Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu discussed the possibility of volunteers participating in the liberation of the DPR and LPR at the Security Council on Friday.
"We receive a huge number of applications from all sorts of volunteers from different countries who would like to come to the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics in order to participate in what they consider to be the liberation movement.
The largest number is from the countries of the Middle East: already more than 16 thousand applications. And here, of course, we consider it right to respond positively to requests, especially since these requests are not for money, but according to the true desire of these people. We know many of them, they helped in the fight against ISIS at the most difficult time, in the last ten years," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"As for gathering mercenaries from all over the world and sending them to Ukraine. We see that they do not hide (the Western sponsors of Ukraine, the Ukrainian regime) do not hide it, they do it openly, disregarding all the norms of international law.
Therefore, if you see that there are people who want to come and help people living in Donbas on a voluntary basis, especially not for money, well, you need to meet them halfway and help them move to the war zone," Russian President Vladimir Putin answered.
With regard to the countries that are taking hostile steps towards our country and our economy, we are well aware that they are calling on their citizens to tighten their belts, to dress warmer and are pointing to the sanctions that they are imposing on us as the reason for the deterioration of the situation in their respective countries. This is very strange, especially since we are meeting our commitments, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
Once again, I want to emphasise that we are respecting all our commitments regarding energy supplies. Deputy Prime Minister [Alexander] Novak talked about this a couple of days ago. Everything that we are supposed to supply, we are supplying to our core consumers in Europe and other regions of the world in full; even the Ukrainian gas transit system is filled to 100 percent under our contracts. This may be surprising, but it is true. We are doing all this. Prices are increasing in these countries, but not because of us. This is the result of their own miscalculations, so they cannot blame us for that.
The same goes for higher oil and petroleum product prices in the United States. They announced that they were shutting down imports of Russian oil to the US market. Prices there are high, and inflation rates are unprecedentedly high, too, probably an all-time high. Still, they are trying to blame us for the consequences of their own mistakes.
This is obvious to the analysts, because Russian oil distribution to the US does not exceed 3 percent. This is a negligible amount, but their prices are up. We have absolutely nothing to do with that. And even the ban on Russian oil imports has absolutely nothing to do with it. They are simply hiding behind these decisions in order to once again deceive their own people. They are already trying to reach agreements with countries they imposed illegitimate restrictions on at some point before. They are now ready to make peace with Iran and sign all the documents right away, and with Venezuela as well. They went to Venezuela to have talks. But of course, they should not have imposed these illegitimate sanctions in the first place.
The same will happen in relations with our country, I have no doubt. However, along with our partners – the ones who do not recognise these illegal actions – we will certainly find a solution to all the problems they are trying to create for us.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin briefed President Vladimir Putin on measures to minimize the consequences of sanctions on the Russian economy and citizens during a virtual Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov dwell separately on the informational provocation of Kiev regime about alleged “strike” by Russian aircraft on Mariupol hospital No. 3.
"First of all, I note that the Russian Defence Ministry yesterday established cease-fire for safe evacuation of civilians in the city.
Russian aviation had no missions of hitting targets on the ground in the Mariupol area," he said.
The analysis of the statements of representatives of Kiev nationalist regime and photos from the hospital, leaves no doubt.
The "air strike” that took place is a completely directed provocation to maintain the anti-Russian stir among the Western audience.
"We have repeatedly stated earlier that the medical institutions of Mariupol, including Hospital No. 3, stopped their full-time work at the end of February. All staff and patients dispersed by the nationalists.
The hospital building, due to its favorable tactical location close to the city center, was re-equipped into a stronghold of the Azov National Battalion.
This is reported by residents of the city, who moved both to the areas controlled by Kiev and controlled by the Donetsk People's Republic," Konashenkov noted.
Photos of the hospital grounds contain evidence of two separate staged explosions near the hospital. An underground explosion and another of minor power, aimed at the hospital building.
The nature of the external and internal damage to the building can mislead non-professional audience of Europe and the United States. For whom this was made.
But not experts. Comparing to staged explosion of the Ukrainian Nazis, even less power high-explosive aviation bomb would destroy the outer walls of the building.
"I emphasize that all these and other war crimes in Mariupol are committed by nationalist locked in the city. We have repeatedly warned that as the ring shrinks, the number of Nazi provocations will increase. There is no way for them to escape.
These are the Nazis of the Azov battalion who had been eliminating the civilian population in Donetsk and Lugansk republics for eight years," he stated.
In recent days, attacks by Ukrainian nationalists and mercenaries who arrived in Ukraine from the United States, Great Britain and Europe on Russian medics and special medical vehicles have become more frequent.
The Nazis deliberately ambush ambulances with a red cross symbol.
Snipers fire from long distances at medics evacuating wounded Russian servicemen in combat areas. Even at medics providing assistance to local residents in settlements.
All this once again confirms the Nazi essence of the Kiev regime, which calls for the killing of any Russians without exception, in violation of international humanitarian law.
"We warn again, the best thing that awaits foreign mercenaries detained in combat areas is criminal prosecution," General stressed.
2,998 Ukrainian military facilities were destroyed as a result of strikes, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on Thursday.
The grouping of troops of Lugansk People's Republic, continuing offensive operations, took control of Maryanovka, Lazarevka, Lesnoe.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation advanced to a depth of 10 kilometers and took control of Stepnoe, Krapivnitskoe, Maly Kremechik, Novopetrikovka and Yalynskoe.
During the day, operational-tactical aviation hit 68 assets, including: 2 assets of the control system of the Ukrainian armed forces, 12 CSS assets, 3 Osa anti-aircraft missile systems.
Russian air defence systems destroyed 1 MiG-29, 3 Bayraktar TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicles and 1 Tochka-U tactical missile.
In total, since the beginning of the operation, the losses of the security agencies of Ukraine amounted to: 98 aircraft, 110 unmanned aerial vehicles, 144 anti-aircraft missile defence systems, 88 radar posts, 1,007 tanks and other armored vehicles, 109 multiple launch rocket systems, 374 field artillery and mortars, 793 special military vehicles.
Units of People's Militia of DPR advanced 1 kilometer inside Mariupol from the northern direction.
The Russian Defence Ministry continues to study materials on the implementation of military biological programs of the United States and its NATO allies on the territory of Ukraine, Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force Igor Kirillov said on Thursday. https://disk.yandex.ru/d/62hsNB8kC7MXPQ
The information received from various sources confirms the leading role of the US Defence Threat Reduction Agency in financing and conducting military biological research on the territory of Ukraine.
Details of the UP-4 project became known, which was implemented with the participation of laboratories in Kiev, Kharkov and Odessa and was designed for the period up to 2020.
Its purpose was to study the possibility of the spread of particularly dangerous infections through migrating birds, including highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza, the mortality rate of which reaches 50 percent for humans, as well as Newcastle disease.
