Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 03-27-2024

In Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, which has been reeling from power outages due to the strikes, officials said aerial bombing and shelling killed at least one person and injured 16 others.

Russian attacks on eastern and southern Ukraine killed at least three people on Wednesday, March 27 officials said, as Kyiv called for more Patriot air defense systems to battle a surge in missile strikes.

Moscow has escalated aerial attacks on Ukraine in the past few weeks, targeting key infrastructure – including power stations.

Former Head of Current Affairs for Poland's TVP World, Michal Kujawski, talks to Kyiv Post's Chief Editor Bohdan Nahaylo about the current state of Polish-Ukrainian relations.

A recent inquiry by the UK’s Commons Defense Committee revealed that its Armed Forces are “increasingly overstretched” and not adequately prepared or equipped for a war with Russia.

The UK's Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt Gen Sir Rob Magowan, has said that the UK could not sustain a fight against Russia for more than two months, according to a report in Tuesday’s Daily Telegraph.

When asked by Mark Francois, a former Armed Forces minister, if it was true that the UK couldn't sustain a full-scale war against Vladimir Putin for more than a couple of months due to a lack of ammunition and equipment reserves, Magowan acknowledged that it was true.

The border blockades and grain dispute have strained ties between the neighbors, even as Poland has shown staunch support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

Poland and Ukraine were closer to resolving a conflict over farm imports, Warsaw said Wednesday, on the eve of bilateral talks on the issue that has angered farmers in the EU member.

Polish farmers have been blocking border crossings with Ukraine since last month to protest at what they say is unfair competition from goods from the war-torn country.

Bloomberg, citing sources “with knowledge of the situation,” said even Putin’s inner circle does not believe that Kyiv was involved in the Moscow attack.

A Bloomberg article reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle does not believe his rhetoric that Ukraine was involved in the deadly concert hall attack in Moscow on March 22.

According to “four people with close ties to the Kremlin,” who wished to stay anonymous due to the subject’s sensitivity, nearly no one they know within Russia’s political and business elite believes Ukraine was behind the Crocus City Hall attack, which took the lives of 139 people, Bloomberg reported.

Precision-guided AASM bombs will be rigged for Danish and Dutch F-16 fighter jets Ukraine expects in May or June. Paris also plans to send excellent howitzers and old Africa-capable vehicles.

France is fully committed to throwing its military-industrial might behind Ukraine’s war effort, and Paris’ immediate priority is arming Kyiv with high-tech precision-guided bombs and advanced artillery pieces, French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a government presentation to media called “Industrial Strengthening: Arms and Munitions,” Lecornu said his government intends to overhaul France’s military production and increase capacity and output, and that the Ukrainian military will receive a healthy share of the weaponry.

Lytvynenko’s resume includes experience in the Russian FSB.

President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed long-time Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (RNBO) Oleksiy Danilov and replaced him with the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service – Oleksandr Lytvynenko.

The RNBO is a council of ministers and top officials responsible for overall security, police, and military issues.

The official statement followed an FT report last week that alleged Washington of relaying wishes to Kyiv not to strike Russian oil refineries ahead of the US presidential election.

The US Department of State said it “[does] not encourage or support Ukraine taking strikes outside its own territory” in a press briefing on Tuesday, March 26.

The official statement followed a Financial Times (FT) article on March 22 that alleged the Biden administration to have relayed wishes to Ukraine’s intelligence units to halt their drone strikes on oil refineries in fear of rising crude prices and retaliatory actions that might affect the upcoming US presidential election.

The distinguished signatories, comprising scientists, economists, and writers, have unequivocally called upon world leaders to bolster their backing for Ukraine's defense efforts.

In a strong display of solidarity, 39 Nobel laureates have penned an open letter denouncing Vladimir Putin's regime and urging global leaders to intensify support for Ukraine amid its steadfast resistance against the Russian invasion.

The distinguished signatories, comprising scientists, economists, and writers, have unequivocally called upon world leaders to bolster their backing for Ukraine's defense efforts, advocate for the release of political prisoners detained in Russia, and refuse recognition of Putin as a legitimately elected president.

The latest public opinion poll in Poland shows a growing number of Poles support direct military aid to Ukraine in what Polish political experts are dubbing the “Macron effect.”

Polish support for sending troops to Ukraine rose from 0 percent last year to 10 percent this year, in what Polish political experts are calling the “Macron effect.”

While it’s fair to say that most citizens of Ukraine-allied countries are not yet ready to send their nations’ troops to the largest war in Europe since World War II, that number has grown – particularly following French President Emmanuel Macron’s refusal to rule out sending his own country’s military at a Feb. 26 gathering of Western leaders.

Kyiv has waged an intense crackdown on those suspected of having collaborated with Moscow since its invasion in February 2022, opening thousands of criminal cases.

Ukraine's SBU security service said Wednesday it had detained two agents of Russia's intelligence agency accused of passing the location of sensitive military targets to enemy forces.

