Russo-Ukraine War - 02 March 2023 - Day 372

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A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

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The UK Ministry of Defence reported that as Ukrainian forces continue their defence of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, rising temperatures are now creating the muddy conditions known in Ukrainian as 'bezdorizhzhia', limiting cross country movement (CCM). Poor CCM typically provides some military advantage to defending forces.

Daytime soil temperatures have risen and are now largely above freezing. As experienced since mid-February 2023, overnight freeze and daytime thaw remains likely until next week. Forecast warmer than average conditions for the remainder of winter and spring will further reduce CCM.

It is almost certain that by late-March, CCM will be at its worst following the final thaw. This will add further friction to ground operations and hamper the off-road movement of heavier armoured vehicles, especially over churned-up ground in the Bakhmut sector.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day, Russian forces struck 24 air strikes on the positions of Ukrainian troops and 3 missile strikes across the cities of Yar Times of Donetsk region and Zaporozhye. As a result of the terrorist attack, residential buildings were damaged and there are casualties among the civilians.

Russian forces carried out more than 55 shelling from jet fire systems, including the civilian infrastructure of the settlement Ulanove Sumy region. The threat of further missile strikes remains high throughout Ukraine.

In Volyn, Polísʹkomu, síversʹkomu and slobožansʹkomu directions operational environment without significant changes. Russia holds units near the state border of Ukraine and continues engineering equipment positions. The formation of offensive groups has not been identified. Russian forces carried out mortar and artillery shelling of the settlements of Ryzhivka, Hotin, Stetskivka and Slavgorod of Sumy region and districts of 15 settlements of Kharkiv region. Among them are Red, Deep, Merry, Vovchansk, Ogírtseve and Streleča.
In the Kupyan and Limansky directions, Russian forces led unsuccessful offensive actions near Bílogorívka and Kremínnoí п Luhansk region and Dispyrny in Donetsk region. Russian forces carried out artillery shelling in the districts of 17 settlements. In particular, it's a two-year-old, port first, petropavlivka, kupyansk kharkiv region; makííí креvka, kremínna luhansk region and rozdolívka in donetsk region.
Russia continues the attack in the Bakhmutsk direction. Storming the city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian defenders fought back attacks in the areas of the settlements of bakhmut, hromove and ivanívsʹke of donetsk region. Russian shelling was experienced by Vas нkívka, Zaliznânsʹke, Orihovo-Vasilívka, Bakhmut, Ivanívske, Chasiv Yar, Kurdyumivka, Dilíívka, Majorsk and New York.
Russia continues to attack the positions of Ukrainian troops in Avdiiv and Shakhtar directions. Russian forces made unsuccessful offensive actions towards the settlements of Kamianka, Severne and Maryinka of Donetsk region. The areas of 15 settlements suffered hostile shelling. Among them are merry, avdííí Сеvka, water, pervomajsʹke, Krasnogorívka and vugledar.
In Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, Russia leads the defense, on some areas continue attempts to create conditions for the transition to the offensive. He carried out artillery shelling over 40 settlements. In particular, this is Novosílka, vremívka of donetsk region; railway, gulyajpole, stone zaporizhzhia region, as well as fun, berislav, chernobayivka, Antonivka and Kherson.

In many schools of Kherson region, Russian occupants have introduced mandatory so-called "cadet classes", starting from the first grade. For these students, it is mandatory to wear uniforms and additional classes of "patriotic" education. Due to the shortage of teachers, pro-Russian locals are accepted without pedagogíčnoí сі education. Mostly they are over 50. For legalization, in accordance with Russian legislation, they are automatically enrolled in an absentee form of education to profile universities of the Russian Federation.

Russia has intensified the fíltracíjní measures in the temporarily captured territories of zaporizhzhia and kherson regions. In particular, the representatives of the fsb arrived to the settlements of pí сьanívka and pojma kherson region. There are mass searches of residential premises, checking phones. The main attention of the Russian invaders is given to people whose relatives have left for the neokupovanu part of Ukraine.

