Ukraine Invasion: Part 60

[MagicFox]

We have got to thread 60. So many thanks as always to regular contributors and to those providing updates. For the 60th time, Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

**
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Iranian attacks on Gulf States.

They were clearly pre-planned as a response should there be a major attack that included the USA. They don't need to be called by the centre, such as it is or isn't in Iran today. With decentralised activity planned for in the event of a decapitation strategy, those launching the attacks are more or less working from a script. Apart from economic destabilisation, there is probably a plan to try to delink the Gulf States from aligning with the USA.

Images are screenshots from an article from Foreign Policy yesterday 5th March, The United States Could Lose The Gulf, by Marc Lynch a professor at George Washington University where he discusses the attacks. This might be available via a weblink but I've snapped some paragraphs from the app.

Kyiv Independent Telegram Highlights

*⚡️'Russians preparing spring offensive' — Zelensky visits Donetsk Oblast (kyivindependent.com/russians-preparing-offensive-for-spring-zelensky-visits-donetsk-oblast-meets-commanders-amid-risk-of-new-*russian-push/), meets commanders amid risk of new Russian push.
"The Russians are not abandoning the war, and here, in Donetsk Oblast, they are preparing an offensive for the spring," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

⚡️US considering lifting sanctions (kyivindependent.com/us-considering-lifting-sanctions-on-russian-oil-to-ease-global-shortage-treasury-chief-says/) on Russian oil to ease global shortage, Treasury chief says.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on March 6 that Washington is considering lifting some sanctions on Russian oil to address a global supply shortage linked to recent military operations in Iran.

⚡️ Orban threatens to block key goods (kyivindependent.com/hungary-to-block-ukraine-transit-shipments-until-druzhba-oil-transit-resumes-orban-warns/) transit to Ukraine unless oil supplies resume.
"We have stopped gasoline shipments to Ukraine, we are not delivering diesel either; we are still supplying electricity for now, and we will also stop the goods important to Ukraine that pass through Hungary," Viktor Orban said on Kossuth Radio.

⚡️ 'Not acceptable' — EU rebukes Zelensky (kyivindependent.com/eu-hungarian-opposition-rebuke-zelensky-over-remarks-on-orban/) over Orban 'threat.'
Peter Magyar, Viktor Orban's political rival, urged EU leadership to "sever all ties with Ukraine until President Zelensky clarifies his words" and apologizes.

⚡️ Update: Kyiv confirms Hungary released (kyivindependent.com/taking-hostages-and-stealing-money-sybiha-says-hungary-detained-ukrainian-banks-employees-with-cash-shipments/) detained Ukrainian bank staff amid major row.

⚡️ Update: Kyiv sees (kyivindependent.com/taking-hostages-and-stealing-money-sybiha-says-hungary-detained-ukrainian-banks-employees-with-cash-shipments/) ‘Russian handwriting’ in Hungary’s detention of Ukrainian bank staff.
"We saw hints a few days before this incident that some kind of provocation was being prepared," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.

⚡️ Russia reportedly provides Iran intelligence (kyivindependent.com/russia-reportedly-provides-iran-intelligence/) used to target US forces in Middle East.
One unnamed U.S. official described the support as "comprehensive," the Washington Post reported.

⚡️Update: White House responds (kyivindependent.com/russia-reportedly-provides-iran-intelligence/) to reports that Russia is helping Iran target US forces in Middle East.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed concerns about the reports in an interview with Fox News on March 6.
"Whether or not this happened, frankly, it does not really matter, because President Trump and the United States military are absolutely decimating the rogue Iranian terrorist regime," Leavitt said.

⚡️Ukraine hits (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-hits-russian-shahed-type-drone-storage-in-donetsk-with-scalp-atacms-missiles-military-says/) Russian Shahed-type drone storage in Donetsk with SCALP, ATACMS missiles, military says.

⚡️ Kyiv real estate gets 35 million euro (kyivindependent.com/kyiv-real-estate-gets-35-million-euro-wartime-boost/) wartime boost.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced the program with Ukrainian real estate developer Stolitsa Group on March 6.

⚡️ Paralympic chief says injured Russian soldiers should be allowed to compete (kyivindependent.com/paralympic-chief-says-injured-russian-soldiers-should-be-allowed-to-compete/) at future Games.
"It doesn't matter to us what they have done in the past in the combat field," International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons said.