Due to the fact that Ukraine has a unique geographical location where transcontinental migration routes intersect, 145 biological species were studied within the framework of this project. At the same time, at least two species of migratory birds were identified, whose routes pass mainly through the territory of Russia. At the same time, information about migration routes passing through the countries of Eastern Europe was summarized.
Of all the methods developed in the United States to destabilize the epidemiological situation, this is one of the most reckless and irresponsible, since it does not allow to control the further development of the situation. This is confirmed by the course of the pandemic of a new coronavirus infection, the occurrence and features of which raise many questions.
In addition, the R-781 project is interesting, where bats are considered as carriers of potential biological weapons agents.
Among the priorities identified are the study of bacterial and viral pathogens that can be transmitted from bats to humans: pathogens of plague, leptospirosis, brucellosis, as well as coronaviruses and filoviruses.
It is noteworthy that the research is carried out in close proximity to the borders of Russia – in the areas of the Black Sea coast and the Caucasus.
The project is being implemented with the involvement of not only Ukrainian, but also Georgian biological laboratories controlled by the Pentagon in cooperation with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the US Geological Survey.
The analyzed materials on the UP-8 project, aimed at studying the Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever virus and hantaviruses in Ukraine, clearly refute the US public statement that only Ukrainian scientists work in the Pentagon biolabs in Ukraine without the intervention of American biologists. One of the documents confirms that all serious high-risk studies are conducted under the direct supervision of specialists from the United States.
The payroll of Ukrainian contractors clearly demonstrates how they are financed. It has been confirmed that the US Department of Defence paid the money for research participation directly, without the involvement of intermediaries. The extremely modest pay, by US standards, is noteworthy. This indicates a low estimation of the professionalism of Ukrainian specialists and the neglect of their American colleagues.
In addition, the studied materials contain proposals for the expansion of the US military-biological program in Ukraine. Thus, there was evidence of the continuation of completed biological projects UP-2, UP-9, UP-10, aimed at studying the pathogens of anthrax and African swine fever.
The Pentagon is also interested in insect vectors capable of spreading dangerous infectious diseases. The analysis of the obtained materials confirms the transfer of more than 140 containers with ectoparasites of bats - fleas and ticks from the biolab in Kharkov abroad.
Significantly, similar research was carried out in the 1940s on the development of biological weapons components by the Japanese unit 731, whose members later fled to the US to escape prosecution for war crimes.
At the same time, available documents confirm numerous cases of transferring biological samples of Ukrainian citizens abroad. For example, 350 cryocontainers with blood serum samples were transferred from the Public Health Centre of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to the reference laboratory for infectious diseases of the Australian Doherty Institute under the pretext of determining antibody titers.
Another example is the German-funded project No. 68727 EN on the study of Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever pathogens and hantaviruses. As part of this project, one thousand blood serum samples of citizens from different regions of Ukraine belonging exclusively to the Slavic ethnic group were donated to the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (Hamburg).
It is highly likely that one of the objectives of the US and its allies is to create bioagents capable of selectively targeting different ethnic populations.
During a hearing of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on 8 March, Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland reported on the presence of bioweapons in Ukraine where biosecurity research had been conducted. She expressed concern about the possibility of these bio-laboratories and the materials there being taken over by the Russian Armed Forces.
According to available information, the Americans have already managed to evacuate most of the documentation, including databases, biomaterials and equipment from laboratories in Kiev, Kharkov and Odessa to the Lvov Research Institute of Epidemiology and Hygiene and the US Consulate in Lvov. The possibility of transferring part of the collection to Poland has not been excluded.
In fact, with her statement, Nuland indirectly confirmed the Pentagon's military-biological program in Ukraine in circumvention of existing international agreements.
Any armed activity against Russian military personnel will be cut short immediately, and the armed groups of foreign mercenaries and “volunteers” will be eliminated, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
During a news conference on March 1, 2022, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen said that the Danish citizens who wish to volunteer for such activities would not be subject to criminal persecution. You see, the Ukrainian embassies are not only and not so much appealing to Ukrainian citizens who are living in foreign countries, but directly to the citizens of these countries. The Danish Prime Minister’s Russophobic statements are wide open to criticism and are reminiscent of the recruiting of Danish “volunteers” to SS units Danish Legion (Free Corps Denmark), Wiking and Nordland, which committed atrocities in the Soviet Union during WWII. Everyone knows what happened to them.
Such irresponsible statements have also been made by UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said on February 27, 2022, that it was up to people to make their own decisions on joining the hostilities in Ukraine. The goal of such statements is obvious. On the one hand, they want to justify the participation of private military companies in the developments in Ukraine. "I know that UK officials don’t like to answer questions, but now is a good opportunity to ask them: Can you tell us about the participation of your private miliary companies and agencies in developments in Ukraine in 2022, a year ago and during the past 15 years? Or you will say that these are private companies, and the UK government has no connection to them? But you have no connection to the “volunteers” either, so why speak about them now? On the other hand, they will use the inevitable destruction of these “volunteers” to whip up anti-Russia hysteria and Russophobia in the UK," Zakharova noted.
"I have a big request to the countries and their governments, foreign ministers and other officials who are promoting and support the idea of recruiting “volunteers” for the war against Russia on Ukrainian territory: Please, don’t call Moscow later to help you find out what happened to your citizens. We will answer in your own words: They made their own decision, and you helped them make it," she stated.
Judging by the reaction in the UK, Liz Truss’s cynical attempt to score political points on blood has shocked even her colleagues in the Conservative Party, who walked back from her. On February 28, 2022, the UK government issued a statement saying that British citizens are not recommended to go to Ukraine and that their participation in fighting or assistance to combatants in that country could amount to committing a criminal offence under British anti-terrorist laws. Disavowing Liz Truss’s statements has become a new tradition in the UK.
"We would like to tell our foreign partners once again that we do not bear any responsibility for the lives of your citizens who decided to take part in illegal military activities in Ukraine. I will not list the documents you have violated by declaring your support for such actions, the documents you have signed. I will certainly find them, but not today, because this would take too long. Any armed activity against Russian military personnel will be cut short immediately, and the armed groups of foreign mercenaries and “volunteers” will be eliminated," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman stated.
As part of the special operation of the Russian Armed Forces, control was taken of the Chernobylskaya and Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plants and the adjacent areas, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
This measure was only taken to prevent Ukrainian nationalist or other terrorist groups, or foreign mercenaries from taking advantage of the current situation in the country to carry out nuclear provocations; such risks are real.
The situation at the Chernobylskaya and Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plants is being monitored jointly by Ukrainian specialists and the Russian military. Background radiation at both nuclear power plants is normal.
The Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plant is operating in normal mode, so civilians living in the adjacent areas are not exposed to risk.
As a country that has a developed nuclear power industry, Russia is fully conscious of the potential risks to nuclear infrastructure and we are doing our best to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.
