Ukraine/Russland/NATO – der Sammler am 22. März 2022 (Update)

Die russischen Angriffe auf Ziele in der Ukraine gehen weiter. Wesentliche Veränderungen am Boden gibt es nicht, weiter halten Artillerie- und Luftangriffe an. Da fällt auf, dass nach Angaben der Ukraine die Nachschubsituation der russischen Invasionstruppen problematisch sein soll – auch bei Munition. Der Sammler am 22. März 2022 (und jetzt auch mit korrigiertem Datum in der Überschrift):

• Eine Meldung vom (gestrigen) Montagabend ist noch immer Thema in den Nachrichten; und weil sie evtl. hier ein wenig untergegangen ist, noch einmal:

Die russische Zeitung Komsomolskaya Pravda berichtete bereits am  Sonntag unter Berufung auf das russische Verteidigungsministerium, es habe bislang fast 10.000 russische Gefallene gegeben – weit mehr als die rund 500, die bereits vor Wochen eingeräumt worden waren (seitdem wurden keine offiziellen  Zahlen mehr veröffentlicht).  Der entsprechende Bericht ist auf der Webseite nicht mehr verfügbar, aber im Internet Archive gesichert; die entscheidende Passage:

Das russische Verteidigungsministerium dementiert die Informationen des ukrainischen Generalstabs über die angeblich hohen Verluste der russischen Streitkräfte in der Ukraine. Nach Angaben des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums haben die russischen Streitkräfte während der Sonderoperation in der Ukraine 9861 Tote und 16153 Verwundete zu beklagen.
(übersetzt mit deepl.com)

Ob es ein Versehen war, ob die Zahlen so vom Ministerium genannt werden – das lässt sich so schnell nicht herausfinden. Ob sie stimmen, schon gar nicht. Natürlich gibt es auch die Behauptung, die Webseite der Zeitung sei gehackt worden; auch das ist nicht überprüfbar.

• Ebenfalls vom Montagabend: Aussagen von US-Präsident Joe Biden, der vor einem zunehmend gefährlicheren, weil in die Ecke getriebenen russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin warnt und russische Angriffe mit Bio- und Chemiewaffen für wahrscheinlich hält; Cyberangriffe ohnehin:

And now Putin’s back is against the wall. He wasn’t anticipating the extent or the strength of our unity. And the more his back is against the wall, the greater the severity of the tactics he may employ.
We’ve seen it before. He’s run a lot of false-flag operations. Whenever he starts talking about something he thinks NATO, Ukraine, or the United States is about to do, it means he’s getting ready to do it. Not a joke. (…)
And so, his back is against the wall. And he’s — now he’s talking about new false flags he’s setting up, including he’s asserting that, we, in America, have biological as well as chemical weapons in Europe — simply not true. I guarantee you.
They’re also suggesting that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine. That’s a clear sign he is considering using both of those. He’s already used chemical weapons in the past, and we should be careful of what about — of what’s about to come. He knows there’ll be severe consequences because of the united NATO front, but the point is: It’s real.
And what I want to mention very much — very quickly with you all is: One of the tools he’s most likely to use, in my view, in our view, is cyber — cyberattacks. They have a very sophisticated cyber capability.
I’ve had, as they say in southern Delaware, where they — where they are very religious: We’ve had an “altar call,” he and I, on this issue. We’ve had a long conversation about, if he uses it, what would be the consequence.
But the point is that he has a capability; he hasn’t used it yet. And — but it’s part of his playbook. And I’ve warned about the potential for Russian conduct to maliciously — malicious cyber activity in response to the cost we’d impose, with our Allies and partners, on the world.
But, look, today my administration has issued renewed warnings that, based on evolving intelligence, Russia may be planning a cyberattack against us. And as I’ve said, the magnitude of Russia’s cyber capacity is fairly consequential, and it’s coming.

