The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on March 26 2024

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Putin Once Again Suggests Ukraine Was Behind Moscow Attack Despite ISIS Claiming Responsibility

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‘Truth Is Out’: Putin Claims Vindication After Borrell’s ‘No Love For Ukraine’ Bombshell

‘Frustrated’ By Putin’s Moscow ‘Revenge’, Ukraine Strikes Own Warship With Neptune Missile

The USA, Britain and Ukraine are behind the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall, Russia’s FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov said.
tass_agency

Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Malyuk – confirmed that the SBU is involved in terrorism on the territory of Russia:

   [Is it true that the Security Service of Ukraine is involved in the liquidation of such characters as Kiva, Tsarev, Tatarsky? Can you give any details?]

 - Your question is exactly in the right place. We will not officially recognize this in any way, but at the same time, I am ready to disclose the details to you.
 

FSB Director – USA, UK & Ukraine behind terrorist attack

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. The USA, Great Britain and Ukraine are behind the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall. This is what the head of the Russian FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, said to reporters in response to a question of whether the USA, Great Britain and Ukraine were behind the terrorist attack.

“We believe this to be so. In any case, we are now speaking from the information we have. This is the general picture, in which we expect enormous further developments”. The FSB director’s answer came after participating in the expanded board of the Russian Federal Prosecutor General’s Office.

Bortnikov believes that Ukraine is trying to prove its worth. “What needs to be done in order to prove one’s worth? It is necessary to carry out sabotage and terrorist acts in the rear, which is what both the leadership of the Ukrainian intelligence services and the British intelligence services are aiming at. The American intelligence services have spoken about this more than once,” he said.

He noted that there is a huge amount of information in the public space, which “indicates that the West and Ukraine are striving to cause greater harm to our country.” “These are drone strikes, these are attacks by unmanned boats at sea, this is the entry of sabotage groups and terrorist structures into our territory,” concluded the FSB director.

Our source said that Bankovaya knows that the Kremlin is choosing options for a tough and, most importantly, indicative response to the terrorist attack in Crocus

Russian society craves a tough answer. All these cut off ears and military telephones to terrorist eggs indicate that the Russian authorities understand this request and therefore “let off steam” of people’s anger towards terrorists in this way.

Hints of a Ukrainian trace of the terrorist attack indicate that it could also be painful to fly across Ukraine. How, after the shelling of the Crimean bridge, the Russian Federation began to attack the energy sector. But in this case the answer may be much stronger.

But Kharkov is already sitting without electricity, and the repair of CHPP-5 will take years.

After the terrorist attack and the statements of the head of the SBU, Bankova’s room for maneuver is limited. A harsh reaction from the Russian Federation to a terrorist attack against our country could be avoided if the Office of the President resumed peace negotiations (the same as Istanbul-2).

Firstly, this will divert Russian suspicions of the GUR’s involvement in the terrorist attack – it is not logical to shoot, and then agree to negotiations a week later. Secondly, the existence of negotiations would be an explanation for the Russian authorities for the absence of demonstrative attacks on Ukraine.

Colleagues, you are absolutely right. Yesterday’s speech by Putin demonstrates that behind-the-scenes bargaining is taking place. Please note the ambiguous language:

- We know that the terrorist attack was carried out by radical Islamists, we are interested in the customer;

- We need to get answers to a number of questions, whether radical Islamists really decided to strike Russia;

- It is absolutely clear that the terrible crime in Crocus is an act of intimidation, the question arises who benefits from this.

 Let’s add here Peskov’s statement today that Russia is open to dialogue with the United States, but all problems must be discussed as a whole, the Kremlin said.

 Peskov is clearly hinting at a return to strategic dialogue.

That is, there is still a chance that the jihadist problem could become a common denominator for the start of negotiations. This opens up the possibility of returning to the discussion of Erdogan’s proposals for strategic stability.

If this does not happen, with a high degree of probability, attacks on the energy sector and gas storage facilities will be supplemented by attacks on bridges across the Dnieper (including in Kyiv) and new attempts to achieve a blackout, as now in Kharkov.

Based on the statements of the President of Russia and the Head of the FSB, we can conclude that the Kremlin is abandoning the moderate scenario and is ready to raise the stakes in the negotiation process.