We are outraged by the behaviour of the Kiev authorities, who are spreading disinformation about the Russian military’s actions with respect to Ukrainian nuclear power plants. This is information warfare. We will disavow all of it.
The lion’s share of responsibility for the [Ukraine] crisis lies with the NATO member countries, which encouraged and supported Kiev’s Russophobic policy and not only recognised, but orchestrated the anti-constitutional coup in 2014, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
The official statements by Ukrainian politicians about seeking nuclear weapons were the last straw.
"Our long-standing fears, which we have expressed multiple times over many years, regarding the development by the United States in Ukraine of the corresponding military-grade biological materials under the guidance of the relevant US special services, were confirmed recently. They were confirmed not only on the basis of the materials and data obtained directly in Ukraine, and not only from the statements by the corresponding Ukrainian agencies. This was also stated today in Washington by US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland when she took questions from US legislators," she added.
The goal of the special military operation is to protect the residents of the DPR and LPR, to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine, to eliminate the military threat to Russia emanating from Ukraine due to it being settled by NATO countries which flood Ukraine with weapons. It is not designed to occupy Ukraine, destroy its statehood, or topple its government. It is not directed against civilians. We have to go over the same things time and again in order to counter the vast amount of disinformation and classic fakes developed by Western intelligence services in the corresponding Western media.
The Ukrainian side’s methods of conducting operations are of major concern. "We are well aware that extremists, who until recently were legally registered as nationalist paramilitary battalions, are now an integral part of the Ukrainian armed forces. The Russian side recorded the use of phosphorus munitions, which are banned by the third protocol of the UN Inhumane Weapons Convention, by the armed forces of Ukraine. The nationalist battalions, mercenaries from the Middle East and some countries of Western Europe who are fighting alongside them, are using civilians as human shields and taking up fighting positions in residential buildings and at civilian sites. This tactic was used by ISIS terrorists. We observe obstacles to the evacuation of local residents and foreign citizens from hazardous areas. Information about humanitarian corridors is deliberately withheld. People wishing to leave for Russia are forced to evacuate in the western direction. There were instances where nationalists shot civilians who wanted to leave the areas of hostility," Zakharova stated.
A great danger is posed by criminals who were released from prisons deliberately by people who were fully aware of the consequences. Not only that, they were given firearms as well. Now, in addition to neo-Nazis and mercenaries, Ukraine, as was the case during the civil war, is now home to gangs of looters, robbers and rapists.
"Concurrently with the special military operation, we are holding talks with the Ukrainian side in order to end as soon as possible the unnecessary and senseless bloodshed and resistance by the armed forces of Ukraine. The third round ended in Belarus on March 7. The discussion of political, military and humanitarian issues continued. Some progress has been made, in particular on humanitarian corridors for the civilians to leave war zones. We were approached with requests for evacuation to Russia from about 2 million people with about 140,000 people already in Russia. Unfortunately, agreements are often not followed in real life. I would like to draw your attention to the statistics that the Emergencies Ministry is providing regularly and clearly. It has all the statistics on the number of people who crossed into the territory of the Russian Federation, the districts and regions of our country where they reside, their numbers and social status," she said.
Unfortunately, the agreements are often not complied with in real life. "We call on the Ukrainian side to do everything possible to ensure the safe passage of civilians. We hope that the next rounds of talks will help produce a more substantial step forward," she added.
The Russian Ministry of Defence continues analysis of documents provided by employees of Ukrainian biological laboratories on the secret military biological activities of the United States on the territory of Ukraine, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on Thursday.
Russian specialists of the NBC protection troops have studied documents on the transfer of human biomaterials taken in Ukraine to foreign countries on the instructions of US representatives.
Detailed information about the implementation of a project by the United States on the territory of Ukraine to study the transfer of pathogens by wild birds migrating between Ukraine and Russia and other neighboring countries was of particular interest.
According to the documents, the American side planned to organize work on pathogens of birds, bats and reptiles in Ukraine in 2022. And further study of the possibility to transfer of African swine fever and anthrax by them.
According to the documents, experiments with samples of bat coronavirus were carried out in biological laboratories created and funded in Ukraine.
The purpose of these and other Pentagon-funded biological researches in Ukraine was the creation of mechanism for the covert spread of deadliest pathogens.
In the near future, we will show another set of documents received from Ukrainian employees of biological laboratories and present the results of their assessment.
In total, 2,911 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on Thursday.
The grouping of troops of Lugansk People's Republic, continuing offensive operations, took control of Blizhnee and Tavla. The advance was 4 kilometers.
The operation to liberate Mariupol from nationalists continued.
The units of People's Militia of Donetsk Republic took control of Azovskiy, Naidenovka, Lyapino, Vinogradar disticts in the east of the city and went to Azovstal plant. "Western" neighbourhood has been liberated in the west part of the city.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to strike at the military infrastructure of Ukraine.
In total, 2,911 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation.
Among them: 97 aircraft, 107 unmanned aerial vehicles, 141 anti-aircraft missile defence systems, 86 radar posts, 986 tanks and other armored vehicles, 107 multiple launch rocket systems, 368 field artillery and mortars, 749 special military vehicles.
The humanitarian situation throughout Ukraine continues to deteriorate rapidly, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Center for Defense Management said on Wednesday.
In Mariupol, the conditions of citizens, as a result of the monstrous actions of the nationalists and the city administration, has reached catastrophic proportions.
In the same city, on Kuprina street, nationalists blew up a power line and several tanks with fuel, without evacuating nearby residential buildings.
In Sumy, the nationalists of territorial defence, who allegedly assumed obligations to ensure law and order, do not prevent a surge in looting, moreover, they have formed a criminal community.
The children's hospital building is used by the Sumy territorial defence unit as a stronghold.
There are two territorial defence checkpoints on the Sumy-Grayvoron highway, the personnel of which are in civilian clothing, armed with small arms and Molotov cocktails with the task of preventing the exit of refugees.
In Kharkiv, nationalists, under threat of using weapons, force local residents to set up barricades of car tires at every intersection in order to prevent civilians from reaching humanitarian corridors.
Ordinary Ukrainians come to understand that they mean nothing to the current regime. Residents of cities and towns have lost their already dubious faith in the current government, which prefers not to notice human suffering.
Moreover, the Kiev regime has sanctioned nationalists to use weapons against those who attempt to evacuate to the Russian Federation, threatening to kill relatives remaining on Ukrainian territory. There are threats of physical violence from radicals against those who are trying to receive humanitarian aid.
The civilized world, the UN, the OSCE, the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as other international organizations in the catastrophic situation that has developed for Ukraine have no moral right to stand aside, ordinary Ukrainians and foreign citizens should not "one on one" fight Nazism that has overwhelmed the Kiev authorities.
