Ukraine updates in English

[US7IGN]

There was a lot of noise in russia today, but in the evening another residential building was destroyed by a drone in Krivy Rig, hometown of the President of Ukraine. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/crg475lr20go

The morning started off so well with the crash of a military transport plane near Moscow. https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/ceke2lp01m3o

On March 11, 2024, as a result of a successful air strike by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the russian-flagged tanker "Mechanic Pogodin", which was used by the russians as a control point, was destroyed in the area of the Kinburska Spit. https://www.facebook.com/navy.mil.gov.ua/posts/pfbid02mbrNkyitAJz7HTPXvqrcpK8Gigmr5J8YJx2RcBXzhsZhSs3rV6yPdcmk5DtB8Pk2l

Three Ukraine-based russian paramilitary groups say they have crossed into russia and are now fighting government troops there. The Freedom of russia Legion (FRL) and Siberian Battalion (SB) posted videos purportedly showing their fighters in russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68541911

It seems that the head of the Central Intelligence Agency Budanov and the CIA (with their independent funding) are waging a separate war, mainly on the territory of russia. Attacks on oil refineries, airports, and other important targets cause significant damage and destabilize the situation, but still cannot compensate for the lack of superiority on the front.

Zelensky again made optimistic statements to the French channel. https://www.bfmtv.com/international/europe/ukraine/avancee-russe-vladimir-poutine-volodymyr-zelensky-veut-rassurer-apres-des-semaines-difficiles-sur-le-front_AV-202403110789.html

He boldly declares that the russians have been stopped. But he does not say anything about the fact that the reserves have gone into operation and it is not known how much they will be enough.

Next points of view do not add optimism:

Donald Trump will not fund Ukraine's fight against russia's invasion if he is elected US president again, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has said. "It is obvious that Ukraine cannot stand on its own feet," Mr Orban told Hungary's M1 TV channel late on Sunday. "If the Americans don't give money and weapons, along with the Europeans, then the war is over. And if the Americans don't give money, the Europeans alone are unable to finance this war. And then the war is over." https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68533351

It’s no secret that Trump is pro-russia — and specifically pro-Vladimir pootin. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/11/trump-pro-russia-anti-ukraine/

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission:
We need to boost our defence industrial and technological base. It was not clear to anybody before russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, but now it has become common sense. It is a prerequisite if we want to be able to strengthen our defence capacity in a tense geopolitical context. The war against Ukraine has indeed brought a greater sense of urgency to the issue of ramping up the production capacities of the European defence industry. To respond to the russian aggression, we have done what was unthinkable a few years ago – provide weapons, mainly from our existing stocks, to a country at war using the European Peace Facility. But, after two years of a high intensity war, existing stocks are depleted and the conflict has evolved from a war of stocks to a war of production. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/time-strengthen-european-defence-industry_en

[US7IGN]

There were two air raids at night, and then during the day, but in Kyiv there were no explosions.
My blood pressure is high today and I have a headache, so I don't do much. It is very strange to live saving your strength without knowing how much more time you will need to spend in this state.

Unfortunately, there is again destruction and victims in the city of Sumy in the northeast near the border. https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-sumy-zahybli-udar-rf/32860240.html

Today russian troops launched missile and air strikes on radio engineering facilities. Due to the damage, part of the territory of the Sumy and Kharkov regions cannot (temporarily) receive Ukrainian television and radio signals. Interruptions with mobile communication are possible. https://texty.org.ua/fragments/112006/rosiya-vdaryla-po-radiotehnichnyh-obyektah-na-sumshyni-ta-harkivshyni-yaki-naslidky/

It’s not just russian terrorists who make life difficult for Ukrainians. At the request of the police, taxis will no longer be able to transport Ukrainians during the curfew. The main destination for travel during the curfew was to train stations and hospitals, and as the only alternative to get somewhere in the event of an emergency or tragedy. https://www.obozrevatel.com/ukr/ekonomika-glavnaya/economy/na-zapit-politsii-servis-taksi-obmezhiv-chas-roboti-koli-viklikati-mashinu-bude-nemozhlivo.htm

