Ukraine Weekly Update

22nd March 2024

It has been another eventful week dominated by the elections in Russia where President Putin won quite easily, as everyone expected. Ukraine ratcheted up the terror attacks while the Russians went to the polls - again, as expected. Further west, Emanuel Macron astonished many by suggesting that French troops could be deployed to Ukraine - while his shocked Defence Minister denied that this is being considered. Many European countries were quick to deny any involvement in such plans but the European Union is all for it. Most Western leaders are suggesting that Russia cannot be allowed to win in Ukraine while the front lines show signs of decay as the Ukrainians fall back slowly under increasing Russian pressure. Following the launch of a large drone/missiles attacks throughout Ukraine on the 21st and 22nd March, there is some speculation that a Russian offensive is coming soon.

Meanwhile, Sergei Shoigu announced a massive expansion of Russia’s military forces - while Ukraine’s attempts to mobilise are causing chaos, fear and a shortage of labour. In the Middle East, the situation is much the same as the Israelis plan to invade Rafah. Netanyahu is annoying sleepy Joe who appears impotent to prevent his bloody excesses - or so they say.

Russians

President Putin Wins!

Vladimir Putin was re-elected President for another six years with an estimated 87% of the vote. The turnout was a record at over 74%. In his victory speech, Putin said that he wanted a ‘strong, independent and sovereign’ Russia and the strong mandate from the people will help to achieve this. He also spoke about creating a ‘buffer zone’ to prevent Ukrainian terrorist attacks. Putin reminded his countrymen that:

We have a lot of tasks ahead of us. And when we are united, no one can intimidate or suppress us. No one succeeded at this before, it did not happen now and will never occur in the future.

Of course that statement was directed at NATO and the West but it was also designed to reassure his own people: many of whom are under physical attack.

Looks as if regime change is not on the cards then!

In a temper tantrum, the West is refusing to call Putin President - as if not doing so could impact on reality. These people are so infantile.

Happy Birthday Sergey

74 on the 14th March

Crimea Joined Russia Ten Years Ago

Citizens of Sevastopol celebrating the result ten years ago.

On the 18th March, Crimeans celebrated the tenth anniversary of the referendum in which they voted to join the Russian Federation - according to Sputnik.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of Crimea, RT has a shortish article here.

Siege of Leningrad - Germany Asked To Admit Genocide

Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery - St. Petersburg

Russia has demanded that Germany accepts that the siege of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) was an act of genocide. The 80th anniversary of the lifting of the siege was marked in January. It lasted 872 days and killed more than a million people (half of the city’s population). Berlin has admitted to other genocides but not to this one. Hitler made it quite clear that he wished to eliminate the city’s population through starvation just as the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians in Gaza right now. Sad to say that Israel is bearing the marks of its persecutor just as the son bears the ‘marks’ of his abusive father. The abused has become the abuser in this case.

Where Next For Russia?

Now that the elections are out of the way and Putin can be confident of being backed by his people, some are speculating about what Russia will do and where it will go next. Of course, much will depend on what the Ukrainians do and how long their forces will be able to hold their lines - given shortages in men and materiel along with a possible collapse in morale and US financial support.

Even if a Ukrainian military collapse presents itself, it does not follow that the Russians will push against the crumbling edifice because they may not wish to create a panic reaction from Western leaders - which is possible. Just look at Macron. It’s as if Russia is ‘babysitting’ the Western toddler who has got hold of a machine gun while tossing his toys out of the pram. In the case of the Ukrainian ‘toddler’, he may even be storing a dirty bomb or a tactical nuke underneath his blankets, rattles and dummies. It appears that the US has created two Frankenstein monsters in Ukraine and Israel - both countries could break free from the control of their maker and reek havoc in the world. But hey - I’m an optimist so I don’t think this will happen - though it is possible, of course.