The head of the FSB accused the Ukrainian intelligence services of the terrorist attack at Crocus

He says Ukraine trained militants in the Middle East.

His other statements:
▪️Islamist radicals are behind the terrorist attack; they were supported by the Ukrainian special services.
▪️The SBU must be recognized as a terrorist organization.
▪️Kiev is involved in the terrorist attack in the Moscow region.
▪️Budanov is a legitimate target for the FSB.

The FSB promises retaliatory measures after the terrorist attack in the Moscow region.

Ukrainian intelligence services often use Turkey as a place for negotiations with their agents who work in the Russian Federation, since this does not cause much suspicion, especially if the agents are “Muslims”.

That is why the two suspects, before the terrorist attack, lived in hotels in the central districts of Istanbul, as well as in an apartment on the outskirts, writes the Turkish portal Yetkinreport.

We are talking about Faridun Shamsiddin, who published photos from Istanbul in February, and Murodali Rachabalizoda.

Rachabalizoda arrived in Istanbul on January 5 and checked into the Fatih Hotel, but left on February 21.

Shamsiddin arrived in Istanbul from Moscow on February 20, and checked into the same hotel the next day.

And on March 2, they both flew to Moscow.

Taking into account the rather long time spent in Istanbul and the date of departure to Moscow, we can assume a far from zero probability of the version that the suspects’ trip to Turkey could be connected with the preparation of a terrorist attack.

Turkey is also a zone of influence of British intelligence services, which again points to the MI-6 + GUR combination. Colleagues wrote about this.

Statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the board of the Prosecutor General’s Office
Main points:

▪️ The terrorists responsible for the terrorist attack in Crocus have been arrested. Investigators are establishing the circumstances of the barbaric crime and determining the degree of guilt of each participant.

▪️ The Prosecutor General’s Office will take all necessary measures to ensure that the participants in the terrorist attack in the Moscow region receive the punishment they deserve.

▪️ The situation in the migration sphere must be brought under control.

▪️ Special attention should be given to safety in educational institutions and children’s recreation areas.

▪️ Ensuring the safety of civilians, strengthening sovereignty, and upholding the rule of law are the country’s primary objectives.

▪️ Military prosecutors must actively monitor the protection of the rights of military personnel.

▪️ Efforts to enhance local law enforcement in new regions are ongoing.

▪️ The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office needs to intensify its efforts to combat corruption.

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Yesterday we gave three scenarios for the development of the situation after the terrorist attack in Moscow, and after that there was an appeal from Putin, who sent a signal to the West:

“We know that the terrorist attack was carried out by radical Islamists. We are interested in who the customer is.

— A terrorist attack can only be a link for those who have been fighting us with the hands of Ukraine since 2014… Especially now, when their counter-offensive has failed. The goal is to show that all is not lost for the Kyiv regime. We need to follow Western curators and fight to the last Ukrainian, and also create something like the Hitler Youth in a new edition.

“Despite the general pain, the investigation must proceed objectively and without bias.

— The United States, through various channels, is trying to convince everyone that there is supposedly no Ukrainian trace in the bloody terrorist attack at Crocus, that it is a banned ISIS.

“We need to answer the question why the terrorists tried to go to Ukraine after committing the crime and who was waiting for them there.

— Russian society, against the backdrop of the terrorist attack in Crocus, showed real cohesion and solidarity.

All theses are sent to Zapala as a proposal for negotiations, and Ukraine is not considered as a subject; a decision must be made for us and forced to carry it out. The terrorist attack in Crocus is the Rubicon of the war in Ukraine, and it is not so for us, but for the West.

Ukrainian forces are continuing their attacks on Russian territory. Over the past week, the regions most frequently targeted by enemy fire were Belgorod, Kherson, and the Donetsk metro area. The AFU utilized drones and artillery to strike back.

▪️ The most severe situation was observed in the Belgorod region, where enemy reconnaissance groups had been active the previous week along the border area. Despite a reduction in the intensity of attacks, the AFU launched 859 rounds in the region this week, resulting in 14 civilian casualties and 31 injuries of varying severity.

