01.03.2022

The situation as of 10:00, March 2, 2022

OPERATIONAL SITUATION

As of the morning of March 1, the pace of the offensive of the enemy forces has somewhat slowed down; the Russian troops’ armoured columns were experiencing problems with fuel and ammunition supply. There is also a change in the tactics of the Russian forces – given the failure to seize regional centres and fully advance deep into the cities, enemy forces are firing rockets at civilian targets.

Kyiv and the Kyiv region:

The fighting continues against Russian troops, who have concentrated their forces on cordoning off the capital city. A counter-sabotage effort is underway in the capital itself. The Ukrainian defence forces continue to carry out tasks to protect the city, inflicting damage to the enemy with NLAW, FGM-148 and Javelin, also using Bayraktar from the air. During the night of February 28 to March 1, the enemy missile was shot down by Ukrainian air defence forces in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district. Two helicopters of the occupiers were shot down by the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the capital.

In Kyiv, Russian troops carried out an air strike on the TV tower located on Dorohozhychi, in close proximity to the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center. According to preliminary information, five people were killed as a result of the strike. Additionally, enemy MLRS fire in the capital took place in the districts of Kurenivka, Rusanivka, Boyarka, Zhulyany, and Vyshneve.

Looting and robberies of malls and shops by the Russian military continued in Kyiv region (in particular in the towns of Bucha and Gostomel). In Kalynivka (Kyiv region) a residential building was completely destroyed as a result of bombing by enemy forces. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine eliminated inflames in the village of Borodyanka (Kyiv region) caused by shelling by the Russian military. In Bucha and Irpin (Kyiv region) the AFU seized enemy forces’ military equipment.

Centre:

Explosions were heard in Uman district and Cherkasy region; enemy forces shelled the Kanatovo military airfield near Kropyvnytskyi.

North:

The presence of Belarusian troops on the territory of Chernihiv Region has been reported for the third day. Russian troops have shelled residential areas in Chernihiv with Grad multiple rocket launchers.

The cities of Sumy, Lebedyn and Akhtyrka remain surrounded by the enemy. On 1 March, Russian troops with a convoy of equipment entered the town of Trostyanets  (Sumy region). In Akhtyrka (Sumy region) enemy forces dropped three prohibited vacuum bombs on a military unit, killing at least 70 Ukrainian fighters. A vacuum bomb was also used to blow up an oil depot. In Romny district (Sumy region) the occupiers crushed a car with local resident inside who was trying to stop a convoy of Russian military equipment.  The first prisoner exchange in Sumy region also took place on this day: five Ukrainians from the territorial defense unit were exchanged for one Russian.

In the evening of March 1, a caliber cruise missile hit the base of the 95th Brigade in Zhytomyr.

South:

The Russian army shelled residential areas in Mariupol, Donetsk region. As a result of the military terrorist attack, several houses and a school in the Livoberezhny district, as well as the territory of Kommunalnyk were damaged.

As a result of enemy shelling in Melitopol (Zaporizhzhya region) 31 houses were destroyed (in the south of the city and in the area of  Novy Melitopol). In Odesa region, a missile hit a military unit (guidance station) in the village of Loshchynivka. The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a Tochka-U strike on a large number of Russian vehicles at the Berdyansk airfield in Zaporizhzhia region.

Shelling occurred in the village of Dachne  (Odesa district), damaging a gas pipeline and 9 private houses, killing 1 person and injuring 2 others.

The Ukrainian armed forces continue fighting with Russian troops near Energodar, Zaporizhzhya region. Ninety military NPP units are concentrated near the village of Dniprovka.

In Kherson region, the enemy entered the border of Skadovsk, Hola Prystan, Kherson, Nova Kakhovka settlements; an offensive is under way in Mykolayiv; fighting took place in Bashtanka and Snihurivka localities (Mykolayiv region). After the Russian army fired rockets in Mykolayiv region, the AFU took back the TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower system from the Russians. On the night of 1 March, an assault on Kherson from the airport side began. Russian army infantrymen entered the city and advanced deep into it. On the morning, Kherson was blockaded by the Russian military; enemy forces set up roadblocks at the entrances to the city. Two nine-storey apartment buildings were damaged by enemy shelling and four people were preliminarily killed in the attacks. In the city, Russian forces launched a rocket attack on a water supply plant as well as the Fabrika shopping mall.

