Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 03-16-2024

The incidence of Russian elections being frequently accompanied by violent acts is not a new phenomenon, but the upsurge over the last 20 years has coincided with the rise of Vladimir Putin.

When I was part of a small team of American consultants that secretly advised Boris Yeltsin’s re-election campaign in 1996, I remember a news report of a campaign worker on the St. Petersburg mayor’s race having acid thrown in his face. Not a campaign tactic frequently used in US campaigns. What I did not know at the time was that Vladimir Putin was a deputy mayor in St. Petersburg. 

The violence in Putin’s campaigns escalated in 1999. His rise to power was driven by “Chechen terrorist attacks” that blew up multiple apartment buildings across Russia and killed some 300 Russian civilians. Subsequent investigations showed that Putin, a former KGB officer turned Russian prime minister, likely authorized these false flag operations to rally support for his presidential bid. 

Fresh bombardments prompted authorities to close schools and shopping centres in the Belgorod region, undermining the Kremlin's efforts to isolate Russians from the war.

Russian volunteer forces fighting alongside Kyiv on Saturday, March 16, urged civilians in Belgorod to proceed to the shelters, warning of impending large-scale attacks on military targets within the city.

"Today, at 17:00, a massive strike will be carried out on military facilities and positions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Belgorod," stated three groups mainly composed of Russian citizens – the Freedom of Russia Legion (LSR), the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), and the Siberian Battalion – in a joint statement.

In its follow-up report to the UN on Friday, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said Russia’s disregard for the basic principles of humanitarian law continue unabated.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine was established by the Human Rights Council in March 2022 to investigate violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as related crimes in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Commission submitted reports to the UN General Assembly and UN Security Council in New York in October 2023. It was then requested to provide an update to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2024. The commission chairperson, Erik Møse, delivered a summary of the March report to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva on March 15.

Former KGB agent Putin has been in power as president or prime minister since 1999 and is casting the election as a show of loyalty and support for his military assault on Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin is likely to stay in power until "the end of his natural life" or until he is overthrown, an anti-corruption campaigner said on Friday as Russians voted in presidential polls.

Bill Browder, whose Hermitage Capital Management firm was one of the largest investors in Russia in the late 1990s to early 2000s, said the election was "a farce from top to bottom".

Bakota is famous for its awesome landscape, millennium-old cave monastery and its enigmatic ancient dolmen.

A most interesting and even mysterious place lies on the picturesque steep bank of the Dniester River in the Khmelnitsky region, western Ukraine. It is called Bakota, the name of the ancient town that flourished from the early 12th to the mid-15th century, when it was then destroyed by Poles. Later, a small village remained, but it was completely inundated when the Dniester Hydropower Station was built in 1981.

The name “Bakota” comes from Old Slavic, meaning “a beautiful, coveted place”. Archeological findings prove that the area along the right bank of the Dniester used to be quite densely populated, with numerous pagan heathens and burial mounds. Female remains found there suggest they date back to the matriarchate period.

Polls opened this week but voting has been marred by an uptick in fatal Ukrainian bombardments and a series of incursions into Russian territory by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups.

Ukrainian bombardments killed two people in a Russian border region on Saturday, its governor said, on the second day of presidential elections in Russia guaranteed to cement Vladimir Putin's hardline rule.

Polls opened this week but voting has been marred by an uptick in fatal Ukrainian bombardments and a series of incursions into Russian territory by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups.

This statement follows French President Emmanuel Macron's recent refusal to dismiss the idea of sending troops to Ukraine, which has caused divisions among U.S. and European leaders.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen suggested that Western nations, including the United States, should remain open to the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine should conditions deteriorate further.

Speaking to NatSec Daily on Saturday, quoted by Politico, Valtonen said that the West should at least not rule out any options for the long term, given the unpredictable nature of the situation. 

A Russian ballistic missile attack struck a residential area in Ukraine’s Black Sea port city of Odesa killing at least 21 people, in Moscow’s deadliest attack in weeks, Ukrainian officials said.

Russian missiles pounded Ukraine's Black Sea port city of Odesa on Friday, killing more than a dozen people including rescue workers in an attack President Volodymyr Zelensky described as "vile".

