- Russian troops are trying to build on their success near Avdiivka and prevent the Armed Forces of Ukraine from gaining a foothold on new lines of defense. In addition, they continue attacks in other areas of the front.
- The Ukrainian command reports that the activity of Russian aviation has decreased due to heavy losses inflicted on it by Ukrainian air defense over the past two weeks.
- As a result of a Russian drone hitting a residential building in Odesa on the night of March 2, at least 12 people were killed, including 5 children.
- The Netherlands has become the seventh state with which Ukraine has concluded a bilateral Agreement on security cooperation.
- French President Emmanuel Macron announced after the meeting of European leaders in Paris that the option of sending troops from Western countries to Ukraine is not ruled out in order to defeat Russia.
OPERATIONAL SITUATION
Russian forces continue offensive operations in several areas of the front in the south and east. They managed to advance near Donetsk, building on the success achieved after the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Avdiivka. They also intensified attacks near Bakhmut in the direction of Chasiv Yar.
Russian troops continue to strike at the territory of Ukraine, using drones and missiles. On the night of February 27, Ukrainian air defense intercepted 11 out of 13 drones and 2 out of 6 missiles used by the enemy; on the night of February 28 all 10 UAVs used were intercepted; on the night of March 2, 14 out of 17 drones used were intercepted.
During the week, the losses of civilians in some regions of Ukraine as a result of the actions of the Russian military amounted to at least: in the Donetsk region – 3 people killed and 21 people wounded; in the Kherson region – 4 people killed and 11 people wounded; in Kharkiv region – 5 people killed and 14 people wounded; in Sumy region – 2 people killed and 8 people wounded. As a result of a drone hit on a multi-storey residential building in Odesa on the night of March 2, 10 people were killed, including 3 children, and 8 people were injured.
During the week, the Ukrainian command announced the downing of several Russian aircraft used to strike the frontline regions of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian military, the increase in aviation losses in February led to a decrease in the intensity of its use by the Russian military.
On February 29, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported a missile attack on Olenivka, which is located in the temporarily occupied part of the Donetsk region. According to preliminary data, 19 Russian soldiers were killed as a result of this attack.
On March 1, the Ukrainian military struck Russian military facilities on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea. On the night of March 3, Ukrainian UAVs attacked the territory of the peninsula. In addition, on March 2-3, drones attacked infrastructure facilities in St. Petersburg and hit an electrical substation in Yekaterinburg.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Andrii Kostin, stated that Ukraine is investigating over 122,000 war crimes committed by Russia. Currently, 511 criminals have been identified, and 80 convictions have been issued in Ukrainian courts, mostly in absentia. Among the documented materials by law enforcement are evidence of killings, executions, shelling of civilian infrastructure, and forced deportations.
Since late November 2023, Ukrainian prosecutors have recorded an increase in the number of shootings by Russian occupiers of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Currently, 19 criminal investigations are underway regarding the murder of 45 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
During January-February 2024, Ukrainian manufacturers produced approximately 200,000 FPV drones. This year, Ukraine’s production capabilities are expected to reach 2 million drones of various types, including FPV.
In February, the Ukrainian sea corridor transported 8 million tons of cargo, of which 5.2 million tons were agricultural products. These are record export figures since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The Minister of Finance of Ukraine Serhiy Marchenko stated that Ukraine needs about $3 billion in external financing each month. Overall, since February 2022, financial support from G7 and EU countries has reached approximately $63 billion.
The Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, announced that negotiations are currently underway with the Ukrainian side regarding the possibility of completely closing the Ukrainian-Polish border for trading goods. Warsaw is seeking a solution to limit the entry of much cheaper Ukrainian agricultural products into the Polish market.
FOREIGN POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT
On February 28th, a summit “Ukraine – South-Eastern Europe” took place in Tirana, attended by the leaders of 9 states. Following the summit, a Joint Declaration was adopted, reaffirming unwavering support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and calling on the international community to intensify efforts to assist Ukraine. During the event, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a series of meetings, including with Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković, President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, President of Moldova Maia Sandu, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Kristo. During the meeting between the President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Albania was signed. Additionally, during negotiations with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Talat Džaferi, a Joint Declaration on Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration was signed.
This week in Kharkiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, resulting in the signing of the Agreement on security cooperation between Ukraine and the Netherlands. Under the agreements, the Netherlands will provide 2 billion euros of military support to Ukraine in 2024 and continue defense support for 10 years. Currently, Ukraine has signed security guarantee agreements with 7 countries, and negotiations have commenced with Norway for the conclusion of a bilateral security agreement.
On February 26th, a conference in support of Ukraine was held in Paris, organized by President of France Emmanuel Macron. The event was attended by 27 heads of state or government or their ministerial representatives, including a video statement by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Following the conference, a coalition was announced to supply Ukraine with medium and long-range missiles. Participants also supported the Czech initiative to procure ammunition for Ukraine outside of Europe to provide further support to the Ukrainian army. Specifically, the Netherlands will allocate over 100 million euros, and Belgium will allocate 200 million euros to the Czech initiative. Additionally, the Government of Germany announced the dispatch of another batch of military aid to Ukraine, including 155mm artillery shells, WISENT 1 mine clearance vehicles, Vector reconnaissance drones, and other equipment. The Netherlands ordered 9 DITA self-propelled artillery units from the Czech Republic for delivery to Ukraine. The French government ordered 100 kamikaze drones from Delair for Ukraine.
Furthermore, Ukraine received 760 million USD in grant funding from Japan and Norway under the World Bank project “Public Expenditure for Adequate and Sustainable Governance in Ukraine” (PEACE in Ukraine).
Canada announced additional restrictions on the import of Russian diamonds as part of coordinated actions with other G7 countries. Switzerland joined the 13th package of European Union sanctions against Russia and imposed additional trade restrictions. New Zealand announced new sanctions against Russia, including setting an upper price limit for Russian-origin oil, banning the export of sanctioned goods to Russia and Belarus through third countries, and imposing restrictions on 61 individuals and companies to counter attempts to circumvent sanctions. Japan expanded sanctions against Russia, adding 12 individuals and 36 Russian enterprises to the sanctions list due to the war in Ukraine, including personal sanctions involving asset freezes.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution emphasizing the need for unwavering support for Ukraine in combating Russian aggression. The document stresses that all EU and NATO allies should provide military support to Ukraine amounting to at least 0.25% of their GDP annually. EU countries are called upon to initiate dialogue with defense companies to ensure increased production and defense supplies to Ukraine.
On February 27th, the President of Ukraine conducted a working visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he met with the Crown Prince, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud. The leaders discussed the implementation of the Peace Formula and the organization of the first Global Peace Summit at the leaders’ level, as well as specific opportunities for bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia in economic and technological spheres.
Additionally, the President of Ukraine met with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Nikolaі Denkov, who was visiting Kyiv.
The information in the newsletter is collected from official sources—reports of state authorities of Ukraine, Ukrainian and international news agencies. The accuracy of the data is carefully checked by the project team and corrected in case of fake news.