Kyiv has waged an intense crackdown on those suspected of having collaborated with Moscow since its invasion in February 2022, opening thousands of criminal cases.

Despite the substantial number of IDPs, Lubinets lamented the absence of support programs tailored to this demographic in Kyiv, stressing the urgency for their development.

The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, currently shelters over 400,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), according to reports disclosed by Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights.

“Our data indicates that there are more than 400,000 Ukrainian citizens with IDP status residing in Kyiv,” Lubinets said, speaking at a gathering of the IDP Council at the Kyiv Municipal Military Administration.

And as mourners laid flowers at tributes and lit candles in churches, there were mixed feelings over President Putin's suggestion of a Ukrainian connection to the attack.

On the streets of Moscow on Sunday, there was shock, grief and anger as Russia observed a day of national mourning after the deadliest attack in the country for two decades.

And as mourners laid flowers at tributes and lit candles in churches, there were mixed feelings over President Vladimir Putin's suggestion of a Ukrainian connection to the attack which killed more than 130 concertgoers.

The Special Operations Forces discovered the Russian BUK missile complex during reconnaissance in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Ukrainian servicemen have reportedly destroyed a Russian Buk missile system using American HIMARS, according to a report from the Special Operations Forces (SSO) via Telegram.

“A Buk missile system belonging to the enemy was neutralized in the Zaporizhzhia direction,” reads the released video’s caption.

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

Russia has started supplying oil directly to North Korea in defiance of UN sanctions, further cementing ties between the two authoritarian regimes and dealing a new blow to international efforts to contain Pyongyang. At least five North Korean tankers travelled this month to collect oil products from Vostochny Port in Russia’s Far East, according to satellite images shared with the Financial Times by the Royal United Services Institute, a UK think-tank. The shipments, which began on March 7, are the first documented direct seaborne deliveries from Russia since the UN Security Council — with Moscow’s approval — imposed a strict cap on oil transfers in 2017 in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons tests. “These oil deliveries constitute a full-frontal assault against the sanctions regime, which is now on the brink of collapse,” said Hugh Griffiths, a former co-ordinator of the UN panel that monitors sanctions on North Korea. The vessels, which are North Korean-flagged and classified as oil products tankers, all visited the same berth operated by a Russian oil company at Vostochny Port, where they appeared to load. Satellite imagery confirmed that two of the ships then travelled from Vostochny Port to the North Korean port of Chongjin, where they appeared to unload. “The vessels we’ve seen at Russian terminals are some of the largest-capacity vessels in North Korea’s fleet, and the vessels are continually sailing in and out of the port,” said Joseph Byrne, a research fellow at Rusi. “Several of these vessels are also UN-designated, meaning they shouldn’t even be allowed entry into foreign ports, let alone involved in oil deliveries.” - FT

Ukraine's security council secretary Oleksiy Danilov was dismissed and replaced by foreign intelligence service chief Oleksandr Lytvynenko under decrees published on the presidential website on Tuesday. No reason was given for the change. Danilov had held the post since October 2019, a few months after President Volodymyr Zelensky took office. Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council has a coordinating role on issues of national security and defence under the president. It comprises the country's top political, security and defence chiefs. Zelenskiy has regularly replaced high-ranking security and defence officials since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. The dismissal of Ukraine's top general in February presaged a wider clear-out of the military's top brass. According to the president's website, Oleh Ivashchenko will be appointed as the new foreign intelligence chief.

Ukraine is using the expertise it’s gained from developing mobile apps that make everyday life easier to come up with innovative ways to defend the country.

Ukraine vowed to become a fully digital country just months ahead of Russia’s full-scale invasion and has continued working towards that goal even as the war intensified. The Ministry of Digital Transformation led the way through its Diia mobile app portal, which now allows more than 21 million Ukrainians to access over 70 government services and to store and access 14 essential digital documents.

The same ministry, headed by Mykhailo Fedorov, has been the driving force behind a whole range of technological innovations. Its work on unmanned aerial, ground and seaborne vehicles – drones – has grabbed the headlines as they are considered to have transformed the way a modern war is fought.

Terrorism, delusion, and self-destruction.

On Friday, March 22, four men associated with Islamic State attacked civilians in a concert venue near Moscow known as Crocus City Hall.  Islamic State (IS-K) claimed responsibility for the horrifying mass murder, and released videos recorded from the terrorists' perspective (don't watch them).  Russia has since apprehended four men, who seem to be the perpetrators. 

Russia has been engaged with Islamic State for some time.  Russia has been bombing Syria since 2015.  Russia and Islamic State compete throughout Africa for resources.  All four of the accused are Tadjiks, a people subjected to discrimination inside Russia.

The Kharkiv region borders Russia and has been under persistent shelling since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with recent bombardments there leaving thousands without power.

Four people were wounded by Russian strikes on the east Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, officials said Wednesday, as Moscow said it had downed a barrage of Ukrainian rockets.

The Kharkiv region borders Russia and has been under persistent shelling since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with recent bombardments there leaving thousands without power.