Ukrainian aviation carried out 13 strikes in the areas of the Russian occupiers' personnel warehouse and military equipment in a day, and missile forces and artillery units struck 1 Russian ammunition warehouse.

Statements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

During the briefing, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kupyansky, Limansky, Yuzhno-Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson directions were hit during the day. Ukrainian troops lost about 370 servicemen and a large amount of equipment. In Kharkiv and Kherson regions, 2 ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and territorial defense were destroyed.

In the Donetsk direction, as a result of the active actions of Russian units, about 270 Ukrainian servicemen, 6 infantry fighting vehicles, 3 armored fighting vehicles, 9 vehicles, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount, as well as Msta-B and D-30 howitzers were liquidated. A communication center and an ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit.

Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile forces and artillery hit 89 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, manpower and equipment in 195 districts. The Ukrainian Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) was destroyed in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), and the S-300 SAM guidance radar was destroyed in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the DPR shot down a Su-24 aircraft and a Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force. A Ukrainian Su-25 was shot down by means of air defense in the Kherson region. A HIMARS multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) projectile was intercepted, 14 unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed in the DPR, Kharkiv and Kherson regions.

Bryansk region

In the morning it became known about the penetration of Ukrainian saboteurs into the territory of the Klimovsky district of the Bryansk region. As the governor of the region Alexander Bogomaz later stated, a car came under fire. As a result of the attack, 2 people were killed, a child was injured, whose life is not in danger.

The FSB issued an official statement, saying that in the Klimovsky district, employees of the department and attached forces of the Russian Defense Ministry carried out measures to destroy Ukrainian nationalists who violated the state border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the incident as a terrorist attack, noting that the attackers opened fire on civilians, knowing that there were children in the car.

In the evening, the FSB announced that the enemy had been forced into Ukraine, where he was subjected to a massive artillery strike.

Zaporozhye region

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have stepped up shelling of settlements in the Zaporozhye region, said Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the regional administration. According to him, the enemy is hitting all peaceful cities and suburbs, "where he can reach."

On the 4th attempt, the rotation of specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) took place at the Zaporozhye NPP. This was announced by the adviser to the head of Rosenergoatom Renat Karchaa.

Kherson region

An arsenal of tens of thousands of weapons was found in an abandoned poultry farm in the Chaplinsky district. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation reported that ammunition for howitzers, Grad systems, large-caliber small arms, tanks, as well as grenades, boxes of gunpowder and cartridges were stored in 8 hangars. All this was transferred to the units of the RF Armed Forces.

DPR

From the beginning of the day, Ukrainian troops opened fire on Donetsk, as well as the settlements of Gorlovka, Nikolskoye and Golmovsky, using artillery pieces with a caliber of 152 and 155 mm.

As a result of attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a civilian was killed in Nikolskoe, and a girl was injured in Donetsk. Residential buildings were damaged.

Detachments of PMC "Wagner" continue the offensive in Bakhmut. According to the military commander Alexander Simonov, in the Ilyinovka area they are moving along Rechnaya Street, in the area of the Meat Processing Plant, the "musicians" have reached the line along Zarechnaya Street. In Sobachevka, the "musicians" took possession of several blocks, coming out to the 4th lane of Gogol, in Budenovka they are approaching the stronghold of the Armed Forces of Ukraine between Tchaikovsky and Korsunsky streets. The military commissar also denied reports of the complete capture of Zabakhmutka.

The DPR will create a Fund to support small and medium-sized businesses, said Prime Minister Vitaly Khotsenko. The main task of the structure will be to create favorable conditions for doing business in the region.

LC

The Commissioner for Human Rights in the LPR, Victoria Serdyukova, said that Russian prisoners in the Ukrainian camp "West-1" are kept in the cold without warm clothes. In this regard, their condition is deteriorating even without the use of torture. This information was received from the military, who returned to the republic after another round of exchanges with the Ukrainian side.