[Korrespondent] 20.50 The war has entered a new stage. By April 1 of this year, Russia plans to increase the number of unmanned systems troops to 101 thousand servicemen. This was announced by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky.
"At a meeting on the development of unmanned systems, intelligence reported that this year the Russians are accelerating the creation of UAV units, trying to influence the course of hostilities, in particular in the southern directions, where our enemy is losing initiative and territory. By April 1, the Russian Federation planned to increase the number of unmanned systems troops to 101 thousand servicemen," the general noted.
According to him, the war has entered a new stage. The increase in the length of the "kill zone" is a consequence of the growth of the capabilities of strike drones. To win this war of technologies, Ukraine needs to increase the pace of developing effective unmanned systems, their procurement for the army and use on the battlefield.
Syrsky added that we are developing our own line of fiber-optic FPV drones. And our drones have hit about 4,200 enemy pilot positions in a month.
"In total, in February, our drones hit more than 105.2 thousand enemy targets. A quarter of them were accounted for by the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the commander-in-chief noted.
According to him, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to maintain an advantage in the use of multirotor FPV drones, although the Russians have already acquired the ability to produce over 19 thousand FPV drones per day.
To counter Russian strike drones, UAV interceptor platoons are being created in the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Their task is to destroy enemy FPV drones, quadcopters, and strike drones, and to improve logistics for our troops. Anti-drone rifles, electronic warfare equipment, and net launchers are being used.
20.09 In the first ten days of March, Russian troops conducted about 1,400 assault operations on various sectors of the front. This is the lowest figure in recent memory. This was reported by DeepState analysts.
Russian forces are most active in the Pokrovsk area.
"Both Pokrovsk and Myrnograd are essentially occupied, so the enemy is focused on Rodinsky and Hryshyn, where it constantly sends its infantry to storm," analysts noted.
At the same time, the intensity of attacks in Hulyaipol has also increased, where the number of assaults even exceeded the indicators of the Pokrovsky sector. According to analysts, Russian troops are using opportunities for an offensive, in particular by attracting additional resources and trying to take advantage of problems in the Ukrainian defense.
The third sector, which is active on the enemy side, is Konstantinivka, where the Russians are constantly probing our defenses around the city, looking for weak spots, trying to gain a foothold and accumulate, and creating an opportunity to reach Konstantinivka itself in order to form a concentration point there for themselves for battles for the city.
In addition, analysts note an increase in the number of assaults in the area of ​​Slavyansk. This is attributed to the advance of Russian troops in the area of ​​Siversk, after which the enemy strengthened its infantry group there.
19.11 The Kremlin plans to increase the number of tankers transporting oil under the Russian flag. The decision is dictated by the increasingly frequent precedents of detentions of "shadow fleet" tankers by European countries and the United States. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine on Thursday, March 12.
The SZRU noted that the federal autonomous institution "Russian Maritime Register of Shipping" (under EU sanctions) plans to identify and inspect about 80 tankers in the near future with the aim of re-registering them.
The increase in the "shadow fleet" under the Russian flag automatically makes it easier for the Russian Federation to introduce agents of Russian special services onto them for the purpose of further conducting intelligence and sabotage activities against Western countries.
18.54 Russian troops attacked Zaporizhia. Two patrol police officers, aged 39 and 37, were injured by shrapnel. This was reported by the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov in Telegram on Thursday, March 12.
"Their condition is stable, doctors are providing the necessary assistance," he wrote.
Later, Fedorov reported a second Russian strike on Zaporizhia. Smoke rose above the city.
According to him, as a result of the Russian strike, 15,958 household subscribers and 38 legal consumers were left without electricity. 25,473 subscribers remain without heat supply.
"Specialists are already working to eliminate the consequences and restore the networks. No information about the victims has been received," the head of the OVA added.
18.15 To protect the frontline territory and ensure uninterrupted logistics of communities near the contact line in the Dnipropetrovsk region, 42 km of roads have been equipped with an anti-drone net. This was announced by Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
"We have equipped 42 km of the road with anti-drone protection in the Dnipropetrovsk direction. This is an important logistical route near the front line," he wrote in Telegram.
According to the minister, a new construction method was used on the site. They ensured the passage of large-sized equipment with electronic warfare systems and elements of passive anti-drone protection - the height of the pillars was increased to 7 meters. The structures of the pillars and intersections were additionally strengthened.
"Work at the site is 100% complete. Thanks to anti-drone nets, the risk of enemy UAV attacks on transport is reduced. This significantly increases the safety of military movement and ensures the stable operation of front-line communities," Fedorov noted.
17.51 ​​The deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia is a crime against humanity. This is stated in the report of the independent international UN commission investigating violations in Ukraine.
The commission also indicates that the forced transfer of children to the Russian Federation is a war crime.
Juvenile prosecutors of the Attorney General's Office cooperated with the commission, ensuring the provision of the necessary evidentiary materials for the preparation of the report.
According to the report:
the removal of at least 1,205 children from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv regions has been documented;
over 80% of children are still under Russian control;
Children were placed in families and institutions in 21 regions of the Russian Federation, granted citizenship, and included in adoption databases.
