Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 03-03-2024

Conflict strips away the quotidian nonsense and leaves us with what’s real and honest. Ukrainians have had to face a brutal reality, and as a result they have so much to teach.

When do we stop learning things? I don’t mean acquiring a smattering of Spanish, or successfully rewiring a bathroom light fixture, but big, foundational, true things. Ideas and ideals that while esoteric and hard to articulate, are as vital to humans as air and water.

I’ve been on this planet for a long time and am presumably seasoned enough to have absorbed some wisdom and perspective, maybe even a basic doctrine for living a good life. That’s what I thought anyway. But having spent half of the past year in Ukraine revealed to me some rather prominent gaps in my philosophy, and, odd as it may sound, I have a war to thank for that.

Russian musician, Vasya Oblomov set the words of Leonid Kaganov to music and released the song “Now Far from Here” following the death of the opposition politician.

The Russian Musician Vasya Oblomov, real name Vasily Goncharov, released the song “Now Far from Here” on Feb. 27, which he dedicated to “the one who gave people hope.” Although Alexei Navalny is not mentioned, there was no doubt to whom it was dedicated and why.

The lyrics of the song were written by the poet Leonid Kaganov. Both artists are long-time critics of the regime of President Vladimir Putin, in general, and his war in Ukraine, in particular.

The situation is “stabilizing” around three villages west of Avdiivka -- Berdychi, Orlivka and Tonenke, a Ukrainian military spokesman said.

Continuing their attempt to advance farther west, beyond Avdiivka, the Russians made attacks on Berdychi, Orlivka and Tonenke Sunday but had limited success, Dmytro Dmytro Lykhoviy, the spokesman for the operational and strategic grouping of the “Tavria” troops said, speaking on Ukrainian television.

On Feb. 17, with supply routes under serious threat and Ukrainian troops running out of ammunition, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky ordered that Ukrainian troops to withdraw from Avdiivka, where, though it cannot be confirmed, one prominent military blogger placed Russian losses at 16,000 – more than the Soviet Union’s official number for those killed in the Afghanistan War.

EuroTopics reviews comments from Ukrainian, Russian, and Estonian media.

In his State of the Nation address on Thursday, Putin sent warnings of a nuclear war to the West and made promises to the Russian people.

Two weeks before the Russian presidential election, he held out the prospect of a support program for families, investments in the healthcare sector and an increase in the minimum wage. But he failed to impress commentators with his promises.

Lamentations, condemnations and international court rulings are all well and good, but Ukraine needs a victory, and right now it needs shells and F16s.

One of the most significant problems within the Ukrainian diaspora worldwide, and especially in the US where it matters most, is the lack of political sophistication among organizational members. Intentions are mostly good, but they are rarely informed and aimed so as not to interfere with one's personal life no matter how banal. Internationally, the Ukraine issue has become tangential or marginal, which suggests that it is not a priority. The bottom line is that there is no war strategy.

There are numerous examples for this characterization. A case in point is recognizing that the war in Ukraine is 10 years old and the full-scale atrocities are two years old. Many organizations have spent time and resources organizing events for this occasion. These events have taken a myriad of forms: demonstrations, vigils, conferences and – frankly – I have no idea how to characterize events organized by the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City. Essentially it was announced almost as an Institute touring exercise.

As bombs continue to fall on Ukraine, Moscow has waged a silent war against the West – with real-world casualties and ramifications – that might have been largely overlooked.

The war with Russia might have already reached the West.

A report prepared by the Henry Jackson Society, a UK-based think tank, on cybersecurity for the UK Parliament has highlighted past and ongoing Russian cyberattacks against targets in Ukraine and the West, including critical infrastructure, with real-world consequences reaching far beyond cyberspace.

Video footage was captured of a Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft artillery system losing control while making a turn in Sochi. The vehicle keeled over and narrowly missed a passing car.

A road accident involving a Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft artillery system was caught on camera in Sochi, Russia. Footage from a street surveillance camera was posted initially on local Russian social media on Thursday, Feb. 29.

Great Britain, one of Ukraine’s main allies, and Hungary, a strategically important neighbor, have been without ambassadors for over six months.

A year ago, Ukraine's top diplomat, Dmytro Kuleba, admitted that Ukraine is suffering from a shortage of his kind.

“We are about to take an unprecedented step – we are creating an open mechanism that allows both diplomats inside the system and people outside it to offer their candidacy for an ambassadorial post,” Kuleba wrote, announcing that Kyiv would be searching for ambassadorial candidates to 21 countries.

Navalny's widow spoke out harshly against President Vladimir Putin at the European Parliament, holding him responsible for her husband's death and for a “brutal and sneaky war” against Ukraine.

In what likely came as a surprise to many Ukrainians, Russians at the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny spontaneously started chanting “Ukrainians are good people.”

Ukrainian economist and former economics minister Tymofiy Mylovanov posted a video of the crowd chanting the words on “X” (formerly Twitter).