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the number of re-registrations of cars for women due to donation contracts has increased in Ukraine. This is probably related to the mobilization legislative initiatives of the Ukrainian authorities, which provide for significant restrictions on the rights of men aged 18 to 60. https://toneto.net/news/tehnologii/yak-vod-----namagayutsya-zahistitisya-v--d-novogo-zakonu-pro-mob--l--zats--yu

Two Ukrainian pilots were killed as a result of enemy helicopter fire, which occurred approximately 45 kilometers from the front line. https://flot2017.com/dvoie-ukrainskykh-pilotiv-zahynuly-vnaslidok-vorozhoho-obstrilu/

Ukrainian defense-tech startup Himera, which produces protected tactical military walkie-talkies, has attracted $525,000 in investment.
The startup's plan for 2024 is to release the next version of the product and receive a government order. https://dev.ua/news/ukrainskyi-defence-startap-himera-zaluchyv-525-000-1710165296?utm_source=tg&utm_medium=msg&utm_campaign=news_dev_ua_channel&utm_content=zaluchyv
For some reason, I believe in the success of these people. No, not in the efficiency and security of their "walkie-talkies", but in receiving money from the budget.

FT reminds that on the eve of the new wave of mobilization, during which they want to attract up to 500 thousand soldiers to the army, the parliament must adopt a new law on mobilization. As the Minister of Defense of Ukraine explained to the British newspaper, half a million mobilized people are needed primarily to replace 330 thousand exhausted soldiers at the front, and the rest to replenish losses and cover other military needs.
Currently, the FT explains, only men older than 27 can be at the front, many went to war as volunteers, so the average age of Ukrainian defenders on the battlefield is about 40 years old. The share of millennials and generation Z (born from the early 1980s to the present time) in Ukraine is smaller than in other countries. This is explained by the drop in the birth rate after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The proposal to lower the age of mobilization to 25 has faced sharp criticism from those who believe that sending young people to the trenches is suicide for the nation.
In addition to lowering the age of mobilization, introducing an electronic register, the possibility of blocking driver's licenses for evasion of service, the bill on mobilization has another very controversial proposal - the so-called economic reservation, that is, the exclusion from mobilization of those who are considered critical for the economy.
According to the calculations of the economic committee of the parliament, if about 2 million men paid up to UAH 20,000 a month in a special contribution, the budget could receive from UAH 200 to 350 billion in a year. The head of the committee, Dmytro Natalukha, admits that such plans are subject to fierce criticism, because those who cannot pay will be mobilized.
But, he emphasizes, no matter what approach to solving the problem is chosen, Ukraine needs to somehow mobilize funds, and the purpose of economic reservation is not to "save" men from mobilization, but to generate as many financial resources as possible for the army.
According to the estimates of the Ministry of Finance, additional mobilization in 2024 will cost Ukraine about UAH 800 billion.
https://www.ft.com/content/d7e95021-df99-4e99-8105-5a8c3eb8d4ef

To understand the adequacy of calculations, the average salary in Ukraine is now less than UAH 20,000.

[US7IGN]

I'm wondering if someone outside from russia would like to participate in russian DX Contest after they marked four occupied Ukrainian regions as russian oblasts as multipliers?
That's published on the official RDXC website (only in russian version but you can easily use web translator. It's hided in English version) - https://www.rdxc.org/rules
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1173419683831104&id=100034892493433&mibextid=oFDknk

[bluesky]

Dear Volodymyr,
How can I get your email-address?
Best regards
bluesky

[US7IGN]

Today I slept for a very long time and apparently this restored my strength. I barely had time to return from my walk to scheduled QSO with Colin G3ZAF. Unfortunately, today there is very poor propagation on 28 MHz and I didn’t hear him at all there, but on the reserve frequency on 15 meters we were able to talk a little.