The Commission notes that Russia pursues a coordinated state policy for which officials at various levels, including the President of the Russian Federation, are responsible.
17.01 On the night of March 12, Russian troops struck a transformer substation in the Kyivsky district of Kharkiv, causing a power outage in part of the city. This was reported by the city's mayor, Igor Terekhov.
"Today there was a cunning second strike by the enemy after the first hit. Energy workers and utility specialists arrived at the scene to eliminate the consequences of the explosion. And they found themselves under a second strike," the mayor said.
According to Terekhov, power supply has already been restored for a number of consumers, but work is continuing.
16.16 Since the beginning of the day, the number of attacks by Russian aggressors has reached 45, more than a third of which were in the Hulyaipol area. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational summary as of 16:00.
15.57 Ukraine is opening access to partners to train AI models based on real battlefield data. This was announced by Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Our country has a unique array of battlefield data that is not found anywhere else in the world, he noted.
15.57 The Slovak government led by Robert Fico seeks to remove two influential Russian billionaires - Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov - from the EU sanctions list. This is reported by Dennik N.
According to the publication, Slovakia is threatening to block the extension of sanctions against 2,700 Russian citizens and companies, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, billionaire Roman Abramovich, and other oligarchs who support the Kremlin in its aggression against Ukraine.
The Slovak government is linking its agreement to the extension of sanctions to the removal of Fridman and Usmanov from the list. Both were subject to EU sanctions almost immediately after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
15.26 A scheme for misappropriating state funds for the execution of defense orders has been dismantled. The management of a strategic enterprise of the defense-industrial complex in the Dnipropetrovsk region was exposed in the transactions.
This is about the first deputy general director of the plant, who organized a scheme to embezzle 19.7 million budget hryvnias for the purchase of metal raw materials.
The structural material was to be used for the mass production of weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
To implement the deal, the official involved the deputy head of the plant's logistics department and the head of an affiliated company that traded in raw materials.
Together they agreed to purchase products at prices that were one-third higher than the market value of the respective goods. The participants in the transaction converted the resulting "difference" into cash.
15.15 Due to a Russian attack on infrastructure facilities near the Dniester Hydroelectric Power Plant in Chernivtsi region, technical lubricants leaked into the Dniester River. The pollution spread along the river to the territory of Moldova, the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine reported.
14.33 Rescuers and an employee of an energy company were injured in Zolochiv as a result of shelling by Russian drones, the press service of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office reported.
"According to the investigation, the Russian military attacked the village of Zolochiv, Bogodukhov district, with drones. At around 05:00, an enemy UAV, previously of the Molniya type, hit a fire truck," the report noted.
Six SES employees were injured in the attack. They were diagnosed with blast injuries and acute stress reactions.
Meanwhile, at around 11:00, a drone, previously known as Molniya, hit a car belonging to an energy company. The driver was injured.
14.27 On March 12, MEPs supported a resolution expressing deep concern about the recruitment practices of citizens from Africa and other regions who are illegally involved in fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine or in the Russian military-industrial complex. The document states that "thousands of non-Russian citizens are misled about the nature of the work offered, the conditions of employment or the associated risks, after which they are sent either to arms production plants or directly involved in Russian invasion operations." The Ukrainian side cites data according to which at least 1,780 Africans from 36 countries are fighting on the side of the Russian army. In total, about 18,000 foreigners from 128 countries have been recruited by Russia for this war, the resolution states.
14.11 In Odessa, the head of a private hospital department was exposed, who, together with accomplices, promised to issue medical documents to evade mobilization and facilitate the establishment of group II disability. This was reported by the regional prosecutor's office.
13.43 A Russian citizen who worked for the Russian military intelligence (GRU) was detained in Ukraine, the SBU reported.
"During work trips to various regions of Ukraine, the defendant tracked the coordinates of Ukrainian troops. Among the main objects that "interested" him were air defense units, checkpoints, and airfields of the Defense Forces in the Dnipropetrovsk region and in western Ukraine," the report says.
12.59 During February, the Ukrainian military destroyed and disabled a number of important elements of the Russian air defense in temporarily occupied Crimea. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR MOU).
11.52 Former US presidential special envoy Keith Kellogg said that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin must realize that Russia is no longer capable of winning the war against Ukraine. However, he fears the fate of Nicholas II - the last Russian tsar, who was shot after his abdication. He said this in an interview with the Japanese television channel NHK.
Kellogg added that the Russian dictator is aware of the damage and losses to the Russian Federation due to the war he unleashed and fears responsibility for his actions.
"Putin is worried that he could become another Nicholas II, the last Russian tsar who was shot after his abdication," Kellogg said.
11.50 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived on a visit to the capital of Romania, Bucharest. This was announced by the presidential press secretary, Serhiy Nikiforov.
During the visit, the main focus will be on security issues, support for Ukraine in the war against Russia, and further cooperation between Kyiv and Bucharest.
11.45 An aircraft engine ruptured at an aircraft factory in the Russian city of Irkutsk, causing an overpass to collapse. Seven people were injured in the accident, according to Russian pro-government REN-TV.