We appeal to reputable international organizations, to the International Committee of the Red Cross with a request to take urgent measures to encourage the Kiev authorities to carry out the entire complex of measures to prepare for the evacuation and the formation of humanitarian convoys. And the most important thing is that notification of the gathering places and the opening of humanitarian corridors should be carried out through all communication channels, as well as using a centralized information and notification system for the population. We very much hope for your effective monitoring mechanism, including on the ground, how the mayors of Ukrainian cities are in practice preparing for humanitarian operations, as the lies and deception of the Kiev authorities are becoming unbearable.
We have sent an official appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross on this issue. The militants of the nationalist battalions continue to use prohibited methods of warfare, namely, violence to life and physical integrity, murder, torture of civilians. At present, the radicals continue to hold more than four and a half million civilians hostage as "human shields," as well as 1,197 foreigners who have already expressed a desire to evacuate to places of safety from the horrors and arbitrariness of the neo-Nazis.
At the same time, without the participation of the Ukrainian side, 5,460 people, including 1,125 children, were evacuated from dangerous zones in various regions of Ukraine, as well as the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics during the day. In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, there have been more than 179 thousand people, including 45,436 children evacuated.
20,961 vehicles crossed the state border of the Russian Federation, including 867 vehicles per day.
Yesterday, as a result of the humanitarian operation carried out by the Russian Federation, 247 foreign citizens were evacuated from dangerous areas of the Kherson region to Novorossiysk, including 166 from Turkey, 41 from Ukraine, 11 from Egypt, 8 from Italy, 7 from Azerbaijan, 6 from Pakistan, 5 from India, one each from Sweden, Morocco and Brazil.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that all evacuated citizens, including foreigners, are fully provided with comfortable conditions for recreation, hot meals, and medical assistance has been provided to those in need.
More than 9.5 thousand temporary accommodation centers continue to function normally in the regions of the Russian Federation. Individual work is organized with each person arriving in Russia.
A sufficient number of vehicles for the transportation of refugees are kept in constant readiness at checkpoints and places of temporary accommodation.
Ukraine approved only three humanitarian routes of 10 proposed by Russia for March 9, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Center for Defense Management said on Wednesday.
"The Russian Federation, solely for humane purposes, came up with another initiative for Kiev officials to open 10 humanitarian corridors today and evacuate civilians and foreign citizens from Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol," he said. "Only three routes have been agreed upon: one from Kiev to the south, as well as from Sumy to Poltava and from Mariupol to Zaporozhe."
"But three more have been proposed: from the city of Energodar to Zaporozhe, from Volnovakha to Pokrovsk, from the city of Izyum to the city of Lozovaya," Mizintsev said. Russia agreed to the additional routes that were proposed by Ukraine, he said.
The military officer also said Ukraine makes untenable demands for opening a humanitarian corridor.
"In addition, the Ukrainian side put forward absurd and obviously unrealistic demands: to make sure demining is carried out along one route, with the mines having been put in place by nationalists, and to restore a highway bridge, which was destroyed by the armed forces of Ukraine during their retreat, on the other route," Mizintsev said.
According to Mizintsev, the absurdity of these demands also lies in the fact that both routes pass through territories controlled by nationalist battalions. "This suggests that those, who coordinate humanitarian corridors with us in Kiev, don’t have a full control of the situation on the ground," he said.
In total, 2786 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on Wednesday.
Destroyed: 953 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 101 multiple rocket launch systems, 351 field artillery and mortars, 718 units of special military vehicles, 93 unmanned aerial vehicles.
I will focus on the results of the defeat of aviation and air defence systems of the armed forces of Ukraine.
By the beginning of the special operation, the Ukrainian armed forces had up to 250 serviceable combat aircraft and helicopters.
The Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed 89 combat aircraft and 57 helicopters on the ground and in the air.
Part of the Ukrainian aircraft flew to Romania and does not participate in hostilities.
90 percent of the Ukrainian military airfields have been disabled. There are no trained Ukrainian pilots of the first and second class left. Today, only single attempts of sorties of the Ukrainian air force aircraft have been recorded.
Now about the results of the defeat of Ukrainian air defence systems.
During the special operation, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed 137 S-300, Buk M-1 and S-125 anti-aircraft missile systems. This is more than 90 percent of the long and medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems in service.
81 Ukrainian air defence radar posts were destroyed. This led to the loss of combat control of aviation and air defence of Ukraine. At present, the air defence system is only focal and is incapable of providing significant countermeasures to Russian aircraft.
The leadership of the Ukrainian armed forces is trying to remedy the absence of information about the air situation by receiving data from the E-3A aircraft of the AWACS-NATO system at the air force command post in Vinnytsia.
These aircraft are on around the clock duty in Poland airspace.
The grouping of troops of Lugansk People's Republic, continuing offensive operations, took control of Toshkovka and Grachevo. The advance was 2 kilometers.
Units of People's Militia of Donetsk People's Republic in the course of offensive operations advanced 4 kilometers and took control of Signalnoe, Taramchuk, Yelenov and Trudovoye.
The depth of advance of units of the People's Militia of the Donetsk Republic in Mariupol per day was more than one kilometer.
The units of the Russian Armed Forces took control of Krasnaya Polyana and Stepnoe.
During the day, bomber and attack aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed 49 military facilities. Among them: 2 command posts, 6 radar stations, 4 ammunition and fuel depots and 37 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment.
Unfortunately, several facts of the presence of conscripts in the units of the Russian Armed Forces participating in a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine have been revealed.
Almost all such servicemen have already been withdrawn to the Russian territory.
At the same time, one of the units performing combat service support tasks was attacked by a sabotage group of the nationalist battalion.
A number of servicemen, including conscripts, were captured.
Comprehensive measures are currently being taken to prevent conscripts from being sent to combat areas and to release captured soldiers.
During special military operation, secret documents of the command of the National Guard of Ukraine ended up in the hands of the Russian servicemen, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on Wednesday.
These documents confirm the covert preparation by the Kiev regime of an offensive operation in the Donbass in March 2022 https://disk.yandex.ru/d/i27vyXSwZwLjLw
The Russian Ministry of Defence publishes the original secret order of the commander of the National Guard of Ukraine, Colonel-General Nikolai Balan, dated January 22, 2022.
Order "On organizing the training of a battalion tactical group of the 4th operational brigade to perform combat (special) tasks in the joint forces operation as part of a brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine."
The document is addressed to the heads of the northern Kiev, southern Odessa and western territorial departments of the National Guard of Ukraine.
The order, brought to the command of the National Guard of Ukraine, details the plan for preparing one of the shock groups for offensive operations in the so-called “Joint Forces Operation” zone in Donbass.
The document approves the organizational structure of the battalion-tactical group of the 4th operational brigade of the National Guard, the organization of its comprehensive support and reassignment to the 80th separate air assault brigade of Ukraine.
I would like to emphasize that since 2016, this formation of the air assault troops of Ukraine has been trained by American and British instructors under the “NATO standard” training programs in Lvov.