Air raid warnings in the morning ended with an attack on Odessa. Again many were killed and wounded. Terrorists practice repeated strikes on the same target in order to also kill as many rescuers as possible. https://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/odesi-vnaslidok-povtornogo-raketnogo-obstrilu-1710500069.html

President of the Republic of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs stated that Ukraine must win, russia must be defeated. russia delenda est! https://twitter.com/edgarsrinkevics/status/1768533827897397433

Once again I am convinced that only those who live next to them know the essence of russians. Only the destruction of a terrorist state and a complete blockade can stop the spread of this modified diseased formation on the body of the planet. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic showed that the number of those who wanted to make money from it turned out to be too large.

An international mechanism for payments to Ukrainian citizens whose property was damaged by russian aggression has been launched in The Hague. This was reported by Deputy Minister of Justice Iryna Mudra. She said that a special fund will be created for payments to Ukrainians. Already in April of this year, citizens of our country will be able to apply for compensation within the framework of the UN initiative.
Iryna Mudra noted that, with the help of an international agreement, a compensation commission will be created, which will consider each specific case. After that, an executive body will be established to calculate compensations. According to the Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, at least a year will pass until all bureaucratic and organizational procedures are followed. russian assets frozen in the West can be used as a source of financing payments. https://top.today.ua/ukrayintsi-otrimayut-kompensatsiyi-vid-oon-za-zbitki-cherez-vijnu-prijom-zayavok-startuye-u-kvitni/

On March 15, UAVs attacked an oil refinery in the Kaluga region of the russian federation. According to russian Telegram channels, the company's equipment was damaged as a result of the hit. https://thepage.ua/ua/news/15-bereznya-droni-atakuvali-npz-u-kaluzkij-oblasti-video

This reminds me of the russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure last year. Their missiles were much larger, and the number of objects in Ukraine was much smaller, but still this did not allow them to achieve a significant effect. In our case, these are good attempts, but I doubt that they will have much significance.

[US7IGN]

In Poland, two journalists of the Information Agency "Raion.in.yua" were detained, who were investigating cargo transportation on the russian-Polish border.
Editor Yury Konkevych and videographer Oleksandr Pilyuk were detained on March 7 while recording the crossing of the border by freight trains and cars between the Kaliningrad region of the russian federation (occupied Polish territory) and the Republic of Poland. As of the evening of March 9, the border guards brought the journalists to the Dorogusk-Yagodin checkpoint.
According to the editorial assignment, the journalists had to investigate the topic of cargo transportation, assess the cargo flow and find out which transport is used to cross the border - Polish or russian. It was also planned to talk to eyewitnesses and experts to assess the scale of such trade.
At approximately 1:10 p.m. local time, 5-6 journalists were detained by police officers in the city of Branevo. They took the property of journalists: two smartphones, two cameras, a personal MacBook, memory cards, microphones, power banks and even selfie sticks.
https://rayon.in.ua/news/686144-zhurnalisti-rayoninua-znyali-torgivlyu-polshchi-z-rosieyu-ikh-zatrimali-zabrali-vsyu-tekhniku-y-vidvorili#subscribe

