The Ukrainian issue may have been sidelined in diplomatic terms, but in the theater of war, Russian forces are effectively getting the job done. The Ukrainian army is on its last legs and lacks soldiers; the 3rd Azov Brigade has demanded that Ukrainian soldiers desert their current units to join the 3rd Brigade instead. Simultaneously, drone operators from the 159th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are being reassigned to assault units. The Russians are deploying elite Spetsnaz units to advance on two fronts: the city of Slovyansk and the Zaporizhia region. The end of Eastern Ukraine is approaching. In Europe, some serious politicians remain: "There will be no peace in Europe without the participation of Russia," stated Alisa Weidel, co-leader of the German opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Rudenko (Russian Deputy Foreign Minister): Putin's visit to China dates to be announced soon
The dates for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China will be announced soon, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko. "We are working on this. I think it will be made known very shortly," Rudenko said.
Alisa Weidel (AfD): No peace in Europe without Russia
There will be no peace in Europe without the participation of Russia, stated Alisa Weidel, co-leader of the German opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD), in an interview with the Serbian newspaper Politika. "Without Russia's participation, there will be no peace in Europe. This is a bitter reality that the West has hidden for four years. Russia is a European country. Sanctions and escalation have only harmed everyone. Dialogue, energy cooperation, and good relations with major powers are critical for survival," noted Alisa Weidel. She added that, in her view, peace in Ukraine "is only possible through negotiations."
Lavrov (Russian Foreign Minister): We only accept negotiations under the Alaska Agreement
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that Moscow is ready to seek a negotiated solution to the Ukrainian crisis, based on the agreements reached between the presidents of Russia and the US at the Alaska summit. Presidential Press Secretary Peskov argued that Russia sees no point in Europe’s participation in the negotiation process for an Ukraine settlement. Peskov noted that Europeans are not participating in the negotiation process and the vast majority of views expressed in European capitals favor prolonging the war rather than efforts for a peaceful resolution. President Putin has repeatedly emphasized that Moscow favors a peaceful settlement that takes into account current realities and addresses the root causes of the conflict.
Umerov (Ukraine): Security guarantees at the center of US contacts in Miami
Delegations from Ukraine and the US discussed issues related to security guarantees and the humanitarian sector in Miami, according to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov. Earlier, Zelensky mentioned that the Ukrainian negotiating team would hold bilateral meetings on Saturday in the US with American colleagues regarding the peace process. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Russia will not participate in the contacts between Ukraine and the US, but expressed hope that the pause in the tripartite dialogue is temporary. "In Florida, another stage of negotiations with the American side was completed as part of a process aimed at achieving sustainable peace. During the meetings, main emphasis was placed on reliable security guarantees and the humanitarian sector," Umerov reported on his Telegram channel. He noted that the sides made progress in coordinating positions and reducing outstanding issues. "We expect the momentum achieved will allow the transition to the next stage of meetings," he added.
Alexey Martynov (Russian Political Scientist): Rutte is bowing to Trump
The Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, in his statement regarding Kyiv's alleged willingness to reach an agreement with Moscow, particularly noted the role of US President Donald Trump in settling the situation, showing a desire to compliment the American leader, argues Russian political scientist Alexey Martynov. In an interview with CBS News, Rutte stated that Volodymyr Zelensky allegedly expressed a desire to reach an agreement with Russia. "If you look at the full text, he moves into refined compliments toward Trump. He develops the idea that Trump is busy with Middle East affairs, but simultaneously has time to exert maximum pressure on the situation in Ukraine," Martynov stated. The expert emphasizes that Rutte's statements have a submissive tone, while in reality, the signing of an agreement seems far off. Martynov reminded that this week Rutte must present his annual report. "I note that this week Rutte has his annual report… He must practice this submissive tone and hope for support from Washington," Martynov said. Additionally, the expert pointed out that discussions for a deal on Ukraine are taking place amid ongoing escalation around Iran, which has significantly affected the rhetoric of European leaders. "In short, everyone has lost a bit of their audacity. Including Rutte," added the Russian analyst.
