Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 03-17-2024

Air Force destroys 14 Shaheds over Odesa; Russians capture village west of Avdiivka; Missiles rain down on Mykolaiv; Putin polling at 88% in exit interviews; Invading forces keep failing on left bank

Overview:

• Zelensky calls out Russian dictator’s “imitation” of elections, as Putin exit polling at 88%
• Moscow’s troops allegedly raise flag in Tonenke, struggle near Stepove
• Iskander missiles destroy homes, injure five civilians in Mykolaiv
• Air Force downs more than a dozen UAVs, as kamikaze drones terrorize the South
• AFU repels two more Russian attacks on left bank

“This imitation of ‘elections’ has no legitimacy and cannot have any,” Zelensky says

Pro-Russians in Moldova's Transnistria enclave say the blast was caused by a Ukrainian drone attack. Kyiv says it was a Moscow provocation.

Pro-Russian separatist authorities in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria on Sunday said that an explosion at a military site had likely been caused by a drone launched from Ukraine.

Transnistria is a primarily Russian-speaking region that has long depended on Moscow for support and broke away from Moldova after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

As Russia’s farcical elections come to a conclusion and the strongman in Moscow basks in his ineluctable victory, Americans itching for something similar should be reminded of where strongmen lead.

Quite a few Americans like the idea of strongman rule. Why not a dictator who will get things done?

I lived in eastern Europe when memories of communism were fresh. I have visited regions in Ukraine where Russia imposed its occupation regime. I have spent decades reading testimonies of people who lived under Nazi or Stalinist rule. I have seen death pits, some old, some freshly dug. And I have friends who have lived under authoritarian regimes, including political prisoners and survivors of torture. Some of the people I trusted most have been assassinated.

The Defense Ministry is trying to break the stranglehold of a bureaucratic system given to corruption. Kyiv Post investigates efforts to bring vast amounts of procurement money out from the shadows.

Food is the basis of any army. An army that better feeds and supplies its soldiers with everything necessary fights much more effectively. In Ukraine, the procurement of food for the army has recently been beset by corruption scandals.

In March 2023, then Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, found himself at the center of a corruption scandal with food purchases for the army. One egg was valued at Hr.17 (almost $0.5 dollars), while the cost of a dozen eggs on the wholesale market was slightly more than $1. In September of the same year, Reznikov was forced to resign.

As the Russian military looks to salvage their rapidly evaporating dominance over the Black Sea, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu offers advice on how to “increase survivability of ships.”

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited occupied Crimea Sunday, March 17, where he received reports from the beleaguered Black Sea Fleet (BSF) command.

He offered advice on how to defend against Ukrainian attacks that have effectively turned Russia’s fleet of battleships into sitting ducks.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

President Vladimir Putin is poised to tighten his grip on power on Sunday in a Russian election that is certain to deliver him a landslide victory, though some opponents staged a symbolic noon protest at polling stations against his rule. Putin, who rose to power in 1999, is poised to win a new six-year term that, if he completes it, would enable him to overtake Josef Stalin and become Russia's longest-serving leader for more than 200 years. The election comes just over two years since Putin triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War Two by ordering the invasion of Ukraine. He casts it as a "special military operation". War has hung over the three day election: Ukraine has repeatedly attacked oil refineries in Russia, shelled Russian regions and sought to pierce Russian borders with proxy forces - a move Putin said would not be left unpunished. While Putin's re-election is not in doubt given his control over Russia and the absence of any real challengers, the former KGB spy wants to show that he has the overwhelming support of Russians. Voting ends at 1800 GMT on Sunday. The Kremlin has sought a high turnout, and as polls opened for a third day in western Russia, officials said the turnout in the first two days had already reached 63% nationwide. An exit poll will be published shortly after voting ends at 1800 GMT - Reuters

The main U.N. aid agency operating in Gaza said on Saturday that acute malnutrition was accelerating in the north of the Palestinian enclave as Israel prepared to send a delegation to Qatar for new ceasefire talks on a hostage deal with Hamas. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said one in three children under the age of two in northern Gaza is now acutely malnourished, putting more pressure on Israel over the looming famine.On Friday, Israel said it would send a delegation to Qatar for more talks with mediators after its enemy Hamas presented a new proposal for a ceasefire with an exchange of hostages and prisoners. The delegation will be led by the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, a source familiar with the talks said, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to convene his security cabinet to discuss the proposal before the talks start. Netanyahu's office has said the latest Hamas offer was still based on "unrealistic demands." - Reuters

Many of the Western ideals autocrats claim to reject are universal. Not only are the critics unable to offer an alternative, but they even go so far as to imitate the West.

In this day and age, people feel reticent about saying that some Western values are universal. Very reasonably, it brings back unpleasant memories of missionaries and other Westerners traveling the world to enlighten the local savages in our civilized ways.

However, there are aspects of the Western world, and the values for which Ukraine fights, that I argue are universal.

Euractiv’s Global Europe Brief – a weekly update on the EU from a global perspective

Much of Europe has been talking about Russia as an “existential” threat. Expect the debate to now turn towards how to address this.

In somewhat Churchillian tones, French President Emmanuel Macron has started channeling aloud what many EU leaders, policymakers and military officials have been thinking since earlier this year: That to keep the peace, Europe needs to be ready for war.

Ukraine strikes back as Russia holds sham presidential election and beleaguered domestic opposition attempts to voice its protest.

Russia said it was targeted by a wave of Ukrainian drones overnight Sunday, as Kremlin critics called for mass protests at polling stations on the final day of elections set to extend President Vladimir Putin's rule.

The three-day vote had already been marred by a surge in fatal Ukrainian bombardment, incursions into Russian territory by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups and vandalism at polling stations.

