Ukraine’s Defense Minister speaks of brewing counteroffensive. Ukraine deploys Ukrainian-made strike drones, Ukraine’s Security and Defense Secretary says. Blast rocks area near military airfield in Crimea. Britain’s latest assessment of Russia’s losses in war.
Ukrainian Defense Minister speaks of brewing counteroffensive
Ukraine’s counteroffensive is likely to start in April or May, and will unfold in several directions, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said in an interview with Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR. Answering a question on Leopard tanks, he said: “You will see them counterattack. The decision will be made by Ukraine’s General Staff. [The counteroffensive] is planned in several directions. It’s up to them to decide when this is most appropriate. It also depends on the weather. In spring, the ground is wet. We will see them [the Leopard tanks] in April or May.” There are some very positive changes for Ukraine ahead this year, Reznikov added.
Blast rocks area near air base in Crimea
A blast rocked the town of Hvardiyske in Crimea’s Simferopol area on Wednesday, March 29, RFE/RL’s Krym.Realii project said, citing local Telegram channels.
The explosion made the windows shake, local residents said. They also saw a smoke cloud. Photos and videos from the alleged site of an explosion were posted to social media. A local resident told Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne that they heard a massive blast coming from the airfield.
Ukraine deploys thousands of strike drones that can fly more than 3,000 kilometers, Ukraine’s Security and Defense Secretary says
Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov tweeted Wednesday a photo of German amateur pilot Mathias Rust who flew through Soviet air defenses and landed his small plane in Moscow’s Red Square in 1987. On Tuesday, Vice Prime Minister for Innovations, Development of Education, Science and Technology Mykhailo Fedorov said the first three company-sized units of strike drones were ready to operate as part of the Army of Drones.
In December, Fedorov said Ukraine planned to develop attack drones to strike Russia’s UAVs. Two Ukrainian-made Raybird-3 drones were added to the drone army, Fedorov said on February 14. Their range is up to 2,500 kilometers.
More than 220,000 Russian troops killed or injured in Ukraine, Britain’s Defence Secretary says
More than 220,000 Russian troops and mercenaries have been killed or injured in Ukraine, Britain’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed.
Speaking during a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pointed to Ukraine’s ability to inflict “significant” losses against Russian forces.
“They depleted their inventory of armored vehicles in a way no one could ever have imagined,” he said. “And now we see how Russia is reaching for T-54 and T-55 tanks because of the level of damage the Ukrainians have inflicted on them,” Austin said.
Supply problems are forcing Russia to turn to countries like Iran and North Korea for artillery shells, drones, and rockets.
Misperception of Navalny in the West. Ukraine in Flames #384
For years, Alexei Navalny, as a russian politician, has been broadcasting imperial rhetoric, spouting nasty slogans about Ukraine and using derogatory terms towards Ukrainians. He was attending marches of Russian nationalists, who shouted “russia for russians”. Now Navalny is a face of “russian opposition”, who is sacrificially imprisoned as a fighter against the regime. In reality, he is wanna-be putin, just younger, more photogenic and with decent English. Watch Ukraine in flames #384 to find out about the ambiguous figure of Alexei Navalny and his support of putin’s imperialist claims on Ukraine and ideas of russian nationalism.
Guests:
- Volodymyr Tsybulko, Political Expert
- Andriy Bondar, Writer, Translator