In accordance with the order, the Deputy Commander of the National Guard was tasked with organizing joint combat training of the battalion-tactical group of the National Guard as part of the 80th separate air assault brigade of the armed forces of Ukraine from February 7 to February 28, 2022.
I draw your attention that as many as five paragraphs of 4th paragraph are devoted to the issues of careful selection of personnel, psychologists examination and ensuring their high motivation.
For this reason, the National Guard servicemen are provided with "visual agitation, information and propaganda materials, flags, and printing products."
The deputy commander of the National Guard for Staffing (personnel) was ordered to organize "an effective system of moral and psychological support for the battalion tactical group of the 4th operational brigade, internal communications of commanders with subordinates, informing."
At the same time, it is important to provide "an explanation to the personnel of command decisions and the importance of upcoming tasks."
I draw special attention to the fact that the 12th paragraph of the order prohibits sending National Guard servicemen who showed “unsatisfactory” results of psychological testing according to the criterion of “risk appetite” to the area of joint command training and to the place of “combat special tasks”.
All events of joint combat training of the nationalists are ordered to be completed by February 28 in order to further ensure the fulfillment of combat missions as part of the Ukrainian “Joint Forces Operation” in Donbass.
The document contains the original signatures of the officials of the command of the National Guard of Ukraine responsible for the tasks.
We remember the statements by the leadership of the Kiev regime replicated by the Western media in February, that there were no plans for an armed seizure of Lugansk and Donetsk people's republics. About their desire to resolve all issues in "political and diplomatic way."
However, the originals of the secret military documents of the National Guard of Ukraine clearly prove the falsity of these statements.
A special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces, conducted since February 24, thwarted a large-scale offensive operation of Ukrainian troops on the Lugansk and Donetsk people's republics in March of this year.
Thus, only one question remains unclear so far: how deeply the US leadership and its NATO allies were involved in the planning and preparation of the operation to storm the Donbass by the Ukrainian joint force grouping in early March. All those who care so much about peace in Ukraine today.
In total, 2,581 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on Tuesday.
The units of the Russian Armed Forces took control of Peredovoe and Kariernaya.
During the day, bomber and assault aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed 32 military facilities.
Among them: 4 command posts, 3 radar station, 2 fuel depots and 11 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment.
In total, 2,581 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation.
Among them: 90 command posts and communication centres of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 123 S-300, Buk M-1 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as 81 radar stations.
Destroyed: 897 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 95 multiple rocket launch systems, 336 field artillery and mortars, 662 units of special military vehicles, 84 unmanned aerial vehicles.
In order to safely evacuate civilians from settlements today, from 10:00 a.m. Moscow time, cease-fire is established and humanitarian corridors from Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol are opened, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on Tuesday.
The grouping of troops of Lugansk People's Republic, continuing offensive operations, took control of Borsonino, Kremennaya, Peschannoye, Varvarovka, Pshenichnoye, Epifanovka, Novodruzhesk, Belogorovka.
The advance was 9 kilometers.
The units of the People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic took control over Osaviakhim block in Mariupol.
Over the past 24 hours, bomber and attack aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed 158 military facilities on the territory of Ukraine.
On March 7, high-precision long-range weapons disabled the airfield of the Air Force of Ukraine in Ozernoe near Zhytomyr.
Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down 2 MiG-29s and 1 Su-27 of the Ukrainian Air Force in the air.
Also disabled: 2 Ukrainian divisions of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, 3 Buk M-1 self-propelled mounts, 4 command posts, 2 radar stations, 9 ammunition depots and 11 areas of concentration of equipment and military hardware.
In total, 2,482 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation.
Among them: 87 command posts and communication centres of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 124 S-300, Buk M-1 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as 79 radar stations.
Destroyed: 866 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 91 multiple rocket launch systems, 317 field artillery and mortars, 634 units of special military vehicles, 81 unmanned aerial vehicles.
The third round of Russian-Ukrainian talks, held in Belarus on Monday evening, failed to yield the expected results, as both Moscow and Kiev delegates acknowledged.
Russia’s chief negotiator, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, said that the expectations pinned on the talks failed to come true, while Ukrainian presidential office adviser Mikhail Podolyak acknowledged that there were no results for the time being that might considerably improve the situation.
Both sides agreed to go ahead with negotiations and noted positive shifts on the issue of humanitarian corridors that remained inoperational on Monday.
Russia hopes that the humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from the areas of hostilities, which were discussed last Friday, will start working as they should on Tuesday, Medinsky told the media. He said the Russian delegation put this question in a "point-blank" way to receive firm promises from Kiev’s delegates.
The Russian presidential aide blames the problems with the opening of humanitarian corridors on the Ukrainian military commanders locally, who disobey orders from their superiors and the authorities.
Podolyak said in a video uploaded to Twitter that the two sides had agreed to some changes to the logistics, which, he said, would make assistance to civilians more effective, but did not disclose the details.
On Monday morning, the Russian military opened corridors for civilians out of Kiev, Kharkov, Sumy and Mariupol, but the evacuation of civilians was upset. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk dismissed Moscow’s option as "unacceptable."
Moscow’s delegates had brought to Belovezhskaya Pushcha "concrete" treaties, drafts and proposals" in the hope of signing "at least a protocol" regarding the items that had been agreed in principle, Medinsky said. However, the Ukrainian delegation took these drafts "to study at home."
Podolyak said that consultations on the basic political settlement package in combination with ceasefire and security guarantees will be proposed, but no tangible results had been achieved yet.
Russia’s proposals, as the chairman of the State Duma’s committee Leonid Slutsky said, included "political aspects, denazification, the Russian language and, naturally, everything related with the neutral status and demilitarization." He stressed that Moscow’s stance on these issues was "not some basis for further consultations, but an unshakable foundation."
Earlier, the chief of the parliamentary faction of Ukraine’s ruling faction, David Akhramiya, one of the participants in the negotiations, said the Moscow and Kiev were able to achieve a compromise practically on all issues except for the status of Crimea and the Donbass republics. He argued that their recognition would be "unacceptable to Ukrainian society."
In the meantime, Moscow has repeatedly said that the recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics and Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and Sevastopol was its firm stance. The same applies to the demand for a special clause in the constitution ruling out Ukraine’s accession to any bloc, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters on Monday.
The Russian-Ukrainian negotiations will be continued and Moscow hopes that "more tangible steps forward will be made," Medinsky said.
Neither side has mentioned any specific dates or venues, but Slutsky remarked that the next round would be held in Belarus in the near future.
Slutsky warned that the negotiating process would be no easy and take time. "Let us not succumb to the illusion that a final result is just one or two steps away from us. There is laborious, systematic work ahead."
Nationalists open fire on all civilians trying to leave their homes, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Monday.
