Victory Chronicles
-DAY 384

Above: Only 13% of Ukrainians say striking enemy civilians is fair game. On March 12, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology published the results of an omnibus nationwide survey of Ukrainian public opinions conducted in February.  (Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Omnibus Research)

Above: Ukrainian opinions on the absolute need to completely remove the enemy have been constant over the last year. (Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Omnibus Research)

Above: Across all regions, Ukrainians believe in their European future. (Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Omnibus Research)

Above: Ministry of Defence

• Russia has illegally deported 2,161 Ukrainian orphans to Russia. The Ukrainian government has documented the illegal deportation of 16,207 children to Russia and estimates the total may be closer to 150,000. The forcible deportation and adoption of Ukrainian children is a violation of the Geneva Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and a potential constituent element of a wider ethnic cleansing campaign.
• The International Court is set to formally open the first war crimes cases against Russia.  These first two cases concern child abduction and targeting of civilian infrastructure. After months of work by special investigation teams, the chief prosecutor will now present the charges to a panel of pretrial judges who will decide whether the legal standards have been met for issuing arrest warrants, or whether investigators need more evidence.
• The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an open search for ambassadors of Ukraine due to personnel shortages. Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba posted on Facebook that there are 21 vacant ambassador positions  in 21 countries.”For the first time in the history of Ukrainian diplomacy, I am opening the door so that everyone has equal opportunities to try to become a strong manager, which our country needs so much in the world right now. I will also note that the special focus is now on African countries. Serving these countries automatically increases the chances.”
• The Kremlin praised Georgia’s ruling party and compared it to the disgraced Yanukovych regime in 2013.  Moscow lied again when it warned that outside influences are stirring the Georgian public to topple the Georgian government and to steal the country’s economic wealth. Moscow just doesn’t understand free society.
• The self-elected Belarusian president met with Iranian officials in Tehran on March 13 to expand bilateral cooperation and find joint ways to avoid sanctions. He signed eight cooperation agreements in the spheres of comprehensive cooperation, trade, transportation, agriculture, and culture and noted that Belarus and Iran tripled bilateral trade in 2022 compared to 2021.His visit to Tehran is likely a component of the Kremlin’s wider effort to secure continued Iranian support in the face of international sanctions.

General Staff’s Daily Video Digest with English subtitles

Above: Ukrainian soldiers next to a Soviet-era WWII monument of a MiG-17 fighter jet in Bakhmut that was blown up by neo-soviet invaders last week. (Intermarium 24)

Ukrainian General Staff of the Armed Forces estimated enemy losses since February 24, 2022 (with daily additions)

• Liquidated personnel, 160,540 (+740)
• Tanks, 3,484 (+10)
• Armored personnel vehicles, 6,789 (+15)
• Artillery systems/MLRS, 2,519/495 (+16/2)
• Anti-aircraft warfare systems, 260 (+1)
• Aircraft/helicopters, 304/289 (0)
• UAV operational-tactical level, 2,120 (+11)
• Cruise missiles, 907 (0)
• Warships/boats, 18 (0)
• Vehicles and fuel tanks, 5,367 (+13)
• Special equipment, 256 (+5)

Above: Russians are continuously shelling Kupyansk and nearby villages, causing civilian casualties almost daily. The enemy is now less than 5 miles away from a city they occupied at the start of the invasion before losing it to Ukraine’s fall counteroffensive in September.

Last week, Ukrainian authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of Kuyansk due to constant Russian shelling. Of the remaining estimated 2500 residents, at least 350 are children and 363 people with disabilities.  Both ongoing shelling and damage to infrastructure now makes the city hard to access, but volunteers are working to take out anyone in need. “We have put signs up everywhere about the free evacuation with the phone numbers to call,” said one of the volunteers who take out anywhere from eight to 40 evacuations daily. (Photo: Kharkiv Procurator)

Glory to Ukraine!
The three hundred and eighty-fourth day of the Russian large-scale invasion has begun.

