Igor Zhdanov, the Minister of Youth and sports in Ukraine (2014-2019), a public and political figure, Maidan commandant during the Revolution of Dignity, member of the Maidan Council, candidate of political sciences, ATO volunteer, analyst of the NGO "Open Policy Foundation"

 

Informational Defence of Ukraine provides a daily review of the military-political situation in Ukraine, morning of March 5th, based on an analysis of open sources.

1. The Armed Forces of Ukraine firmly hold the lines of defence and in some areas have counterattacked.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to maintain certain boundaries in all directions, and in some areas, they counterattack and force the enemy to retreat with losses, disrupt rear communications, and inflict devastating blows.

The main goal of the enemy’s offensive invasion is Kyiv, but the enemy has not been able to achieve significant success in this direction, on the contrary, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to liberate Bucha, Makariv, and Hostomel from the troops of the russian aggressor.

The russian occupiers also failed to make significant progress in Chernihiv and Kharkiv districts, which bravely repulsed the hostile russian occupation forces.

Mariupol has been fighting in the encirclement for several days, but does not give up. In the area of the Joint Forces operation, the enemy did not manage to reach the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

In Prymorskyi direction, our defenders covered the sea coast and prevented the encirclement of Mykolaiiv .

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 05.03 were approximately: combatants - more than 10 thousand people, tanks - 269 units, BBM - 945 units, artillery systems - 105 units, MLRS - 50 units, air defence - 19 units, aircraft - 39 units (to be specified), helicopters - 40 units (to be specified), motor vehicles - 409 units, light speedboats - 2 units, tanks with fuel - 60, UAV operational and tactical level - 3.

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

The russian aggressor, after the powerful resistance of The Armed Forces of Ukraine, on the 9th day of the war changes the tactics:

• turns to openly terrorist methods of conducting hostilities on the territory of Ukraine;
• increases the tasks with the use of special units in the suburbs of settlements as assault units;
• more often uses airborne landings to ensure the protection of bridges over water obstacles;
• intensifies measures of psychological influence on the population and troops;
• large-scale and comprehensively increases the dissemination of fake news, which will be carried out with the involvement of the full range of contemporary media.

According to the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Olexii Danilov, the russian occupation forces have used at least 95% of their battalion tactical groups.

2. Terror against civilians in Ukraine continues.

The russian occupation forces continue shelling peaceful towns and villages in Ukraine. Despite agreements reached in the second round of Ukrainian-russian talks, the russian occupiers are blocking the humanitarian corridors to the besieged and shelled Ukrainian cities.

For five days, russian aggressors have been mercilessly shelling Mariupol, destroying its infrastructure - the city has been left without heat, water, and electricity, with three hundred wounded in hospitals. On the morning of March 5, there was information about russia’s agreement to establish a humanitarian corridor for Mariupol.

Kharkiv is under constant fire and needs immediate humanitarian assistance, 300 people are injured, they are in hospitals.

Ukraine appealed to various countries around the world and international organisations to assist in humanitarian aid to Ukrainian cities surrounded by the russian occupiers.

Yes, our country appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to urgently assist in establishing the humanitarian corridors. Mykhailo Podoliak, an Adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian President’s office, said that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was negotiating with Putin to establish humanitarian corridors in Ukraine.

In addition, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine called for the opening of a “green corridor” for the safe evacuation of women, children and the elderly, and the provision of humanitarian assistance to victims and civilians.

russian occupiers continue to launch missile, bomb and artillery strikes on other peaceful settlements.

On the morning of March 4th, russian troops fired a missile at the school No25 in Zhytomyr, destroying it.

russian troops shelled the city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, from the latest guided cluster munitions MLRS “Tornado-C”, which are prohibited by international conventions. The local media of Pokrovsk that is controlled by Ukraine reported that a residential building was damaged during the night shelling of the city.

According to updated information from medical institutions, on March 3rd, a bombardment by russian aircraft in Chernihiv killed 47 people: 38 men and 9 women.

russia has committed another crime - on the night of March 3rd-4th, the occupiers fired on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station. As a result, large fires broke out, which were soon extinguished by Ukrainian rescuers. The radiation background is now normal, but that night the world was on the verge of a nuclear catastrophe.

As of the evening of March 4th, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station was captured by russian troops, they control the administrative buildings and the passage to the station.

In negotiations with russia, the Ukrainian delegation proposed the establishment of a no-fly and conflict-free zone around nuclear power areas to protect nuclear facilities from shelling, but its proposals were not accepted by the aggressor.

3. russia spreads fake documents about the Ukrainian-russian war.

The russian occupiers are creating duplicates of the official pages of Ukrainian agencies on social networks. Among them is a fake page of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. This was reported on the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Defence.

In Kherson, the occupiers began broadcasting 24 Russian TV channels and 3 radio channels via the T2 set-top box. There is only one Ukrainian regional TV channel UA: Kherson, which broadcasts all-Ukrainian programmes marathon. Other regional channels are currently down. The situation is similar in other districts of the region.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mr. Dmytro Kuleba reported that the occupiers plan to hold a fake demonstration for the russian media in favour of the unification of the Kherson region with the Crimea, with the participation of alleged “locals” imported from the Crimea. But they did not succeed, on the contrary, Kherson went out to protest against the fake humanitarian aid of russian President putin.

4. Ukraine’s international support continues.

Ukrainian diplomacy has mobilised an unprecedentedly broad anti-putin coalition to support Ukraine, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mr. Dmytro Kuleba: “It currently includes 84 countries and 13 international organisations.”

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted an appeal in which it considers necessary to introduce peacekeeping forces in Ukraine based on UN General Assembly Resolution 377 (V) “Union for Peace” of November 3, 1950.

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Mr. Joseph Borrel condemned the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia NPP by the russian occupation forces: “Attacks by russian troops in the immediate vicinity of the nuclear power station could have catastrophic consequences and must be stopped immediately. The shelling and the resulting fire at the ZNPP could pose a threat to all of Europe.”

The UN Human Rights Council has established an international commission to investigate russian war crimes against Ukrainians.

NATO Secretary General Mr. Jens Stoltenberg predicts further escalation in Ukraine as a result of russia’s aggressive actions. Stoltenberg said russia’s war in Ukraine was the worst military aggression in Europe in decades, with shelling and reckless actions at ZNPP.

Simultaneously, on Friday, March 4th, NATO rejected Ukraine’s request to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine. The main reason for refusal is that the establishment of a no-fly zone will lead directly to war between NATO and russia.

Despite this position of officials, the European public petition to the North Atlantic Alliance to close the airspace over Ukraine received more than 1 million votes.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has also addressed a request to NATO member states.

The Board of the European Investment Bank has approved immediate financial support to Ukraine in the amount of 668 million euros.

Ukrainian and foreign artists have published an appeal to the world community to fight putin’s crimes in Ukraine. The letter has already been signed by more than 30 artists from Ukraine, the United States of America, Great Britain, France and other countries.

Among them are Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović, American director Michael Almeida, French actress Juliette Binoche, russian director Ilya Khrzhanovsky.

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The heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people continues. The occupiers fail to break morale, despite all the fakes and lies spread by propaganda. We reply on the international support and are convinced of our victory.

Glory to Ukraine!