The grouping of troops of Lugansk People's Republic, continuing offensive operations, took control of Kudryashovka, Voronovo, Metelkino, Medvezhye, Askoronovka, Petrovka, Aleksandrovka.
The units of the People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic established control over Latmoye, Berezovoe, Yasnoye, Maksimovka and Valerianovka.
Today, from 10:00 a.m. Moscow time, in accordance with the declared cease-fire, all military operations in the area of Mariupol were completely stopped.
According to civilians who escaped from the city, the situation in Mariupol occupied by the nationalists is difficult. People are hiding in basements. Due to the lack of electricity and gas in their homes, they are forced to cook their food on the street, at the stake.
The militants disperse them. Nationalists open fire on all civilians trying to leave their homes. People are forced to paint on the walls and doors of houses: "don't shoot - children are here!".
However, the Nazis, using terrorist tactics, deploy their firing positions in houses with inscriptions “do not shoot - children are here!”.
The units of the Russian Armed Forces took control of Novoukrainskoye, Staromayorskoye, Staromlynovka, Mayorovo and Removka. All civilians of the liberated settlements are provided with humanitarian assistance.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to strike at the military infrastructure of Ukraine.
Bomber and assault aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed 26 military facilities.
Among them: 2 command posts, 1 radar station, 5 ammunition depots and 11 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment.
The United States’ funding of biological laboratories in Ukraine exceeds $200 million, as follows from materials the Russian Defense Ministry made public on Monday.
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has repeatedly drawn attention to the biological programmes implemented by the Pentagon in the post-Soviet area.
Including the territory of Ukraine that has united a chain of more than 30 biological laboratories divided into those for scientific research and for sanitary-epidemiological investigations.
Those works have been ordered by the Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). A firm affiliated to the defence department (Black and Veatch above all others) are involved in the implementation of the projects.
The works refer to three main branches. In the first place, it refers to the biological situation observation in the areas of possible deployment of the NATO military contingents, according to the Pentagon. In the second place, it is dedicated to collecting and transporting the strains of dangerous microorganisms. The third branch of activity refers to scientific investigations on potential biological weapons agents that are specific for that region, possessing natural focuses and able to be transmitted to humans.
For example, since 2021, the Pentagon has been carrying out the project called 'Diagnosis, observation and prevention of zoonotic diseases in the Armed Forces of Ukraine' funded with 11.8 million dollars.
In 2020-2021, the German Ministry of Defence examined the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, leptospirosis, meningitis, hantaviruses causative agents within the Ukrainian-German initiative for biological security on the external borders of the European Union.
Under the pretext of testing agents for the treatment and prevention of the coronavirus infection, a few thousand of serum samples taken from the infected individuals that refer to the Slavic ethnicity have been transported from Ukraine to Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
At the same time, the activity of the biological laboratories that, according to our data, has been intensified since 2014 and the so-called Ukrainian healthcare system 'reforming' programme implemented by the United States have led to an unmanageable increase of hazardous and economically important infections morbidity.
Thus there has been noted an increase of rubella, diphtheria and tuberculosis cases in Ukraine. The incidence of measles has increased more than 100 times. The World Health Organization has declared Ukraine a country with a high risk of the poliomyelitis outbreak.
We are considered that in the year of 2007 a strain of African swine fever with high contagiousness was constructed in the Georgian biological laboratory which is subordinate to Pentagon. It`s spread caused significant economic damage to a number of states including Ukraine and Poland and excluded them from a number of pork exporters.
The Department of the Chief of the Russian troops NBC protection constantly analyzes the biological situation on the territory of Ukraine.
According to our data an emergency phasing out of the biological programmes takes place. The analysed documents confirm that Ukrainian Health Ministry has set a task to completely destroy the bio-agents in the laboratories since 24th of February.
At the same time the analysis of the instructions given to the laboratory officials indicates that liquidation procedure is aimed at the irrevocable destruction of the collections. Apparently, everything necessary for continuation of the implementation of the military biological program has already been taken out of Ukraine.
The analysis of the acts of destruction shows that work was carried out with pathogenes of plague, anthrax and brucellosis in the Lviv biological laboratory, pathogens of diphtheria, salmonellosis and dysentery in laboratories in Kharkov and Poltava. Here are some of them: only in Lviv 232 containers with the casuative agent of leptospirosis, 30 containers with tularemia, 10 with containers brucellosis, 5 containers with plague were destroyed. In total more than 320 containers. The nomenclature and excessive number of bio-pathogens indicate that the work was carried out within the framework of military biological programs.
The curators from the Pentagon understand that if these collections get to Russian experts a fact of violation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons by Ukraine and the USA will most likely be confirmed. Namely: carrying out work to enhance the pathogenic properties of microorganisms with usage of synthetic biology methods.
Only this can explain a haste with which the liquidation was carried out.
This is only a small part of documents. We continue the work and will inform you.
1,634 foreigners are kept as human shields by Kiev radicals, including, Chief of the National Centre for State Defence Control, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev reported on Monday.
in Kharkov – 257 citizens of Jordan (200), Egypt (40), Vietnam (15) and Indonesia (2);
in Sumy – 1,140 citizens of India (576), Tanzania (159), China (121), Ghana (100), Jordan (70), Egypt (60), Pakistan (16), Tunisia (15), Zambia (14 ), Kazakhstan (8) and Serbia (1);
in Mariupol – 88 citizens of Turkey (70) and Kazakhstan (18);
in Kherson – 15 Egyptian citizens;
in Odessa – 7 Indonesian citizens;
in Kiev – 20 citizens of the Republic of Togo (7), Great Britain (7) and the Republic of Benin (6);
in Chernigov – 21 citizens of Pakistan (12) and Indonesia (9).
Regarding the fate of these foreign citizens, we are working around the clock with the relevant diplomatic departments of these states.
In the Russian regions, temporary accommodation centres have been increased to 9 thousand places, all of them are ready for individual work with citizens arriving from Ukraine.
To date, more than 168,000 people have been evacuated from the zones of the special military operation, including 43,469 children.
19,256 personal vehicles have crossed the state border of the Russian Federation.
The federal executive authorities, together with the constituent entities of Russia, various public organizations, and patriotic movements, have already prepared more than 15,000 tons of humanitarian cargo.
The EMERCOM, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, Rosreestr and Rosrezerv, Tula, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Belgorod, Voronezh, Kursk and Rostov regions, as well as the Republic of Crimea were most actively involved in this important work.
882 tons of humanitarian cargo have already been delivered to Ukraine, 110 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 30 actions in Kiev and Chernigov regions, as well as in the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics over the past day, during which 325 tons of basic necessities were handed over to the civilian population of the liberated regions, medicine and food.
In addition, 50 tons of foods were delivered from the Syrian Arab Republic and 14 tons of basic necessities from Nagorno-Karabakh for subsequent transfer to the population of Kiev and Zaporozhye regions.