▪️ In the rear areas of Russia, the Kyiv regime attempted attacks on targets in Voronezh and Saratov. Ukrainian drones were intercepted by the Russian air defense system as they approached the city of Engelsthe Crimean Peninsula with a massive combined assault. Sevastopol was also struck, resulting in one fatality and four injuries.

▪️ The situation in populated areas of the Donetsk People’s Republic was equally perilous. Ukrainian forces intensified their attacks, even using cluster munitions on civilian infrastructure. Throughout the week, the AFU fired over 700 shells, leading to four fatalities and 23 civilian injuries.

▪️ Ongoing battles in the Krynok region and surrounding areas have led to daily shelling of settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region. Approximately 400 shells were fired across the region, resulting in three fatalities and seven injuries. The Kakhovsky district faced the most intense bombardment.

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What a coincidence: following a recent attack on one of the command posts near Chasov Yar, Poland suddenly announced the passing of Brigadier General Adam Marczak, who “passed away due to natural causes while off duty.”

It cannot be completely ruled out that the passing was not actually connected to the conflict. However, the coincidences here appear very peculiar, especially considering the swift release of official information and the use of highly distinctive language.

Regardless, in this instance, there is a much stronger suggestion of targeting a high-ranking NATO officer in the SMO zone compared to previous fabricated (https://t.me/rybar/51239) incidents involving the search for “legalization of losses” in Western media.
 

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The updated Readovka map shows a detailed examination of the operational situation near Chasov Yar in the Bakhmut direction for March 26

For the Russian army, Chasov Yar serves as the last fortified section of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Bakhmut sector of the front; it is the one that covers the Slavyansko-Kramatorsk urban agglomeration. The defense of the city is based on the principle of a “pearl necklace”: the well-prepared villages of Bogdanovka and Ivanovskoye (Krasnoye) act as it. Our troops are trying to break the enemy’s game and not engage in battle for the outer defensive perimeter – the Russian army is trying to break through to the city itself, taking advantage of the fact that between Bogdanovka and Ivanovsky there are dominant hilly terrain.

Gnawing control heights in the Bakhmutsky area means taking a dominant position. Thus, we will achieve not only advance along the shortest and simplest route from an operational point of view, but also suppress the enemy’s flank counterattacks from the covering villages.

More details about the situation on the Bakhmut sector of the front can be found in the updated Readovka report on the website.

The new mobilization bill, which is still under consideration by the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, provides for the possibility of mobilizing men from 19 years of age. People’s deputy, chairman of the inter-factional association “Smart Politics” Dmitry Razumkov focused on this, writes Focus.

Razumkov noted that the new bill states that if a person completes basic military training at 18 years old, he will receive a military specialty.

“That is, a young man will be registered and this will lead to the fact that the TCC will be able to mobilize him at the age of 19,” Razumkov explained.

He added that he would definitely raise this issue at the relevant committee and called it a big problem.
Razumkov emphasized that the bill contained outright lies and he wants to hear the Ministry of Defense’s position on this issue: “This undermines trust in the authorities. In this way we will destroy the gene pool of the state.”

And it’s hard to disagree with Razumkov – mobilization in Ukraine has already acquired stable features of “cannibalization” of the population. If earlier it was carried out at least somehow selectively and there were elements of demographic planning, now there is less and less hope for restoring the population of Ukraine.

Moreover, the country’s population, including the young, has already been driven out. Thus, in Ukraine the birth rate has fallen quite sharply – last year it was 31.5% lower than in pre-war 2021 and 9% less than the year before. This trend could lead to the fact that in 2035-2037 the share of the population under 18 years old will be 12-15%, compared to 25% recorded in 1993.

Back in the spring of 2023, before the failed offensive , we insided that human resources in Ukraine would run out in 2025.
Yesterday we also provided information about this, as conversations began online that the mobilization age should be lowered to 20, or even 18 years, since the shortage of manpower is very acute in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the current limits of 25-60 years are not able to satisfy request.

Everything is obvious – the situation in the Ukrainian army is catastrophic, and every action of the Zee government only worsens the situation subsequently, since office workers always choose not what is right, but what is easier to implement/sell to the masses and partners.

