Russo-Ukrainian War, day 762: France ramps up artillery support amid ammunition shortages

Exclusives

This winter, 32 Ukrainian POWs were executed by Russian forces, UN report reveals. Before being executed, one Ukrainian soldier was forced by the Russians to conduct demining work.

Crocus City Hall: incompetence or deliberate failure of Russian security? An OSINT analysis. Did Russia’s state security apparatus break down, or was the terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall deliberately permitted to occur? We investigate

FT: Satellite images reveal Russia’s oil supplies to UN-sanctioned North Korea. Russia is supplying oil directly to North Korea, defying UN sanctions, in a potential ‘arms-for-oil’ trade, according to satellite images obtained by the Financial Times.

Military

Ukraine destroyed or disabled a third of Russia’s Black Sea warships – Ukrainian Navy. “Our ultimate goal is the complete absence of military ships of the so-called Russian Federation in the Azov and Black Sea regions,” Pletenchuk stated.

Ukraine says it hit Russia’s stolen Ukrainian ship with Neptune missile in occupied Crimea. In Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukraine says it hit the large landing ship Kostiantyn Olshanskyi, with a Neptune missile, putting it out of action. Russia had stolen the ship from Ukraine in 2014 and was going to use it against Ukraine now.

Frontline report: Ukraine prepares for likely Russian assault from Belgorod region. Fears are growing in Ukraine over the potential for a major new Russian offensive aimed at the key northern city of Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, as intelligence detects worrying patterns of military build-up in the region.

Belarus dictator discusses possible attack on Suwalki Corridor in Lithuania. Lukashenka asks the military commander if he will be able to hold this territory “with his troops.”

SBU says it caught Russian saboteurs red-handed planting railway explosive. Ukraine’s security service says it has detained suspected Russian FSB agents caught planting explosives on a Poltava Oblast railway line used to transport military matériel amid the ongoing war.

As of 26 Mar 2024, the approximate losses of weapons and military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces from the beginning of the invasion to the present day:

• • • Personnel: 438160 (+770)
    • Tanks: 6893 (+6)
    • APV: 13207 (+24)
    • Artillery systems: 10904 (+27)
    • MLRS: 1019 (+1)
    • Anti-aircraft systems: 727 (+1)
    • Aircraft: 347
    • Helicopters: 325
    • UAV: 85531 (+14)
    • Cruise missiles : 2014 (+4)
    • Warships/boats: 26
    • Submarines: 1
    • Vehicles and fuel tanks: 14498 (+44)

Intelligence and technology

UK intel: Russia forming new army corps in northwest near Finnish, Estonian borders. As Russia builds the 44th Army Corps close to Finland and the Baltic nations, British intelligence says it remains to be seen if the formation will be left to garrison there or rapidly sent to join Russia’s Ukraine invasion like previous newly-formed units.

France to deliver 78 Caesar self-propelled artillery units and shells to Ukraine. France also intends to supply Ukraine with 80,000 shells for 155mm guns this year, a significant increase from the 30,000 provided since the start of the large-scale invasion.

France may requisition or force prioritize arms factories for faster Ukraine output. With stocks strained, France’s defense chief said he may requisition arms makers’ capacity or dictate priorities to speed up production for Ukraine’s battlefield demands.

International

Ukraine draws strength from allies’ ammunition pledges amid offensive, Czech minister says. Czech Foreign Minister highlighted the tangible impact of a Czech-led initiative to procure approximately 800,000 shells from non-EU sources for Ukraine’s defense.

EU grants over €130 mn to Rheinmetall for ammunition production expansion. Rheinmetall’s European subsidiaries will undertake six projects across Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Spain.

Polish Foreign Ministry: NATO considering shooting down Russian missiles near its borders. Such missiles could be shot down when very close to NATO border, cooperating with Ukraine & considering int’l consequences, Polish Deputy FM Andrzej Szejna said.

Humanitarian and social impact

This winter, 32 Ukrainian POWs were executed by Russian forces, UN report reveals. Before being executed, one Ukrainian soldier was forced by the Russians to conduct demining work.

Missile strike on Odesa injures 10, damages 300 apartments. Sports Palace has also been damaged and 23,000 subscribers left without electricity.

Ukrainian writer Serhiy Zhadan intends to join Ukraine’s National Guard. “There are no writers or non-writers, musicians or non-musicians – there are citizens of Ukraine who feel responsible for their country.”

IMF delivers $880 million tranche to Ukraine for macroeconomic stability amid war. Ukraine receives an $880 million tranche from IMF under the Extended Fund Facility Arrangement, aiding budget expenditures and macro-financial stability amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

Political and legal developments

ISW: Russia recycles disproven bio and chem weapons allegations against Kyiv to undermine Western support. Russian officials are again claiming, without evidence, that Ukraine is using a “wide range of toxic chemicals” against Russian troops, including banned substances, as the Kremlin amplifies disinformation aimed at undermining Western resolve, ISW says.

EU’s import restrictions can prolong the war, Ukraine’s agriculture minister says. The falling prices of grain should be attributed to bumper harvests in the United States and Latin America, Solskyi says.

Zelenskyy dismisses Danilov as Security Council secretary, appoints replacement. The newly appointed Oleksandr Lytvynenko has a career in defense and security.

Poland allows sanctioned Belarusian timber into EU with forged documents, according to investigation. Journalists discovered documents showing Belarusian companies are using Poland to bypass EU sanctions, falsifying records to pass off Belarusian timber as coming from Kazakhstan.

Spanish Foreign Minister: Neither EU, NATO, nor Spain prepares for war despite Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Albares responded to comments from some political parties about the government’s rhetoric.

Read our earlier daily review here.