On the 1246th day of war, Ukraine announced that it had lost a Mirage 2000 aircraft provided by France. It crashed on Tuesday evening due to a technical malfunction during a mission. The pilot managed to eject, and the incident will be investigated by a special commission.
Meanwhile, the Russians killed a woman in the Dniprovskîi district of the Kherson region. Additionally, a man was injured in a nighttime drone attack in the same region.
The Dnipropetrovsk region was targeted in a new nighttime drone attack. In Krivoi Rog, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky, numerous damages were reported. Furthermore, the Russians continued to bombard the Nikopol district with heavy artillery.
Russian forces launched 71 drones overnight, and the air defense neutralized 27 in northern, eastern, and central Ukraine. 26 drones hit in 14 locations. The attacks affected the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Cherkasy.
On the other side of the border, Russia once again felt the reality of war - this time, the Rostov region was attacked.
Three people were injured last night in a drone attack on the city of Novocherkassk, located in southwestern Russia, 200 km from the front line in Ukraine. The attacks targeted five districts, where several houses, cars, and lands were set on fire. An official from the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council stated that a railway junction used by the Russian army was attacked.
An investigation by an independent publication shows that Russian authorities systematically involved children in designing and testing drones for the war in Ukraine through national competitions that start with seemingly innocent video games and end with the selection of the most talented by defense companies.
And Volodymyr Zelensky approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation that will participate in the negotiations scheduled to take place on Thursday in Istanbul with international partners and representatives of Russia.
Frontline Situation
- The Ukrainian army lost the first Mirage - One of Ukraine's Mirage 2000 fighter jets crashed on Tuesday evening due to a technical malfunction during a mission. The pilot successfully ejected, as announced by the Air Force, cited by Kyiv Independent. "There was a malfunction in the equipment, which was reported by the pilot to the air traffic controller," the army statement said. "The pilot acted competently, as expected in crisis situations, and successfully ejected. The rescue team found the pilot in stable condition. There were no casualties on the ground," the army specified. This is the first loss of a Mirage aircraft since the Ukrainian army began receiving them earlier this year. The incident took place in the Volyn region in the northwest of the country. A special commission will investigate the causes of the incident. The Ukrainian army announced the arrival of the first batch of Mirage aircraft in February, and in March, they began combat missions.
- Russians killed a woman in Kherson - A 66-year-old woman was killed in a Russian attack on the Dniprovskîi district in Kherson. Additionally, a man suffered serious injuries in a nighttime drone attack, receiving medical care, announced Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the military administration of the Kherson region, cited by Ukrainska Pravda.
- Attacks in Dnipropetrovsk - The Dnipropetrovsk region was targeted in a new nighttime drone attack. In the city of Krivoi Rog, several blocks, an industrial unit, a shop, an outpatient clinic, a sports hall, a school, a cultural institution, and an office building were damaged. Additionally, the Russians bombarded the Nikopol district with heavy artillery, damaging two houses in the localities of Marhanets and Pokrovske.
- How many drones did Russia launch - Russian forces launched 71 drones overnight, and the air defense neutralized 27 in northern, eastern, and central Ukraine. 26 drones hit in 14 locations, and debris from drones fell in five locations. 18 targets disappeared from radar or were jammed, announced the Ukrainian Air Force. The attacks affected the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Cherkasy.
What's Happening in Russia
- Explosions in Rostov - Three people were injured last night in a drone attack on the city of Novocherkassk in the Rostov region. Several explosions, fires, and damages were reported, and traffic near a railway crossing was completely blocked, reported Nexta. According to interim governor Yuri Slyusar, the attacks targeted five districts, where several houses, cars, and lands were set on fire. Andrii Kovalenko, an official from the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, stated that a railway junction used by the Russian army was attacked. "This logistics hub connects strategic directions: Rostov-on-Don, Voronezh, Volgograd, and Kamensk-Shakhtinsky. Through this hub, the transfer of equipment, ammunition, fuel resources, and personnel to the Ukrainian border is carried out," he conveyed. According to the official, the city also hosts the facilities of the 1061 Material and Technical Support Center of the Southern Military District of Russia, responsible for supplying arms and fuel. Novocherkassk, a city in southwestern Russia with 160,000 inhabitants, is located about 200 km from the front line in Ukraine.
- Children used to design and test military drones - Russian authorities systematically involved children in designing and testing drones for the war in Ukraine through national competitions that start with seemingly innocent video games and end with the selection of the most talented by defense companies, writes The Guardian. It all starts with a video game called Berloga, launched in 2022, where "smart bears" have to defend themselves against swarms of bees, sometimes using drones to repel them, according to an investigation by the independent Russian news publication Insider. Hundreds of thousands of young Russians participated in the competitions, and the best ones received extra credits in their high school exams. Additionally, leaders entered more advanced competitions, Big Challenges, where the best were recruited by Russian companies, many of which are subject to international sanctions for their role in the Russian defense industry. Three teenage finalists of the competition are now working in drone technology and told Insider that they were fully aware of the military applications of the games but were encouraged to hide them.
- Over 50,000 sites have been blocked - Russia increasingly restricts free access to the Internet, with the media regulatory body Roskomnadzor recently blocking access to 56,000 sites that refused to remove content considered "extremist" by Moscow, said Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev, according to AFP. At the same time, he defended a controversial new law that criminalizes searching for such content. Shadaev said that "ordinary users" will not have problems. The law imposes fines for deliberately searching for Internet content classified as "extremist." Those who criticize the Kremlin - such as the Anti-Corruption Foundation of former opposition leader Alexei Navalny - are classified in this way.
Other Relevant Information
- Composition of the delegation to negotiate with Russia - Volodymyr Zelensky approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation that will participate in the negotiations scheduled to take place on Thursday in Istanbul with international partners and representatives of Russia to achieve a just and lasting peace. The delegation will be led by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umierov. It includes representatives of the president, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Armed Forces, the Security Service of Ukraine, intelligence services, the Supreme Rada (Ukrainian parliament), and other institutions. According to Ukrainska Pravda, the decree provides that the head of the delegation is authorized to modify its composition and involve experts and state employees with the president's approval. Directives given to the delegation were approved separately and remain confidential.
- Protests in Ukraine - Ukraine saw protests on Tuesday evening after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law limiting the independence of the main anti-corruption agencies. Thousands of people took to the streets, from Kyiv to Odesa, in the most extensive demonstrations since the start of the Russian invasion, in a sign of revolt against what they see as a step back in the fight for a clean state. Details HERE.
- China protests - Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao protested to his European counterpart Maros Sefcovic about the sanctioning of two Chinese banks by the European Union (EU) in the latest sanctions imposed on Russia due to the War in Ukraine, Beijing announced Wednesday. European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are visiting Beijing on Thursday to address various trade issues and the war in Ukraine. However, this summit is not expected to yield concrete results.