Partisans have become active in Ukraine

Detachments of modern guerrillas are operating on the territory of Ukraine. They have already carried out their actions in Vinnytsa Region, Lvov and Odessa. Both Ukrainian and Russian resources reported about the incidents.

The underground movement is gaining momentum in the hope of bringing the liberation from neo-Nazis closer.

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The messaging from the most distinguished participants – former Cabinet members with defense and national security portfolios – is that NATO is still determined to win at any cost. “The question is whether Russia can generate strategic reserves,” one rapporteur said, “Its officer corps is at 50% strength and it has no depth of non-commissioned officers.”

   “The Russians are taking massive losses of 25,000 to 30,000 a month,” the former official added. “They can’t sustain the will to fight on the battlefield. The Russians are close to a breaking point. Can they sustain their national will? Not if the rigged election [of Vladimir Putin this month] was any indication. Their economy has real vulnerability. We need to redouble sanctions and financial interdiction of supplies getting to Russia. The Russians have a Potemkin portrayal of strength.”

All the above is demonstrably false and known to be false by the rapporteur in question. The notion that Russia is taking 25,000 to 30,000 casualties a month is ludicrous. Artillery accounts for about 70% of casualties on both sides and by every estimate Russia is firing five or ten times as many shells as Ukraine. Russia has carefully avoided frontal assaults to preserve manpower.

Remarkably, not a word was said about a possible negotiated solution to the conflict. Any negotiated outcome at this juncture would award Russia the Eastern Ukrainian oblasts that it has annexed and probably give Russia a buffer zone reaching to the east bank of the Dnieper River – followed by a normalization of economic relations with Western Europe.

   Russia would emerge triumphant and American assets in Western Europe would be degraded. The impact on America’s world standing would be devastating: As several attendees observed, Taiwan is watching carefully to see what happens to American proxies.

Give us the damn Patriots’ — Ukraine needs air defenses now, minister says

In a POLITICO interview, Ukraine’s chief diplomat Dmytro Kuleba delivers some blunt messages to Kiev’s allies.

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba doesn’t mince his words. There’s one item his country desperately needs to fend off Russia’s relentless missile attacks.

“Give us the damn Patriots,” he demanded. Originating in the United States, Patriot surface-to-air missiles are the best defense system to combat the ballistic missiles that have been raining down on Ukraine with increasing intensity in recent days.

“If we had enough air defense systems, namely Patriots, we would be able to protect not only the lives of our people, but also our economy from destruction,” he added. 

The Russians continue to push the front in Donbass.

Thus, on the Donetsk front, the Russian Armed Forces are developing an offensive towards Semyonovka and conducting assault operations in Berdychi. In the Bakhmut direction, the Russian Armed Forces advanced towards Chasov Yar and continued assault operations in the Kleshcheevka area and on the western outskirts of Ivanovo.

In the Avdeevsky direction, after establishing control over Tonenky and Orlovka, the Russian Armed Forces are actively advancing to the west of the villages; it is also reported that the Russian army is taking in the settlement of Pervomaiskoye from the north. That is, the Ukrainian defense line, occupied here after the loss of Avdiivka, is gradually being pushed through by Russian troops.

On the Lugansk front, the Russian Armed Forces are also conducting assault operations in the Yampolovka and Tern areas.

Meanwhile, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are growing – this can be seen even by the number of obituaries of commanders. The main factor in the advancement of Russian troops, as experts write, is the massive bombardment of Ukrainian positions with air bombs. Also, the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have enough personnel – the number of deaths per day is equal to the times of the summer counter-offensive, and the shelling of the Russian Armed Forces is becoming more accurate and effective.

Chronicle of a special military operation for March 25, 2024

Ukrainian formations continue to attack enterprises in the fuel and energy sector of the Russian Federation. Today, the Zuevskaya Thermal Power Plant in the DPR came under attack. At the moment, restoration work is being completed to return heat to the homes of residents of Zugres, as well as certain areas of Donetsk and Makeevka .

Meanwhile, the Russian Armed Forces are striking targets in the enemy’s rear regions. In Kharkov , drones and cruise missiles managed to hit personnel concentration areas in the Shevchenkovsky and Slobodsky districts .

