Kyiv Post Daily Thread – The Latest News From and About Ukraine on March 10

Pope Francis has waded into the debate over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, saying the war involves "imperial interests", with the world's "great powers" fighting there.

Speaking to Swiss television RSI, the pontiff described how he had offered to go to Moscow to negotiate peace, but had been rebuffed. "(President Vladimir) Putin knows that I am available," he said, according to a transcript published by RSI, ahead of the interview's broadcast on Sunday.

"But there are imperial interests there, not just of the Russian empire, but of the empires of other sides. It's typical of empires to put nations in second place."

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Kremlin-installed courts in Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine have sentenced three Ukrainian servicemen, including a human rights activist, to lengthy jail terms for allegedly mistreating civilians, Russian investigators said Friday.

"The supreme courts of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics issued sentences in three criminal cases against Ukrainian citizens Viktor Pokhozey, Maksym Butkevych and Vladislav Shel," Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement.

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The farewell ceremony for the fallen special forces commander and Hero of Ukraine Dmytro Kotsiubailo – popularly known by his call sign “Da Vinci” – was held at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Kyiv today.

You can read the full report here.

In their joint statement on March 7, G7 Ambassadors congratulated Semen Kryvonos on his appointment as the new Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and emphasized that “the Bureau’s performance must be free from any political and other interference, given the vital role it plays in Ukraine’s fight against corruption.”

Read the full report here.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are preparing for a counteroffensive, which will begin in about two months, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the presidential office has said.

“We are not in a hurry, we will reorganize over the next two months. We will exhaust the Russians in Bakhmut and then focus elsewhere,” Podolyak said in an interview published today by the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

Russia had concentrated most of its trained military personnel in Bakhmut, along with the most combat-ready private military companies, he added.

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The former CEO of the aircraft manufacturer Antonov has been arrested for allegedly making decisions that allowed Russian forces to destroy the world’s largest aircraft, the An-225 Mriya, during the opening days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Serhiy Bychkov is accused of forbidding the Ukrainian military to build defensive fortifications at the Hostomel airport by blocking the National Guard’s access to the facility’s territory.

Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) chief Vasyl Malyuk said an “objective investigation” is being conducted into the case and “those who helped the enemy destroy one of Ukraine’s symbols must be punished.”

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Despite the presence of hi-tech drones, modern tanks, aircraft and other up-to-date equipment on the battlefield, current combat between Ukraine and Russia largely relies on the extensive use of artillery to batter away at the enemy; a tactic that is centuries old.

Both sides are firing incredible numbers of projectiles on a daily basis, none more so than the Russians who, U.S. officials estimated and at one-point last year, was firing up to 20,000 every day.

As the war drags on, an assessment by Ukrainian military analysts suggests that Russia’s industrial production is struggling to keep pace with its rates of usage.

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The head of the President's Office has insisted Ukraine is still holding the line in Bakhmut after NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg’s recent comments that he expected the city to fall “in the coming days”.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday and in response to a question from Kyiv Post, Andriy Yermak said: "Many people are talking about something. The situation is difficult.

“But our soldiers are holding on."

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By repelling the Russian onslaught, Ukrainians protect not only their Motherland, but also the whole of Europe, the Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Recean, has said.

Read the full story at Ukrinform here.

The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions against a network of Chinese companies that supplied Iran with spare parts for military drones, including the Shahed-136.

Read the full story on Ukrinform here.