‘Tinder for the labor market’ — How Ukraine is trying to fix a critical shortage (kyivindependent.com/tinder-for-the-labor-market-ukraine-eyes-its-next-generation-of-blue-collar-workers/)
“I can’t protect my country as a soldier, but I can make rockets,” says Dmytro Volynets, a 35-year-old engineering graduate retraining as a CNC operator.
As the war enters its fifth year, Ukraine faces a critical shortage of skilled blue-collar workers, with mobilization and emigration reducing the workforce by a quarter.

Inside a Ukrainian prison for women who sided with Russia ()
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian courts have convicted thousands of people of collaboration and treason. The Kyiv Independent’s Kateryna Hodunova and Olena Zashko report from a penal colony in southeastern Ukraine that holds women who sided with Russia.

Inside Russia's everyday manhunt of Ukrainians in Kherson
(kyivindependent.com/postcards-from-kherson-the-city-where-russian-drones-hunt-civilians-every-day/)
Since summer 2024 and escalating with every month, the city of Kherson is now known as the place where civilian residents — men, women, children and the elderly — are systematically and deliberately hunted by Russian high-precision drones.

⚡️Update: Russian mass attack on Ukraine kills 7 (kyivindependent.com/russia-targets-kyiv-with-ballistic-missiles/) in Kharkiv, including children.
Russian troops struck a five-story building in the city of Kharkiv with a ballistic missile overnight on March 7, killing seven people, including two children, and injuring at least 15, local authorities reported.
Fourteen people are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

⚡️Russian attacks (kyivindependent.com/russian-attacks-against-ukraine-kill-10-injure-40-including-children-over-past-day/) against Ukraine kill 10, injure 40 over past day.
Russia launched 480 drones, including Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles, and 29 missiles, including hypersonic Zircon anti-ship missile and Iskander-M ballistic missiles, overnight, the Air Force reported.

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦‬
‪@ragnarbjartur.bsky.social‬
· 2h
⚡️ RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE — MAR 7, 2026
■ 2nd-largest overnight attack wave of 2026, but interception rate high
■ 2nd-highest drone losses; record 7-day losses of equipment, drones, and unarmored vehicles
■ Engagements and casualties above average; no confirmed territorial change for 10 days
■ 10 🇺🇦 strikes reported; 🇷🇺 MLRS strikes above average; 30-day strike ratio <20x

UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights

🇮🇷 Russia is providing Iran with information on targets for attacks on US troops in the Middle East — the first sign that another major US adversary is becoming involved in the war, even indirectly — The Washington Post.
Analysts say the intelligence sharing fits a pattern of Iranian strikes on US forces, including attacks on command-and-control infrastructure, radars and temporary facilities. One such strike in Kuwait killed six service members.
The CIA office at the US embassy in Riyadh was also attacked in recent days.
Two officials familiar with Russia’s support for Iran said China does not appear to be helping Iran defend itself, despite close ties between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia has sharply raised the price of its main oil grade, Arab Light, by $2.50 per barrel for buyers in Asia and by $3.50 for buyers in Europe, amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East and the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg writes.

In the area of Donetsk Airport, ATACMS and SCALP missiles struck a storage, preparation, and launch site for enemy Shahed-type attack UAVs on March 7.
In addition, during the night of March 7, a series of other strikes were carried out against the enemy, including a UAV control point, a command and observation post, and Russian artillery in the occupied territory.

In Kharkiv, a five-story residential building was destroyed. Six people were killed. Other consequences of the massive Russian attack:
▪️ As a result of Russian missile strikes in the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv, the entrance section from the 1st to the 5th floors of a residential five-story building was destroyed. Rescuers recovered the bodies of six people. Another 10 people were injured, including two children. People may still be trapped under the rubble.
▪️ In the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, a 48-year-old man was killed and a 69-year-old woman was injured. Twenty houses were damaged. In another district, a large-scale fire broke out at an infrastructure facility; nearly 200 rescuers and 60 pieces of equipment are working to extinguish it.
▪️ In the Khmelnytskyi region, windows at a railway station building in the Shepetivka district were damaged. A fire broke out but has already been extinguished by rescuers.
▪️ In Kyiv, a fire broke out in the Holosiivskyi district on the territory of a non-residential building and was later extinguished. Missile debris was also found in the Desnianskyi and Dniprovskyi districts.
▪️ A multi-storey residential building in Mykolaiv was damaged as a result of the Russian attack.