Local authorities said Russian aerial bombardments struck residential buildings, ambulances and a gas pipeline, leaving at least 21 people dead and wounding another 73 people, including rescuers. 

Latest from the British Defence Intelligence.

• According to analysis by Vorstka of Russian Pension and Social Insurance Fund data, there has been a record growth between 2022 and 2023 in the amount of Russian men aged 31-59 years with disabilities, over the eight years of available data. In 2022, there were officially 1.67 million men with disabilities in Russia aged 31-59 years. This figure increased by 507,000 or 30% in 2023.

• Russian demographers have told Vostka that the increase in the number of men with disabilities was most likely due to the growth in military invalids. This is almost certainly the case. A significant majority of the over 355,000 casualties that the Russian Armed Forces have suffered as a result of the conflict in Ukraine have been wounded personnel. The average daily number of Russian casualties grew from the start of the Russian offensive campaign in autumn 2023, reaching a peak of 983 per day in February 2024, the highest rate since the start of the war.

Foreign mercenaries who fought for Russia and were captured by Ukrainian forces explain why they did so.

The quest for higher-paying jobs to achieve a better standard of living has led citizens from low-income countries to fall under Russian influence and become involved in the war in Ukraine. This trend is evident in the stories of mercenaries from countries of the Global South who are currently held captive in Ukraine.

Citizens of foreign countries, in particular Nepal, Cuba, Sierra Leone, Somalia, told the stories of how they had found themselves in the war against Ukraine as part of the Russian army, during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform on March 15.

German, French and Polish leaders highlighted on Friday (15 March) a joint set of priorities in supporting Ukraine, including stronger defence industrial cooperation, to quell rumours of disunity.

Talks between the three leaders – in the so-called ‘Weimar Triangle’ format – came after weeks of tensions between France and Germany over Europe’s war strategy.

French and German leaders traded barbs after an international Ukraine support conference in Paris earlier this month, where French President Emmanuel Macron publicly floated the idea of potentially sending Western troops to Ukraine – which was very quickly dismissed by his German counterpart.

For all his despotic bravado, Putin has actually more reason to feel insecure than unassailable.

One of the jokes that helped sustain people during the dark days of Soviet rule under Leonid Brezhnev was about elections: A panicked aide rushes into the Soviet leader’s office and announces, “Comrade Brezhnev, I have terrible news. Someone broke into the Kremlin vault and stole next year’s election results.”

Vladimir Putin, like the Soviet Communist party, is equally preordained to win Russia’s coming presidential elections.

Brussels Solidifies $4.9 Billion Funding for Ukraine; US Washington State Backs Ukraine in Meeting with Kyiv Oblast Governor; Sumy Officials Start Evacuations of Communities Close to Russian Border.

Highlights:

• Brussels Solidifies $4.9 Billion Funding for Ukraine
• US Washington State Backs Ukraine in Meeting with Kyiv Oblast Governor Kravhchenko
• Sumy Officials Start Evacuations of Northern Communities Close to Russian Border
• Kyiv’s UN envoy Kyslytsya condemns Russia’s presidential election in “sovereign” Ukrainian territories

The European Union confirmed a 4.5 billion euro funding for Ukraine on March 15 through a two-installment program.

Ukraine in the conditions of a protracted war and changes in the approaches of the US.

Entering the third year of a comprehensive invasion, Ukraine meets new challenges. The conflict has been prolonged, with Russia bolstering its technological capabilities and garnering support from autocratic nations, gradually encroaching further into our territory.

Aid from our allies shows signs of waning. In this context, societal despondency is escalating, sparking political turmoil and sustained economic downturn.

These attacks mark a continued onslaught against Russian oil enterprises, with more than 15 incidents recorded since the start of the year.

Two Russian oil refineries in the Samara region, one in Syzran and another in Novokuibyshevsky, were targeted in an overnight drone attack early on Saturday, March 16th.

Reports indicate that a fire broke out at the Syzran refinery following a drone strike, scorching an area of approximately 500 square meters. 