I liked the interview the Polish Ambassador to Ukraine Jarosław Huzy gave. He seems to be a very smart person who well understands the sources of problems and the situation. https://www.dw.com/uk/posol-polsi-v-ukraini-pro-protesti-fermeriv-i-blokadu-kordonu/a-68507156
He drew attention to how difficult the farmers' protest at the border is. It concentrates on the border and looks like a single phenomenon. But in fact, it is a whole complex of phenomena that have different causes. This protest is part of an even more general problem. This is not a Polish-Ukrainian problem. This is a European problem because, after all, we see demonstrations similar to each other in Warsaw and Brussels. And farmers' protests are taking place all over Poland, not just at the border. Ukraine is to some extent a victim, one might say, a side effect of the larger problems facing the European Union. Farmers' demands cannot be met without decisions taken by the European Union. These decisions are beyond the reach of the Polish government.
There is a question to what extent these protests are being used by the russian side, are they fueled? Especially when it comes to focusing these protests on the Ukrainian issue, although Brussels is a more appropriate place for protests. He recently spoke about this at a meeting of EU ambassadors: that the problem is to convince Polish farmers to move from under the border with Ukraine to Brussels if they want to realize their demands. But farmers are convinced that Ukraine is part of the problem. So many sins in all directions. From the Ukrainian side too.
First, it is a misunderstanding of the problem. Insisting that the European Commission will solve the issue of grain export for Ukrainians, they got into such a hot topic and unjustifiably became part of a problem to which they have nothing to do. It is about all the problems of the "Green Deal". It is much easier to point the finger at Ukrainian imports as the source of the problems. It is much more difficult to point to a whole set of EU directives or decisions regarding imports from other countries, such as Latin America or China, when it comes to agricultural products.
The action to dump Ukrainian grain looked like an organized one, more like a diversion than some kind of spontaneous protest. All of this gives ample opportunity to agents like russia, which, after all, is running a huge social media campaign, primarily to protest farmers. All russian bots are working, all influence agencies are working. This is important to realize.
If we talk about Poles and Ukrainians, they have similar opportunities. That is, unlike the lazy West, both of them want to work. I see here a huge space for cooperation in the negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, because, first of all, Poland does not want to delay these negotiations. It wants Ukraine to complete them as soon as possible. Secondly, it has experience that can be useful for Ukraine. Before the case reaches the European arena, it would be better for Poles and Ukrainians to agree on possible compromise solutions. And present them together.
Do not forget that the European Union excluded the russian and Belarusian agricultural sectors from sanctions. Basically, believing that these exports are aimed at the countries of the so-called Global South, at world markets, and that blocking these exports with sanctions will be detrimental to countries that are important in terms of views on what is happening with russian aggression in Ukraine. That is why it was such a political decision, one might say.
Poland will remain absolutely neutral to the issue of the return of Ukrainian refugees to Ukraine. But Poland is economically interested in Ukrainians staying.

[N0TZU]

It seems that someone high in Poland was embarrassed about the trade with Russia. Deportation, equipment siezed, and barred from Shengen area for 5 years? Hardly something a few border guards would do on their own, I think.

The drone strikes on infrastructure within Russia may not always be substantial in military terms, but are of great value in puncturing supposed Russian invulnerability.  Also, in some cases, they demonstrate that UA special ops and native guerilla forces are operating inside Russia.  The Russian internal propaganda railing against the west for this also confirms it as true, and the more shrill the propaganda gets, the more clear is the effect.

[US7IGN]

It seems that someone high in Poland was embarrassed about the trade with Russia. Deportation, equipment siezed, and barred from Shengen area for 5 years? Hardly something a few border guards would do on their own, I think.

The drone strikes on infrastructure within Russia may not always be substantial in military terms, but are of great value in puncturing supposed Russian invulnerability.  Also, in some cases, they demonstrate that UA special ops and native guerilla forces are operating inside Russia.  The Russian internal propaganda railing against the west for this also confirms it as true, and the more shrill the propaganda gets, the more clear is the effect.

The ambassador did not name another very important source of problems within Poland. This is a party that lost power in the last elections, but its member is still the current president of Poland. They openly support farmers and spoil everything for their competitors, even at the cost of Poland's interests. The situation is completely similar to what the Republicans do in the USA.

To understand the perception of attacks on oil plants or military targets in russia, it is necessary to clearly separate its authorities and its people. For the authorities, this does not matter as long as it does not cause critical damage. This causes anger and a desire for revenge, but never a desire to give up. All large industrial and infrastructure facilities in russia, as well as in Ukraine, are owned by oligarchs, so only those who work there directly suffer from their damage. As in Ukraine, the destruction of factories owned by oligarchs only causes gloating among the population. Until the population there begins to die at night in their homes, they will not have the feeling that this war now concerns them too. Misunderstanding of others leads to incorrect assessment of the situation and errors in planning and, as a result, failure to achieve goals. This is one of the reasons for the constant problems of the United States in the Middle East.