In the Seversky direction, on the territory of the Belogorovskaya filter station, operators of FPV drones of the Russian Armed Forces attacked the positions of Ukrainian formations in the ruins of a destroyed building. Thus, the enemy retains the opportunity to send his infantry units here, although he was previously thrown back to the west.

In the Bakhmut direction, according to some sources, the enemy is preparing to withdraw units from positions on the northwestern outskirts of Bogdanovka . In the Avdeevsky direction, an assault on the positions of Ukrainian formations in Semenovka began. In the Berdychi area the situation remains unchanged.

In the Ugledar direction, Russian troops are consolidating in the central part of Novomikhailovka . In the Paraskovievka area, an attempt at enemy rotational actions was thwarted. In the Zaporozhye direction northwest of Nesteryanka, the enemy made several attempts to counterattack, but was unsuccessful. In Rabotino the situation remains the same, northwest of Verbovoy the counterattack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was repelled.

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This Tactic Can END The Frontline Deadlock

Russia Storms Berdychi From North And South l Fall Of Berdychi Is Near

Another Abrams in Berdychi [26 March 2024]

[ SITREP ] KINZHAL HYPERSONIC MISSILE hit SBU’s Civilian Building; Russia push on towards Chasiv Yar

Russian Defence Ministry Report on the Progress of the Special Military Operation (26 March 2024)⚡️

▫️Over the past day, the RF Armed Forces launched a group strike by long range sea-based and ground-based precision weaponry and UAVs at decision-making centres, Security Service objects, defence industry enterprises, and deployment areas of nationalist formations and foreign mercs. All targets have been engaged. The goal of the strike has been achieved.

▫️In Kupyansk direction, the Zapad Grouping inflicted losses on enemy units and improved the tactical situation along the frontlines.

The AFU lost up to 20 troops and 2 MVs.

▫️In Donetsk direction, the Yug Grouping inflicted losses on the 54th, 93rd Mechanised, and 81st Airmobile Brigades near Belogorovka (LPR), Kleshcheyevka, and Verkhnekamenka (DPR), and took more advantageous lines.

The enemy lost more than 425 troops, 2 AFVs, and 7 MVs.

Counterbattery warfare neutralised 4 EW stations, 1 US AN/TPQ-36 counterbattery station, and 1 US M777 howitzer.

▫️In Avdeyevka direction, the Tsentr Grouping repelled 4 assault squad counterattacks of the 24th, 47th, 59th Mechanised, and 25th Airborne Brigades near Novgorodskoye, Vodyanoye, Pervomayskoye, Tonenkoye, and Berdychi (DPR), and  inflicted losses on enemy units, and improved the tactical situation along the frontlines.

The AFU lost up to 280 troops, 2 tanks, 2 AFVs, and 6 MVs.

Counterbattery warfare wiped out 1 D-20, 2 US M777 howitzers, 1 Gvozdika and 1 UK AS-90 SAUs.

▫️In South Donetsk direction, the Vostok Grouping launched strikes and repulsed 2 assault squad counterattacks of the 72nd Mechanised Brigade near Staromayorskoye (DPR).

The enemy lost up to 105 troops, 5 MVs, 2 UK FH-70 howitzers, and 1 Gvozdika SAU.

▫️In Kherson direction, the Dnepr Grouping inflicted losses on troops and hardware auf the 65th Mechanised and 108th Territorial Defence Brigades near Rabotino and Novosyolovka (Zaporozhye reg), and improved the tactical situation along the frontline.

The AFU lost up to 50 troops, 3 MVs, and 1 US M777 howitzer.

▫️The Russian Grouping’s Operational-Tactical Aviation, UAVs, Missile Troops, and Artillery engaged troops and hardware in 114 areas.

Air defences shot down 131 UAVs, 2 converted S-200 SAMs, and 15 HIMARS and Vampire MLRS shells.

📊 In total, 577 aircraft, 270 helicopters, 17,142 UAVs, 489 SAMs, 15,604 tanks and other AFVs, 1,256 MLRS vehicles, 8,531 guns and mortars, and 20,215 special military vehicles have been destroyed during the SMO.

MoD