Saturday, March 2

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakusan (right) and his Ukrainian counterpart Ihor Klymenko (middle) bring flowers to graves of fallen Ukrainian soldiers buried at the Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv, western Ukraine, on March 1, 2024. (Lviv Oblast Governor Maksym Kozytskyi/Telegram)

State Border Guard: Polish farmers completely block Medyka-Shehyni border crossing. Polish farmers have completely blocked the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing around 1 p.m. on March 1, State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said on national television.

Military intelligence: Russian Pantsir missile system hit in Belgorod Oblast. The Pantsir S-1 anti-aircraft missile system was damaged as a result of the attack in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast on Feb. 29, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) said, without specifying who had carried out the strike.

Naftogaz: Ukraine passes winter with domestic gas production only for first time. Ukraine got through the winter using domestic gas production only for the first time in history, Naftogaz’s CEO Oleksiy Chernyshov wrote on his Facebook on March 1.

Military intelligence: Russian officials, suspects in Ukraine involved in ‘Maidan-3’ destabilizing campaign. Russian presidential administration official Sergey Kiriyenko and former Vladimir Putin’s advisor Vladislav Surkov are on the list of those involved in the “Maidan-3” destabilizing campaign of Ukraine.

Military: Ukraine partially retakes ground near Avdiivka while Russia pushes toward Chasiv Yar. Russia ramps up attacks in the Avdiivka sector, but Ukrainian forces hold ground and have even retaken some lost positions, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of the Tavria group of forces, said on Telegram on March 1.

Defense Ministry: Ukraine downs 13 Russian aircraft in February. Ukraine’s Armed Forces shot downed 13 Russian aircraft in February, the Defense Ministry reported on March 1.

Bloomberg: Russia could break through defenses in summer, Ukrainian officials warn. Ukrainian officials worry that Russian forces could gain momentum on the battlefield by the summer if allies do not increase ammunition supplies to Kyiv, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 29, citing a source familiar with the discussions.

FT: Zara fashion retailer to return to Ukraine this year. The Spanish fashion giant Zara is preparing to reopen its stores in Ukraine following the two-year closure amid Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to the Financial Times report on March 1, referring to the company’s statement.

Governor: Russian attack hits Mykolaiv Oblast, causes fire. Russian forces struck an unnamed location in Mykolaiv Oblast late on March 1, causing a fire, Governor Vitalii Kim reported.

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Shmyhal: Ukraine aims to produce 15 billion cubic meters of gas in 2024. Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas giant Naftogaz aims to produce 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2024, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on March 1.

Ukraine’s sea exports reach record monthly level since full-scale invasion. Ukraine exported eight million metric tons of goods through the Black Sea corridor in February, reaching a monthly record level since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Infrastructure Ministry reported on March 1.

Minister: Drone education program to be introduced in Ukrainian schools. The new educational project, “A commercial drone pilot,” will be launched in Kyiv, Sumy, Lviv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kirovohrad oblasts.

Russian proxy says air defense active in occupied Crimea amid reported explosions. The Russian proxy leader in Sevastopol on occupied Crimea, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said on March 1 that air defense is active in the city, urging people to stay in shelter.

WSJ: Russia’s peace terms include Ukraine outside NATO, smaller military, 2022 document shows. A peace plan proposal drafted during Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in 2022 would see Ukraine turn into a militarily neutered country, permanently vulnerable to Russian aggression, the Wall Street Journal reported on March 1 after reviewing the document.

Zelensky: Kharkiv not safe enough for residents to return. Kharkiv is not yet safe enough for residents to return to the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on March 1.

Ombudsman on Il-76 crash: Russia speculates on transferring Ukrainian POWs’ bodies, no lists given. Russia has not yet provided Ukraine with any official list confirming that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) on board the Il-76 aircraft that crashed in Belgorod Oblast in late January, chief Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on March 1.

Air Force: Ukraine downs 4 out of 4 Russian drones overnight. Ukraine shot down all four Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight on March 1, the Air Force said in its morning update.

Russia claims it downed 4 drones over 2 regions amid blackout reports. Russia claimed its air defenses shot down one drone over Belgorod Oblast and three more over Nizhny Novgorod Oblast overnight on March 1, the BBC’s Russia Service reported, citing Russia’s Defense Ministry.

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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine signs long-term security agreement with Netherlands

President Volodymyr Zelensky and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte signed a 10-year agreement on security cooperation between Ukraine and the Netherlands in Kharkiv, Zelensky announced on March 1.

Photo: President of Ukraine

‘Who are they fighting, children?’ Family of 5 killed in devastating Russian attack on Kharkiv.

A Russian drone attack on Feb. 9 struck a gas station in Kharkiv, creating a huge, raging fire that engulfed 15 residential homes. It killed seven people, including a family of five, and injured 57 others.

Photo: Ximena Borrazas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Ukraine destroyed 13 Russian military aircraft in 2 weeks. How?