For 10 years, the “Safe Space” program specialists have been training teachers, parents, and school psychologists to help children.

For 10 years, the “Safe Space” program specialists have been training teachers, parents, and school psychologists to help children. 

What is the uniqueness of the “Safe Space” program? 

The funds will facilitate the expansion of production for 155mm artillery ammunition and powder for Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Spain.

The European Union has earmarked over €130 million to bolster ammunition production at Germany's arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, according to a statement from the company's press service.

The funds will be used to expand the production of 155mm artillery ammunition and powder.

Seven suspects are now in custody. Four of them have already been brought to court, showing visible signs of torture. Commentators see this as a symptom of the climate in Russian society as a whole.

Although Vladimir Putin has blamed Islamist terrorists for the attack in Moscow that left over 130 people dead, with a reference to those "who ordered it" he did not completely retract the version that Ukraine had a hand in the massacre. Seven suspects are now in custody. Four of them have already been brought to court, showing visible signs of torture. Commentators see this as a symptom of the climate in Russian society as a whole.

A fatal investigation tactic

As all main EU political parties have placed Ukraine and defence at the fore of their EU elections campaign, the EU liberals chief, Valérie Hayer, visited Kyiv on Tuesday to show support for Ukraine.

As all main EU political parties have placed Ukraine and defence at the fore of their EU elections campaign, the EU liberals chief and campaign leader, Valérie Hayer, visited Kyiv on Tuesday (26 March) to show support for Ukraine.

Hayer is the President of the EU liberals group in the European Parliament (Renew Europe) and one of its leading candidates for the EU elections. 

Not all claims made by SBU head Vasyl Malyuk could be confirmed independently. Reportedly, one Ukrainian collaborating with the Kremlin lost body parts to an anti-tank mine.

An assassination campaign “possibly” run by Ukraine’s national spy agency, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), has killed more than a dozen Ukrainian citizens collaborating with the Kremlin in Russian-occupied territory, the agency’s senior officer, Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk, said in Monday evening televised comments.

Speaking in an hour-long interview with the national broadcaster ICTV, Malyuk said secret operators since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion have targeted “very many” individuals responsible for war crimes and attacks against Ukrainian citizens and operated deep behind “enemy” lines, including in Russia.

Warsaw on Sunday said that a Russian cruise missile fired overnight at towns in western Ukraine had crossed Polish airspace for 39 seconds, passing about two kilometres over the border.

Poland's deputy foreign minister on Tuesday said that NATO was considering the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles that stray too close to the alliance's borders, two days after Poland reported a breach of its airspace.

Warsaw on Sunday said that a Russian cruise missile fired overnight at towns in western Ukraine had crossed Polish airspace for 39 seconds, passing about two kilometres over the border.

The new draft law would define platforms such as Telegram and TikTok as separate media entities and introduce regulations on the dissemination of information.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has registered a new draft law that would consider platforms such as Telegram and Instagram as media entities subject to government regulations.

The draft law, submitted by Mykola Knyazhytsky from the European Solidarity party, would require the platforms to implement mechanisms where users can file complaints about content that goes against Ukrainian law, as well as remove and restrict content upon request from the National Council.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that the Crocus City Hall attackers originally fled toward Belarus not Ukraine, directly undermining the Kremlin narrative on Ukraine’s involvement, possibly to head off questions about why the attackers headed toward Belarus in the first place.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior Kremlin officials appear to be struggling to maintain a consistent rhetorical line about the Crocus City Hall attack, indicating that the Kremlin has not fully figured out how to reconcile its information operations with the reality of its intelligence and law enforcement failure.
• Russian officials are proposing actionable but likely impractical solutions to the emotional outcries for retribution in response to the Crocus City Hall attack.
• The Moldovan Constitutional Court reversed a ruling banning the Kremlin-affiliated Shor Party on March 26, which will likely allow pro-Russian Moldovan actors to reconsolidate around the Shor Party and reverse the impacts of the previous Moldovan ban on the party.
• Ukrainian officials stated on March 26 that Ukrainian forces successfully conducted a strike on the night of March 23 to 24 against a Ukrainian ship that Russian forces had captured in 2014.
• Separate investigations conducted by Western media outlets have found that Russian forces may be using Starlink terminals in Ukraine.
• Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Kreminna and Bakhmut on March 26.
• The Russian military has reportedly started recruiting personnel for elements of the newly reformed Leningrad Military District (LMD).

France to deliver howitzers soon; Reykjavik pledges €2M for Prague’s ammo initiative; No answers from Kremlin yet about its missiles in NATO airspace

Overview:

• Russian ambassador to Poland ignores summons to explain projectile incident
• Iceland joins Czech initiative to procure more projectiles for Ukraine
• Paris says “it’s wrong” to depend on US to “pay so much for the security of Europeans”
• Zelensky vows to eliminate the consequences of Russian strikes“in the regions”

French defense minister announces delivery to Kyiv of 78 howitzers, and fast