East:

On the morning of 1 March, enemy forces launched a rocket attack on Kharkiv; shells hit residential areas, the city centre, a hospital and a university. In the central part of the city, the buildings of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, the opera house, the philharmonic hall and residential buildings were damaged. At least 7 people were killed in the strike and 24 others were injured, including one child.

The shelling in Kharkiv took place throughout the day – most of the residential areas were hit, in particular the private sector in Danilivka village, as well as blocks in Chuhuyiv near the airfield. A Russian fighter jet dropped a bomb on a lifting and handling equipment plant; a tank school in Kharkiv was also – hit.

The total estimated losses of the enemy as of March 1, 2022 were:

– personnel – 5840 people;

– aircraft – 30 units;

– helicopters – 31 units;

– tanks – up to 211;

– armored combat vehicles / APV – 862 units;

– artillery systems– 85;

– anti-aircraft warfare systems – 9;

– MLRS – 40;

– fuel tanks – 60;

– UAV operational and tactical level – 3;

– light speedboats – 2 units;

– vehicles – 355.

Data are being updated. The calculation is complicated by the high intensity of hostilities.

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

Russian troops continue to shell civilian infrastructure, including kindergartens and schools, hospitals, and maternity centres.

On 1 March, it was reported that an enemy shell damaged the Adonis maternity hospital near Kyiv. In the village of Borodyanka (Kyiv region) the enemy shelled a rehabilitation centre of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. In Kyiv, seriously ill children and their parents remain under enemy fire at the Ohmatdyt hospital due to the inability to evacuate and move to shelter.

In the Luhansk region in the city of Severodonetsk, enemy forces fired on the regional orphanage. In Kharkiv, during a rocket attack by the enemy on a residential neighborhood, the shells hit the Hospital No.3 in the Novobavarsky district of Kharkiv. Patients and medical staff were not injured.

In Mariupol (Donetsk region) an IDP house was damaged by an enemy shell.

Russian troops fired on the center of the village of Vasylivka (Zaporizhzhya region). The shells flew into the yard of a local school. Two people were seriously injured in the shelling.

In total, as a result of Russian armed aggression in eastern Ukraine alone, about 40,000 people were left without electricity and water. At the same time, the Russian military does not provide an opportunity to fully evacuate the local population. On March 1, the Ukrainian side managed to evacuate 346 people from Volnovakha in the Donetsk region.

Cases of looting by representatives of the Russian armed forces in various settlements of Ukraine continue. Russian soldiers rob stores and shopping malls (for example, the Eurosport shopping center in Kherson).

INTERNATIONAL REACTION

Russia’s international isolation due to military aggression in Ukraine persists, in particular:

– The National Hockey League has announced the termination of all business relations with Russia.

– Walt Disney Company stops supplying films to Russian cinemas.

– Sony Pictures suspends premieres of its films in Russia.

– General Motors and Volkswagen have suspended supplies to Russia.

– Harley-Davidson has suspended operations in Russia.

– Mastercard blocked access to the payment network for several Russian financial institutions;

– Uzbek bank Apelsin suspended remittances from Russia;

– Ukrainian alcohol producer Nemiroff revoked the license to manufacture its products in Russia;

– The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has suspended Russia’s and Belarus’ access to the bank’s finances indefinitely;

– iHerb online store suspended service to customers from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova;

– The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq suspended trading in shares of Yandex, Ozon and many other Russian companies;

– Adidas suspended cooperation with the Russian Football Union;

– Nike no longer delivers its products to Russia;

– Apple Pay no longer works in Russia;

– Norway will ban the sale of Russian alcohol in its stores;

– BMW stops production of the brand’s cars at Avtotor’s facilities in Kaliningrad and stops supplying cars to the Russian market;

– British television company BBC Studios announced the revocation of licenses for Russian content;

– The organizers of the Cannes Film Festival have stated that they do not plan to receive the Russian delegation at this year’s event if the Russian war against Ukraine continues;

– The American streaming service Netflix refused to broadcast Russian federal channels;

– The International Skating Union has decided to exclude skaters representing Russia and Belarus from competitions under its auspices;

– Maersk logistics company suspends work with all Russian ports and

– The British fintech cross-border payment service Wise announced the suspension of remittances in Russia after new sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

On 1 March, it became known that the EU blocked TikTok accounts supported by the Russian government, including RT and Sputnik. Later, Google said that YouTube channels affiliated with RT and Sputnik were blocked in Europe. The operator of Nord Stream 2 declared bankruptcy.