❗️“Will be ready for war with NATO in six years.” Russia is expanding army units on the Alliance’s eastern border — Lithuanian intelligence.
In its annual report, Lithuanian intelligence warned that Russia is building up troops near NATO borders, sending them to fight in Ukraine to gain combat experience and later potentially using them as a base for a conflict with the Alliance.
According to the forecast, if sanctions against Russia are lifted, the Kremlin could be ready for a large-scale war with NATO in six years.
The intelligence service added that Moscow aims to increase its army by 30–50% and restore weapons stockpiles. Its main goals remain the subordination of Ukraine and a shift in the balance of power in Europe.
The report also mentions the 2024 parcel explosions and incidents involving gas pipelines and cables in the Baltic Sea.

🇺🇦🎖 Ukrainian veterans win 43 medals at the Marine Corps & Air Force Trials in the US
Fifteen athletes from Ukraine took part in the competition, returning home with 27 gold, 10 silver and 6 bronze medals.
These competitions are traditionally a qualifying stage for the formation of the American team for the Warrior Games, but this year the organizers also invited representatives from Ukraine and Great Britain.

Kyiv Post Telegram Highlights

Kyiv warned Ukrainians and businesses of risks in Hungary (www.kyivpost.com/post/71400) after what it described as the kidnapping of Ukrainian citizens and the seizure of property belonging to a Ukrainian state bank.

Russia’s prison population has fallen to a historic low (www.kyivpost.com/post/71407) thanks to “humanistic” policies towards state detainees, Vladimir Davydov, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, said in Wednesday remarks to the Russian Federation Council.

Russia Won’t Break the Way the West Expects: Sanctions raise costs, but Russia isn’t built to break under public pressure. The real target has to be elite incentives – and that requires a fundamentally different strategic playbook.

Mutilated human remains found on a Bali beach have been identified as those of kidnapped Ukrainian tourist Ihor Komarov, 28.
Komarov disappeared on Feb. 15 in the resort town of Jimbaran after attackers forced him into a car while he was riding a motorcycle with a friend.
Days later, locals discovered human body parts along a nearby beach and riverbank. Due to the condition of the remains, authorities initially could not identify the victim, but DNA testing later confirmed Komarov’s identity.
The motive behind the kidnapping and killing remains under investigation.

Live: Ukraine Telegram Highlights

🇵🇱 In Poland, preparations are underway to begin the production of Ukrainian "Bohdana" self-propelled howitzers – media
PK MIL SA was established in October of last year by the Polish company Ponar Wadowice and the Kramatorsk Heavy Machine Tool Building Plant. The company is currently completing the formal procedures necessary to launch production in Poland. Ponar Wadowice owns 51% of the joint venture's shares.
The "Bohdana" howitzer was developed in Ukraine as a response to the need to modernize artillery systems in accordance with NATO standards. After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, its production increased significantly. Since then, over 600 units have been manufactured, which have already fired more than 800,000 shots.

The European Commission has criticized remarks made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which were perceived as a threat toward Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Yesterday, the President of Ukraine jokingly suggested giving the Ukrainian Armed Forces the address of "the person blocking aid to Ukraine from the EU," clearly referring to Orbán.
Deputy European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill called Zelenskyy's words "unacceptable" and stated that threats against EU member states are inadmissible.

🇸🇪 Sweden has intercepted a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Baltic Sea, Reuters reports.
Swedish police suspect the ship, named Caffa, was flying a false flag. Additionally, Sweden's Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, stated that the vessel is subject to Ukrainian sanctions.
Bohlin added that the ship likely changed its flag this summer—from Russian to Guinean. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into suspected violations of maritime law.
▪️On March 1, the Belgian military detained a Russian shadow fleet tanker for the first time. It was escorted to the port of Zeebrugge, where the vessel was confiscated.

Russians have likely abducted and taken 19 Ukrainians from the village of Sopych in the Esman community of the Sumy region, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported.
Initially, contact with them was lost, and later their interviews appeared on a Russian channel.
Ukraine has appealed to the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation to visit the Ukrainians, check their condition and the conditions in which they are being held, and ensure their return home.
▪️This is not the first time Russians have forcibly removed people from the border area. In December 2025, Russians abducted 50 residents of the village of Hrabovske, also in the Sumy region.

