09/03/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 04:55 Ukrainian advance in the south: Russian army sends a call for help to the sacked commander +++
As the Ukrainian army continues to advance towards Melitopol after overcoming the Russian defenses in the south, the US Institute for War Studies reports ISW by an act of desperation by the Russian officers of the 58th Army stationed in the region. Because their situation in Zaporizhia Oblast was deteriorating, the soldiers contacted their deposed commander, Major General Ivan Popov, for help, the ISW writes, citing insiders. Popov was sidelined in early July because he wanted to bypass the top army command in Moscow and report the difficulties in southern Ukraine directly to Russian President Putin. Apparently, the new commanders on this front section have not yet won the trust of their subordinates, writes the ISW.
+++ 02:45 After Prigozchin’s death: Wagner mercenaries lose all rights +++
Wounded members of the Wagner mercenary group are apparently released from the hospitals without completing their treatment. This is reported by the Russian Telegram channel “mozhemobyasnite” (MO, German: “We can explain it”). As a result, payments for medical care were suspended, and payments and benefits to the families of the mercenaries were also suspended. The authors of MO conclude that after the violent death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin abruptly cut its obligations to the mercenaries. Wagner fighters are denied veteran status, it says pointmedia with reference to chats of the mercenaries and their families.
+++ 01:10 Ukrainian General: Have broken through the strongest line of defense in the south +++
The commander of the Ukrainian troops in the south, General Oleksandr Tarnawskyi, confirmed in an interview with the British “Observer”, his units broke through the first, most heavily fortified Russian line of defense. According to the general, the Ukrainian military is located between the first and second lines in the Robotyne-Verbove area. Ukrainian forces could move on more easily since they were entrenched in the retaken territory, Tarnawskyi assured. According to the general, the Russian army is suffering from a rapid loss of personnel reserves.
+++ 00:10 flop for the Kremlin: Russian propaganda film is shown in front of empty cinemas +++
The Russian propaganda film “The Witness” becomes a box-office flop. With a budget of 200 million rubles (1.7 million euros), the film grossed less than 14 million rubles (130,000 euros) in the first two weeks since its premiere, writes The Guardian. Viewers across the country report empty movie theaters. “I had already seen all the other films and had a free evening, so I decided to just watch The Witness,” the newspaper quoted a Russian man who asked to remain anonymous. “When I got to the theater room I thought the show was over because it was so empty.” The film is about a Belgian violinist who performs in Kiev shortly before the Russian attack on Ukraine and sees supposed Nazis everywhere. He then wants to convey this “truth” to the world.
Box Office Gift: The Witness.
(Photo: AP)
+++ 23:16 Selenskyj: Two grain ships break through the Russian blockade +++
Despite the Russian naval blockade, Declarations of the Ukrainian President Zelenskyj, two more cargo ships passed the grain corridor set up by Kiev. “Ukraine is restoring freedom of navigation in the Black Sea,” Zelenskyi said on Platform X (formerly Twitter) in the evening. Selenskyj did not give any details about the ships that have now successfully sailed. However, the day before, the Internet portal Marinetraffic, which shows ship movements, showed how two freighters left the southern Ukrainian Black Sea port of Pivdenny, about 20 kilometers east of Odessa.
+++ 22:16 Kharkiv uses the converted subway as a staff room +++
Under the fire of Russian bombs, about 1,000 students in Kharkiv are now being taught in a converted subway below the city. “This is the first step, and when parents see what conditions are being created here, the number of applicants will surely increase,” Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram. “No other city in the world has experience with such things – Kharkiv is the first,” said Terekhov.
+++ 21:45 According to the report, Muscovites are more likely to take out insurance against kamikaze drones +++
Demand for kamikaze drone insurance is increasing among Russian citizens and businesses, the Russian daily Izvestia reports. Accordingly, some insurers had sold so-called terror packages, others had agreed to pay for “falling flying objects”. According to the Russian newspaper, inquiries have increased most in the border area and in Moscow. Ukrainian drone strikes in Belgorod, Kursk, Moscow and other regions have become more frequent in recent months.
Read more about the events of the previous day here.