Japan has imposed sanctions against the Russian administration and a number of Russian companies. Taiwan is ready to join sanctions measures to disconnect Russian banks from the SWIFT system. State Bank of India, the country’s largest bank, will not conduct payments of Russian companies hit by Western sanctions. The UK has imposed sanctions on the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and its chairman, Kirill Dmitriev. The country has also said it will impose sanctions on Belarus for its role in Russia’s invasion.

Canada has announced a ban on Russian ships entering its ports and territorial waters. Montenegro closes airspace to Russian aircraft and joins the anti-Putin sanctions bloc. Poland has begun the process of confiscating Russian real estate in Warsaw, including the embassy school building. French Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire has said France is determined to wage an ‘all-out economic and financial war’ against Russia until Putin stops pursuing his intentions on Ukraine.

The world community has been giving great support to refugees from Ukraine. At the daily UN meeting on 1 March, it was revealed that their number in the EU has already exceeded half a million. Spain has declared legalisation of all migrants from Ukraine, and Brazil is creating a ‘humanitarian passport’ to receive Ukrainian refugees. Angelina Jolie posted a post on Instagram in support of Ukraine and asked neighbouring countries to accept refugees. There was also news that Ukrainians who went to France would be able to use trains in the country for free. Poland, Germany and Austria have also made train travel free for Ukrainians.

The provision of military, logistical, financial and humanitarian aid to the international community of Ukraine remains robust. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reached an agreement with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on an increase in arms deliveries to Ukraine. Canada will provide Ukraine with anti-tank weapons and upgraded ammunition to support its fight against Russian invasion and will ban imports of Russian crude oil. Norway will transfer up to 2,000 M72 anti-tank grenade launchers to Ukraine. Austria will provide €15 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine in connection with the war. Italy’s parliament has approved the government’s request to send weapons to Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russian invasion. Among the weapons to be sent are Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and large-calibre machine guns.

Humanitarian aid in the form of 27 tonnes of medical supplies has been sent to Ukraine by Taiwan. Australia will allocate $75 million to Ukraine in order to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities and provide humanitarian aid. The Visa Foundation will provide a $2 million grant to the UNICEF Foundation for humanitarian aid to Ukrainians. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that Ukraine has already received €500 million in military aid, and the EU will allocate another €500 million to help refugees. UEFA will allocate 1 million euros to support children in Ukraine. There will also be an additional €100,000 for children and refugees in Moldova. Sweden is also allocating €47 million for humanitarian support to Ukraine. Google has allocated $15 million, direct grants and advertising credits; enabled SOS alerts on the Search site across Ukraine; disabled some features of Google Maps Ukraine to protect citizens; and strengthened the protection of Google accounts of Ukrainians. On the political and diplomatic front, Ukraine is receiving support from partner countries. On 1 March, the European Parliament adopted Ukraine’s application for EU membership and recommended that Ukraine be granted candidate status. A special introduction procedure has been launched. Additionally, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Russian aggression against Ukraine. The UN International Court of Justice said that it would hold hearings on the war in Ukraine on March 7 and 8. The European Court of Human Rights issued a ruling ordering the Russian Federation to stop attacks and bombing civilian targets in Ukraine. The U.S. has declared 12 staff members of the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations persona non grata. They must leave the country by March 7.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said that the Kremlin’s representatives who unleashed aggression against Ukraine would be prohibited from entering the premises. Canada has asked the International Criminal Court in The Hague to speed up the investigation into Russia’s crimes against Ukraine.

Actions in support of Ukraine take place all over the world: public demonstrations were held on March 1 in Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Spain. A sixth protest against the war was held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where about a hundred people were detained.