11.39 On March 11-12, the Ukrainian military launched new strikes on important facilities of the Russian invaders in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT). The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this.
Among the targets hit were the S-300 launcher and radar, and a train with fuel and lubricants.
11.31 At around 10:00, Russian occupiers once again shelled one of the hospitals in Kherson. Three people were injured. This was reported by the Kherson OVA on March 12. It is noted that as a result of the attack, a 21-year-old boy, a 22-year-old girl and a 60-year-old man received explosive injuries, contusions and shrapnel wounds.
10.48 A drug addict from Zhytomyr was detained in Rivne, who worked for the Russian Federation and was preparing an explosion near a cafe in the city's central park. The SBU reported this. For the purpose of concealment, the agent put on a military uniform when heading to the site of the planned terrorist attack.
10.29 On Thursday morning, new power outages were recorded in two regions of Ukraine due to attacks by Russian aggressors. This was reported by Ukrenergo. Where security conditions currently allow, emergency restoration work is already underway.
9.45 AM Air defense forces neutralized 77 of the 94 drones used by Russian troops to attack Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force reported this on March 12. 16 strike UAVs were recorded hitting 11 locations, as well as the fall of downed ones (fragments) at one location.
8.56 Russian troops attacked the Nikopol and Synelnyky districts of the Dnipropetrovsk region with drones and artillery more than 10 times, injuring two people. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Oleksandr Ganzha. In the Nikopol district, Nikopol and Marhanetska communities were under attack. Enterprises and multi-storey buildings were damaged. In the Synelnyky district, the Russians targeted the Mykolaiv community, as a result of which fires broke out in a private house and an outbuilding. A man and a woman were injured and hospitalized in moderate condition.
8.51 On the front of the past day, 128 combat clashes between the Defense Forces of Ukraine and the Russian invaders were recorded. Pokrovsky, Konstantinivsky and Hulyaipilsky are the hottest areas. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on March 12. Aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces struck three areas of concentration of manpower, seven artillery systems, five UAV control points, a command and observation post and three other important Russian facilities.
8.20 In Chernihiv region, a child died and her parents were injured as a result of a Russian drone crash. The State Emergency Service reported this on March 12. It is noted that at night in the Koryukiv district, a fire broke out in a residential building and an outbuilding due to the crash of an enemy UAV. Rescuers quickly extinguished the fire. A girl born in 2010 died. Her parents were injured and hospitalized.
7.56 Over the past 24 hours, the Russian Federation has lost another 780 soldiers, 3 tanks, and 243 units of automotive equipment and tanker trucks in the war against Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on March 12. The total combat losses of the enemy from 02/24/22 to 03/12/26 were approximately 1,276,760 people.
7.23 Soldiers of the 3rd Spartan Operational Brigade of the National Guard captured 25 Russian invaders in the Pokrov direction over the course of a month. The brigade reported this on Facebook. The video shows Ukrainian drones becoming "guides" for those invaders who decided to raise their hands in time and save their lives.
06.31 Since the start of the full-scale invasion, international partners have provided Ukraine with hundreds of units of heavy weapons, which have played a key role in confronting the Russian army on the battlefield. According to UA War Infographics, the weapons received include 688 tanks, 516 howitzers, and 65 multiple launch rocket systems.
Among tanks, Poland holds the lead, providing 258 units. This is followed by the Netherlands - 86 tanks and Denmark - 67 tanks. In the howitzer category, the leader is the USA with 198 units. The UK transferred 88 howitzers, and Italy - 46. As for MLRS, the largest assistance was provided by the USA (32 systems), the Czech Republic - 12 systems and Germany - 8 systems.
05.03 On the night of Thursday, March 12, in the city of Tikhoretsk, Krasnodar Territory, the Russian Federation, drones struck the facility of the Tikhoretsk-Nafta oil and gas complex. Information about this incident appeared in Russian Telegram channels and was confirmed by Ukrainian OSINT resources. A series of explosions were heard in the sky over Krasnodar and the Seversky District, the number of which, according to eyewitnesses, reached about ten. Residents also note that they saw bright flashes and heard muffled sounds of explosion waves in the southern and western parts of the city.
03.37 On the night of Thursday, March 12, the occupiers launched strike drones at Kharkiv. According to the city's mayor, Igor Terekhov, Shahed-type drones hit the ground in the Nemyshlyansky district, another strike was recorded in the Kyiv district. Later, a second strike by an enemy UAV was recorded in the Kyiv district.
02.35 The number of victims of the bombing of Zaporizhia, which occurred on Wednesday, March 11, has increased to 13 people. This was reported by the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov, who noted that among the wounded are two children - an 11-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl.
02.01 Special representative of US President Donald Trump Steve Witkoff on the night of March 12 reported on a meeting with a Russian delegation led by Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev. As noted by Trump's special representative, the meeting took place in Florida. On the American side, Witkoff himself, Jared Kushner and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum participated in the negotiations. He did not disclose details of the topics discussed, noting only that the parties agreed to maintain contact.
According to CNN sources, this meeting, like the previous one, was dedicated to Russian-American economic cooperation.