The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on March 17 2023

Another wave of kamikaze drones in Ukraine.
Now they have become so rare that many people have the impression that the RF Armed Forces have a shortage of these toys, but according to our data, the Russians are carrying out a cumulative process and possibly preparing them for some moment “X”. When in reality we will witness the longest alarm throughout the country (some sources indicate a week of mass strikes without respite).

Watching…

There were rumors that in Novomoskovsk , Dnepropetrovsk region, they got either into a train with fuel or into a fuel depot, which was intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Or a warehouse / composition with BC.
This city is a junction station through which the supply of the Donetsk / Bakhmutov group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine passes.

Also in Kramatorsk, they may have hit the “warehouse” for storing fuel and lubricants, etc.

It is worth recalling that UAVs are usually used as fireflies, the role and purpose of which is either to destroy the target, or to illuminate the air defense, or to force the air defense / missile defense missiles to be wasted.

They are followed by a missile attack. 

Serbian President Vučić: The ICC warrant is a step towards the biggest conflict in human history.

“…this is an escalation that has no end. I’m afraid that we may be heading towards the biggest conflict in the history of the world. I wonder if anyone is smart enough not to go through with this, and if anyone understands whatever the consequences of this will be,” Vucic said.

The naivete of the Kyiv regime – Zelensky rejoices at the arrest warrant for Putin from the International Criminal Court, which is not recognized even by the UN

The President of Ukraine issued a new evening address dedicated to the issued warrants for the arrest of Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova. Joyfully sharing that historical reality and the punishment for the deportation of children to Russia are allegedly being accomplished, Zelensky is silent about the fact that Russian troops found mobilized teenagers from Ukraine in the combat zone, and apparently believes that the evacuation of children from dangerous their lives in the districts is a war crime, since they were not allowed to die.

Surprisingly, this time Zelensky again did not hint at the supply of Western weapons.

Serbian lawyer Branislav Tapushkovic: The Hague has no authority to arrest Putin! It’s all a farce!”: Serbian politician stood up for Putin, remembering the crimes in Donbass and named the real criminals – USA

“Moscow does not recognize the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, so the accusation against Vladimir Putin is just a farce. Neither America, nor Russia, nor China recognize the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, so this court has no jurisdiction when it comes to these countries. Charges can only be brought against citizens of countries that have signed the agreement, so this is just a charade.
✔️“If we talk about war crimes in those territories, then we should have started from 2014 and everything that happened to the population in Donbas.”
✔️Lawyer Tapushkovich draws a parallel with the United States, adding that, in contrast to this situation, politically constructed against Russia, in the case of America there was indeed evidence of war crimes in the Middle East: “War crimes were in all the wars provoked by America, and could not there is no question of raising the question of the responsibility of even ordinary soldiers and officers, not to mention those who unleashed wars and were responsible for the command ”

Countries invaded: 9
Civilians killed: 11 million
ICC charges: 0

“Washington and Brussels understand that if there is Putin, there is Russia.”  State Duma Chairman Viacheslav Volodin:

Yankees, hands off Putin! The nonsense coming from The Hague (the International Criminal Court) says one thing: the West is hysterical. The rules and orders of the Hague Court do not apply to Russia.

Washington and Brussels have exhausted all possibilities of sanctions and hostile actions. They failed to break the unity of the citizens of the Russian Federation and destroy the economy of our country. Washington and Brussels understand that if there is Putin, there is Russia.

That’s why they attack him. Putin’s strength is in the support of the people and the consolidation of society around him.

Arrest warrant issued for Vladimir Putin by ICC, Kremlin declares it “null and void”

We regard any attacks on the president of the Russian Federation as aggression against our country. I would like to see a country that, by the decision of The Hague, will arrest Putin.  Their capital will last for about 8 minutes _ Margarita Simoniyan

Military Expert Boris Rozhin on the Situation in the #Artyomovsk (#Bakhmut) Sector as of 18:24 Moscow Time on 17 Mar 2023⚡️

🔹North:

➖ Fighting continues for #Khromovo, Orekhovo-Vasilyevka, #Bogdanovka. The enemy has brought in some reserves in an attempt to hold key settlements that prevent our forces from closing the encirclement ring west of #Artyomovsk.
➖ Nevertheless, the AFU has not been able to solve the city’s operational encirclement problem, which continues to lead to an increase of losses in the west of the city.