Apologies for being derelict in duties lately. I have been away on holiday and found myself jetlagged and rather busier than expected. It should be calmer now and ready to resume scheduled updates.

https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-3-2026/

Key Takeaways

1. The United States and Israel are striking Iran’s drone and missile facilities to reduce the pressure on missile and drone interceptors – a capability the United States is denying Ukraine by refusing to provide Tomahawk cruise missiles.
2. Russian officials continue to condemn the US-Israeli strike campaign against Iran, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to support the United States.
3. Ukrainian forces liberated more territory than they lost in mid to late February 2026 for the first time since the Summer 2023 counteroffensive.
4. The Russian military command continues to operate in an alternate reality, setting wildly unrealistic deadlines that do not match Russia’s actual battlefield capabilities.
5. Russia has failed to achieve the objectives of its Winter 2025-2026 long-range missile and drone campaign against Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure.
6. Insider reports continue to indicate that the Kremlin is expecting the war to continue until at least the September 2026 State Duma elections.
7. Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Novopavlivka. Russian forces recently advanced near Slovyansk.

https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-4-2026/

Key Takeaways

1. Ukrainian forces damaged a Russian frigate and other Russian warships during March 1 to 2 overnight strikes against the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai.
2. Russia is blaming Ukraine for a strike on a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean Sea, accusing Ukraine of “escalating” the war.
3. The Kremlin is continuing its reflexive control campaign that aims to influence French and British nuclear strategy and Coalition of the Willing decision-making
4. Russian forces continue to execute Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and commit war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.
5. Russian forces are intensifying their use of drones, including Shaheds, at both the tactical and operational levels as part of their battlefield air interdiction (BAI) campaign.
6. Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Hulyaipole direction. Russian forces marginally advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area.

https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-5-2026/

Key Takeaways

1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine will support US air defense efforts against Iranian Shahed drone strikes in the Middle East.
2. Kremlin officials are criticizing the United States for military operations against Iran and are using the escalation in the Middle East to set conditions to blame the United States for any future failures in negotiations for a peace in Ukraine.
3. Other Russian officials are using US military operations against Iran to harshly criticize the United States and rhetorically place Russia and the United States in opposition and discredit US-led negotiations in Ukraine.
4. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a routine decree on March 4 marginally increasing the authorized end strength of the Russian military as part of the ongoing Russian military reforms.
5. Russian authorities arrested a fourth deputy of former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, continuing the long-standing Kremlin campaign to remove personnel loyal to Shoigu and neutralize his influence within the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD).
6. Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area.

https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-6-2026/

Key Takeaways

1. Russia is reportedly sharing intelligence with Iran to support Iranian attacks against US forces in the Middle East in contrast to the Kremlin’s recent attempts to frame Russia as a potential US ally and US-Russia relations as increasingly friendly. [None so blind ...]
2. Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the United States to halt its ongoing military operation in the Middle East while refusing any meaningful ceasefire in Ukraine. [No irony at all]
3. Ukraine continues to share its expertise and support air defense efforts in countering Iranian Shahed drone strikes in the Middle East. [good move]
4. Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly addressed the Kremlin’s recent restrictions against Telegram for the first time and the widespread complaints about battlefield communications issues that ensued.
5. The Kremlin continues its wider efforts to prevent Russians from using foreign platforms and virtual private networks (VPNs).
6. Ukrainian forces continue to liberate territory in southern Ukraine.
7. Russia and Ukraine conducted civilian prisoner and prisoner of war (POW) exchanges on March 5 and 6.
8. Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Oleksandrivka, and Hulyaipole. Russian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk and Hulyaipole.

Hope you had a lovely holiday @blueshoes ! thakns for the catchup

>Apologies for being derelict in duties lately. I have been away on holiday and found myself jetlagged and rather busier than expected.

Life happens. I have relatives visiting from tomorrow who I have not seen for ages and it is going to take me away from a number of things.

Hope you have a good catch up, @MMBaranova !