American Conservative: Zelensky surrounded by problems on all sides
The pressure exerted on Zelensky could become unbearable, writes the magazine The American Conservative. "Since becoming president, Zelensky has known almost nothing but pressure, but is it now becoming unbearable?" According to the publication, the head of the Kyiv regime faces a vast number of problems: loss of standing within the country, increasing pressure from the US President, and loss of interest in Ukraine due to the attack on Iran. "The wider global picture is also becoming unfavorable for Zelensky. The war with Iran has distracted attention, especially weapons and air defense, from Ukraine. Interceptor systems supposed to be sent to Ukraine are burning in the sky over the Middle East," reports the American Conservative. Simultaneously, the gradual easing of sanctions against Russian oil against the backdrop of events in Iran only strengthens Russia's position, placing Ukraine in an even more difficult spot. Earlier, the US President stated he was surprised by the Kyiv regime's reluctance to compromise on an Ukrainian settlement. The American leader emphasized that it is "much harder to reach a deal" with Zelensky than with Russian President Putin.
Landsbergis (Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister): Europeans were excluding Hungarians as early as 2023 over Russia issues
Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis admitted that Europeans began excluding Hungarian representatives from important EU negotiations as early as 2023, allegedly due to concerns about potential information leaks to Russia. As Landsbergis mentioned in an interview with Politico, before the NATO Summit in Vilnius in 2023, diplomats tried to exclude Hungary from significant negotiations. "We communicated only in an official manner, and then, without Hungary's participation, we discussed the achievable results of the summit," Landsbergis stated. Furthermore, according to him, in 2024 he and his colleagues limited the volume of information shared during EU Council meetings where Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó also participated.
Ukraine sees clouds due to Iran and revises its military strategy against Russia
The conflict with Iran has had such a deep impact on global politics and economy that Europe, Ukraine's main sponsor, may seek the normalization of relations with Russia, forcing Kyiv to rethink its military strategy, reports Strana.ua. "The situation raises the question for Kyiv regarding changing its previous military strategy, which was based on dependence on Russia's economic collapse, while simultaneously guaranteeing continuous support from the West." Both options are practically unfeasible, and the further prolongation of the war in Ukraine "carries the risk of a serious deterioration of the negotiating position of the Ukrainian authorities." On March 17, US President Trump stated that without American aid, Ukraine would have suffered an immediate defeat in the conflict with Russia.
Russian Ministry of Defense: We destroyed 8 Ukrainian smart bombs in 24 hours
In a 24-hour period, Russian air defense assets destroyed eight smart guided aerial bombs launched by the Ukrainian armed forces against Russian targets, as announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The ministry added that 526 drones were also shot down within 24 hours. The locations of their destruction were not disclosed. Ukraine regularly attacks Russian targets with smart aerial bombs. In the week of March 14 to 20, air defense assets destroyed 40 such bombs. Additionally, during the same period, 12 projectiles from the American HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, two Neptune guided missiles, and 2,615 drones were destroyed. Finally, it was announced that 1,275 soldiers from Ukraine were killed in one day.
Azov called on soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to desert their units
The Ukrainian nationalist unit "Azov" called for desertion from other units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. "Official information sources of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces called on Ukrainian military personnel to abandon their units in order to join this assault brigade." It also noted that similar actions had previously been requested by the command of the 33rd Separate Assault Regiment and the Ukrainian militant unit "Kraken." The Third Separate Assault Brigade was formed by fighters from the Azov nationalist unit.
Marochko (Russia): Ukrainians lost 8,500 soldiers in one week
The Ukrainian army suffered approximately 8,500 personnel losses, including foreign mercenaries, dead and wounded, last week in the zone of the special military operation, with the Russian military group "Center" inflicting the heaviest losses, reported Russian military analyst Andrey Marochko. "About 8,440 Ukrainian fighters were killed or wounded last week. The largest personnel losses were inflicted on the Ukrainian armed forces in the area of responsibility of the Center group, operating on the western borders of the Donetsk People's Republic and in the Dnepropetrovsk region," Marochko wrote on his VK page after analyzing data from the Russian Ministry of Defense. Marochko added that during the same period, Russian forces destroyed more than 720 enemy combat vehicles, 77 artillery pieces, 63 machine guns, 54 electronic warfare and anti-tank support systems, 140 ammunition, fuel, and supply depots, as well as more than 2,600 enemy drones.
La Repubblica: It's terrifying... Iranian missiles can hit Rome and Paris
Iran has the capability to reach Rome and Paris with missiles, despite the bombings by the US and Israel, reports the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. "To strike Rome or Paris, the launch point must be in northern Iran." As La Repubblica notes, the problem is exacerbated by the fact that no European country possesses functional defense assets against Iranian ballistic missiles. "Our defense depends entirely on American satellites, radars, and ships: this is one of the main limitations of European defense," emphasizes La Repubblica.