• Die Morgenübersicht des ukrainischen Generalstabs. Nach Erkenntnissen der ukrainischen Nachrichtendienste soll die Nachschubsituation der russischen Truppen im Land so problematisch sein, dass diese Einheiten nur drei Tage Vorrat an Munition und Lebensmitteln haben; außerdem nur sehr begrenzte Treibstoffvorräte:

The twenty-seventh era of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to the russian military invasion began.
No significant changes in the position and nature of the actions of the defense forces during the last day have been noted. However, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other components of the Defense Forces continued to strike at groups of enemy troops who tried to hold the captured frontiers and succeeded in certain areas.
Over the past 24hrs, more than 9 enemy air targets have been hit by units of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Air Defense of the Land Forces. These are 1 plane, 6 UAVs and 2 helicopters, the number of missiles shot down is being specified.
In addition, the Air Force aircraft dealt devastating blows to clusters of enemy equipment and manpower, conducted air battles and intercepted air targets. More active actions of enemy aircraft have been noted in the last 24 hours.
The enemy did not lose significant problems with securing its troops. According to available information, the russian occupation forces operating in Ukraine have stockpiles of ammunition and food for no more than three days. The situation is similar with fuel, which is replenished by tank trucks. The occupiers were unable to organize a pipeline to meet the needs of the grouping of troops.
russian aggressors continue to carry out aggressive propaganda work on the need to take part in the war with Ukraine with the personnel of the armed forces of the republic of belarus.
In the Okhtyrka district of the Sumy oblast, the facts of disobedience of russian servicemen were recorded. About 300 occupiers refused to carry out the order to conduct hostilities, and, on 70 units of equipment, left the area of the operation.
In the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk region, due to heavy losses of manpower, the enemy continues to mobilize citizens of the quasi-formation of the „LPR“. A large part of the population does not support the policy of the occupiers, does not want to take up arms and hides from the representatives of the occupying power. It is significant that mobilization is carried out chaotically, the people who are mobilized are not distributed by specialties, most of them have no military specialty, because they have never served in the military. Contracts are signed with citizens who have russian passports, and those who have only a pseudo-republic passport are registered as volunteers.
In the Donetsk and Luhansk directions, the enemy continues to try to advance and gain a foothold, but to no avail.
Ukrainian defenders repulsed 13 enemy attacks and destroyed 14 tanks, 8 infantry fighting vehicles, 2 multi-purpose towing vehicles light armored, 3 artillery systems and 4 vehicles. Air defense units hit 2 enemy air targets. The losses of enemy personnel amounted to about 300 people.
In addition, the defenders of Mariupol destroyed the patrol boat „Raptor“ and the electronic warfare complex „Leer-3“.

• Das Morgenbriefing des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums (auf Englisch auf der Webseite veröffentlicht):

Briefing by Russian Defence Ministry

Units of the Russian Armed Forces, developing the offensive, advanced another 6 kilometers and captured Urozhajnoe. They are now fighting with units of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The grouping of troops of the Donetsk People’s Republic has penetrated 4 kilometers deep into the defence of the 25th Airborne Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and is fighting to capture Kamenka, Novoselovka II, and Verhnetoreckoe.
The advance was up to 5 kilometers in Kurakhovo direction. Units of the Donetsk Republic destroyed a company of the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade and units of the assault battalion of the 54th Separete Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian troops, capturing Slavnoe, Trudovskoi, Shahta Chelyuskintsev and Mar’inka.
During the day, 3 tanks, 4 infantry fighting vehicles, 4 field artillery guns and 6 all-terrain vehicles were destroyed in this area.
People’s Militia units of the Lugansk Republic have established control over Kalinovo Popasnoe, Novoaleksandrovka, Stepnoe, Boguslavskoe and continue to destroy units of the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. More than 40 personnel and 5 all-terrain vehicles of the enemy were destroyed.
Operational-tactical and army aviation hit 137 military assets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Among them: 6 command posts and communication hubs, 2 multiple launch rocket systems, 1 anti-aircraft missile system, 8 missile and artillery weapons depots, as well as 101 areas of military equipment concentration.
The Russian air defence means shot down 14 more Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the air, including 1 Bayraktar TB-2.
The group of „night hunters“ consisting of Ka-52 and Mi-28n helicopters destroyed 9 Ukrainian tanks, 7 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers during night strikes.
In total, 230 unmanned aerial vehicles, 181 anti-aircraft missile systems, 1,528 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 154 multiple launch rocket systems, 602 field artillery and mortars, as well as 1,312 units of special military vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation.