To date, 48 humanitarian actions have been planned and are currently being carried out in Kiev, Zaporozhye, Kharkov, Kherson and Chernigov regions, during which 341 tons of basic necessities, medicine and food will be distributed.
All necessary conditions have been created in the Russian Federation to welcome refugees.
At checkpoints and places of temporary accommodation, rest rooms are equipped, hot meals are provided, mobile medical stations are deployed, logistic is organized for departure to the regions of Russia, and delivery of foreign citizens to their homeland is provided.
The Ukrainian side has not fulfilled a single condition for the creation of humanitarian corridors, Chief of the National Centre for State Defence Control, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev reported on Monday.
We observed by means of objective control, including unmanned aerial vehicles - not a single event for the preparation of humanitarian convoys was carried out, no one arrived at the open humanitarian corridors.
It is known that the nationalists, under the threat of physical violence, simply do not let civilians and foreign citizens out of these settlements.
From 10:00 a.m., on the contrary, we note intensive movement of armed people on the front line in all directions, artillery and mortar fire did not stop for a second. During these three hours alone, on all six humanitarian corridors declared by the Russian Armed Forces, 172 shellings from the armed forces of Ukraine and nationalists were recorded. In this case, we are talking about shelling areas directly located or adjacent to the alleged humanitarian corridors.
In Mariupol, any attempts by the civilian population and foreign citizens to move in the direction of the gathering places for humanitarian convoys were severely suppressed, up to the use of weapons to kill.
In addition, the mayor of Sumy, Alexander Lysenko with the commander of the national battalion, at 11:55 a.m.officially announced: “There will be no green corridors, not a single civilian will go to Russia, and those who try to do this will be shot.”
We know why the Kiev regime, by all available and inaccessible methods, in every possible way prevents the exit of civilians and foreigners to Russia, and in fact, they afraid that people will tell the truth about lawlessness and chaos, humiliation and suffering, as well as genocide organized by this inhuman regime.
Millions of Ukrainians, thousands of foreign citizens also found themselves in the information blockade. Nobody tells the truth to people. Even the notification of civilians and foreigners about the possibility of using safe humanitarian corridors towards Russia is not carried out, and the Ukrainian media broadcast false information that Russia does not provides these corridors.
At the same time, on the border of Ukraine in Kiev region, as well as in Sudzha, Kursk region, in Nekhoteevka, Belgorod region, in Novoazovsk city, Rostov region, four columns of comfortable large buses, with a total number of 367 seats, with a total capacity of up to 12.5 thousand passengers. These thousands of people could find themselves in a calm and safe environment today. Unfortunately, this did not happen due to the fault of the Ukrainian authorities.
We keep chronology of all the actions of the Ukrainian side, archiving the materials of objective control. We are doing this, in order to tell the Ukrainian people later who lied to them, who used them as a human shield.
We record in detail the positions, last names, first names of all representatives of the Kiev authorities who are interacting with us today on humanitarian issues at this difficult time for ordinary Ukrainians. We will tell about the actions and inaction, about the betrayal and lies of official and unofficial officials who are indifferent to the fate of their own people.
Kiev officials continue to accuse the Russian Armed Forces of allegedly failing to comply with the promised cease-fire and brazenly lie to representatives of foreign embassies in Kiev, Lvov and Odessa and other cities about the Russian side’s failure to fulfill the conditions for ensuring the security of humanitarian corridors. This is a blatant provocation, lies and deceit.
We continue to work with all interested parties and today, more than ever, we call on the UN, the OSCE, the International Committee of the Red Cross, all the power, all the potential of your organizations to force the representatives of Kiev authorities to fulfill the humanitarian obligations enshrined in the Geneva Convention.
Yesterday, numerous facts were recorded in Kharkov, Sumy and other cities, when militants of nationalist battalions shot civilians, accusing them of complicity with Russia.
In Mariupol, on the first floor of a school building located on Svobody Avenue, nationalists of the territorial defence battalions created a strong point, placing heavy weapons on the lower floors and placing groups of snipers on the roof. At the same time, the militants hide behind the backs of innocent citizens, forcibly holding the residents of the nearest houses in the school.
And the latest information looks quite cynical. Officials with whom we interacted during the preparation of today's humanitarian operation have just published an official message on the information resource that the exit of civilians was disrupted through the fault of the Russian Federation, allegedly due to inconsistency in the routes of humanitarian corridors.
In total, 2,396 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Monday.
The grouping of troops of Lugansk People's Republic, continuing offensive operations, took control of Smolyaninovo, Voevodovka, Kremennaya, Kudryashovka, Borovenki, Purdovka, Zamulovka. The advance was 6 kilometers.
The units of the armed forces of Donetsk People's Republic established control over Azov, Novotatarovka and Mirnoe.
Units of the People's Militia of Donetsk Republic conducted offensive operation in Mariupol.
The main clashes were in the west of the city - in Novoselovka, Moryakov and Osaviakhim, and in the east - in Naydenovka and Azov Ring.
Yesterday, at about 17:00 Moscow time, on Pobedy Avenue in Mariupol, DPR servicemen clashed with Ukrainian armed nationalists unit.
More than 150 civilians as a human shield were ahead of the militants who were hiding behind them.
Having discovered the personnel of the People's Militia, the Ukrainian nationalists opened fire on them from behind the backs of civilians. As a result of the firing by the Ukrainian Nazis, 4 civilians were killed and 5 wounded.
The personnel of the People'S Militia of DPR withdrawn released civilians through the Vinogradnoye district from Mariupol to the controlled territory. All of them received the necessary assistance.
The units of the Russian Armed Forces took control of Urozhaynoye, Novodonetskoye, Novomayorskoye, Dorozhnyanka, Zagornoye and Charivnoye.
Last night, assault aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces and military air defence shot down 3 more Su-27s of the Ukrainian Air Force in Poltava region, 1 Su-25 in Gostomel region, 2 Mi-24 helicopters in Makarov region and 8 unmanned aerial vehicles, including Bayraktar TB-2.
Bomber and assault aircraft hit 3 Buk M1 anti-aircraft missile systems and 2 radar stations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In total, 2,396 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation.
Among them: 82 command posts and communication centres of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 119 S-300, Buk M-1 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as 76 radar stations.
Destroyed: 827 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 84 multiple rocket launch systems, 304 field artillery and mortars, 603 units of special military vehicles, 78 unmanned aerial vehicles.
Today, from 10:00 a.m. Moscow time, a cease-fire has been declared, and six humanitarian corridors were opened:
one from Kiev to Gomel;
two from Mariupol to Zaporozhye and Rostov-on-Don;
one from Kharkov to Belgorod;
two from Sumy to Belgorod and Poltava.
Detailed information about the humanitarian corridors was brought to the Ukrainian side in advance, as well as to the specialized structures of the UN, the OSCE and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
During the opening of humanitarian corridors, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will carry out objective control of evacuation with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Evidence of a US-financed military biological program developed in Ukraine has been revealed during Russia’s special operation in that country, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.