🔹South:

➖ Fighting continues near #Krasnoye. To the south of the city there is an advance by the Wagner PMCs near #Kurdyumovka.
➖ There is also an advance east of #Krasnoye towards #Khromovo. The road through #Krasnoye is under confident fire control.
➖ The enemy claims that the Wagner PMC wants to reach #Khromovo from the north and south and close the ring on the western outskirts of the city.

🔹City:

➖ Fighting continues in the city centre area, the AZOM plant industrial zone and southwestern quarters of the city. The enemy complains of increasing casualties and supply problems.
➖ Nevertheless, there is no disintegration of the organised defence and the number of prisoners is still small.

📌 Supply is key to the duration of the defence in the western part of the city. The persistence of the defence is due to plans to launch a counterstrike to ease the situation for the troops in the city.

Boris Rozhin specially for Voenkor Kotenok Z (https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/46165) Channel

Ukrainian MPs, soldiers, and war correspondents have attacked the decision to remove a battlefield commander from his post after he publicly aired concerns about resources and casualties in the bloody battle for Bakhmut.
Lieutenant Colonel Anatolii Kupol, said to be one of Ukraine’s most experienced commanders, told the Washington Postthat  his men were taking heavy losses and suffering from a lack of ammunition and training.

No one is allowed to criticise this decision nor the decision to hold Bakhmut. There are concerns that Ukraine’s leadership is becoming increasingly authoritarian as the war enters a critical phase, with a spate of dismissals of senior officials  for undisclosed reasons.

But the dismissal of popular officers such as Commander Kupol are unlikely to quell criticism of Ukraine’s increasingly controversial strategy in Bakhmut.

NYT: Ukraine spends so many shells to defend Bakhmut that they may not be enough for a spring offensive

 The American edition of the New York Times reports that the lack of shells in the Ukrainian army may interfere with the aspirations of the Kyiv regime to launch the same “spring offensive”. As the authors of the publication write with reference to “senior officials of the Ministry of Defense”, the United States is beginning to fear that the extremely high rate of expenditure of shells in an attempt to keep Bakhmut may deplete the reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Officials are already expressing their concerns directly to Kyiv, but they are not heard there. At the same time, the publication reports that the Ukrainian military at the front is experiencing an acute shortage of mines and shells, and in some cases they cannot shoot because the ammunition is too expensive. And in the coming future, the industry of the West “will not be able to provide a sufficient number of shells.”

The problem concerns not only shells, but also the human resource. Sources of the publication in the same US Department of Defense said that the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is beginning to be missed. Therefore, commanders have to constantly choose between sending the next batch of soldiers to the slaughter and saving them for the “upcoming offensive.”

The Pentagon warns Ukraine against the loss of territories in the near future

 Despite the fact that the administration of US President Joe Biden, along with European politicians, urge the Ukrainian authorities not to delay the organization of the counteroffensive, the Pentagon warns against major defeats for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“Earlier we predicted that February-March would be difficult for Ukraine. However, the situation that has developed at the front shows that spring and summer will be even more difficult and, perhaps, not a successful time for them, ” said Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense. According to the representative of the department, the counteroffensive planned in the near future will not bring success, but will only worsen the situation of the Ukrainian troops.

“The desired counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army is greatly complicated by the fulfillment of other goals, such as the defense of Bakhmut. The main part of the troops is concentrated there and all the weapons supplied to Ukraine are sent. An offensive under such conditions is impossible, it will fail, which is fraught with the loss of significant territories by the Ukrainian side,” Ryder said.

