A Ukraine drone strike hits Russia\u2019s Engels air base. A Republican House member and a bipartisan coalition introduce a resolution affirming U.S. non-recognition of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Eighty per cent of Ukrainians reject Putin\u2019s demand that Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions, a poll finds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Ukrainian drone strike on Engels, a key Russian air base in the Saratov region overnight on Thursday triggered a blast, fire and secondary detonation of ammunition, a source within the Security Service of Ukraine told Ukrainian news outlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The airfield houses Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3 and Tu-160 strategic bombers, and has a warehouse holding cruise missiles and glide bombs. The aircraft have repeatedly been used by Russia to launch missile attacks on Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attack on the Engels air base was conducted jointly by Ukraine\u2019s Security Service and Special Operations Forces, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement, confirming the operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russian air defenses acted inefficiently: the missiles they launched hit civilian buildings and infrastructure facilities in the cities of Engels and Saratov, the source within the Security Service of Ukraine said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Security Service of Ukraine and its partners continue to work with surgical accuracy, targeting Russia\u2019s key military installations, which are absolutely legitimate military targets. Such special operations reduce the enemy\u2019s ability to terrorize Ukrainian cities with missile strikes,\u201d the source continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUkraine\u2019s defense forces have detailed information about strategic Russian sites and adhere to international humanitarian law in order to keep civilians safe as much as possible and stop Russia\u2019s armed aggression against Ukraine,\u201d the Ukrainian General Staff said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russian Telegram channel Astra said there was dense smoke in a neighborhood near the airfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin, said Saratov and Engels had suffered the largest drone attack of all time. He added that civilians living near the airfield were being evacuated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican U.S. House member, alongside a bipartisan group of representatives presented a draft resolution establishing that \u201cit shall be the exclusive policy of the United States to reject any and all claims made by the Russian Federation over sovereign Ukrainian territory\u2014including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe United States must never recognize Russia\u2019s illegal occupation of Ukraine\u2014just as we never recognized the Soviet Union\u2019s annexation of the Baltic states,\u201d Rep. Fitzpatrick, Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus said as stated on his web site. \u201cBorders cannot be redrawn by force. Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty is inviolable, its independence is absolute, and any attempt to legitimize Russia\u2019s aggression is a betrayal of international law and democratic values,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The resolution explicitly states Ukraine\u2019s borders, as established in 1991, remain Ukrainian \u2014 regardless of Russia\u2019s illegal military occupation, political manipulation, or attempts at forced annexation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It further rejects any U.S. policy or action that implies recognition of Russia\u2019s territorial claims and reaffirms that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), alongside the NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation leads Representatives Mike Turner (OH-10) and Gerry Connolly (VA-11), and a bipartisan coalition including Representatives Don Bacon (NE-2), Brendan Boyle (PA-2), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6), Steny Hoyer (MD-5), Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Joe Wilson (SC-2), introduced the Russian-Occupied Territory Non-Recognition Resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A majority of Ukrainians (78 per cent) reject Putin\u2019s demand that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the four regions that Russia illegally annexed but never fully captured, a recent poll conducted by the sociological service of the Razumkov Center found. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only eight per cent of respondents would agree with Ukraine\u2019s complete pullback from the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The geographic breakdown of the answers was as follows: six per cent in the west and center, 10 per cent in the east and 14 per cent in the south. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some 82 per cent of Ukrainians oppose that international treaties cement Ukraine\u2019s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as well as Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as Russian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only five per cent would find it acceptable. The geographic breakdown of the answers was as follows: two per cent in the west, three per cent in the center, six per cent in the east and 15 per cent in the south. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seventy-eight per cent of Ukrainians dismiss a proposal for lifting sanctions on Russia. Seven per cent would back it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than half of Ukrainians (56 per cent) disagree with cementing Ukraine\u2019s neutral, non-bloc and nuclear-free status in the country\u2019s constitution. Twenty-two per cent would accept the idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pollster conducted a series of face-to-face interviews in regions under the government control except in active fighting areas between February 28 and March 6. The total sample consists of 2,018 Ukrainians ages 18 and older.\u202fThe margin of error does not exceed 2.3\u202fpercentage points. Further sampling errors may result from forced migration of millions of Ukrainians following the Russian aggression, the pollster warned.\u200b <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"