On the 387th day of the full-scale Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine Russian troops continue to try to keep the captured settlements of the neighboring country under control. The armed forces and units of the territorial defense of Ukraine resist aggression. It is impossible to verify the statements of representatives of both sides from independent sources. According to the UN, more than 16 million Ukrainians have already left their homes. DW is watching developments Friday, March 17 (Moscow time).
ISW: Patrushev may become the next target of Prigozhin’s information campaigns
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Founder of PMC “Wagner” Yevgeny Prigozhinprobably made up the story about conspiracy in the Kremlin against themselves to demonstrate their own importance, experts say American Institute for the Study of War (ISW). On March 16, Prigozhin’s press service published a “request” for comment from one of the Russian media about the alleged discussion between Putin and Patrushev of the future “Wagner Groups”.
Information about this “discussion,” during which Patrushev allegedly told Putin that “nothing will be left of Wagner in a month and a half or two months,” according to a press release, has spread through Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels. Prigogine released an audio recording in response to a “request for press comment”, stating that he had not heard of any such talks.
ISW found no signs that such a dialogue between Putin and Patrushev took place, and also did not record an active discussion of this topic in the information space. According to analysts, Prigozhin apparently fabricated the very message of “collusion” for the sake of an information operation. Moreover, Patrushev could become Prigozhin’s next target after his past campaigns against the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of Russiaaccording to ISW experts.
Kherson OVA: Russian drones hit the territory of a medical facility
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In Kherson on March 16 Russians attacked from drones on the territory of a medical institution, according to the message of the military administration of the Kherson region in Telegram. According to the OVA, vehicles and nearby buildings were damaged due to the attack. Patients and doctors were not injured.
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The US State Department has approved Delivery of 800 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles to Warsaw, which will be equipped with Polish AW149 fire support helicopters. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced this on Twitter. Technical support was entrusted to PZL Swidnik. The corresponding decision of the US Congress is expected.
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Destroyed at the beginning of the war Russian missile strikes in Gostomel Ukrainian transport aircraft “Mriya”, considered the largest in the world, had to be evacuated to Germany. According to the German edition Bild with reference to a representative of the airport Leipzig – Halle, An-225, along with other aircraft, was supposed to land in Germany on February 25, 2022. The Mriya aircraft was already refueled and ready for evacuation. However, according to crew captain Dmitry Antonov, they were not allowed to take off at the direction of “top management”, writes Bild.
Politico: Chinese firms supplied arms and ammunition to Russia
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Several Chinese companies supplied weapons and equipment to Russia in 2022that could be used for military purposes. This is reported by the American edition Politico with a link to the customs data of the Import Genius aggregator. It is, in particular, about assault rifles, components for UAVs and body armor. According to the publication, among the suppliers was China North Industries Group Corporation Ltd, one of the largest in defense industry of Chinaassociated with the Chinese government. For example, CQ-A rifles delivered to Russia, modeled after the M16 and labeled “civilian hunting rifles” in documents, are used by police and military forces in a number of countries. The publication also states that at the end of 2022, more than 800 tons of Chinese body armor were delivered to the Russian Federation through Turkey.
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Against the background of ambiguity with continuation grain deal Russia continues active export of Ukrainian grainwrites dpa. According to the agency, about 2 million tons of grain could be exported by sea and rail from those Ukrainian territories that are now controlled by the Russian Federation. In turn, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the evening information report on March 16 reported that the Russian self-propelled barge with a cargo of wheat was withdrawn by tugboats from the seaport of the city of Berdyansk in the Zaporozhye region.
Volodymyr Zelensky: “Rashism will not be able to go unpunished evil”
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“The day will come and all those guilty of war crimes against Ukrainians will end up in the halls of the International Criminal Court and national courts,” he said. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening video message on the anniversary of the destruction of the theater in Mariupol, resulting in the deaths of people who had taken refuge in the building. “We still don’t know how many people died – hundreds of people, a thousand?” Zelensky recalled. “The day will come and we will liberate Mariupol,” he added. “The day will come and a tribunal will be created that will return justice to our people.” According to the Ukrainian president, “rashism will not be able to go unpunished evil.”
Chronicle of events March 16 14.00 – 23.59 >>>
Chronicle of events March 16 00.00 – 13.59 >>>
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