And in other news, I now have lovely sunflower soaps perfuming my living room while I wrap them as presents!

https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-7-2026/

Key Takeaways

1. The Russian military command likely has laterally redeployed elite airborne (VDV) and naval infantry units from the Pokrovsk direction and the Dobropillya tactical area in eastern Ukraine to the southern frontline, likely in part in order to respond to recent Ukrainian gains in the Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk direction.
2. The Russian military command’s redeployment of some VDV elements to southern Ukraine in January before Ukrainian forces began counterattacking suggests that Russia may have been planning to continue exploiting tactical successes in the Hulyaipole direction in Spring and Summer 2026. Ukraine’s counterattacks in February 2026 thus may have disrupted Russia’s plans to continue exploiting tactical successes in Zaporizhia Oblast and also may have generated spoiling effects for the anticipated Spring-Summer 2026 offensive against Ukraine’s Fortress Belt.
3. The Russian military command’s redeployment of troops from efforts in Donetsk Oblast to Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia oblasts illustrates the competing dilemmas that the Russian military command faces in attempting to conduct simultaneous offensive efforts, further complicated by recent Ukrainian counterattacks.
4. Russian forces conducted a large-scale series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on the night of March 6 to 7 that resulted in significant civilian casualties in Kharkiv City.
5. The March 6 to 7 Russian strike series notably contained a higher quantity of ballistic missiles than Russia usually includes in its regular strike packages. Russia is likely trying to exploit Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot interceptors and take advantage of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
6. Ukrainian forces conducted an Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS)/SCALP-EG missile strike against a Russian Shahed drone launch site near occupied Donetsk City on March 7.
7. Swedish authorities seized on March 6 a tanker that may be part of the Russian shadow fleet and has previously shipped stolen grain from occupied Ukraine.
8. Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Borova.

I hope someone will be able to help with the UK Ministry of Defence Ukraine updates on X for the next 2 weeks: https://x.com/DefenceHQ. It does not have an update every day and if there is one, only needs for the image to be posted.

I am currently on a laptop that blocks X.

Example of what it looks like below

Ill try but it woudl be good if someone else could - had flu a few weeks ago and it's just not clearing up atm.

Thank you so so much! 🌻🫶🙏
I finally managed to pop to the Oxford st Lush store to see the displays in real life and they are almost sold out!

Kyiv Independent Telegram Highlights

⚡️Ukraine halts (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-halts-russian-offensive-toward-zaporizhzhia-killing-injuring-300-russian-troops-hur-claims/) Russian offensive toward Zaporizhzhia, killing, injuring 300 Russian troops, HUR claims.
The units of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) and the Armed Forces have stopped Russia's advance toward the city of Zaporizhzhia as part of a three-month defensive operation in the country's south, HUR claimed on March 7.

⚡️US supplying (kyivindependent.com/us-supplying-ukraine-tested-anti-drone-systems-to-middle-east-partners-wsj-reports/) Ukraine-tested anti-drone systems to Middle East partners, WSJ reports.
The U.S. is supplying Ukraine-tested anti-drone systems to partners in the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 7, highlighting growing international demand for Kyiv’s battlefield-proven technology capable of countering Iranian drone attacks.

⚡️Ukraine's Oschadbank seeks return (kyivindependent.com/ukraines-oschadbank-seeks-return-of-vehicles-valuables-seized-in-hungary/) of vehicles, valuables seized in Hungary.
Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank said on March 7 that it will pursue legal action to recover bank property still held in Hungary after the recent detention of its employees and armored vehicles.

⚡️Update: Death toll rises (kyivindependent.com/russia-targets-kyiv-with-ballistic-missiles/) to 10 in Russian attack on Kharkiv.
Another body was found under the rubble of a five-story building in the city of Kharkiv after a Russian missile strike overnight on March 7, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported.

‘I’m only afraid of Belarus becoming part of Russia’ — released opposition activist Kalesnikava calls on Europe to re-engage with Lukashenko

⚡️Ukraine wins (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-wins-first-6-medals-at-winter-paralympics-taking-early-lead/) first 6 medals at Winter Paralympics, taking early lead.
With three gold, two bronze, and one silver medal, Ukraine leads the overall medal standings.

Russia back at Paralympics under national flag, its war veterans eye 2028 games (kyivindependent.com/russia-returns-to-paralympics-its-war-veterans-are-eyeing-to-take-part/)

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦‬ ‪@ragnarbjartur.bsky.social‬
· 44m
⚡️ RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE — MAR 8, 2026 (1/2)
■ 🇷🇺 gains but at a high cost: 930 casualties, record equipment and drone losses, highest land-based losses of 2026
■ Overnight attacks below average, include two Iskander-M; 82% interception rate; 11 locations hit
■ 14 [Ukrainian] strikes

UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights

🇺🇦 Ukrainian manufacturers of drone interceptors may begin exporting them to the Persian Gulf, Reuters reports.
They are receiving export requests from the United States and the Middle East. Such UAVs cost about $1,000 and are used to destroy Russian Shahed drones, while PAC-3 missiles can cost up to $4 million.
The company SkyFall says its interceptors have already shot down more than 1,500 Shahed drones. The company’s production capacity allows it to manufacture up to 50,000 drones per month, and some of them, according to the manufacturer, could be supplied abroad without harming Ukraine’s needs.