It appears, however, given Putin’s stated desire to create a ‘sanitary zone’ to protect Belgorod and Kursk, that the military situation could be about to change. When Putin tells his people that he will be attempting to protect them (i.e. those in the border areas) by creating a ‘buffer zone’ he must come up with the goods (eventually). So, it appears that an operation designed to do this is on the cards but who knows when these cards will be played. Weeb Union provides some analysis and speculation in this video (15 mins). Weeb speculates about a three stage process in which the Russians will initially seek to protect the northern border regions from attack. Weeb also deals with the problem of Odessa and the attacks on Crimea, which will involve an invasion of the former and will be dealt with as part of the ‘third stage’. The Ukrainians know this is coming and are building defences in Odessa. All I can say is that things will change in the near future, but I would be less confident in saying when the change will come. I would imagine that the Russians will have an eye on the US elections and will escalate in a ‘timely manner’ that does not compromise the efficacy of the military operation.

b from the MoA (Moon of Alabama) has produced a great article entitle Russia is at War (22nd March 2024) which is worth a look.

Military Expansion

The Russian military has expanded this year and will continue to do so, according to Sergei Shoigu:

Since the beginning of the year, the RF Armed Forces have formed an army corps, a motorized rifle division, the Dnieper flotilla and a brigade of river boats of the flotilla. By the end of 2024, the formation of 2 combined arms armies and 30 formations, including 14 divisions and 16 brigades, is planned.

How can Ukraine compete with that.

Poison Plans

Infodefence is reporting that the Ukrainians planned to use poison from US labs to kill civilians in Belgorod, Donetsk and Melitopol. Experts claim that such substances could be synthesised only in a state military facility. But the plans were foiled by Russian secret services.

Ukrainians

Mini Revolt in Lvov

It seems that some citizens in Lvov are much more appreciative of the Russians than they are of Ukrainians. One had this to say:

Russian schools, kindergartens, houses, farms came, they built everything...the Ukrainians came and ruined everything. And what have you built in 30 years? You break and demolish everything! Just pennies, pennies!"

It’s a start I suppose!

Where Have All the Young Men Gone?

The Washington Post is reporting that in many Ukrainian villages there are virtually no young men left: ‘gone to graveyards every one’. People of a certain age will remember these lyrics.¹ Of course many have ‘gone to soldiers’. But legitimny is reporting that the Ukrainians are afraid that by summer the loss/replacement ratio will increase to 4:1 - i.e. four losses for every one replacement. That’s not a winning formula really. Many Ukrainians know it but they are powerless.

The attempts at mobilisation are causing chaos, panic and a shortage of labour, according to legitimniy. This shortage of men is forcing the Ukrainians to bring in reserves when Russia presses along the entire front and these reserves will not last forever. Ex Polish General Raimund Andrzejczak believes that Ukrainian losses are in the millions rather than the 100,000 - though I find this hard to believe. But if this is true, there will be fewer reserves available than we realise and the Ukrainians may collapse sooner than we think.

Ukrainian Officers Surrender

18 fighters from Ukraine’s 59th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade surrendered to the Russians near the village of Georgievka, near Marinka west of Donetsk city. But these incidents are few and far between at the moment. However, according to a recent report, desertions have increased by 50% over last year.

Outsiders

Does The West Fear Peace?

Historian Tarik Cyril Amar was interviewed by the Duran this week and I found some of his analysis very interesting. Tarik suggests that given the lies Western leaders have inflicted on their populations: lies that include the claim that Ukraine can’t lose or that if Russia wins it will expand into the EU, they are reluctant to accept a negotiated settlement. If this happens people will soon learn that Russia has no desire or intention to invade Europe. Then people will ask why they can’t have better relations with Russia and why they can’t start using cheap Russian energy again. This would be good for Europe but not for the US which appears determined to dominate the Europeans and make them dependent on US energy. The picture of Russia the West has painted for its populations is very much a moral one which has drawn Putin as a Hitler like caricature with similar global ambitions and a heart of stone. They have damned Russia and its people for all eternity through a Woke like cancellation that prohibits forgiveness. Therefore, it is not easy for them to admit that they were wrong or that they had lied. I imagine it will take a long time before people who have this totally inaccurate picture of Putin and Russia presented to them will accept a different and more benevolent characterisation of the leader and his country. I think it will happen eventually but it will take time.

Lindsey Graham - Get Them Mobilised

Graham is in Kiev telling the regime to mobilise men under 27 because the country is in a fight for its life, he said.. As things stand, men under 27 are not required to serve. Graham also suggested that money received by Ukraine from the US should take the form of loans - which the once great Z regarded as an insult.

