Kyiv Post Morning Memo – Everything You Need to Know on Wednesday, March 1

Good morning from Kyiv. It was a slightly noisy night with air raid sirens sounding just before midnight. According to the Ukrainian military, this was due to the launch of four kamikaze drones, all of which were shot down with the all clear given at 1:22 am.

For some this meant a bit of a late night. Blogger Yaroslava Antipina, wrote: “Drones are here. I’m reading, checking updates on drones.”

Later she added: “I’ll try to sleep. We got used to the drones’ nights. Hope for our air defense. Poor wounded skies.”

What’s happening today?

Well, if you believe the Kremlin, the U.S. is buy plotting a false flag “provocation” using chemical weapons in Ukraine which will then be blamed on Russia.

Of course, this is more Moscow nonsense and for more on the story plus a brief history of Russia’s dubious track record of such claims, read our article here.

What was in President Zelensky’s latest message?

Pressure is mounting on Ukrainian forces as fighting for the eastern frontline city of Bakhmut is getting ever more brutal with Russia losing hundreds of troops a day, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his daily address on Tuesday evening.

“The most difficult, as before, is Bakhmut... Russia does not count people at all, sending them to constantly assault our positions.

“The intensity of the fighting is only increasing.”

Other Topics of Interest

NATO, Ukraine to Meet Tuesday Over Russian Missile Strike

Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Moscow had hit Ukraine using a new-generation intermediate-range missile -- which he hinted was capable of unleashing a nuclear payload.

What’s the latest military situation?

The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) update on March 1 focuses on Russia’s supply of Iranian-made kamikaze drones, noting that it appears to be running quite low as evidenced by a significant decrease in attacks and the numbers used in each one.

The MoD notes: “This decrease in attack tempo likely indicates that Russia has run down its current stock: it will likely seek a resupply.

“[Drones in recent attacks] were highly likely launched from the Bryansk Oblast, Russia. Previously, the only observed launch site since mid-December 2022 was from the Krasnodar region, across the Sea of Azov.

“A second launch site would give the Russians a different axis of attack, closer to Kyiv. This is likely to decrease time in the air over Ukraine and an attempt to further stretch Ukrainian air defenses.”

The Institute for the Study of War’s Feb. 28 daily assessment covers a multitude of topics, most notably:

·      A top US defense official supported ISW’s continued assessment that Russia is extraordinarily unlikely to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

·      The Kremlin is likely attempting to reintroduce a Russian information operation aimed at falsely portraying Russia as being open to negotiations while the collective West refuses to negotiate.

·      Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the Federal Security Service (FSB) board on Feb. 28 and emphasized the role of the FSB in supporting the war in Ukraine in a law enforcement and counterterrorism capacity.

And that’s it for today’s Morning Memo.

Kyiv Post will bring you the latest news throughout the day and we’ll be back with another edition tomorrow.