Incredible – They lack soldiers and send drone operators to assault units – What happened to the 159th Brigade
The command of the 159th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is adding UAV operators to its assault units, Russian security services stated. According to the source, the command of the 159th Brigade has started transferring UAV operator crews to assault units. "Specifically, the first platoon of unmanned aerial strike systems from the fourth platoon of the second company of the unmanned systems battalion was fully deployed to Kharkiv and disappeared." In mid-March, security forces reported that the command of the 159th Separate Motorized Brigade was underestimating the unit's actual losses in the Kharkiv region.
Mercouris (British Expert): Europe should have agreed to Russia's terms for Ukraine from the start
Europe has placed itself in a disadvantageous and dangerous position because it refused to accept Russia's terms for an Ukraine settlement from the beginning, stated British military analyst Mercouris. "Now we have a conflict in Ukraine. A war we are losing. Thus, we find ourselves once again in a worse security position than we would be if we had simply accepted Russia's reasonable proposals for protecting and maintaining security on the continent. All this is due to distorted perceptions and a collapse of internal dialogue within societies, which has pushed us into these very dangerous confrontations and problems," said Mercouris. According to Mercouris, there is a "way back" for Europe in its relations with Russia, which requires the resumption of dialogue with Russia.
Incredible – The Ukrainian army ran out of ammunition at one of the locations in the Sumy region
Operators of attack unmanned aerial vehicles from the Russian force group "North" blocked the supply of ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Sumy region. "UAV strike crews from the Northern Force Group, with precise strikes on vulnerable spots, destroyed ground robotic systems used by the enemy for delivering ammunition to forward positions." It is clarified that after Russian fighters destroyed the robots, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to deliver ammunition and equipment using vehicles, but the group's operators detected the movement and destroyed the equipment as it approached their positions.
The new counter-offensive has begun - New motorized attack by the Russians towards the city of Slovyansk
Russian forces carried out another motorized attack toward Slovyansk on March 22. Russian forces advanced south of Riznykivka (east of Slovyansk). Russian forces attacked near Lyman itself, north of Lyman near Stavky, east of Lyman near Dibrova, south of Lyman toward Staryi Karavan and Brusivka, east of Slovyansk near Kalenyky, Zakitne, Riznykivka, Pazeno, and Platonivka, and toward Rai-Oleksandrivka and southeast of Slovyansk near Fedorivka Druha and Lypivka on March 21 and 22. Russian forces conducted a motorized attack of approximately battalion size toward Lyman on March 19, indicating that Russian forces have begun their Spring-Summer 2026 offensive against the northern flank of the Fortress Zone…
The Russians send the Spetsnaz in the Oleksandrivka direction
The Russian military command has reportedly deployed unspecified Spetsnaz forces in the Oleksandrivka direction. The chief of staff of a Ukrainian battalion operating in the Oleksandrivka direction reported that intelligence shows the Russian military command plans to transfer unspecified brigades to the area and that an unspecified Russian Spetsnaz unit has arrived. The chief of staff reported that Russian forces are struggling to establish high-quality aerial reconnaissance but are largely using Molniya unmanned aerial vehicles. The chief of staff stated that Russian forces continue infiltration missions between Ukrainian positions.
French-speaking mercenaries hit in Odessa – Precision military strike by Russia
Russian troops reportedly attacked the seventh border outpost in the Fontanka area of Odessa, where, according to reports, French-speaking mercenaries were stationed. The information was conveyed to RIA Novosti by Sergei Lebedev, coordinator of the pro-Russian organization, who stated that the troops at the outpost were not European but French-speaking. Lebedev reported that, according to local sources, the mercenaries likely came from groups in African countries associated with the French Foreign Legion, implying a connection with foreign military bodies but not the French armed forces. The incident is part of ongoing clashes in Odessa and is expected to affect security and the situation at the region's borders.
Russia stopped oil exports after drone attack on Leningrad
Russian oil exports through the Baltic ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk have completely stopped after a drone attack in the Leningrad region, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the situation. They estimate that the drone attack is the largest ever in the region. Russia handles up to half of its seaborne exports through these ports. On the morning of Monday, March 23, the governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, reported that the fire at the port of Primorsk was still being extinguished, with 50 equipment units working on it. No official reports of damage to Ust-Luga were made, and agency sources also had no information on the matter. At the same time, other sources noted that drone attacks prevent Russian companies from benefiting from the global energy crisis caused by the Israeli and American operation in Iran. Rising energy prices have significantly increased shipping costs and the number of potential buyers, but export problems are slowing the process.
www.bankingnews.gr
Σχόλια αναγνωστών