Victory Chronicles-DAY 742

Ukrainian special forces have been deployed to Sudan to fight rebel forces and Russian troops as part of a strategy to undermine Russia’s military and economic operations abroad, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Sudan’s president requested Ukraine’s assistance after Sudan supplied Ukraine with weapons in 2022. Ukrainian fighters reportedly landed in Sudan and began fighting rebel forces, extending the front line between Ukraine and Russia to Africa. 

The operation carries political risks as it involves intervening in an internal conflict in a country where war crimes have been committed. Ukraine’s military has also been training Sudanese soldiers and supplying them with Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones for precision air strikes. 

As a result, Sudanese forces have significantly progressed in regaining control over parts of the country. Ukraine’s actions serve to make war more costly for Russia and position itself as a bulwark against Russian incursions.

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According to Ukrainian intelligence, a Russian patrol ship ‘Sergei Kotov’ sank near the Kerch Strait, resulting in at least 27 crew members injured and 7 others killed. The severity of the injuries varied among the wounded. The information is still being collected, as confirmed by Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence.

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A drone attack in Sumy, Ukraine has resulted in the injury of seven people, including a 10-year-old boy. The attack targeted residential buildings and caused damage to 11 apartment buildings and a preschool building. Approximately 20 private cars were also damaged in the attack. The Sumy Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported that the attack took place on the night of March 6, 2024, using prohibited methods of warfare as stated by international law. The enemy used three Shahid UAVs to attack civilian targets.

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Border guards of the Offensive Guard Brigade “Revenge” shot down T-90 “Vladimir” tanks that were trying to storm Ukrainian positions near Bakhmut, the press service of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported.

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Russian milbloggers responded to the sinking of the Sergei Kotov by decrying the Russian military command’s lack of response to the incident and mounting a wider critique against the bureaucratic inertia of the Russian military apparatus. Russian milbloggers alleged that this is the fourth Ukrainian attack on the Sergei Kotov since Russia’s full-scale invasion began and that the crew managed to repel similar Ukrainian attacks in July, August, and September of 2023.

A prominent Kremlin-affiliated milblogger noted that the Sergei Kotov was inadequately equipped to defend itself against such an attack, and many milbloggers questioned why the ship did not have systems to defend against naval drones considering the crew had experienced similar attacks before.

One prominent milblogger stated in a post published on March 5 (which has been viewed 1.7 million times as of this writing) that the Russian military command has no response to the sinking of the Sergei Kotov because no one likes to tell the truth to the military command and that the military command refuses to learn important lessons from past experiences to improve the military.

Another milblogger emphasized that it would be very important for the Russian command to listen to the crew of the Sergei Kotov to improve and modernize naval vessels and defensive procedures in the future. Another milblogger responded to this assessment and claimed that the Russian command is extraordinarily unlikely to do so because of an ”administrative guillotine” in the Russian military bureaucracy that prevents such learning and innovation, as well as the command’s larger cultural proclivity to cover up mistakes instead of addressing them.

The ire expressed by Russian milbloggers towards the Russian military apparatus represents a longstanding source of discontent for pro-war military commentators. Miroslava Reginskaya, the wife of imprisoned ultra-nationalist and former Russian officer Igor Girkin, posted on March 5 an archival letter written by Girkin in 2018 wherein Girkin complained about the incompetence of Russian commanders causing the deaths of Russian soldiers and called for “Stalinist level repressions” against such commanders.

Girkin emphasized that all echelons of the Russian command are filled with such “scum” that contribute to “thousands of large and small disasters, based on incompetence, stupid immense greed, and disregard for people.” Girkin’s 2018 critique about the inability and lack of willingness of the Russian command to address its mistakes, internalize lessons learned, and disseminate them across the Russian military remains a central component of Russian information space critiques against the Russian military machine nearly six years later in 2024.

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Paratrooper Andrii Horbunov died on November 20, 2023, near the village of Mala Tokmachka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. He took a hit from an enemy FPV drone, saving the lives of his fighters, but sustained life-threatening injuries. The defender will forever be 23.

Andrii is a native of Zhmerynka, Vinnytsia Oblast. In 2017, he graduated from Zhmerynka Lyceum #4. His love of cooking helped him choose his future profession: together with his brother Anatoliy, he graduated from Vinnytsia Vocational College and received a degree in cooking. Later, he worked in various cafes and restaurants in Vinnytsia.

On January 11, 2023, he received a call-up and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He became an operator of the fire support company of the 80th separate airborne assault brigade. He liberated the temporarily occupied territories in the Zaporizhzhia sector with his fighter-in-arms.

On October 13, he received the medal “Unbreakable Heroes of the Russian-Ukrainian War” for his devoted service and defense of the Motherland.

Anatoliy was constantly in touch with his brother, and when he did not get in touch, he could not find a place to stay. Three months later, he decided to give up cooking and take up arms to be with Andrii. He volunteered to join the military. He also chose the airborne assault troops but ended up in the 148th separate artillery brigade. Several times the brothers managed to meet on the front line, and they were sincerely happy to be together in this way. However, it did not last long.

“Andrii was extremely kind, sincere, cheerful, and sociable. It is hard for us to believe in this terrible loss. This is a pain for our 11-B class of Zhmerynka Lyceum #4, all the graduates, for our school. Eternal glory to the bright warrior,” said Oksana Lazorak, the class teacher of the deceased.

Posthumously, Mr. Horbunov was awarded the Order “For Courage” III degree. The young fighter was buried in the Alley of Heroes of Zhmerynka Central Cemetery. Andrii is survived by his mother Raisa and brother Anatolii, who continues to fight for Ukraine.

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

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• Air Force destroys 38 out of 42 Shahed drones
• US Department of State believes Ukraine still has “surprises in store”
•  White House: Zelenskyy is asking for weapons, not US troops
• Zelenskyy: There are no longer safe harbours for Russian terrorists in Black Sea
• The United States imposes sanctions against the Wagner PMC and the Russian Aerospace Forces