🤔 Moscow is dissatisfied with the course of the war, — Freedman
Armed conflict expert Lawrence Freedman believes that dissatisfaction with the war against Ukraine is growing in Moscow, but Vladimir Putin has found himself “trapped” by his own goals.
According to the expert, Russia has achieved only limited success during the war and suffered significant losses, failing to make a strategic breakthrough on the front. At the same time, the Kremlin continues to rely on a protracted war and air strikes in an attempt to put pressure on Ukraine.
Freedman also notes that the United States is gradually reducing its role in the war, while Europe is being forced to more actively support Ukraine. In his opinion, Putin is now trying more “not to lose” than to achieve a complete victory.

🇫🇮 The war could have ended sooner if Ukraine had had enough air defense systems, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said.

🇺🇦 Ukrainian drone manufacturer SkyFall is promoting its P1-SUN interceptor as a highly cost-effective solution, Reuters reports.
According to the company, the United States and several Middle Eastern allies have already approached Ukraine about supplying such interceptors.
Ukrainian manufacturers say they are capable of exporting interceptor drones designed to destroy enemy UAVs in large quantities and are considering deliveries to Gulf countries amid the war with Iran.
SkyFall, one of the major Ukrainian drone producers, says its production capacity already exceeds Ukraine’s ability to purchase the systems, and the company is ready to begin exports if the government grants permission.
“We have already received signals of interest and specific requests from our allies and countries in the Middle East,” said a SkyFall representative with the call sign Ares, who spoke on condition that only his call sign be used.
According to the company, the P1-SUN interceptor has shot down more than 1,500 Shahed drones and about 1,000 other UAVs in the four months since it began operating.
SkyFall says it can produce up to 50,000 interceptor drones per month and export 5,000–10,000 of them without harming Ukraine’s defense needs.
Industry representatives note that Ukrainian manufacturers of interceptor drones and other anti-drone systems currently produce about twice as much equipment as the Ukrainian military needs to counter regular Russian attacks.
During a visit to the company’s production facilities, Reuters reporters saw long rows of 3D printers producing plastic drone components and workshops where workers assemble and solder the systems. The company asked not to disclose the location of its factory.
Expanding the use of interceptor drones is considered one of the key elements of Ukraine’s multi-layered air defense system, which aims to reduce the number of enemy targets that break through defenses. According to the Ukrainian military, interceptor drones destroyed about 70% of the drones shot down in and around Kyiv in February.
Interceptor drones are also far cheaper than traditional air defense missiles. Most Ukrainian interceptor drones cost a few thousand dollars or less. Depending on the configuration, the Ukrainian military pays about $1,000 for a P1-SUN.
For comparison, PAC-3 missiles used in Patriot air defense systems can cost about $4 million each, while Shahed-136 drones produced by Russia are estimated to cost between $50,000 and $100,000.
“If it’s for export or assistance to partners, the price will likely be higher,” Ares said, adding that even then the drones would remain one of the cheapest options.
Industry representatives say one of the main challenges for potential buyers in the Persian Gulf is not the drones themselves but trained operators. Ukraine currently has the only combat-experienced drone crews capable of using these systems effectively.
SkyFall operates its own training academy where new operators undergo three weeks of instruction. The company says it is ready to send instructors abroad if the Ukrainian government allows exports.
It has also developed remote control technologies that would allow drones to be piloted from a distance, meaning that systems deployed in Gulf countries could potentially be controlled remotely — even from Ukraine.

The war in Iran could push the world to the brink of another surge in inflation, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told Reuters.
She warned that a 10% increase in energy prices lasting for a year could raise global inflation by 0.4 percentage points and reduce global economic growth by 0.1–0.2%.
“The global economy has proven remarkably resilient. Despite multiple shocks, it has grown by 3.3%. But that resilience is being tested again,” Georgieva said.
She noted that many countries are facing the Middle East crisis with “exhausted reserves” after previous shocks. However, many Asian economies have built stronger financial capacity and reserves over the past two decades. The IMF is already in talks with some member states about possible balance-of-payments assistance if uncertainty deepens.
According to Georgieva, the IMF currently has programs with 50 countries and is ready to expand existing arrangements or create new ones if necessary.
She expressed particular concern about oil-importing countries, Pacific island economies that are “at the end of the supply chain,” and low-income countries with high debt.
“Our advice to all our members is: act decisively to restore order in your own country in this world of heightened uncertainty,” Georgieva said, urging policymakers to closely monitor price and currency developments while rebuilding fiscal buffers during periods of economic growth.