Krišjānis Kariņš - Get Them Mobilised

Latvian foreign affairs minister Krišjānis Kariņš is calling for the British to introduce conscription in order to deter Putin. What an absolute plonker!

Jake Sullivan

US security national security advisor, Sullivan dropped a bombshell during his recent visit to Ukraine when he said: ‘we can’t provide ongoing assistance to Ukraine without impacting our military readiness’. No politician has announced so clearly that the US is giving up on Ukraine - if you read between the lines. When interviewed, Sullivan provided the usual nonsense of the US supporting Ukraine until they beat Russia but he did not talk about Ukraine taking back lost territory, according to a report that Alex Christoforou has been unable to confirm. If true, this is a significant change in the narrative as the US seeks to reduce Ukraine’s expectations. The mantra: ‘we will support you for as long as it takes’ is changing to ‘we will support you as long as we can’ which has been around for a while already. Sullivan may also be saying that maybe Ukraine will have to make some concessions in order to survive as a sovereign ‘democratic’ state with aspirations to join the EU and NATO. This could be an attempt to challenge Zelensky’s legislative barriers to negotiation with a very strong dose of realism. I believe this could be part of the process of ‘letting go’, a typically American ‘letting go’, of Ukraine. In the UK we call it leaving someone in the shit. The Americans have form in this regard. However you judge Sullivan morally, in his role as US National Security Advisor, he can do no more than he is doing - i.e. letting someone down gently. The Biden Administration messed up the whole Ukraine fiasco for various reasons and now Sullivan is trying to navigate the least embarrassing exit possible.

Macron - No Peace Until Crimea Returned to Ukraine

Macron claimed that Russia is France’s adversary and insisted that there would be no peace until all the territories lost by Ukraine are returned - including Crimea. But he also insisted, along with Olaf Scholtz, that neither country is actually at war with Russia. ‘If the situation [in Ukraine] should deteriorate we would be ready to make sure that Russia does not win that war’, Macron boasted as if stating it will make it come true. Losing the war would reduce Europe’s credibility to zero, he said. So, the reasoning goes like this: Europe’s credibility will be reduced to zero if Russia wins, ergo we can’t let Russia win. But this is just another a moral argument grounded no where in reality. The truth is that Europe has already lost its credibility. I have no idea why Macron is coming out with such bellicose trash but Putin called his bluff according to Alexander Mercouris. (first 30 mins). Putin said that if European countries crossed Russia’s red line by sending troops to Ukraine he would respond in kind. He made it clear that Russia is a nuclear power with the most advanced nuclear weapons in the world.

A Kremlin spokesman pointed out that France is already involved in the Ukraine conflict. But if the Europeans take Macron’s hard line, a negotiated peace would be impossible and Macron knows this. In a rather ambiguous and confused interview, Macron implied that French troops will probably not be used in Ukraine, according to Mercouris who assesses the feasibility of the rather limited European forces being deployed to Ukraine. These would need technical and air support from the US which would take at least six months to organise.

French Troops On Their Way?

However, an article in Sputnik is reporting that a contingent of 2000 French troops is being prepared for deployment in Ukraine. This could be the thin end of a very long wedge. However, according to this report, the French Ministry of Defence has denied the claim that troops will be sent into Ukraine. So, there could be some Russian trolling going on here designed to put France on the defensive.

I should point out, to those who don’t already know, that Macron’s talk of French involvement and escalation is simply nonsensical huffing and puffing. France does not have the industrial capacity or the money to compete with Russia in terms of basic military production (e.g. shells) nor does it have sufficient numbers of trained manpower. Furthermore, the Ukrainians are already on the canvas and just about to be counted out. Daniel Davis provides a good analytical dose of reality for the French in this shortish video (37 mins). No other European countries have agreed to send troops and neither has the US. Furthermore, Macron has only a 24% approval rating - which will inevitably plummet if he continues to steer this course.