• Despite significant losses, the enemy continues offensive operations in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiiv, Marin, and Shakhtar directions. Yesterday, units of the Defense Forces repelled more than 100 enemy attacks in the indicated directions.
• The Russian Federation uses terror tactics, indiscriminately shelling populated areas, thereby grossly violating the norms of International Humanitarian Law.
• Over the past day, the enemy launched 5 rocket attacks on civil infrastructure in the Sumy and Donetsk There are dead and wounded civilians. Also, the enemy carried out 35 airstrikes and launched 76 attacks from rocket salvo systems.
• The level of missile threat remains high throughout the territory of Ukraine.
• During the day, the enemy shelled the areas of Myhalchyna Sloboda, Chernihiv Oblast, Znob-Novgorodskoe, Seredyna-Buda, Bachivsk, Esman, Starykovo, Shalygine, Bilopylla, and Krasnopillya, Sumy Oblast, and Strelech, Hlyboke, Lukyantsi, Gatyshche, Vovchansk, Dvorichna, and Kindrashivka in Kharkiv
• The enemy is trying to break through the defenses of our troops on the Kupyansk and Lymansk He led unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of Dvorichna, Hryanikyvka, Nevske, Chervopopivka, Kreminna, Dibrova, Bilogorivka and Berestov settlements. He carried out artillery shelling of the areas of Hryanikyvka, Masyutivka, Kup’yansk, Krokhmalne, Novoselivske, Kharkiv Region settlements; Makiivka, Dibrova and Bilogorivka – Luhansk and Spirn in Donetsk region.
• In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy does not stop trying to capture the city of Bakhmut. Our soldiers repelled enemy attacks in the areas of Vasyukivka, Minkivka, Orihovo-Vasylivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Hryhorivka and Ivanivske settlements. In particular, Bondarne, Vasyukivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Ivanovske, Predtechine, Kurdyumivka, Bila Gora, Kostyantynivka, Zalizne, and New York of the Donetsk region came under enemy fire.
• On the Avdiivsk, Marinsk, and Shakhtarsk directions, the enemy carried out unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of Kamianka, Avdiivka, Severna, Pervomaiske, Nevelske, Netaylove, Maryinka, Pobieda, Novomykhailivka, and Vugledar settlements. Areas of more than 15 settlements near the contact line were hit by enemy shelling. Among them are Kamianka, Avdiivka, Tonenka, Severne, Pervomaiske, Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, Georgiivka, Novomykhailivka, Vugledar and Neskuchne of the Donetsk
• In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, the enemy is conducting defensive operations. Areas of more than 50 settlements near the contact line, including Olhivske, Charivne, Novoandriyivka, Stepove of the Zaporizhia region, as well as Kachkarivka, Novosilka, Kozatske, Ivanivka, Inzhenerne, Kherson and Komysany of the Kherson region, were shelled.

Support the Armed Forces! We will win! Glory to Ukraine!

Above: Training for war. (General Staff)

• Russian forces have made marginal territorial gains northeast of Kupyansk as of March 13. Geolocated footage posted on March 13 shows that Russian forces advanced south of Hryanykivka (17km northeast of Kupyansk). Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive actions northeast of Kupyansk near Masyutivka (13km northeast of Kupyansk), Dvorichna (17km northeast of Kupyansk), and Hryanykivka on March 12 and 13.
• Russian forces continued to conduct ground attacks along the Svatove-Kreminna line on March 12 and 13. Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive actions near Kreminna, Nevske (18km northwest of Kreminna), Chervonopopivka (6km northwest of Kreminna), Dibrova (5km southwest of Kreminna), Bilohorivka (12km south of Kreminna), and the Serebrianska forest area (10km south of Kreminna) on March 12 and 13. Ukrainian Luhansk Oblast Head Serhiy Haidai stated that Russian forces are focusing on operations near Kreminna and Bilohorivka and constantly attack near the Kreminna area and that Russian forces lost their new T-90 tanks in offensive operations near Kreminna in less than two weeks and are now using T-72s.
• Russian forces made marginal territorial gains east of Siversk as of March 13. Geolocated footage posted on March 13 shows that Russian forces made slight advances northeast of Verkhnokamianske (7km east of Siversk). Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive actions near Verkhnokamianske on March 13.

Above: General Staff

A close-up map of the approximate situation around the city of Bakhmut.

🇷🇺 have continued to advance in the south of the city.

🇺🇦 pushed back 🇷🇺 units south, from the outskirts of Ivanivske. pic.twitter.com/CqkU3yEEVf

— War Mapper (@War_Mapper) March 14, 2023

Video: Shelling of Kramatorsk is accelerating.  Today a missile hit the city center, causing civilian casualties. Beyond Bakhmut lies an almost continuous urban corridor containing the cities of Kostyantynivka, Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, on the western border of Donetsk Oblast.  The enemy no doubt plans a Severodonetsk-type assault on the cities – flattening them to ruble before their capture. 