• Update: Aus dem Mittagsbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

Due to the lack of success of the ground phase of the operation, the enemy continues to actively launch missile and bomb strikes on important military and civilian infrastructure using operational and tactical aircraft, high-precision missile weapons and indiscriminate munitions.
The enemy is trying to form and move reserves to the borders of Ukraine. According to the available information, a joint unit of servicemen of several military units is being formed at the permanent deployment point of the 200th separate motorized infantry brigade of the Northern Fleet (Pechenga settlement).
Due to the unsatisfactory level of personnel of the 1st Army Corps in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region, representatives of the russian federation continue active measures to forcibly mobilize the local population in the cities of Horlivka, Yenakiieve and nearby settlements. After undergoing a rapid training course, the occupiers plan to reinforce the units with heavy casualties near Avdiivka and Izyum.
No active offensive actions of the enemy were recorded in the Polissya direction. Regrouping, consolidation on the occupied frontiers and logistical support of the troops are carried out.
In the Northern direction, some units of the Central Military District continue to regroup and concentrate forces and means to resume offensive operations.
In the direction of Chernihiv, the enemy is not conducting active offensive operations, continues artillery shelling of positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the city of Chernihiv. No changes in the composition of forces and the nature of the actions of the occupying forces were noted.
In the direction of Brovary, the enemy continues to regroup in order to resume offensive operations. Logistical support of divisions and engineering equipment of occupied positions continues.
Units of the Western Military District did not carry out active offensive operations in the Slobozhansky direction. In the direction of Kharkiv and Izyum, the enemy is trying to take measures to restore the units that lost their combat capability, at the expense of separate units of the Baltic and Northern Fleets. Massive artillery shelling of Kharkiv continues.
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy focused its efforts on capturing the cities of Rubizhne, Severodonetsk, Popasna, Vugledar, and Mariupol.
In the area of the settlement of Kreminna the enemy didn’t carry out active actions. The forces of the 2nd Army Corp continue to consolidate in the area of the settlement of Pshenichne.
In the area of the settlement of Yampil, a separate unit of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division, the enemy carried out fire on the units of our troops in order to ensure further advance in the direction of the settlement of Torske. It was not successful.
In the direction of Donetsk – Mariyinka made an attempt to attack. It was unsuccessful, suffered heavy losses, and retreated.
The russian occupiers are trying to carry out artillery shelling and assault operations in the city of Mariupol.
No changes in the composition and position of the enemy are recorded in the Tavriya direction. In the Kherson oblast, in the areas of the settlements of Kalanchak, Radensk, Brylivka and Tarasivka, Rosguard units carried out filtering measures to search for places to store small arms.
In the Pivdenny Bug direction, the enemy attempted to carry out assault operations in the area of the settlement of Oleksandrivka, but was unsuccessful. In the area of the settlement of Bereznuvate, he conducted reconnaissance in battle, suffered casualties and withdrew.

• Das tägliche Briefing aus dem Pentagon, zusammengefasst von Caitlin Doornbos von Stars&Stripes. Eine interessante Aussage ganz am Schluss: Nach US-Informationen gibt es Hinweise auf russische Soldaten, die Erfrierungen erlitten haben – wegen mangelhafter Ausrüstung.