Russian Parliament’s Deputy Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy did not mince his words when being interviewed by a French reporter with reference to French troops being sent to Ukraine. He said simply: ‘We will kill all French soldiers who come to Ukrainian soil: all of them’. The rather dense reporter reminded him that France is a nuclear power. ‘Yes’, Tolstoy said, ‘with 200 missiles..We don’t care what Macron says.’ What on earth do the French expect. They are already funding Ukraine to kill Russians and have many ‘mercenaries’ on the ground killing Russians so they should expect Russia to kill Frenchmen.

Russian troops in Paris 1814.

Do you remember March 19th 1814, M. Macron?

US MIC - Daylight Robbery

The US Military Industrial Complex is taking war profiteering to another level by hiking up prices of materiel sent to Ukraine. The price of ‘Stinger’ portable surface to air missiles has increased 16 times since 1991 and now cost $400,000 each while Patriot systems have increased four fold and now cost $1 billions each (plus $4.1 millions per missile). You can read more here.

Ukrainian Terror Attacks

I should point out that the Belgorod attacks discussed below could have been targeting a nuclear weapons storage facility according to Alexander Mercouris at the beginning of this video. One of Alexander’s sources has suggested that the US Air Force leaked the talk between German generals because they were concerned about what the Ukrainians may do under the direction of Victoria Nuland and that such concerns led to her dismissal. The Ukrainian capture of nuclear weapons is a scary scenario for any sane person in this world - though I find it hard to believe that the Russians would leave them so close to the front. I haven’t seen any confirmation of Alexander’s source’s claim btw.

The terrorist attacks have increased around the election period but the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is turning a blind eye, according to RT, as they’ve been doing for years.

15th/16th March Overnight

According to the Two Majors:

On the Kursk and Belgorod sections of the State Border, the enemy continues to attempt a breakthrough. It uses rocket artillery, mortars, tanks and other armored vehicles. The enemy is being destroyed on the outskirts of the border. The AFU are carrying out massive strikes from MLRS on various settlements of the Belgorod region, including Belgorod. There are many wounded civilians, and there are dead. The Nazis are deliberately destroying civilian vehicles with drones. In addition, kamikaze aircraft-type UAVs are attacking the Belgorod, Kursk, Tula, and Kaluga regions. Our troops are courageously holding the defence, launching retaliatory and preemptive strikes; Objective control footage testifies to their effectiveness, enemy equipment and manpower are being destroyed. The fighting continues.

Four individuals were injured by shells in Belgorod region on the 15th March along with four cars, a bus and a private household.

On the 16th March, according to the Governor of the Samara region of Azarov:.

This morning there was a UAV attack on the Syzran Oil Refinery and an attempted attack on the Novokuibyshevsky Oil Refinery. As a result, a fire occurred at a petroleum products processing unit on the territory of the Syzran Oil Refinery. According to preliminary data, no victims.

Trans-Siberian Railway - Terrorist Attack Foiled

According to Tass:

The FSB has detained a Russian citizen…who plotted a terror attack at a railway hub of the Trans-Siberian Railroad in the Sverdlovsk Region on an assignment from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Department. The Russian national was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence in Lvov, underwent sabotage training and was sent to Russia for committing terror attacks with the use of improvised explosives on railway trains delivering cargo for the special military operation, it specified. The suspect confessed to the wrongdoing and is cooperating with the investigative team.

Polling Station Attacks Kherson

On the 15th March, according to Slavyangrad:

An improvised explosive device was planted in a garbage garbage can in front of a polling station in Skadovsk. In addition, the AFU hit polling stations in Kakhovka and Brilyovka in the Alyoshkin district, and there were casualties.

Putin described these attacks as criminal acts meant to disrupt the voting process. He also referred to failed attempts by 2,500 Ukrainian troops, 35 tanks and 40 AFVs to invade parts of Belgorod and Kursk (see above). The enemy suffered 60% casualties in personnel and 50% losses in equipment, Putin said.

16th/17th March Overnight

Polling stations in Kherson and Zaporizhye were targeted overnight with drones and artillery. Attacks by Ukrainian saboteurs continued and fighting is taking place around Sporadyushino and Kozinka where infantry, tanks and AFVs are being deployed. The Russian guard and defence forces are holding the border ‘like granite’ according to this report. Belgorod was also shelled overnight.

Geromanat gave this report on the morning of the 17th March.

