Friday, March 3
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Residents of Borodianka mourn those who were killed in Russian attacks against the community one year ago in Borodianka, Kyiv Oblast, on March 2, 2023. (Photo: Andre Luis Alves/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
UK Defense Ministry: Warm weather limits cross-country movement on Bakhmut front line. Muddy conditions caused by rising temperatures hinder cross-country movement (CCM) on Bakhmut front line in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, which usually gives some advantage to defending forces, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on March 2.
The Guardian: Russian torture chambers in Kherson Oblast ‘not random but rather part of a carefully thought-out plan.’ Since the liberation of Kherson on Nov. 11, 2022, more than 20 torture chambers have been investigated by a team of Ukrainian and International lawyers. “The mass torture chambers, financed by the Russian state, are not random but rather part of a carefully thought-out and financed blueprint with a clear objective to eliminate Ukrainian national and cultural identity,” said British barrister Wayne Jordash.
Ukraine dismisses Russian claims of clashes with Ukrainian ‘saboteurs’ as provocation. Governor of Russia’s Bryansk Oblast Alexander Bogomaz said a Ukrainian “sabotage and reconnaissance group” had entered the region’s territory on March 2. Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukraine’s Presidential Office, called the claim a provocation, saying that Russia “wants to scare its people to justify the attack on another country and the growing poverty after the year of the war” against Ukraine.
IAEA’s expert team conducts rotation at occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant after 3-week delay. “I am incredibly proud of the professionalism of our staff. Very thankful to the U.N. for their support. The IAEA will not stop,” Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi wrote in a post that showed a video of agency experts crossing the front line on foot.
Zelensky: 40,000 Ukrainian defenders have received state awards. “As of today, the number of our defenders whose bravery and effectiveness have been recognized with state awards is over 40,000,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an evening address on March 2. “I thank everyone who defends our country!”
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Zelensky appoints new head of Kherson. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on March 2 appointing former military prosecutor Roman Mrochko as head of the Kherson City Military Administration.
Poltava Mayor receives 5-year suspended sentence. The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine sentenced Poltava Mayor Oleksandr Mamai to a five-year suspended sentence and a fine of Hr 2 million ($50,000) that will be transferred to the Armed Forces. According to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the court found Mamai guilty of abuse of office and forgery.
Governor: 5,000 people, including 37 children, remain in Bakhmut. Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said that around 5,000 people, among them 37 children, still remain in Bakhmut. According to him, most of the remaining residents refuse to leave their homes. Despite ongoing heavy battles in Bakhmut, law enforcement officers are still carrying out the evacuation.
Read our exclusives
Russian missile attack’s survivors in Zaporizhzhia: ‘Only fascists could do that’
Ten hours after the Russian missile attack that destroyed a five-story apartment building in Zaporizhzhia, first responders were still looking for survivors.
Photo: Alexander Query
Explainer: China’s increasing role in Russia’s war against Ukraine
Here’s what we know about China’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Photo: AFP via Getty Images
Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian military admits withdrawal from Bakhmut on the table, but only if ‘absolutely necessary’
The key developments from March 2.
Photo: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images
The human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attacks across 10 Ukrainian oblasts kill 5, injure 24 over past 24 hours. Russian attacks were reported in Donetsk, Kherson, Poltava, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Luhansk oblasts in the east, south, center, and north of Ukraine.
Police: New burial site with 3 bodies found in Kyiv Oblast. A new burial site with three bodies of civilians killed during Russian occupation was discovered in the town of Borodianka, Kyiv Oblast Police Chief Andrii Niebytov said on March 2.
Russia’s shelling kills 1 in Kharkiv Oblast. Russian attack on the village of Podoly in the Kupiansk district of Kharkiv Oblast killed an elderly woman, Andrii Kanashevych, acting head of the district’s military administration, reported on March 2.
Governor: Four killed by mine in Kharkiv Oblast. Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on March 2 that four men traveling by car near the village of Spivakivka, located in the Izium district of Kharkiv Oblast, were killed by an anti-tank mine. The four men, aged 21, 39, 43, and 54, died on the spot.
General Staff: Russia has lost 150,605 troops in Ukraine since start of full-scale war. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on March 2 that Russia had also lost 3,397 tanks, 6,658 armored fighting vehicles, 5,264 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,398 artillery systems, 480 multiple launch rocket systems, 247 air defense systems, 300 airplanes, 288 helicopters, 2,058 drones, and 18 boats.
International response
Scholz urges China not to arm Russia, says allies negotiating security guarantees for Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on China not to provide Russia with weapons for its war against Ukraine, asking Beijing to “use their influence in Moscow to urge the withdrawal of Russian troops” instead, Reuters reported on March 2.
CNN: Blinken, Lavrov meet at G20 summit. According to CNN, the meeting lasted only ten minutes, during which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed once again that the U.S. will continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”
Moldovan parliament approves declaration condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine. The Moldovan parliament approved a declaration on March 2 condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine, reported Newsmaker. The declaration deems Russia’s actions in Ukraine as war crimes and a severe breach of international law, urging Russia to end the conflict and remove its forces from the entirety of Ukraine’s territory within the borders acknowledged by the international community.
Zelensky holds call with Brazilian president, talks about peace plan. President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on a call about Ukraine’s peace plan and diplomatic strategies to end Russian aggression. Zelensky expressed his gratitude to Lula for backing Ukraine’s UN resolution on peace and territorial integrity.
CNN: USAID announces new aid for Ukraine’s agriculture sector. USAID has established three new partnerships to invest $44 million for storage and infrastructure expansion in Ukraine’s agricultural system. The partnerships with Ukraine’s Grain Alliance, Kernel, and Nibulon seek to boost the country’s grain shipping capacity by over 3 million tons annually.
White House: US to announce new military assistance package for Ukraine. According to U.S. National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby, the new help will be announced on Friday. “It will include mostly ammunitions and munitions that the Ukrainians will need for the systems that they already have, like the HIMARS and the artillery,” Kirby told reporters on March 2.
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