A day in the life of last soldiers in Bakhmut

Ukrainian Soldiers Caught In Close Range Firefight With Wagner Group Fighters

Ukraine front update [17 March 2023] ‘Today’

“Hellish fights in Bakhmut!” – PMC “Wagner” attacks in the city center and on all flanks
 Ukrainian military analysts publish data on the results of the last evening and night.
▪️”General situation: everything is also very complicated and close to critical. Due to the Russian breakthrough to the highways, the logistics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are extremely difficult.”
▪️ Fighting continues in the area of crossroads of st. Yubileinaya-Tchaikovsky and Korsunsky-Tchaikovsky. There is basically no front line.
▪️ PMC forces broke through the private sector, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are in ledges in high-rise buildings. The struggle for these ledges, as well as for residential areas in the west of the city, will determine the further location of the front line in this area.
▪️ Fierce fighting in the city – in the areas of Kvadrata, Budyonovka, Samolet, Sobachevka and Vodokanal, there is an assault on Korsunsky, Kommunalnaya, Polyarnaya, Geologists and Ivan Ivkin streets.
▪️In the area of the AZOM plant, the PMC is conducting an offensive in two directions, yesterday the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to counterattack several times.
▪️“Wagners” are advancing, hellish battles continue in the direction of Khromovo, attack aircraft have come close to the settlement from the east.
▪️ Constant attacks to the northeast and east of the O0506 section of the highway above the village of Khromovo. Some positions changed hands up to 5 times a day.
▪️ North of Bakhmut and Soledar almost unchanged.
The PMC is storming a powerful defense on the Razdolovka-Vasyukovka-Veseloe line and near Bogdanovka.

Loss of Artyomovsk may put a question mark over Kiev’s control of other cities—Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba

Dmitry Kuleba noted that the situation in Artyomovsk was “emotionally very complicated” for Kiev
 
The loss of the city of Artyomovsk (Ukrainian name: Bakhmut) to Russian forces may produce a situation where other cities that are now under the control of Ukrainian troops will also become vulnerable, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has said.

“If Bakhmut falls, then other cities will follow,” Kuleba said in an interview with the BBC’s Ukrainian service, published on Friday. “We must fight in Bakhmut as long as we can physically.”

Kuleba noted that the situation in Artyomovsk was “emotionally very complicated” for Kiev because of the Ukrainian army’s losses.

He claimed once again that the Western allies were not providing military support to Ukraine quickly enough because, he argued, they were not ready for a conflict similar in scale to the First World War. Kiev would like the allies to act faster. Kuleba said that Ukraine needed artillery shells from the West in order to send them to Ukrainian units in Artyomovsk first of all.

Artyomovsk, a crucial transport hub, is located in the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). A fierce battle for control of the city is under way. According to the latest data, Russian forces have blocked or taken control of all paved roads to the city, while the nascent spring mud season is complicating the logistics of supplying the Ukrainian army with ammunition and personnel.

Our source in the Presidential Office said that Zelensky held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, at which the main issue was decided when the counteroffensive near Bakhmut would begin. Syrsky reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be able to strike next Wednesday-Thursday.

Situation in the #Starobelsk Direction until 17:00 on 17 Mar 2023⚡️

🔹#Kupyansk Sector:

▪️ Russian units have established control over several AFU strongholds near the village of #Gryanikovka, the enemy has been forced to retreat to the right bank of the #Oskol River.

▪️ The AFU rotated the personnel of the 107th and 108th Territorial Defence Brigades at the #Khatnoye – #Olkhovatka and #Petropavloka – #Sinkovka lines, as well as transferred the 51st Separate Composite Battalion forces from #Andreyevka to the line of contact to maintain their combat capability.

🔹#Liman Sector:

▪️ Over the past week, soldiers of the 144th Motorized Rifle Division have been conducting a positional offensive at the #Kremennaya – #Makeyevka line. In the course of active fighting, the RF Armed Forces established a foothold west of #Chervonopopovka in the territory of the DPR.

▪️ To the south, the RF Armed Forces dislodged the forces of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces’ 25th Separate Airborne Brigade and 19th Rifle Battalion from several strongholds on the Balka Zhuravka – #Torskoye – #Dibrova line, extending the zone of control around the ledge near the #Zherebets River.

▪️ A sabotage and reconnaissance group (SRG) of the AFU with copters on board is operating near the village of #Zitlovka. It provides target designation for artillery and mortar crews.