According to the Military Chronicle a total of 45 Ukrainian drones were shot down at night over Russian territory. The Border was not breeched by Ukrainian units who took 60-70% casualties - according to this report.

On the 17th March at least four drones headed for Moscow were destroyed by air defences, according to RT. Overnight, a total of 35 drones attacked Kaluga, Oryol, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Kursk and Belgorod. In the latter town, shelling killed a 16 year year old girl and injured her father. Elsewhere, the port city of Berdyansk (Zaporizhye) was shelled and a female election official was killed at a poling station. On the 17th March, the governor of Belgorod reported that one person had been killed by shelling and some 8 others were injured.

17th/18th March Overnight

Tyotkino in Kursk was shelled overnight along with many villages in Belgorod while Ukrainian ground forces are still attempting to break through to Kozinki. 142 shells were lobbed into the DPR injuring two civilians.

18th/19th March Overnight

According to the Two Majors:

In the Belgorod region, the enemy continues massive shelling. Grayvoronsky and Shebekinsky urban districts, Belgorod, Borisovsky and Krasnoyaruzhsky districts, the city of Belgorod are under attack. Over the past day, civilians, including a child, have been killed again.

Tyotkino in Kursk was shelled again but the Ukrainians have not broken through the border towards the village. Efforts to infiltrate the village of Kozinka in Belgorod with groups of 6-8 men have also failed.

Nearly a whole family was killed in this house in Nikolskoye.

Four people were killed when a shell exploded inside a house at the village of Nikolskoye in Belgorod. A whole family of grandmother, mother, son and step father were killed but a little granddaughter was saved though badly injured. Many villages in Belgorod continue to suffer shelling and civilian casualties.

143 round of ammunition were lobbed into the DPR killing a teenager and wounding two others.

Lysychansk

A high rise residential building in Lysychansk was attacked on the 19th March. It looks as if at least one person is buried under the rubble.

19th/20th March Overnight

The Ukrainians continued their attempts to break through to the border village of Kozinka in Belgorod though only a few houses on the outskirts near the forest have been occupied before the Russians demolished them along with their occupants. 9,000 children have been evacuated from the area. The Ukrainians are using RM-70 "Vampire" MLRS and the Tochka-U tactical missile system for strikes. Tyotkino in Kursk is also under attack and in the DPR 6 civilians were injured by shelling.

20th/21st March Overnight

Activity by Ukrainian saboteurs has declined in Belgorod but 2 civilians were killed by MLRS fire in Graivoron while 2 more were wounded. Residential buildings and cars were also damaged. Tyotkino in Kursk was shelled and 60 projectiles lobbed into the DPR injured 6 people. Ten RM-70 MLRS shells were destroyed over Belgorod region at 8 am Moscow time on the 21st March.

21st/22nd March Overnight

Five people were injured by shelling overnight in Belgorod where an ‘aircraft type’ drone was destroyed. Drones were also destroyed over Bryansk and Crimea. 120 projectiles were lobbed into the DPR where explosives dropped from a drone killed a 30 year old woman.

Pro-Russian Saboteurs

On March 17th, pro-Russian saboteurs attacked a warehouse in Usatovo (Odessa) destroying large numbers of drones along with other military equipment/ammunition.

The Air War (Map)

SU-30 Over the Black Sea

Russian Missile/Drone Attacks

15th/16th March Overnight

According to the Two Majors:

The RF Armed Forces launched a missile attack on one of the health resorts in Odessa yesterday. At least 550 people from the Interior Ministry ("Lyut" and "Tsunami") were killed, including two Ukrainian generals. SBU operatives were urgently sent to the region to carry out counterintelligence activities.

Slavyangrad reported only 20 dead and 50 injured but many are still under the rubble. The Odessa Mriya guest house was among the buildings hit. It is thought that large numbers of foreign ‘mercenaries’ (mainly French, Poles and Georgians) were staying there along with NATO intelligence people and equipment operators, according to this report. An office for GUR and NATO personnel in Konotop, Sumy region was attacked by missiles on the 16th March. Commander of the “Tsunami” battalion, Alexander Gostishchev (deputy head of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Odessa region), was killed in the attack along with Sergei Tetyukhin, former deputy head of Odessa and Dmitry Abramenko, another deputy head of the Main Directorate of the National Police, Odessa region. Some very important people were taken out then.

