start of the full-scale invasion, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote in its March 3 update.

Media: German Defense Minister calls leaked German military audio ‘disinformation attack.’ German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called the publication of a leaked conversation between German military officers a disinformation attack on March 3, according to German media.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Economy Ministry reaches agreement with Palantir to accelerate demining through AI. An agreement has been reached with U.S. tech company Palantir to employ artificial intelligence in Ukraine’s demining efforts, the Economy Ministry reported on March 3.

WSJ: Russia’s spy network expands after full-scale invasion. Officials say that Putin’s decision to leave Russia’s borders open following the February invasion allowed FSB spies to join the thousands of Russians who fled the country to avoid mobilization.

ISW: Russia blames Ukraine for lack of peace talks in order to win concessions from West. Russia is waging a disinformation campaign regarding peace negotiations to win preemptive concessions from the West ahead of talks, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its March 3 report.

State Border Guard: All border crossings with Poland remain blocked. All six checkpoints at the Ukrainian-Polish border remain blocked due to the ongoing Polish farmers’ protests, State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said on March 3 on national television.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Russian attack on Odesa kills 12, including 5 children

Among those killed were a woman and her seven-month-old infant, as well as a four-month-old baby, a three-year-old, and a 9-year-old boy and his 8-year-old sister, according to Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper.

Image: Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP via Getty Images

What danger does Transnistria pose to Ukraine, Moldova?

As Moldova is preparing for highly contested elections in October, and the pro-Russian opposition is seeking to increase its standing, experts agree that Russia can use the region to increase the threat for Kyiv and Chisinau.

Photo: Stringer/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Governor: Russian forces shell Kherson Oblast, killing 1. Russian forces shelled the village of Poniativka overnight on March 3, killing one man, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

Woman injured in Feb. 23 drone attack on Odesa dies in hospital. A 61-year-old woman injured in the Feb. 23 drone attack on Odesa has died from her injuries, Governor Oleh Kiper reported on March 3.

Governor: At least 16 injured in Russian attack on Kurakhove. At least 16 people have been injured after Russian forces launched what was most likely an aerial guided bomb on the city center of Kurakhove, Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadim Filashkin reported on March 3.

Prosecutor’s Office: Russian strikes on Donetsk Oblast towns wound 5. Russian troops shelled the towns of Myrnohrad and Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast overnight on March 3, injuring five people, the regional prosecutor’s office reported.

General Staff: Russia has lost 416,800 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. This number includes 1,160 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

This Week in Ukraine S2 E8 — How 10 years of Russian occupation changed Crimea

International response

Russian FM: Russia, China agree on need for Moscow to participate in Ukrainian talks. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that political and diplomatic settlements are impossible without Moscow’s involvement in Ukrainian talks. According to the ministry, Russia and China agreed that “the settlements will not be reached without Moscow’s participation and considering its interests in the security sphere.”

Reuters: Turkish Foreign Minister says ‘it is time to start a dialogue for a ceasefire’ in Ukraine. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for discussions on a ceasefire in Ukraine to begin following a diplomatic forum in the Turkish city of Antalya, Reuters reported.

CNN: Johnson opens door for alternative Ukraine aid package in House. The House proposal would reportedly allocate $66 billion to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, but would not include humanitarian aid and would impose severe restrictions on asylum seekers.

Canada imposes sanctions on 6 Russian officials over Navalny’s death. The new sanctions will be imposed on six Russian officials, including senior officials and employees of Russia’s prosecution, judicial, and correctional services.

Official: Poland holds informal talks with EU on exemptions for farmers. Warsaw is conducting informal negotiations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on granting Polish farmers possible exemptions to the EU’s Green Deal, Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said on March 3.

Lithuanian Defense Minister visits US to meet Pentagon chief. Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will discuss bilateral security cooperation and military support for Ukraine.

In other news

Media: Six Ukrainians among those injured by car that crashed into crowd in Poland. Six Ukrainian citizens were injured after a car drove into a crowd of pedestrians on March 1 in Szczecin, Poland, Ukrinform reported.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleksiy Sorokin, Olga Rudenko, Kate Tsurkan, Lili Bivings, Andrea Januta, Kateryna Hodunova, and Abbey Fenbert.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.