Wednesday, March 6

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Russia’s Sergey Kotov patrol ship. Ukrainian forces hit and destroyed the ship in an overnight attack orchestrated by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), the agency said on March 5.(X/open sources)

Military intelligence: Russia’s Sergey Kotov patrol vessel destroyed near Crimea. According to Ukraine’s military intelligence, the ship suffered damage to its stern and on its left and right sides. Sergey Kotov was reportedly located near the Kerch Strait when it was attacked by domestically-produced Magura V5 naval drones.

Media: Russian helicopter destroyed on Sergey Kotov vessel. In a conversation allegedly intercepted by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), a Russian commander claimed that the Russian patrol ship Sergey Kotov, reportedly destroyed near occupied Crimea on March 5, had a helicopter on board.

Military intelligence: Russia planned to install air defenses on Sergey Kotov vessel. Russian forces were planning to place an anti-aircraft missile system on the Sergey Kotov patrol vessel, reportedly destroyed on March 5, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Military intelligence: Over 50 crew members evacuated from Russia’s Sergey Kotov vessel, 7 killed. Ukrainian military intelligence said that 52 crew members who were on board the ship could have been rescued, according to preliminary data.

Deputy minister: Ukraine can produce 150,000 drones per month. Ukraine has the capacity to produce 150,000 drones every month, and may be able to produce two million drones by the end of the year, Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries Hanna Hvozdiar said on air on March 5.

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Russia claims downing of drones over 2 regions, Belgorod Oblast oil depot allegedly hit. Vyacheslav Gladkov, Belgorod Oblast governor, claimed an emergency in the Gubkinsky district of the Russian region, writing about an explosion and fire at an infrastructure facility.

Parliamentary committee backs bill on banning Moscow-linked church ahead of final vote. The bill would prohibit the activities of any religious organizations affiliated with war propaganda or justifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Parliament passed the bill in the first reading in October 2023, and the secondary reading is to be held.

Ukraine’s court confiscates assets of high-profile Russian propagandist. Dmitry Kiselyov was sanctioned and his property and assets were blocked by Ukraine in January 2023 when President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to impose personal sanctions on 119 individuals.

Zaporizhzhia resident detained for allegedly planning terror attack in cooperation with Russia. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a Zaporizhzhia resident who was allegedly preparing a bomb attack against a post office in cooperation with Russian intelligence services, the SBU said on March 5.

Ukraine charges 2 Russian soldiers with murdering civilian in Bucha in 2022. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office charged two Russian military servicemen for allegedly shooting a civilian in Kyiv Oblast’s Bucha in 2022, killing the person on the spot, prosecutors said on March 5.

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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine sinks Russian patrol vessel near Crimea; ICC issues more arrest warrants

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two Russian military commanders for carrying out strikes on Ukrainian electricity infrastructure during the winter of 2022 to 2023, the court announced on March 5.

Photo: Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images/Getty Images

EBRD president: ‘We decided to continue investing in Ukraine as early as February 2022’

Following the start of the full-scale invasion, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested 3.8 billion euros in 2022-2023. By February 2024, that number had reached 4 billion euros.

Photo: Ludovic Marin / AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Governor: Russian shelling of Donetsk Oblast town kills elderly man. Russian forces shelled the town of Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast, killing a 72-year-old man, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported on March 5.

Russian attacks kill 1 in Kharkiv Oblast, injure 1 in Kherson. Russian troops attacked the village of Kurylivka in Kupiansk district, killing a 67-year-old woman, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

General Staff: Russia has lost 419,020 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,070 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: A Russian victory in Ukraine would be bad for Africans

“Contrary to popular impressions, much of Africa is on Ukraine’s side. Twenty-eight African countries voted for the February 2023 UN General Assembly resolution calling for Russia to halt its invasion and withdraw its forces from Ukraine,” write Johannesburg-based Brenthurst Foundation researchers Greg Mills and Ray Hartley.

Photo: Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images

International response

Macron to discuss ammunition for Ukraine during Prague visit. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Prague on March 5 to meet Czech President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Petr Fiala and discuss plans to purchase ammunition for Ukraine outside of Europe, among other topics, Czech Television reported.

Reuters: France invites Ukraine’s allies, NATO head for video call on March 7. France has invited officials from Ukraine’s key allies and NATO chief to participate in a video call on March 7 aimed at demonstrating a “united front” and developing concrete proposals to strengthen support for Ukraine, Reuters reported on March 5.

German defense minister: Officer in Singapore using insecure line led to Taurus conversation leak. An “individual error” resulted in a call between high-ranking German military officers being leaked after one officer joined the meeting from abroad via an insecure line, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a press conference on March 5.

Lithuania to join Czech-led ammunition initiative for Ukraine. Lithuania will contribute to the Czech-led allied initiative to supply Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds from outside of Europe, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte confirmed on March 4 after a phone call with her Czech counterpart, Petr Fiala.

Lithuanian farmers complain about Russian, not Ukrainian grain. “These are impressive figures, with over 3 million tons of Russian grain having passed through Latvia and Lithuania combined in 2023,” said Ausrys Macijauskas, the head of the Lithuania Association of Grain Growers.

Investigation: Estonian arms dealer supplied equipment to Ukraine at inflated price. An Estonian arms dealer sold laser target markers destined for the Ukrainian military at an inflated price, allegedly making millions of euros at the expense of the German taxpayers, according to an investigation by Estonian newspaper Ekspress published on March 5.

Czech president reportedly calls to continue discussion on sending Western troops to Ukraine. Czech President Petr Pavel said that he is in favor of looking for new ways to support Ukraine, including potentially sending troops for “non-combat engagement,” Czech media reported on March 5.

Politico: Russia uses Serbian agent to infiltrate EU institutions, intelligence says. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has been using a Serbian national named Novica Antic to infiltrate EU institutions and spread pro-Kremlin views, Politico reported on March 5, citing Western intelligence briefs they had reviewed.

European Commission presents first-ever defense industrial strategy at EU level. The European Commission presented the first-ever European Defense Industrial Strategy (EDIS) at the EU level to support the competitiveness and readiness of the bloc’s defense industry, the commission’s press service announced on March 5.

EU Energy Commissioner: Gas imports from Russia fall by 71% since 2021. The European Union’s gas imports from Russia have decreased by 71% since 2021, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson announced on March 4, following an Energy Council meeting in Brussels.

Reuters: Turkish oil terminal refuses Russian imports amid US sanctions. Global Terminal Services (GTS), which operates the Dortyol terminal, said it would not accept products from Russia any longer.

US State Department to impose new sanctions on Wagner, Russian air force. The sanctions target the Wagner Group, the Russian Aerospace Forces, and other entities who engage in arms trade with North Korea and Iran.

US Air Force employee indicted for leaking classified information about Russia’s war. A civilian employee of the U.S. Air Force assigned to the U.S. Strategic Command was arrested for allegedly disclosing classified information related to Russia’s war against Ukraine on an online dating platform, the U.S. Department of Justice reported on March 4.

White House: Zelensky isn’t asking for US troops in Ukraine. “There’s not going to be U.S. troops on the ground fighting inside Ukraine,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on March 5.

In other news

Illia Ponomarenko’s memoir on early days of full-scale invasion to be released on May 7. “I Will Show You How It Was,” now available for pre-order, details Ponomarenko’s on-the-ground perspective as Russian forces drew closer to Kyiv in February and March of 2022.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson threatens German journalists with expulsion. Russia is ready to expel German journalists in retaliation for any measures taken against Russian journalists in Germany, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed on March 5, according to state-owned media agency RIA Novosti.

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