Shoigu Reports on 16th March (Staff Meeting)

Over the past week, as a result of reconnaissance and attack weaponry strikes, three U.S.-made Patriot systems, one Vampire MLRS combat vehicle, more than 10 foreign-made artillery systems, and POL and ammunition depots were destroyed. As a result of a precision aviation ammunition strike at a temporary deployment area of the Kraken nationalist formations, up to 300 Ukrainian militants were eliminated.

The Ukrainians must be worried about the number of air defence systems they are losing - each one costs a cool $1 billions.

21st March

According to the Two Majors:

Early this morning, the Russian Army launched massive air-launched missile strikes against enemy rear facilities. The launches were carried out from 11 strategic missile carriers Tu-95ms, Mig-31 launched hypersonic "Daggers". Judging by the enemy's monitoring channels, the main blows fell on the enemy's capital, 3 series of explosions sounded.

Explosions were heard in Rovno and Zhytomyr regions. Kiev and Kharkov were heavily attacked along with most regions of Ukraine including ports in Odessa. Kiev was vulnerable because its air defence systems had been sent to the front, according to Dima (12 mins). He believes that this missile attack was designed to persuade the Ukrainians to bring their air defences back to the capital so that the Russian air force can operate with impunity at the front as part of an offensive. He therefore expects the attacks, which have been the largest in 44 days, to continue.

21st/22nd March Overnight

The Russians launched another attack overnight so it looks as if Dima was right about the Russian launching consecutive attacks but we don’t know why they did so. It could be part of the preparation for an offensive but it could also be for some other reason. According to the Two Majors:

On the second morning, the RF Armed Forces strike at the rear facilities of Ukraine. This time it is massive in nature: missiles were launched from 13 Tu-95ms, 4 T01u22-m3, hypersonic "Kinzhals" from Mig-31 and ground-based missile weapons were also used. It is noteworthy that the "Kinzhals" were used in several series. Explosions were heard in Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, KryvoyRog, Odessa, Vinnitsia, Khmelnitsky, and Nikolayev regions. There are power outages in Kharkov and Krivoy Rog after 15 arrivals at energy facilities. At the time of preparation of the summary, 15 missiles were heading towards the western regions of Ukraine.

A troop deployment point in Selidovo was destroyed.

The Russian MoD reported that:

Tonight, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched a strike with high-precision long-range air-launched weapons , including aeroballistic hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, against decision-making centers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, logistics bases , temporary deployment points for special operations forces and foreign mercenaries. The objectives of the strike have been achieved. All objects are hit.

Electricity generating facilities have also been hit in Vinittsa, Kharkov and Western Ukraine. Some Ukrainians are claiming that this was the largest strike on the electricity infrastructure yet. The big question is why the Russians are doing this now.

Ukrainian Missile/Drone Attacks

17th March (morning)

The oil refinery at Slavyansk-on-Kuban, Krasnodar Territory was attacked by a drone overnight.

The Ground War

Russian MoD Reports

w/e 1st March 7395 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 429 (includes 4 motor boats)

w/e 8th March 7285 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 351.

w/e 15th March 6745 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 411.

w/e 22nd March 8745 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 361

On the 21st March Sergey Shoigu announced that the Ukrainians have lost 71,000 men killed and wounded during 2024 along with 11,000 units of military equipment. This represents an increase of 300% over the same period last year - which is alarming from a Ukrainian viewpoint. Given the existing problems with manpower levels and mobilisation, this level of loss cannot be sustained for long and it appears from this week’s Russian MoD figures that casualties are on the increase.

The Fronts

Luhansk - Kupyansk - Siversk

Bakhmut/Artemovsk

According to sitreports:

In the Bakhmut Direction, the RF Armed Forces continue their attempts to dislodge the AFU from the western outskirts of Ivanovskoye (Krasnoye), but the Ukrainian troops are in no hurry to surrender the upland. Also, the Russian forces took assault actions in Bogdanovka.