Russia acknowledges Ukraine's growing military outreach in the Black Sea and orders counter-measures.

Russia on Sunday ordered increased firepower and training for the navy to counter the threat of Ukrainian air and naval drones after a series of strikes on Russian warships.

"There must be training for personnel every day. Training on how to repel attacks from the air and by uncrewed boats," Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a statement during a visit to the Black Sea fleet in southern Russia.

Pavlo Cheburey joined the Territorial Defenses on Feb. 10, 2022, to protect loved ones in Kyiv; after two years of fighting, he gives a volunteer’s thoughts on conscription and defenders' motives.

With many in the general public concerned about being mobilized, Kyiv Post interviewed a soldier who volunteered two weeks before Russia’s full-scale invasion about the motives defenders have – it’s not about territory, it’s about people, he said.

We met in the center of Kyiv. More than 2 years ago, Pavlo Cheburey, a successful graduate of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, joined the Territorial Defense Forces. He has been serving Ukrainesince the beginning of February 2022.

Russian IT company Softline has announced that the internet giants intend to suspend access to their cloud products for Russian users from March 20.

Elena Volotovskaya, vice president for investments at Russian  IT company Softline, confirmed on Friday that it had been informed in writing by Microsoft and Amazon that Russian companies will be unable to access their cloud-based products from March 20.

According to the Russian RBC, Softline has warned its customers that the loss of access to the cloud might also involve functional restrictions in the operation of otherproducts and services provided by Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.

Now in France, a French soldier who fought for Ukraine spoke to Kyiv Post about his alleged death and his connection to a Ukrainian officer who had befriended his father, a French general, in 1995.

In 1995, a French officer and his family befriended a Ukrainian officer in the US Army War College.

Close to three decades later, the son of the French officer came to Ukraine and fought as a soldier for its survival.

Protest at Cadbury World Denounces Mondelez’s Financial Contribution to Russia's Wartime Budget

In a display of solidarity with Ukraine, demonstrators converged outside Cadbury World on Saturday, March 16th, to confront Mondelez International, the parent company of Cadbury, over its financial backing of the Russian government amidst the ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Organized by members of the Ukrainian diaspora in the UK, the protest aimed to spotlight Mondelez's contributions to Russia’s war budget. Reports indicate that despite promises to scale back operations, Mondelez has maintained three factories in Russia and reportedly channeled 48 million pounds in profit tax contributions to the Kremlin in 2022.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

Ukrainian officials said that the Russian daytime attack on Odesa on Friday had killed 20 and wounded at least 70 others. Among the dead and injured were several first responders who were caught in the carnage from a second subsequent missile on the same location. If confirmed, it would rank as the deadliest attack on Odesa since the start of Russia’s full scale invasion. The dead included the former vice mayor of Odesa. A day of mourning has been declared for tomorrow

Several people have been detained for vandalism at polling stations on the first day of voting in presidential elections, Russian officials say. Incidents involved green dye being poured into ballot boxes, the boxes being set alight and fireworks being set off inside polling stations, state media reported. Vladimir Putin is certain to win six more years in office after the vote. However, officials have called on law enforcement officers to be vigilant. Voting is taking place in Russia over three days until Sunday. The result is not in doubt as Mr Putin has no credible opponent, however state-run media said that turnout had reached 23% by late afternoon in Moscow. Most of the incidents were reported at polling stations in Moscow, Voronezh in south Russia, and the region of Karachay-Cherkessia in the north Caucasus, according to state news agency Tass - BBC

The Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council dismissed Zelensky’s peace plan and the offer of a Swiss-hosted peace conference with an unrestrained over-the-top counterproposal.

Dmitry Medvedev harangued Western countries in a Telegram post on Thursday for what he calls, their wholesale, unquestioning support for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ten-point peace formula.

Included in Zelensky’s ten-point peace formula are calls for the restoration of Ukraine’s 1991 borders, the provision of assurances on radiological, energy and food security, the freeing of prisoners and deportees, and the payment of reparations by Moscow.

French president continues to call Russia to task.

Russia will be asked to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Paris Olympics, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview from Paris shown on Ukrainian television on Saturday, March 16.

“The demand for a ceasefire during the Olympics. They (the Russians) must do this. That is what has always happened,” the interviewer said, speaking through an interpreter.

As we live in hope that most Americans will see the light before election day and steer clear of Trump, Ukraine continues to steer its own course on the battlefield with Europe fighting its corner.

Time is becoming critical for Ukraine. There appear to be more Russian soldiers than Ukrainian bullets, and Ukraine is suffering not from a lack of will or resolve, but from a sense of betrayal.

The US, meanwhile, is facing its own critical issues – nothing even close to an existential threat – but a test of its role as a democracy and as a global leader.

A litany of assassinations and arrests has quashed hopes for a peaceful handover of power in Russia. Now underground partisans and exiles are key to ending Putin’s dictatorship.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has overseen a ruthless crackdown on dissidents and critics during his 24 years in power, and all his major domestic opponents are now dead, exiled or in prison.

His staunchest critic of the last decade, Alexei Navalny, died last month in an Arctic prison colony.

In the middle of the sham election designed to ensure Putin’s rule till the end of the decade, a barrage of drones capped a week that hobbled Russia’s energy sector.

Explosions hit another oil refinery in southern Russia at around 3 a.m. local time on Sunday. The Nefte Peregonnyy Zavod in Slavyansk-on-Kuban, in the Krasnodar region was attacked by at least seven unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), according to Ukrainian reports and videos posted on social media.

The Krasnodar regional authorities said on Sunday morning that one person had died after suffering a suspected heart attack.