Senior defense official begins: Russia has launched „more than 1100 missiles“ at Ukraine but there’s been „no real changes by the Russians on the ground near Kyiv. We still hold them to be about [9 miles] to the northwest and still about [18 miles] to the east.“
There is „continued bombardment, artillery and long-range fires, in Mariupol.“

„What we observed over the last 24 hours is that the Russians have likely been firing into the city from the sea from the Sea of Azov“ to Mariupol’s south from about 7 surface warships there.
The U.S. for the first time today assesses that Russia has less than 90% of the combat power they assembled for the invasion available to them, per the senior U.S. defense official.
„No indication that they’ve moved in foreign fighters from Syria or elsewhere, and on resupply, again, no tangible indications that they are making an effort to resupply from outside [Ukraine or] that they’re pulling in from elsewhere around Russia.“
„We do continue to see indications that [the Russians] are having these discussions [about resupply] and that they are making those kinds of plans both in terms of resupply and also reinforcement. It’s just that we haven’t seen that actually take place.“
„The Russians still have not been able to take Mykolaiv and now we … we get a sense that they’re repositioning themselves to the southern part of the city because the Ukrainians are fighting so hard in Mykolaic [that] they’re making the Russian sort of reposition [its forces.]“
Senior U.S. defense official says the U.S. is „starting to see indications that [Ukraine is] now able and willing to take back territory that the Russians have taken … It’s clearly notable.“
„We’re on day 27 and we continue to see [Russia] have .. inventory issues, particularly w/respect to precision-guided munitions. It follows that a month into an operation of a size & scale that they’ve never attempted before that that they would be exploring [resupply] options.“
„I don’t think that comes as a shock to anybody here at the Pentagon, and we know that they were having logistics and sustainment issues less than a week in. So clearly they did not properly plan for this, of it they did, they are not or they didn’t properly execute to that.“
„We’re doing the best we can to pick up any indications that [Russia has] moved chemical or biological weapons into Ukraine, or that they’re trying to weaponize, for instance, pathogens, that these biological labs have.“
Russians have „about 21 ships“ in the Black Sea. Of those, 12 are surface combatants and 9 are amphibious tank-landing ships, per the senior defense official.
Re: More supplies and troops for Russia?

„They could pull some from inside Russia, some from outside … All we know is that they’re having these discussions & considering what reinforcements might look like and where they might come from.“
SecDef Lloyd Austin is „not taking off the table the possibility that we could possibly deploy additional U.S. forces to the eastern flank. This is something the secretary is looking at every week & he’s not going to foreclose any option if it’s a valuable requirement.“ -official
Official just said holding these background briefings with reporters is one way the U.S. registers its complaints on Russia’s war with Ukraine to the Kremlin.
„Both sides are fighting very hard for Mariupol. The situation changes rapidly over the course of even just a few hours. I don’t know of any indication that the actual geography has changed hands one way or the other.“
„We assess that the Ukrainians are inside and fighting for Mariupol. We also assess that there are some Russian forces inside Mariupol and some of those. we assess, as I said, are probably separatists forces that came down from the Donbass.“
„As for the shelling and what that means, it’s difficult to say. It is of a piece of the Russian effort to increase long-range fires in the city centers because they are struggling to take them on the ground.“
„Mariupol is significant for lots of reasons. It’s an important port city, important geographically with respect to the Donbas and making it easier for the Russians to reach over ground to Crimea.“
Mariupol is „also a sort of southern pole of an effort by the Russians to close off the joint forces operations area .. so that Ukrainian forces are pinned down there and are not able to come to the defense of cities further to the west, including Kyiv.“
Russian troops are suffering from frostbite in some cases because they were not deployed with proper cold-weather gear, the senior U.S. defense official said.

