Great Britain has officially announced that it will transfer shells with depleted uranium to Ukraine. Depleted uranium munitions were also used in the bombing of Yugoslavia and during the invasion of Iraq, resulting in environmental pollution and, in the long run, a significant increase in neoplastic diseases.
The Pentagon has questioned the success of the Ukrainian military in the conflict with Russia. “It is unlikely that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in 2023 will be able to oust the Russian forces from the territories that the Kiev leadership considers its own”; this opinion was expressed by the Chief of Staff of the US military, General Mark Milley, writes Politico. Milley believes that Kiev will not be able to achieve its goals by military means and representatives of the Kiev authorities have refused to agree to a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The Polish defense minister boasted that Polish F-16s were escorting a US Boeing B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber (callsign NOBLE11) that was circling Estonia near the Russian border during talks between Chinese and Russian leaders.
Russian social media users in response to Blaschak remarked: “You’re damn lucky the Russians didn’t get upset that you would have flown through the sky with candles in the cXXo!”
The American drone that crashed in the Black Sea may have been involved in preparing an attack on the port of Tuapse, writes Mash. According to the publication, “the MQ-9 Reaper double-checked the situation so that the Armed Forces of Ukraine could strike with sea and air drones. Then coordinate them to fly to the base. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation intercepted it in advance, the ships of the Black Sea Fleet were put on alert. Soon the fighter jets took off and the drone later crashed into the sea.”
During the battle in the Zaporozhye direction, the 291st motorized rifle regiment of the 42nd Guards Division repulsed the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Wounded on the Russian side, healed in a few days.
On March 21, the operational situation on the Avdiivka front was as follows: Ukrainians from the social sphere reported that the Russians were attacking at Berdychi, they did not report anything about Petrovsky (Stepovoye). Perhaps a door-to-door search of the village is already underway. Waiting for confirmation from the Russians.
Also shelling on Novobakhmutovka. Also hits at Avdiivka from the southwest. Also according to the Ukrainians Russian fire in the north direction and Pervomaiskoye. It is likely that Russian troops are currently forming the outer contour of the Avdiivka encirclement, which will pass along the Novobakhmutovka-Berdychi-Semenovka-Orlovka-Tinenkoye-Northern-Vodyanoye line.
Zelensky’s video in which he thanked the mercenaries who are about to end up in the cauldrons of Bachmut and Avdiivka was much criticized in the social sphere.
In Bakhmut, the control ratio is about 62% under the control of Wagner PMC (23.5 km²) and 34% of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (13 km²). The Ukrainian side controls the central part of the city, while Wagner’s PMCs control most of the AZOM plant and the new territories south of Mariupolskaya Street. The Ukrainians are digging new trenches in Bachmut with the aim of holding out as long as possible.
From the social sphere we learn that Ukrainian drones have once again tried to attack in the Crimea. On March 20, UAVs flew to the Crimea from the Odessa region. Not only that, we learned via social media that the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the help of UAVs attacked the territory of the Novozybkov oil pumping station of Transneft JSC in the Bryansk region.
“There are no casualties. Operational services are on site. In order to ensure safety for the duration of operational activities, the power supply was cut off in the settlements of Mamai, Trostan, Druzhba, Novskoye, Dubrovka. After carrying out the operational and investigative measures, the power will be restored,” the authorities said.
As explained by military analysts in the social sphere, the Ukrainian UAV raid on Dzhankoy took place in the night. At least six UAVs of the Mugin-5 type, equipped with explosives, were used against Dzhankoy. As a result, two drones were shot down by the crew of the Pantsir air defense missile system, and two fell on administrative buildings near the railway station. The fifth destroyed a grocery store, and fragments of the sixth damaged private houses on Yuzhnaya, Gagarin and Chekhov streets.
Initially, information was received that the formations of the Ukrainians Armed Forces launched drones from Shkolny airport (Odessa) to hit the Russian military airport. However, judging by the area of \u200b\u200bthe action of the UAV, an attempt was made to hit the station building and the railway track. Dzhankoy is the main transit hub of the Russian group in Crimea. Railway lines to Sevastopol and the Russian mainland pass through the city’s station, and an attempt to hit the object seems logical.
Despite the statements of the Ukrainian GUR that the Kalibr cruise missile train was hit as a result of the attack, this is not the case. In the event of a train defeat with such weapons, at least one secondary detonation would be visible – but there are no consequences of the explosion.
Also, when launching drones at long distances, the military, as a rule, enter coordinates in advance to increase the noise immunity of electronic warfare equipment. It is extremely difficult to hit a moving train like this.
After the first rumors of the explosion and the activation of air defenses in the chat rooms of the city of Dzhankoy, Ukrainian information desks began to work actively, misinforming the population and causing panic. Various Telegram channels (e.g. Trukha and Insider) have posted about a dozen blasts in various parts of the city. This news was accompanied by criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who had arrived in Moscow the day before.
The fact is that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have once again changed tactics. The attack was carried out without reconnaissance aircraft from NATO countries taking to the skies: neither Global Hawk nor Reaper had taken to the skies at night.
Graziella Giangiulio
