08:35, Yesterday
During a relatively quiet night, Ukraine shoots down two Russian drones
The Ukrainian air force shot down two of the three Shahed drones launched by Russia last night, the Ukrainian military said on Monday. The General Staff provided no additional details about the attack in its report on Facebook. It is not known whether the third drone that was not downed hit its target.
Shahed drones are also called They are called kamikaze drones because they explode on impact. The Iranian-made projectiles can travel about 2,500 kilometers. They are launched from a regular truck and are mainly aimed at static targets.
Monday night was relatively quiet for Ukraine after a series of attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure that Russia stepped up more than a week ago.
Editorial
01:58, Yesterday
Five killed in Russian drone and missile attacks
Five people were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine on Sunday. Two people were killed in the Lviv region by the shelling. They ended up under the rubble of a collapsed building.
The area’s governor, Maksym Kozitskyi, said there may be more bodies under the rubble. Rescue efforts continued at the site throughout the day.
In the Donetsk region, in southeastern Ukraine, fourteen towns and villages were reportedly hit by Russian shelling. Two people were killed in Krasnohorivka, west of the Russian-occupied regional center of Donetsk. A fifth death occurred in the town of Borova, southeast of Kharkiv. Reuters could not independently confirm the reports.
The Ukrainian air force says at least sixteen Russian missiles and eleven drones have been spotted. Nine drones and nine missiles could be shot down. Nevertheless, infrastructure in the Odesa region was affected, resulting in a large-scale power outage.
Russia has recently stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy supplies. Power stations, among other things, have been bombarded. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday that this was an attempt to hinder the Ukrainian arms industry, a statement said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked allies on Saturday for help in protecting energy supplies. (Reuters)
11:10, the day before yesterday
Putin has 150,000 conscripts called up; according to authorities, men do not have to go to the front in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has authorized the drafting of 150,000 conscripts. These are men between the ages of 18 and 30.
Conscripts are called up twice a year in Russia. By law, the men cannot be deployed in combat outside Russian territory during their period of service.
The Russian parliament previously raised the age at which men can be drafted from 27 to 30. These new rules came into effect this year.
Conscription is a sensitive subject in Russia. Many men try everything to avoid being drafted, including reports of heavy-handed hazing practices in the army.
Authorities say conscripts are not sent to the front in Ukraine. There, Russian forces have suffered major losses since the invasion began in 2022.
Russia has previously carried out a partial mobilization separate from conscription. At that time, about 300,000 men with military experience had been drafted for the war in the neighboring country. (AP)
03:30, the day before yesterday
Paris will supply hundreds of armored vehicles and missiles to Ukraine
France will supply hundreds of old but still functional armored vehicles to Ukraine. In addition, Paris will too Aster 30-supply missiles to the country. French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said this in an interview with LaTribune which was published on Saturday evening.
‘The old, but still operational equipment will be able to help Ukraine immediately. We are talking about hundreds of vehicles for 2024 and early 2025,” said Lecornu.
The Ukrainian army is facing a shortage of ammunition and anti-aircraft defenses. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Friday that his army will have to withdraw ‘step by step’ if there is no more American support.
The United States is by far Ukraine’s most important ally in the fight against Russia, but a new aid package worth $60 billion has been stalled in the US House of Representatives for months. (Belga)
00:34, The day before yesterday
Moscow recruits 30,000 people every month for war in Ukraine, according to British experts
The Russian army is recruiting about 30,000 people a month for the war in Ukraine, according to British experts. This was evident from the daily message from the secret service of the Ministry of Defense in London on Saturday.
This will allow Moscow to compensate for the losses among soldiers and to continue its attacks in the war against Ukraine, according to a statement distributed on X. Russia would also still have a quantitative advantage over Ukraine in terms of ammunition and equipment.
West of Avdiivka, the town recently captured by the Russian attackers, the Russians are reportedly able to push further. At the end of March, the villages of Tonenke and Orlivka most likely also fell into the hands of the Russians. Fighting continues for other villages.
Despite numerous attacks on other places on the front line, the British call Russian progress in recent weeks limited. (Belga)
23:15, 29-3-2024
Zelensky: Without US support, Ukrainian army must withdraw
If the military support promised by the US is not forthcoming, the Ukrainian army will have to withdraw ‘in small steps’. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in an interview published on Friday The Washington Post.
“If there is no American support, it means we have no air defenses, no Patriot missiles, no electronic warfare jammers, no 155-millimeter artillery ammunition,” he told the American newspaper.
“It means we have to withdraw, step by step, in small steps,” he emphasizes. “We’re trying to find a way not to retreat.”
Former President Donald Trump’s Republicans in the House of Representatives, who have a majority, have been blocking a major $60 billion aid package for Ukraine for some time now. The Senate has already approved. (AP)
Also read: Ukraine is allocating a billion euros to urgently build new lines
11:00 PM, 3/29/2024
Welcome to the live blog of Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 March and Monday 1 April
This was the most important news of Friday March 29:
• Last night’s Russian airstrikes hit two Ukrainian hydroelectric power stations. One of the power stations is located in the Central Ukrainian city of Kaniv, on the Dnipro River. The other affected installation is in Novodnistrovsk, a city near the border with Moldova. The Ukrainian electricity grid suffered heavily from Russian attacks last week.
• In all likelihood, Alla Pugacheva, Russia’s most famous singer, will soon be declared a ‘foreign agent’. The Russian public prosecutor has submitted a request to this effect to the Ministry of Justice. The 74-year-old Pugacheva has spoken out several times against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russians with the status of ‘foreign agents’ lose all kinds of civil rights and are in practice treated as second-class citizens.
• Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrsky needs fewer new soldiers than previously announced. In December, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the army had asked for 500 thousand new recruits. That number has been “significantly reduced” after an inventory by the military, Syrsky said. The current rate at which conscripted men are drafted, supplemented by recruits who volunteer, is sufficient.
Read the full live blog from Friday March 29 here.