🕯 As a result of the nighttime enemy shelling, Hordiy Udovichenko — a player and pupil of the “White Bars” team, born in 2017–2018 — was killed. His mother, Olena Mykhailivna Udovichenko, a primary school teacher, also died with him.

Kyiv Post Telegram Highlights

Zelensky blasted the European Union over the lack of progress on the bloc’s 20th sanctions package against Russia and a proposed €90 billion support package for Ukraine.
“So far, there has been NO progress on the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia, nor on the €90 billion assistance package for Ukraine.”

Ukraine stormed to the top of the Paralympic medal table on the opening day, winning six medals — three gold, one silver and two bronze.
The strong performance put Ukraine ahead of China, which also collected six medals but with fewer golds — two

Live: Ukraine Telegram Highlights

🇧🇪 In two years, Belgium has not delivered any of the 30 promised F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense cites the main reason as the delay in the delivery of American F-35s to Belgium, which the country intends to use to replace its aging fleet. Since the jets from the US have not yet arrived, the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine is also being delayed.
Belgium plans to decommission its entire F-16 fleet by the end of 2028.
The final deliveries of the F-35s are expected in 2029.
The Belgian Air Force states that a fixed deadline for the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine was never established, although the Foreign Minister had previously announced the delivery of the first batch of aircraft by the end of 2024.
Another reason for the delay is the training process for Ukrainian pilots, which has proven to be more complex and time-consuming than anticipated.

The Defense Forces of Ukraine have struck the "Armavir" linear production and dispatch station in the Krasnodar Krai, Russia.
This was reported by the OSINT team CyberBoroshno.
This is a hub for pipeline logistics designed for pumping, storing, receiving, and delivering oil or petroleum products. It ensures the stable operation of the pipeline system, regulates pressure, and performs quality control and product accounting.
Damage to the station affects the entire petroleum product transportation system in this section.

🇭🇺 Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar has stated that Russian intelligence agents have arrived in Budapest at the invitation of Viktor Orbán. Their goal is to influence the election results.
The leader of the Tisza party says the agents arrived from the Russian Federation to Hungary several weeks ago under "diplomatic cover." Russia previously resorted to similar tactics before the elections in Moldova.
Magyar called on Orbán to immediately expel the Russian agents from the country. He also claims that the Hungarian government received data from the intelligence services of allied countries regarding Russian interference and demands that this information be provided to the entire parliament.
Separately, Magyar noted that Hungary needs leadership that "will not expose the country to any threat from the east—whether from Putin or from Zelenskyy."
▪️Parliamentary elections in Hungary will take place on April 12. They could become the greatest challenge to the 16-year rule of Orbán and his Fidesz party.
Preliminary sociological polls show that Orbán's main opponent—Péter Magyar's opposition party, Tisza—is ahead of Fidesz.

Russian propaganda has launched a disinformation campaign using AI-generated fake images of Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards, according to Hungarian fact-checkers from the Vastagbőr project.
The images were published by Ripost, a tabloid controlled and funded by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party.

Zelenskyy reported that the Russian Federation launched 1,750 drones against Ukraine over the past week.
In addition to the drones, the occupiers dropped 1,530 KABs (guided aerial bombs) and launched 39 missiles. According to the President, the majority of the targets were neutralized.

If we know Russia are interfering in Hungarian elections, including sending in Russian Intelligence Agents at Orban’s request, why isn’t more being done to counter that threat. Sometimes the EU seems to be asleep at the wheel!

I’ll have a look on here and post anything relevant if you like. At the moment all the updates are on the Middle East, but I’ll check every few days for Ukrainian updates.

I don't mind looking every day for the defence updates. It will probably be in the evenings though if that works.

Appreciate it @LlttledrummergirI and @DesdamonasHandkerchief for looking out for Ukraine defence updates.

@ReleaseTheDucksOfWar what a bummer that your flu is still hanging around. Hope you manage to kick it soon.

@Mb76 I will be checking the Lush Liverpool St store in 2 weeks when I am back. Look forward to my 🌻soap