[US7IGN]

"I am very grateful to my teammates for their fighting decision," said 16-year-old Ukrainian Ihor Honcharenko. The Lithuanian team Lituanica X, of which Ihor became a member a year ago, refused to compete in the same competition with russia at the European Robotics Championship in Italy. The team, which spent two years developing a complex and promising robot, lost the chance to compete for the opportunity to go to the World Robotics Championship.
https://www.lrt.lt/ua/novini/1263/2220368/igor-pishaiet-sia-rishuchistiu-litovtsiv-boikotuvati-rosiiu-voni-pozhertvuvali-dvoma-rokami-tvorchosti-ta-chempionatom-svitu

[US7IGN]

Today it started to rain and my condition for the last two days became clear. At night I generally woke up from a panic attack due to an accelerated pulse and high blood pressure. The most valuable skill is self-control. Today we talked to Sergiy and he said that another engineer of their company died recently. He was about 50 years old. Heart attack. We came to the conclusion that living even to 50 is a challenge even if you are not killed at the front or by a missile.

In recent days, fighting has also intensified in the north of Ukraine - the border region of Sumy is under constant attack by the russians and this is becoming dangerous. At the same time, Ukrainian drones continue to attack oil refineries on russian territory, and in the border Belgorod region there are russian detachments who are fighting with russians against the pootin regime. They are few in number and are fully supported by Ukraine, but the objective results of their actions, other than a little information noise, are not yet visible. Perhaps their only task was to attract attention during the election/extension of pootin’s powers for a new term.

But shops and schools have been closed in the russian city of Belgorod after bombardments that authorities there have blamed on Ukraine. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68586062

At the same time, I agree with the opinion of one blogger:
Me thinks: Ukraine hasn’t even got the time for that. It cannot run a massive campaign of destroying the russian command nodes, then run a wholesale destruction of the russian air defence system, and then re-focus on the russian ground forces. It hasn’t got enough long-range UAVs, just for the start. At least not yet.

However, it – obviously – has the means to strike russian air bases. Yet, it’s not doing that. Instead, we still get to see satellite photographs of major russian air bases around Ukraine, all nicely decorated with long rows of Su-24s, Su-30s, Su-34s and Su-35s. At last many of which are in the process of being loaded by UMPKs to go bombing ZSU troops.

At the time the VKS is bombing the ZSU along the frontline with over 100 glide bombs a day, causing an average of 20 deaths and 50 wounded – every single day

it seems that strategic decisions in Ukraine are not made by Ukrainian generals, but by someone from abroad - those who do not care about the people of Ukraine because they are at war with russia , and Ukraine for them is just a testing ground...

xxtomcooperxx.substack.com/p/ukraine-war-13-march-2024-me-and

Therefore it is not surprising that few men of fighting age are left in village Makiv in southwest Ukraine, and those who remain fear they will be drafted at any moment. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/15/ukraine-village-mobilized-men-war/

[N0TZU]

It’s possible of course that American/NATO advice to Ukraine is faulty. But there have been quite credible reports in major media of the Ukrainian side ignoring their advice, resulting in large losses and eventual retreats anyway. I suspect that most of the trouble is much closer than across the Atlantic, in or near the office of the President of Ukraine.

[US7IGN]

It’s possible of course that American/NATO advice to Ukraine is faulty. But there have been quite credible reports in major media of the Ukrainian side ignoring their advice, resulting in large losses and eventual retreats anyway. I suspect that most of the trouble is much closer than across the Atlantic, in or near the office of the President of Ukraine.

If only we knew what the real motives of those who advise/make decisions are.

Now many people think that the russians stopped their offensive / were stopped by the Ukrainian army, but I think this is an erroneous judgment. They just began to act rationally. Instead of driving their troops through minefields to storm fortifications regardless of losses, they first destroy them with large aerial bombs and only then advance with infantry and armored vehicles.

During the unsuccessful Ukrainian counteroffensive last summer, I heard nothing about the preliminary bombing and destruction of russian fortifications, or even about effective mine clearance.

And of course, I doubt that anyone in the West advised the Ukrainian authorities to destroy the economy, strengthen corruption and demotivate the population with unfair policies and legislation.