#Kramatorsk 💔 pic.twitter.com/I66dM21zPN

— Maria Drutska 🇺🇦 (@maria_drutska) March 14, 2023

• Russian forces continued making advances in and around Bakhmut on March 12 and 13 but have not succeeded in completing a turning movement, envelopment, or encirclement of the city as of March 13. Russian troops attacked towards Minkivka (15km northwest of Bakhmut) on March 12 and 13, indicating that Russian forces have likely advanced along the E40 Bakhmut-Slovyansk highway in order to launch assaults further northwest of Bakhmut. Geolocated footage posted on March 12 indicates that Russian forces have also made advances about 8km northwest of Bakhmut in the area between Dubovo-Vasylivka and Bohdanivka. Geolocated footage posted on March 13 shows that Russian forces have advanced to new positions in southwestern Bakhmut along the T0504 Kostiantynivka-Chasiv Yar-Bakhmut highway.
• Over 39 combat clashes took place within Bakhmut over the past day. Ukrainian troops repelled Russian attacks on Bakhmut itself; north of Bakhmut near Vasyukivka (15km north); northwest of Bakhmut near Orikhovo-Vasylivka (12km northwest) and Hryhorivka (10km northwest); and west of Bakhmut near Ivanivske (5km west) and Chasiv Yar (10km west) between March 12 and 13.
• Russian forces continued ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City frontline on March 12 and 13. Russian troops conducted unsuccessful offensive operations on Avdiivka itself; in the Avdiivka area near Krasnohorivka (9km north of Avdiivka), Kamianka (4km northeast of Avdiivka), and Severne (5km west of Avdiivka); on the northwestern outskirts of Donetsk City near Nevelske, Vodyane, and Pervomaiske; on the southwestern outskirts of Donetsk City near Marinka and Pobieda.
• Russian forces conducted a ground attack in western Donetsk Oblast on March 12. Russian troops conducted unsuccessful offensives near Vuhledar (30km southwest of Donetsk City) on March 12 and did not confirm any ground attacks in the area on March 13.

Above: Today is the 79th anniversary of the liberation of Kherson from the German Nazis. The unbreakable Khersonians have been standing up to a different kind of fascist invader for the last year. (Krym_SOS)

Above:  Yesterday’s translated Telegram posts by enemy re-education propagandists. In today’s lesson in Russian gaslighting, occupation officials in Zaporizhzhya are once again taking up the challenge of eliminating Ukrainian language through lies and coercion. The so-called education ministry in occupied Zaporizhzhya preposterously claimed that Ukraine bans Russian language and literature! Students who want to study Ukrainian are given up to three hours a week out of “respect for the original culture.” ISW assessed this as a means to identify and suppress people with pro-Ukrainian sentiment. 

On the same day, Moscow University rewrote reality in Enerhodar, Zaproizhzhya, labeling Ukrainians as “independent Cossacks” who have been brainwashed by the anti-Russians who suppressed their right to study and speak Russian, “the language of knowledge and success”.  The russo-soviets used the exact same “language” to suppress Ukrainian language and culture.  

Above: Changes in Ukrainian attitudes to studying Russian language over the last 25 years. The most russified eastern Ukraine now has less support for russian than the strongly Ukrainian west did 25 years ago, thanks to Moscow.  (Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Omnibus Research)

Above: One in four Ukrainians are willing to give up Crimea to achieve peace faster. Almost 70% want the invaders removed from all of Ukraine’s sovereign territory. (Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Omnibus Research)

• Russian forces continued routine fire against areas west of Hulyaipole and in Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts on March 12 and 13. The enemy fires on civilians from the Kinburn Spit where Ukrainian forces are continually firing on their equipment, slowing the pace of Russian artillery fire on civilians in Mykolaiv and Kherson. .
• Ukrainian partisans damaged a railway track in occupied Kherson Oblast on March 11. The Ukrainian Resistance Center stated on March 12 that the Ukrainian and Tatar partisan group “Atesh” destroyed a railway track between Abrykovisvka and Radensk, Kherson Oblast, in an effort to disrupt Russian ground logistics supply chains. The resistance movement continues to help Ukrainian forces keep Russian supply lines under control.