Russo-Ukraine War - 12 March 2023 - Day 382

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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 Russia continues to suffer extremely heavy casualties, the impact varies dramatically across Russia's regions. In proportion to the size of their population, the richest cities of Moscow and St Petersburg have been left relatively unscathed. This is especially true for the families of the country's elite.

On 21 February 2023, Russian senior officials were photographed making up the front two rows of the audience of President Putin's state of the nation speech. None of these are known to have children serving in the military.

In many of the Eastern regions, deaths are likely running, as a percentage of population, at a rate 30+ times higher than in Moscow. In places, ethnic minorities take the biggest hit; in Astrakhan some 75% of casualties come from the minority Kazakh and Tartar populations. As the Russian MoD seeks to address its continued deficit of combat personnel, insulating the better-off and more influential elements of Russian society will highly likely remain a major consideration.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of March 12, Russian forces launched 1x missile attack on a civilian infrastructure facility in Slovyansk (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces also launched 4x air strikes and around 20x MLRS attacks.

The level of missile threat across Ukraine remains high.

Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no significant changes. No formation of the Russian offensive groups were found. Engineering development of Russian positions is ongoing in the border areas of Belgorod oblast (russia). During the day of March 12, Russian forces shelled the vicinities of settlements of Volfyne (Sumy oblast), Strilecha, Krasne, Velykyi Burluk, and Bolohivka (Kharkiv oblast).
Kup'yans'k and Lyman axes: Russia attempts to break through the defense of Ukrainian troops. Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensives towards Dvorichna, Dibrova, and Serebryans'ke forestry. The Russian invaders fired artillery at the vicinities of settlements of Dvorichna, Zapadne, Kup'yans'k, Krokhmal'ne, Cherneshchyna (Kharkiv oblast), Makiivka, Nevs'ke, Dibrova, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast), Sivers'k, and Spirne (Donetsk oblast).
Bakhmut axis: Russia continues attempts to capture the city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian defenders repelled adversary attacks in the vicinities of settlements of Min'kivka and Orikhovo-Vasylivka. In particular, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Bohdanivka, Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Kurdyumivka, Druzhba, Maiors'k, and New York (Donetsk oblast) came under Russian fire.
Avdiivka, Maryinka, and Shakhtars'ke axes: Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations towards the settlements of Krasnohorivka, Kam'yanka, Sjeverne, Nevel's'ke, Mar'inka, Pobjeda, and Vuhledar (Donetsk oblast).
In particular, Berdychi, Avdiivka, Tonen'ke, Vodyane, Heorhiivka, Nevel's'ke, Hostre, Pobjeda, Vuhledar, Vremivka, and Neskuchne (Donetsk oblast) came under Russian fire.
Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: Russia is defending. In particular, Ol'hivs'ke, Malynivka, Hulyaipole, Mala Tokmachka, Novodanylivka, Novoandriivka (Zaporizhzhia oblast), Beryslav, Bilozerka (Kherson oblast), Tamaryne, and Ochakiv (Mykolaiv oblast) were shelled by Russian forces.

The Russian occupants are looting certain settlements of the temporarily occupied Kherson oblast. The Russian invaders are trying to sell the looted gadgets and household appliances to civilians, but in different settlements.

Russia continues to suffer losses. On March 11, about 30x bodies of the occupiers were delivered to a local morgue in Enerhodar. At the same time, the Russian military leadership is taking measures to replenish the casualties. Thus, new troops from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous district (russia) arrived in Yalta (Donetsk oblast) on March 10. The Russian personnel is reportedly low-motivated and unwilling to participate in combat operations.

During the day of March 12, Ukrainian Air Force launch 1x air strike at the Russian forces' anti-aircraft missile system, as well as 6x air strikes at the concentrations of its personnel and military equipment.

The Ukrainian missile troops and artillery units hit 1x command post, 2x Russian concentrations of personnel and military equipment, as well as 1x ammunition depot.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that Russian fighters hit 157 areas of deployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and 81 artillery positions in a day. Command posts of the 111th and 25th brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed in Liman and Drobyshevo, and an ammunition depot on the territory of the Ukrenergochermet enterprise was blown up in Zaporozhye.

In the Kherson direction, during a counter-battery fight, the Gvozdika self-propelled gun was hit, and up to 45 Ukrainian servicemen, 4 cars and 2 armored vehicles were destroyed in the Kupyansky direction. The actions of five sabotage and reconnaissance groups were suppressed.

Air defense systems over Temirovka and Dvurechnaya shot down two Mi-8s of the Ukrainian Air Force, and also intercepted a drone and seven rockets from HIMARS and Uragan installations.

The situation in the Donbass

Also, the Russian forces were active in the Limansky direction, striking at the enemy's manpower and equipment. As a result, up to 100 Ukrainian servicemen were liquidated here, as well as an armored vehicle, four pickup trucks, a D-30 howitzer and a Gvozdika.

Meanwhile, in the Donetsk direction, Russian units destroyed more than 220 Ukrainian servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, 3 armored vehicles, 7 vehicles, and a D-30 gun.

To the south-west, near Novomikhailovka, Levadny and Marfopol, the actions of three sabotage and reconnaissance groups were suppressed. In total, more than 50 enemy soldiers, 2 armored combat vehicles, 4 vehicles and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed in the Donetsk-Zaporozhye direction in a day.

This afternoon, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the bus station in the city of Perevalsk in the LPR. The tasks pursued by the executors are unknown, but three civilians were killed and seven more were wounded.

Meanwhile, FAN war correspondents visited the Bakhmut asphalt plant liberated by Wagner PMC. This facility, located on a hill, made it possible to strengthen control over the surrounding space, as well as to enter the private sector of the strategic city.

Also, military correspondents Alexander Vasiliev and Alexander Yaremchuk visited the Zabakhmutka district, the largest in Bakhmut, recently cleared of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There, the "musicians" told them about the peculiarities of the battles in this part of the Donbass.