Ukraine reported the downing of 13 Russian warplanes within the last two weeks, among the highest Russian Air Force losses since the early days of the full-scale invasion.

Photo: National Police

Human cost of war

UPDATE: Russian drone attack on Odesa kills 1, injures 7. A Russian drone attack on Odesa killed one person and injured at least seven others, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported on March 2.

UPDATE: Russian drone attack on Kharkiv Oblast kills 1. A Russian drone attack on Kharkiv Oblast killed one man, local authorities reported on March 2.

General Staff: Russia has lost 414,680 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 920 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Bulgaria will stop importing Russian oil. Bulgaria halted Russian oil imports this week as part of the European Union’s ban on Russian oil, thereby ending a two-year embargo exemption, the Bulgarian news outlet BGNES reported on March 1.

Reuters: EU to step up checks on grain exports from Ukraine to ease farmers’ fears. The European Union will strengthen control over carriers’ compliance with agreements on transporting grain from Ukraine to address concerns of protesting farmers and free up trade, Reuters reported on March 1, citing the EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valean.

Kuleba: Russia excluded from Danube Commission due to its attacks on Odesa Oblast. Russia was expelled from the Danube Commission, an international intergovernmental organization developing free navigation on the Danube River, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reported on March 1.

Switzerland joins EU in expanding sanctions against Russia. Switzerland has expanded its sanctions against Russia in line with the European Union’s 13th package of sanctions, the Swiss government announced on March 1.

Canada imposes additional ban on imports of Russian diamonds. Canada has banned indirect imports of Russian diamonds weighing one carat and above, Canada’s Foreign Ministry announced on March 1.

Ukrainian, Czech interior ministers meet in Lviv. Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakusan traveled to Lviv to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Ihor Klymenko and sign a declaration on directions of cooperation between their departments, Klymenko said on March 1.

US Treasury Secretary: Frozen Russian assets are no substitute for Ukraine aid.

Any plan to seize or monetize frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine can not be considered a substitute for emergency Ukraine aid that has been stalled in Congress, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in an interview, as reported by Bloomberg on March 1.

Bloomberg: Macron-Scholz split hurting Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are not getting along, and Macron’s recent suggestion of a possible deployment of Western troops in Ukraine has further fueled the disagreement, Bloomberg reported on March 1, citing unnamed officials familiar with the matter.

Rutte signs Dutch-Ukrainian long-term security agreement in Kharkiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte signed a 10-year agreement on security cooperation between Ukraine and the Netherlands in Kharkiv, Zelensky announced on March 1.

Minister: Canada open to sending some soldiers to Ukraine in ‘non-combat role’. Ottawa is ready to send a limited number of military personnel to Ukraine, but only to train Ukrainian soldiers and not for participation in hostilities, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said in an interview with Toronto Star, published on Feb. 29.

Armenian media: Zelensky’s rumored trip to Armenia, Azerbaijan canceled. Radar Armenia alleged that the trip to neither country is taking place as Baku canceled Zelensky’s visit. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claim.

Czech PM: ‘No one in Europe is going to send troops to Ukraine’. “It’s not a topic because this idea is unacceptable for the vast majority of countries. No one in Europe is going to send troops to Ukraine,” the Czech prime minister noted.

Bloomberg: UK quietly pushes Germany to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The U.K. government has discreetly urged Berlin to supply Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine, as Germany refuses to approve this critical capability, Bloomberg reported on March 1, citing undisclosed sources.

Pentagon: US aid critical for Ukraine to liberate occupied territories. It is critical for Ukraine to receive additional U.S. funding not only to defend itself but also to take back Russian-occupied territories, Pentagon spokesperson General Pat Ryder said on Feb. 29.

Investigation: Polish trucks ship Russian agricultural products to Poland from Belarus. While agricultural trade with Russia or Belarus is not prohibited or sanctioned in the EU, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently said that Warsaw would consider banning food imports from Russia, following Latvia’s example.

US Congress passes bill to avert government shutdown without Ukraine aid. Both chambers of the U.S. Congress approved a short-term stopgap spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown, sending it for signature to President Joe Biden, Reuters reported on Feb. 29.

OSCE invokes special mechanism to address arbitrary detentions of Ukrainian civilians by Russia. The Moscow Mechanism allows for an expert mission to be dispatched and assist a country “in the resolution of a particular question or problem relating to the human dimension.”

Biden, Italian PM Meloni to hold talks amid Ukraine concerns. U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni at the White House on March 1, amid challenges faced by the Democratic administration in garnering support from House Republicans for legislation aimed at providing assistance to Ukraine.

In other news

Funeral of Russian opposition leader Navalny held in Moscow. The funeral service of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny took place in a church in Moscow’s Maryino district, the independent news outlet Meduza reported on March 1.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Katya Denisova, Kateryna Hodunova, Dinara Khalilova, Toma Istomina, Dominic Culverwell, and Rachel Amran.

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