Victory Chronicles-DAY 1108

Ukraine’s air defense forces intercepted a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on March 7, shooting down 100 drones and 34 cruise and ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.

Ukraine detected 261 Russian aerial threats, including 67 missiles and 194 attack drones and their decoy counterparts. Eighty-six drones failed to reach their targets. For the first time, French Mirage-2000 fighter jets engage in Ukraine’s air defense efforts.

An undisclosed number of Ukrainian pilots and ground crew were trained in France to operate the multi-role fighter jets in December 2024. “French Mirage-2000 fighters, which arrived in Ukraine just a month ago, successfully intercepted Russian cruise missiles,” the Air Force states. Russian forces launched a combined missile and drone strike targeting critical infrastructure, including energy facilities. The assault includes cruise missiles Kh-101, Kalibr, guided air missiles Kh-59, and Iranian-provided Shahed kamikazedrones.

Survey: Ukrainians’ trust in Zelenskyy rises to 68 percent amid tensions with US. Nationwide public trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rose to 68 percent, according to a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) survey conducted from Feb. 4 to March 4. The surge in support comes amid growing tensions between Ukraine and the U.S. presidential administration of Donald Trump.
Trust in Zelenskyy rose from 57 percent in early February to 68 percent by early March, while distrust fell to 29 percent. The net trust margin went from a positive 20 percent to a 38 percent.
The shift in public sentiment follows escalating diplomatic strains between Kyiv and Washington.

Russia strikes Poltava region on March 7, injuring two civilians, including a child. Russian forces conducted an aerial attack on the Poltava region overnight on March 7, injuring two civilians, including a child, local authorities reported. The strike damaged residential buildings and critical infrastructure. Fires broke out but were  quickly extinguished by emergency responders. Rescue teams continued working at the scene, assessing damage and providing assistance.

Ukrainian FPV drone destroys Russian tank on March 7 after reconnaissance operation. A reconnaissance unit from the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade detected a Russian tank concealed in a tree line on March 7 while on combat duty. They swiftly relayed the coordinates to first-person view drone operators from the 1st Mechanized Battalion, who the launched a precise strike, destroying the enemy tank.

Key Takeaways:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Kremlin officials explicitly rejected making any concessions in future peace negotiations or accepting any US, European, or Ukrainian peace proposals and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) rejected the possibility of a negotiated ceasefire on March 6.
• Russian officials will likely take advantage of the suspension of US military aid to and intelligence sharing with Ukraine to spread a longstanding Russian information operation meant to falsely portray Russian victory as inevitable.
• The Kremlin welcomed a Trump administration official’s recent comments mischaracterizing Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as a “proxy war,” and Russian media portrayed the statement as an admission that the United States is a participant in the war.
• US and Ukrainian delegations will conduct bilateral meetings in Saudi Arabia next week.
• Ukrainian opposition politicians rejected the possibility of holding elections in Ukraine before the end of the war.
• European countries continue to announce new military assistance packages and other measures to support the Ukrainian military.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Pokrovsk direction and Russian forces recently advanced in the Kupyansk, Borova, Siversk, Pokrovsk, and Kurakhove directions.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin attempted to assuage Russian fears about conscripts going to war amid continued reports that Russian military units are forcing conscripts to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD).

Soldier Andriy Shyrokov killed in fighting near Svitlodarsk. Ukrainian soldier Andriy Shyrokov, known by the call sign Simianyn [familiy man], was killed on Dec. 18 during a Russian artillery strike near Svitlodarsk in the easternmost region of Donetsk.

Shyrokov, originally from Myrnohrad in Donetsk region, had lived in Dnipro since age 12 in the southern part of the country. He graduated from a railway college and worked as a truck driver and builder before joining the army.

He volunteered for the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps in 2014 when Russia initially invaded his country, later becoming a sniper with the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

Shyrokov received multiple awards, including the Order “For Courage” III degree (posthumously), the badge “For Defense of Donetsk Airport,” and the Right Sector Volunteer Corps’ “Combat Cross” (posthumously).

His wife, Hanna, said: “He was the best husband, father, and householder. He loved not only our own children but also two sons we adopted from an orphanage. He loved Ukraine above everything else and gave his life for it.”

Shyrokov was buried in Yasne village, Dnipropetrovsk region. He is survived by his wife and five children.

*Andriy`s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

• Italian PM proposes NATO security guarantees for Ukraine without full membership
• Saudi Arabia to host US-Ukraine meeting
• Trump weighs revoking legal status of Ukrainians as US steps up deportations
• Russians breach Ukrainian defensive line near Sudzha, Russia
• Ukraine receives first disbursement of UK funds under G7 loan, backed by proceeds from frozen Russian assets
• Maxar cuts off Ukraine’s access to satellite imagery
• The Telegraph: Don’t be fooled, Putin is weak and desperate for peace