• Das Abendbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs; mit Angaben zur Zahl der Einsätze russischer Flugzeuge:

Failing to succeed, the enemy continues to launch missiles and bomb strikes from the air, at miliary and civilian infrastructure of Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Donetsk oblasts. The enemy has carried out over 80 flights, including 29 from the airfields of Baranovychi and Bobruisk, which are located on the territory of belarus.
The strikes were carried out using bomber aircrafts, attack bombers, and fighter jets. 5 reconnaissance aircrafts were used in order to carry out area reconnaissance of Ukraine’s territory from the air.

In certain areas of the Black Sea, in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov operational zones, ships of the russian federation’s navy are carrying out tasks. In the northeastern part of the Sea of Azov, with the purpose of supporting the actions of the ground forces of the occupational forces, up to 5 ships of varying types continue to be stationed.
Despite the active propaganda, the personnel of various units of the Central military district are demoralized due to significant losses.

There continue to be cases of mass refusal of servicemen of the armed forces of the russian federation to take part in the war against Ukraine. According to the available information, in the 155th separate brigade of the marines, since the beginning of war, approximately 220 servicemen have refused to take part in the armed aggression against Ukraine. In total, since the 24th of February of this year, approximately 50 servicemen in this unit have been killed and 110 wounded. Additionally, the death of top and senior officers in the russian-Ukrainian war has significantly resonated throughout the russian society.
The enemy, as noted earlier, has been having significant problems with the logistics within the occupying forces in almost all directions. In addition, the occupying forces continue to suffer significant losses due to an inadequately organised medical supply system. Thus, due to the untimely provision of medical care, a lack of system of medical evacuation of the wounded, and a lack of medication, units of the 7th assault division of the airborne forces of the russian federation have suffered heavy losses.

• Das Abendbriefing des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums:

Einheiten der russischen Streitkräfte, die die sich zurückziehenden Einheiten der 54. separaten mechanisierten Brigade der ukrainischen Streitkräfte verfolgen, sind weitere vier Kilometer vorgerückt und haben sich dem Dorf Novomikhaylovka genähert.

Eine Gruppe von Truppen der Volksrepublik Donezk hat die Kontrolle über die Siedlung Verkhnetoretske übernommen und setzt ihre Offensive gegen Einheiten der 25. Luftlandebrigade der ukrainischen Streitkräfte fort. Zwei Panzer, fünf BMPs, drei Feldartilleriegeschütze und sieben Geländewagen wurden zerstört.

Am 22. März wurden präzisionsgelenkte Luft- und Seeschläge mit großer Reichweite gegen ukrainische Militäreinrichtungen durchgeführt. Große Treibstoff- und Schmierstoffdepots der ukrainischen Streitkräfte in den Städten Lyssytschansk und Kramatorsk, ein Raketen- und Artilleriemunitionsdepot in Druschkiwka sowie Munitionsdepots in Nadeschdynka und Nowoaleksandrowka wurden zerstört.

Dreiundachtzig ukrainische Militäreinrichtungen wurden von taktischen und militärischen Flugzeugen getroffen.

Darunter: vier Kommandoposten, vier Flugabwehrraketen-Komplexe, drei Depots für Raketen- und Artilleriewaffen und Munition sowie 68 Standorte, an denen militärisches Gerät gelagert wird.

Russische Luftabwehrkräfte schossen sechs ukrainische unbemannte Flugzeuge aus der Luft ab, darunter ein Bayraktar TB-2 in der Nähe der Siedlung Merefa, Oblast Charkiw.

Seit Beginn der militärischen Sonderoperation wurden insgesamt 236 unbemannte Luftfahrzeuge, 185 Boden-Luft-Raketensysteme, 1.547 Panzer und andere gepanzerte Kampffahrzeuge, 154 Mehrfachraketenwerfer, 612 Feldartillerie- und Mörsergeschütze und 1.343 militärische Spezialfahrzeuge zerstört.
(Übersetzt mit deepl.com)

(Für Dienstag voraussichtlich abgeschlossen)