Orlivka-Berdychi-Tonenkoye

On March 20th, according to the Military Summary Channel the Russians pushed the Ukrainians out of Orlivka. Fighting continued all week in Berdychi and Tonenkoye where the Ukrainians may have to retreat across the river as their colleagues in Orlivka have done. The Ukrainians are fighting fiercely to prevent the Russians from taking Berdychi while the Russians made some progress west of Orlivka. On the 21st March, the Russians liberated Tonenkoye, according to Tass.

Western Donetsk - Marinka - Vuhledar

Orekhov - Rabotino - Verbove

Fighting continued here all week, especially around Rabotino but there have not been any major changes.

Kherson - Krynki

Fighting continues around Krynki and the Antonovsky bridge where the Ukrainians continue to take heavy losses.

The Economic War

Switzerland

The Swiss are introducing a ‘temporary war tax’ to plug a hole of between 3.8 and 5.2 francs in their budget per year. A 1% rise in VAT will be imposed on the population that is hoped to raise 20 billion francs in 6 years.

EU Extends Tariff Free Trade With Ukraine

The EU has ruled to extend tariff free trade with Ukraine until June 2025, according to RT. There will be no restrictive quotas on Ukrainian goods during this period. This means that farmers in European countries will continue their protests. I have no idea why this is happening but it’s insane. It seems that the advice of people who know something about economics is not being sought by these bureaucrats.

World Politics

Protests

Poland

70,000 farmers blocked roads to 500 settlements in Poland on the 20th March. 1700 farmers protested in the Czech Republic along with 1500 tractors.

Hungary Demands Rights for Its Ukrainian Citizens

Hungary is pressurising Ukraine to restore rights of representation and the use of the Hungarian language for Hungarians who are living in Ukraine. These rights were taken away in 2015.

The emerging Multi-Polar World Order

24 years of Putin

No wonder the West hates the man.

Maduro Congratulates Putin:

Having gained more than 87% of the votes, Putin has completely won the battle against the entire collective Western empire in a demonstration of Russian people's values. This is the claim of the new Great Russia for a multipolar world, a world of balance. Our elder brother Vladimir Putin has won. Good omens for peace in this year 2024. Congratulations to Putin and Russia!

So Does Morales, Former President of Bolivia

In congratulating Putin, Morales said:

We hope that you will continue to care for your people with the same dedication and conviction. Their efforts to consolidate a multipolar world are essential to ensuring international peace and security. Despite powerful campaigns by NATO and the US, the Russian people have spoken.

And Modi of India

Modi looked forward to increasing the strategic relationship between the two countries.

Bashar al-Assad of Syria Had This To Say:

Image not current.

I congratulate you on your victory and your re-election as President of the Russian Federation with a large majority, which confirms the high confidence of the Russian people in you, your national policies, and your strategic visions that stem from their interests and are based on the great position that Russia has long occupied in The world because it has a long history and a civilization built on principles and values, and on respect for the interests and rights of other countries and peoples, not on occupation, domination, and plunder.

Congratulations also came from Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Kim Jong-un of North Korea, Luis Acre, current Bolivian President, Erdogan of Turkiye, Erbrahim Raise of Iran, The Pope and many others.

Orban

Probably taken before the election.

Xi Jinping

‘You did it buddy, knew you would’

The Decline of the West and the Rise of Russia

Purnima Anand - President of the BRICS International Forum, gave an interview to Pravda in which she praised the Russian model of democracy. She has been engaged as an observer in the Presidential elections. She also talked about the importance of BRICS and of Russia’s role within it. BRICS is thriving politically and economically as it seeks to free countries from dollar domination, she said. You can read more here.

Russia v Serbia Football

Russia 4 Serbia 0

The Uni-Polar World Order (Russian Perspective)

It’s a bloody mess from my perspective also - sorry, lost the link.

Woke Woes

A new Finish study has concluded that Woke individuals are more likely to be unhappy, anxious and depressed. I should add that Woke individuals make each other unhappy, anxious and depressed.

That’s it for another week. Many thanks for your views, subscriptions, shares, likes and comments. Best Rob

Non subscribers can view Updates on Telegram: https://t.me/UWUupdate.

1. Peter, Paul and Mary’s version of Pete Seeger’s song ‘Where have all the flowers gone’. Where Have All the Flowers Gone (2004 Remaster) - Bing video