The former world chess champion, who last week was put on Russia's list of "extremists," called for more military aid to Kyiv against a "terrorist regime that only understands force."

Kremlin critic and chess legend Garry Kasparov on Tuesday called for a stronger Western response to Moscow's aggression in Ukraine and said Russian dissident voices must be included in efforts to stand up to Vladimir Putin.

In an interview with AFP, the former world chess champion who last week was put on Russia's list of "extremists," called for more military aid to Kyiv against a "terrorist regime that only understands force."

The vote will take place in the absence of both opposition candidates and independent international observers. Commentators discuss the election and how democratic Europe should respond.

Russia's three-day presidential election begins today, Friday. In addition to Vladimir Putin there are three representatives of parties with seats in the Duma on the ballot, all of whom, however, generally support his policies. The vote will take place in the absence of both opposition candidates and independent international observers. Commentators discuss the election and how democratic Europe should respond.

Putin votes

Putin promised a harsh response to waves of Ukrainian aerial attacks on the frontier regions, which have also seen fierce fighting in recent days with pro-Kyiv sabotage groups.

President Vladimir Putin on Friday vowed a strong military response to a string of Ukrainian attacks on Russia's border that he described as an attempt by Kyiv to derail his bid for re-election.

Putin addressed his security council on the first day of the three-day vote that is also being held in occupied territories of Ukraine and with no opposition candidates allowed to contest the ballot.

A newly published intercepted call suggests authorities in some parts of the Belgorod region are polling residents about evacuation plans.

In an intercepted call published by Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR) on Thursday, residents of Belgorod, Russia express fear and uncertainty about what to do and where to go as fighting between pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters and Russian forces reportedly continued in the border region.

In one recording, a woman tells someone seeming to be her husband, “There is a house-to-house poll about evacuation. We did not open (the door). They are asking who is evacuating and where.”

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian forces will likely continue ongoing offensive efforts to destabilize Ukrainian defensive lines in Spring 2024 while also preparing for a forecasted new offensive effort in Summer 2024. The provision of Western security assistance will likely play a critical role in Ukraine’s ability to hold territory now and to repel a new Russian offensive effort in the coming months.

• Well-provisioned Ukrainian forces have shown that they can prevent Russian forces from making even marginal gains during large-scale Russian offensive efforts, and there is no reason to doubt that Ukraine could further stabilize the frontline and prepare for repelling the reported Russian offensive effort this summer if materiel shortages abated.

• The threat of significant Russian gains in the coming months does not mean that there is no threat of Russian forces making such gains through offensive operations this spring.

• Pressing shortages in air defense systems and missiles will likely dramatically reduce Ukraine’s ability to defend against Russian strikes both in rear and frontline areas in the coming weeks if not addressed rapidly.

• Russian forces have shown the capacity to adapt to fighting in Ukraine and will likely aim to scale lessons learned from the war in Ukraine to ongoing efforts to prepare the Russian military for a potential long-term confrontation with NATO.

• Senior European officials stressed that a Russian victory in Ukraine would result in Russia posing a strategic threat to NATO security.

• Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev questioned the sovereignty of Latvia, a NATO member state, and threatened Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs following Medvedev’s March 14 call for the total elimination of Ukraine and Ukraine's absorption into Russia under Medvedev's “peace formula.” 

• French President Emmanuel Macron stated on March 15 that he is not ruling out sending Western troops to Ukraine but that the current situation does not require it.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed continued limited raids from Ukrainian territory into Russia’s border region on March 15.

• Ukrainian forces conducted a drone strike against a Russian oil refinery in Kaluga Oblast, and recent Ukrainian strikes against oil refineries reportedly caused a spike in Russian domestic oil prices.

• Several Russians made limited attempts to disrupt the first day of voting in the Russian presidential election on March 15.

• Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Kupyansk and Avdiivka and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.

• Ukrainian Treatment of Prisoners of War Coordinating Headquarters Representative Petro Yatsenko stated that Russia has intensified its efforts to recruit military personnel from abroad.

• Ukrainian sources and Russian opposition media reported that occupation officials continue coercive efforts to artificially inflate voter turnout and perceptions of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin in occupied Ukraine.