As of Tuesday, March 7, 2023, the Russia-Ukraine war has been ongoing for 377 days. Here are the latest developments:
Fighting
The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces reported on Monday that Bakhmut and its surrounding areas were under constant attack, with the enemy disregarding their losses. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the situation with his chief of the general staff and the commander of ground forces, who both agreed to continue the defensive operation in the salt-mining town. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba shared a video on social media showing an unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war being executed by Russian forces for saying “Glory to Ukraine”. He called for an investigation by the International Criminal Court. Russian forces launched 15 Iranian-made Shahed drones from Russia’s Bryansk region, but 13 were shot down by Ukrainian forces. In the southern Russian region of Belgorod, at least one person was wounded after Russian forces shot down three missiles. Air raid sirens were also triggered in Kyiv early on Monday due to an “aerial target”. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman reported that 307 children have been rescued from Russia-occupied territories, including an 8-year-old boy who was reunited with his grandmother.
Diplomacy
Andrey Kelin, the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom, referred to the war in Ukraine as a “civil war” and blamed the West for creating an “existential threat” for Russia in an interview with Al Jazeera. Ukraine’s economy ministry has lowered its GDP growth forecast for 2023 to 1 percent. Norway has become Europe’s largest natural gas supplier, earning $140bn in revenues from oil and gas last year after Russia cut deliveries. Germany uncovered a hacking network with links to Russia that targeted over 600 victims, and German authorities have issued arrest warrants for the group’s three suspected masterminds. Russia declared Transparency International, an anti-corruption group based in Germany, an “undesirable organization”. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned of consequences if China sent weapons to Russia for the war in Ukraine but expressed optimism that China would not do so. Two Canadian firms are among the companies on a new US sanctions list for allegedly supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
Weapons
Ukraine has requested air-delivered cluster bombs from the US, including the MK-20, according to two legislators from the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. The European Union is nearing a landmark agreement to jointly procure ammunition to help Ukraine and replenish members’ stockpiles. EU defence ministers are expected to discuss the plans this week.