▪️ A Russian SRG conducts reconnaissance combat at the #Makeyevka – #Nevskoye line. Enemy forces are setting up new defensive lines on the opposite bank of the #Zherebets River.

According to our data for 2022, the Office of the President spent more than $2 billion on covert lobbying for the Ukrainian crisis in the West (including kickbacks and bribes).
Now this amount is growing many times (we think in 2023 it will be about 5-6 billion), as negative sentiments towards Ukraine in the West are growing (crisis, protests, war fatigue, etc.), which forces Bankovaya to pay more. All these stars who call and come to Zelensky are all paid through the “gray schemes” of the shady back office of Bankova. Do you think they do it for free? How naive are you…
All bot farms, SMM and seo departments of banking, gobble up tens of millions of dollars a week.
Now there is still a risk that the Republicans will turn on the “trickle” of aid, which could threaten catastrophic consequences for the entire “game”. The resident has already written about this, pointing out that Bankovaya is trying to buy the loyalty of the Republicans. I wonder what they will give a rollback?

Conclusion: everyone is making money on the Ukrainian crisis, and only the people pay for this bloody banquet and the celebration of the vanity of individual characters.
Think! 

Special Operation, 17 Mar 2023, Main; pub. 22:09⚡️

▪️ Enemy casualties in Krasny #Liman, #Kupyansk, #Donetsk, #Kherson and #Zaporozhye directions have exceeded 330, the Russian Ministry of Defence said;

▪️ Russian forces already control up to 70% of #Artyomovsk in the DPR, Pushilin’s adviser said;

▪️ Pushilin said that Russian units are advancing towards the centre of #Artyomovsk, knocking out the Ukrainian military in the northern and southern directions;

▪️ Peskov said that #Poland’s delivery of fighter jets to #Ukraine would cause more trouble for Ukrainians themselves;

▪️ Putin signed a decree appointing Major-General Aleksey Naidu as military prosecutor of the Joint Group of Forces;

▪️ Putin and Xi Jinping will discuss the conflict in #Ukraine during talks in the #Kremlin, Ushakov said;

▪️ The Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation called for the preparation of an international judicial body “to bring war criminals in Ukraine to international criminal responsibility”;

▪️ Bastrykin instructed to conduct an audit in connection with the illegal issuance of warrants by the ICC against citizens of the Russian Federation, as part of the audit, specific persons from among the judges of the ICC who made illegal decisions will be identified.

War Map and the Situation on the Fronts in the Evening of 17 Mar 2023; pub. 00:15⚡️

🔥 A Number of Sources report massive attacks on critical infrastructure across 404. “Geraniums” have been spotted (https://t.me/readovkanews/54946) in #Kiev, #Kharkov, #Dnepropetrovsk, #Rovno regions. An oil depot in #Novomoskovsk, #Dnepropetrovsk region has been hit (https://t.me/readovkanews/54942) and a huge fire broke out on the site.

⚔️ Situation on the Fronts for the past Day

🔹#Svatovo – #Kremennaya Direction:

➖ The RF Armed Forces have occupied several enemy strongholds near #Gryanikovka (in #Kupyansk sector), thus forcing the militants to retreat to the right bank of the #Oskol River.
➖ Meanwhile, soldiers of the 144th Motorized Rifle Division continue their offensive near #Kremennaya. Our forces have gained a foothold to the west of #Chervonopopovka.

🔹#Artyomovsk (#Bakhmut) Sector:

➖ “Orchestrants” are advancing (https://t.me/z_arhiv/19640) towards #Grigorovka to the west of Dubovo-Vasilyevka.
➖ Also ours continue to squeeze the AFU from the AZOM plant and the southwestern quarters of #Artyomovsk. There are reports of an “orchestrator” controlling around 70% of the city.
➖ Furthermore, our advance in the direction of #Khromovo, and the road through #Krasnoye is under fire control.