Photos of the victims began appearing on social networks not long after the attacks. 

Odesa mourned Sunday (March 2) as emergency workers uncovered more bodies following a Russian-launched overnight attack Saturday where Iranian-made Shahed drones hit a high-rise building destroying 18 apartments and damaging another seven.

 “The number of victims of the Russian drone attack has increased to nine. The body of a dead woman is currently being unblocked,” Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration Oleh Kiper posted on Telegram at 9:18 a.m. on Sunday.

President Putin’s December assertion that Russia would build 1,000 of its own airplanes by 2030 has gotten off to a shaky start – and the excuses have already started.

Serial production of two of the planned flagship domestic airliners, necessary to overcome the impact of sanctions preventing maintenance and repair of Russia’s foreign aircraft, which was due to start in 2024 has been delayed.

According to the Moscow Times, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), part of the state-owned Rostec, said that deliveries of the Yakovlev MS21 medium-haul narrow-body aircraft will now start in 2025 and the Sukhoi Superjet 100 and the Ilyushin Il-114-300 turboprop regional aircraft are delayed until 2026.

According to the Wall Street Journal, in the leaked conversation, the commander of the German Air Force indicated that Germany had the ability to take out the Kerch Bridge with Taurus missiles.

High-ranking German officials confirmed to The Wall Street Journal the authenticity of a military recording during an online meeting that took place on the commercial, unencrypted WebEx platform.

According to the WSJ, one of the officers joined the conversation from his mobile phone from a hotel room in Singapore. 

Latest from the British Defence Intelligence.

• The average daily number of Russian casualties (killed and wounded) in Ukraine throughout February 2024 was the highest rate it has been, since the start of the war, at 983 per day.
• The increase in the daily average almost certainly reflects Russia's commitment to mass and attritional warfare. Although costly in terms of human life, the resulting effect has increased the pressure on Ukraine's positions across the frontline.
• To date, Russia has highly likely lost over 355,000 personnel killed and wounded during the Ukraine war.

August - September 2022 – start of the targeted Russian campaign of attacks on civilian infrastructure as winter approaches – Shahed kamikaze drones make first appearance.

Please find the previous parts of the digest below:

February to March 2022

Serhiy Kolyada on the transformation of Rasszia's 'mighty' airforce into kamikaze squadrons.

The shootdown of another Su-34 fighter bomber marks the latest in a string of successes for Ukrainian air defense.

On Saturday evening, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that they’d shot down yet another Russian fighter jet.

“The East Air Command confirms the downing of a Su-34 fighter bomber. Unfortunately, only one,” Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote in his 6 p.m. March 2 Telegram.

We each have our own stories. For Ukrainians, life now is about believing in the best, supporting our loved ones, accepting what each day will bring and seeing positive moment as a godsend.

During the two years of this war, my childish illusions that a miracle will someday happen – that soon all this will end and we will live as before – have dissipated. 

I recently took the high-speed train from Kyiv to Lutsk. Four hours later, I got off at Zdolbuniv where my dad was waiting to meet me. He is preparing to join the army and spending time together now is important and meaningful.

The Dutch prime minister signed a security deal with Ukraine in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and said the Netherlands would help fund the supply of 800,000 artillery shells.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte met President Volodymyr Zelensky on a surprise visit to Kharkiv, just 40 km from the Russian border, and became the seventh Western leader to sign a 10-year security agreement with Ukraine in the last two months.

“The Netherlands will contribute to the Czech Republic’s initiative to purchase 800,000 artillery shells, he told a news conference, saying they would arrive within weeks.

Yes, Ukraine needs debt relief, but only after first tapping frozen Russian assets. By playing along with the IMF, creditors are increasing Russia’s chances of winning.

So here is the story – the IMF/G7 is pushing Ukraine to do an early debt treatment. The idea is restructure the debt this year so perhaps Ukraine can get international capital market access next year. The IMF/G7 are nervous that there won’t be enough Western taxpayer money available to cover Ukraine’s financing needs, hence the push to bring in the private sector. I agree with the IMF that there is not enough Western taxpayer money to support Ukraine – there is a big financing gap.

The reality is, given prospects of a Trump presidency, Ukraine’s Biden package stuck in the House, Orban, Fico, Wilders et al., the Ukraine financing package, as drawn up by the IMF, does not add up (tens of billions in dollars shortfall, not even focusing on the military funding shortfall) and is only going to get worse.

A report published by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine illustrates Ukraine’s wartime economy as Russia’s full-scale invasion reached its three-year mark.

A report released by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (AmCham) paints a picture of the country’s wartime economy and business challenges as Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its third year – an economy where some businesses continue to thrive despite setbacks.

“Ukraine remains open for business, with 86 percent of AmCham members being fully operational after two years of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The security of staff and judicial reform are the highest priorities for business,” said AmCham Ukraine President Andy Hunder.