[US7IGN]

Today it rains all day, and in the evening it snows.

pootin predictably won and now everyone is tormented by the question of what will happen next. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68596231

There is an opinion that he will get rid of popular people so that no one threatens him in the future. In conditions of full support by his people and fear in the West, all that can threaten him are his own comrades. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/russia-tomorrow/all-the-autocrats-men-the-court-politics-of-putins-inner-circle/?mkt_tok=NjU5LVdaWC0wNzUAAAGR4Z9ctQIDY84g4z7sK04OVWR2Xm9Kxq3vvWnvfXhFCfqLtv52SJ00kPqTxbN6IcjX1Ob5tUfYlhVSHzXpfC6-qr6Z1kD4jgnq2wsXAr8J_NlS4A#far-right

The hopes of “russia experts” who at best studied about russia at universities in the West, but never lived in it as ordinary citizens, that a change of president will change something in russia look naive. On the contrary, only those who fully meet the expectations of the people and realize their desires can remain in power. This was the reason for the crushing defeat of Yeltsin, who did not meet the requirements for a strong conquering leader. pootin, having started in an atmosphere of democracy, quickly realized this and was forced to adjust his policies to suit the needs of the people. Has anyone seen the protests? They don’t exist not because someone is afraid to go out. There are only a few people who doesn't support the others, and in chemistry such quantities are called “chemical traces.” Thus, the russians proved that everything happens consciously and with their full support. These are slaves, but who proudly carry their collar in their hands. They do not want freedom for themselves, they want to rule over other slaves.

I have always wondered how a person can be considered an expert on another country, if has not lived there for some time as an equal member of society in order to experience everything for himself, and not remain under the protection of the bubble of another citizenship or being a representative of another country. Unfortunately, such people advise the leaders of other countries at the highest level, which leads to disastrous consequences in their policies.

The EU expressed deep concern and did not recognize the results of the elections in the occupied territory. However, what does this matter to the Russians? https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/03/18/russia-ukraine-statement-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union-on-russian-presidential-elections-and-their-non-applicability-on-ukrainian-territory/

In fact, the people are the source of power in any country and Ukraine is no exception. Only the names change, but each new person tries to meet the needs of the people, balancing on the brink of their interests and the interests of those who ensure the implementation of his policies, his comrades. This is probably why nothing changes in Ukraine either.

The next move is up to the Americans, who will choose not only their future. However, there is still a possibility of internal turmoil in Ukraine after the expiration of Zelensky’s powers. And the way the authorities are afraid of this suggests that there is every reason for this. After all, no one will doubt the legitimacy of a fair, honest, non-corrupt government?

[US7IGN]

If you remember that fundraiser for antennas. They have already been manufactured and went to the front. Oleg made 66 antennas.
https://ur8lv.com/1621819714

[US7IGN]

It has been raining almost all day and my legs hurt like an old man. Or maybe I’m already an old man. There are too many events for an ordinary human life. However, early in the morning before the rain, I managed to walk and buy some apples at the farmers market.

Air raid alarms sound every day, but Kyiv seems to be the only city where nothing has exploded lately. In Kharksv, some industrial facility was again destroyed and people died.https://www.slovoidilo.ua/2024/03/20/novyna/suspilstvo/xarkovi-zavalamy-mozhut-perebuvaty-10-osib-ova
russian front-line aircraft and helicopters fly freely over the occupied territory, which means that we have nothing that can reach them even 10 km behind the front line.

Ukrainian drones attacked the strategic aviation airfield in Engelsk, but there is still no information about the results. Apparently nothing serious. https://myc.news/ua/politika/ataka_dronov_na_aerodrom_engels_sputnikovye_snimki_i_podrobnosti

Andriy Demchenko, the spokesman of the State Border Service, said that it is impossible to strengthen the Ukrainian-Russian border in the north by engineering. https://www.liga.net/ua/politics/articles/khochut-sterty-z-lytsia-zemli-chomu-rosiia-zakyduie-pivnich-ukrainy-aviabombamy-ta-dronamy
Very unpleasant feelings from this news, considering that last year the russians calmly built three lines of fortifications in the south, which completely stopped the Ukrainian counteroffensive. I wonder if the Ukrainian authorities will also explain the lack of fortifications as insufficient help from the West?