🔹#Donetsk & #SouthDonetsk Directions:

➖ The Russian army is fighting (https://t.me/readovkanews/54928) fiercely in the centre of #Maryinka. At the moment, most of the town is under the control of the RF Armed Forces, but the enemy continues to resist.
➖ After capturing #Krasnogorovka, our forces continue their attempts to encircle #Avdeyevka from the north, while fighting for #Pervomayskoye is going on in parallel.

💥 A Ukrainian Su-24 Bomber was shot down (https://t.me/RVvoenkor/40795) near #Artyomovsk, DPR.

💡 The Kiev Regime once again successfully committed an act of international begging – the Slovakian government approved (https://t.me/readovkaru/2721) the transfer of 11 MiG-29 fighter jets to #Ukraine. Right after #Poland, but that’s just a coincidence (no).  And all this is happening against the backdrop of a 404 disinformation campaign (https://t.me/readovkaru/2721) about an imminent offensive by the AFU, but the Russian army is already used to this, as well as to falling Ukrainian aircraft.

Russian Forces Quickly Encircling Avdiivka

Full Front Update 17/03/23 | Ukraine Prepares For Zaporizhzhia Offensive While Russia Advances

#Chronicle of the Special Military Operation for 17 Mar 2023⚡️

💥 Russian Forces launched a massive kamikaze drone strike against targets in Ukraine this evening.

🎯 Targets have been hit (https://t.me/rybar/44768) in #Novomoskovsk in #Dnepropetrovsk region, #Konstantinovka, #Dnepropetrovsk and #Kiev region. Explosions have also been reported in #Zhytomyr, #Rovno, #Khmelnytsky and #Volyn region.

🔹#Starobelsk (#Svatovo) Direction (MAP (https://t.me/sitrepmaps/1629)}:

▪️ In the #Kupyansk sector, Russian troops took control of several enemy strongholds near #Gryanikovka.
➖ Ukrainian commanders withdrew units to the right bank of the #Oskol River.
➖ The AFU is redeploying fresh units to the #Khatnoye – #Olkhovatka and #Petropavloka – #Sinkovka lines.

▪️ Russian forces managed to seize enemy strongholds near Balka Zhuravka in the #Liman sector.
➖ Near #Kremennaya, fighters of the 144th Motorized Rifle Division were able to advance west from #Chervonopopovka, expanding their zone of control.

🔹#Soledar (#Bakhmut) Direction:

▪️ In the #Lisichansk sector, Ukrainian formations are conducting a partial evacuation of the population, expecting a Russian offensive soon.
➖ In the vicinity of #Belogorovka, the sides are engaged in heavy positional fighting.

▪️ In #Bakhmut, units of the Wagner PMC continue to fight fiercely on all the outskirts of the city.
➖ In the north, assault units are pushing the enemy out of the industrial zone near Vostokmash.
➖ In the south, Russian forces managed to clear most of the Sobachevka district and engaged the enemy on Mariupolskaya Street.
➖ Some success was achieved in the Vodokanal district, pushing the enemy back from several defensive positions.

▪️ In the Chasov Yar area, the Ukrainian command is preparing a strike force consisting of heavy mechanized brigades in preparation for a counteroffensive against #Bakhmut.

🔹#Donetsk Direction:

▪️ In the #Avdeyevka direction, Russian units are storming the heights on the approaches to #Vodyanoye.
➖ Due to heavy losses, the enemy withdraws troops to #Severnoye for rotation and re-staffing.

▪️ Ukrainian terrorist formations continue indiscriminately shelling civilian infrastructure in #Donetsk and adjacent towns:
➖ Rocket artillery attacked Kievsky and Petrovsky districts of #Donetsk. One woman was wounded, two were killed and three residential buildings were damaged.
➖ In #Gorlovka, civilian infrastructure was damaged  with no civilian casualties.

🔹#Kherson Direction on #SouthFront:

▪️ Mutual shelling continues along the entire line of contact: Russian troops have hit identified enemy positions in #Kherson, #Kazatskoye and #Kachkarovka.
➖ For its part, the enemy terrorists shelled the left bank of #Kherson region. Civilian infrastructure facilities in Novaya Kakhovka, #Alyoshki and #Tavriysk have been damaged.

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