"In the course of the special military operation, evidence of the Kiev regime’s hasty measures to conceal any traces of the military biological program finance by the US Department of Defense in Ukraine has been revealed," he said.
According to the spokesman, information was received from employees of Ukrainian biolaboratories that especially hazardous pathogens: plague, anthrax, cholera, tularemia and other lethal diseases infecting agents had been urgently destroyed on February 24.
According to Konashenkov, following the beginning of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, the Ukrainian health ministry issued an instruction to all biolaboratories to urgently destroy hazardous pathogens they had.
"Obviously, after the launch of the special military operations, Pentagon became afraid that secret biological experiments in Ukraine will be exposed. We will share the results of the analysis of the documents we have received in the near future. Some of them, in particular the Ukrainian health ministry’s instruction to destroy pathogens and certificates of completion from the Kharkov and Poltava biolaboratories we are publishing right now" he said.
Please note that the use of the airfield network of Romania and other border countries for basing Ukrainian military aviation with subsequent use against the Russian armed forces can be regarded as the involvement of these states in an armed conflict, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on Sunday.
In addition, the general warned of an upcoming attack on Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises.
On March 6, the airfield of the Ukrainian Air Force in Vinnitsa was put out of action with long-range precision weapons.
Fighter aircraft and air defense of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down three more Ukrainian Su-27 fighters and three unmanned aerial vehicles in the air.
In total, for yesterday and incomplete today, the Ukrainian Air Force lost 11 combat aircraft and 2 helicopters.
Almost all combat-ready aviation of the Kiev regime has been destroyed.
At the same time, we know for certain about Ukrainian combat aircraft that had previously flown to Romania and other border countries.
Please note that the use of the airfield network of these countries for basing Ukrainian military aviation with subsequent use against the Russian armed forces can be regarded as the involvement of these states in an armed conflict.
The armament and military equipment of Ukraine is being disabled by Russian long-range precision weapons.
The Kyiv regime of nationalists forces employees of enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine to restore damaged military equipment for subsequent deployment to the areas of hostilities.
As part of the task of demilitarizing Ukraine, the Russian armed forces will inflict high-precision weapons on Ukrainian enterprises of the military-industrial complex.
In order to avoid a threat to the lives of employees of enterprises of the Ukrainian defense industry, we warn in advance of planned strikes against such facilities.
We call on the personnel of the Ukrainian defense industry plants not to be led by the nationalist regime in Kiev and to leave the territories of their enterprises.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted the "strange" prospects for Russian-Ukrainian talks in light of President Zelensky's inappropriate statements aimed at drawing NATO into a conflict with Russia.
"It is difficult to comment on the prospects or further rounds of the negotiations. But Zelensky's constant embittered statements hardly inspire any optimism. He let out a stream of invective about the NATO meeting. He was a little rude to his handlers, accusing them of inaction. My question is, if he's so upset that NATO didn't stand up for him as he hoped, does that mean he's still relying on resolving the conflict by dragging NATO in rather than negotiating? He does not seem to hear the continued statements from Washington, Paris, Berlin and other capitals that NATO is not going to intervene in this conflict. And he is trying to provoke a conflict between NATO and Russia. Or maybe he woke up in this mood yesterday. So maybe it has changed today, I don’t know. His militaristic frenzy suggests he does not need any negotiations," he added.
The grouping of troops of the Luhansk People's Republic, continuing offensive actions, took control of the settlements of Rubtsy, Karpovka, Makeyevka, Novolobovka, Lipovoe, Srednoye, Zelenaya Dolina, Zakablukhovka, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on Sunday.
Units of the Armed Forces of the Donetsk People's Republic have established control over the settlements of Peredovoe, Karernoe and Ravnopol.
Units of the People's Militia of the Donetsk Republic are conducting successful offensive operations on the western and north-western outskirts of the city of Mariupol. The residential quarter of the Staryi Krym has been taken under control.
Units of the Russian Armed Forces during the offensive took control of the settlements of Priyutnoye, Zavitne-Bazhanne, Staromlynovka, Oktyabrskoye and Novomayskoye. The advance was 11 kilometers.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to deliver strikes at the military assets of Ukraine.
On the evening of March 5, a massive strike was carried out, as a result of which 61 military assests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit, including: 22 units of weapons and military equipment in an underground shelter, a brigade control point, 9 ammunition depots and logistics facilities and 3 radar posts.
The strike with long-range precision weapons was carried out on the morning of March 6 The airfield of the Air Force of Ukraine in Starokonstantinov was neutralized.
Over the past day, fighter aircraft and air defence of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down four Su-27 and one MiG-29 aircraft near Zhytomyr, Su-27 and Su-25 near Radomyshl, one Su-25 near Nizhyn, two Mi-8 helicopters near Kiev, six unmanned aerial vehicles, including Bayraktar TB-2.
Bomber and assault aircraft hit 3 Buk M1 anti-aircraft missile systems and 3 AFU radar stations.
Missile troops destroyed the S-300 anti-aircraft missile defence system.
In total, 2203 military assets of Ukraine were hit during the operation.
Among them: 76 control points and communication centers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 111 S-300, Buk M-1 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as 71 radar stations.
Destroyed: 69 aircraft on the ground and 24 aircraft in the air, 778 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 77 multiple rocket launchers, 279 field artillery and mortars, 553 units of special military vehicles, as well as 62 unmanned aerial vehicles.
The sanctions that are imposed on Russia are like a war. Thankfully, it has not got to that yet, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.
"I think that our so-called partners understand what this can lead to and how much is at stake, despite their reckless statements, for example, like the statement made by the UK Foreign Secretary, when she blurted out that NATO could get involved in the conflict. And we immediately had to take a decision to put our deterrence forces on high alert," he added.
And now I will answer your question about volunteers, conscripts, martial law and the like. Under the law, martial law is declared by a Presidential executive order, which should be approved by the Federation Council, in case of foreign aggression, in particular, in the zones of hostilities.
This is not the case now, and I hope it will not come to that. This is the first point.
Now, about the martial law. To reiterate, it is usually imposed in case of an external aggression, a military threat. I hope this will not happen, despite irresponsible statements by certain officials.
We have enough forces and means to address the tasks that we have set for ourselves with the use of the professional army.
By the way, speaking of the operation itself I know there are many speculations about it. Frankly, I have no time to get into that, but they report to me that there is much chitchat about what is going on. All analysts are seeing what is happening, so I will not reveal any secret to you. We could have acted in a variety of ways. We could simply (by the way, this answers your question, in part) help the republics of Donbass right on the line of contact, at the frontline, so to say, and simply reinforce them with our army. But in this case, the other side, I mean reckless support for nationalists and radicals coming from the West, would have provided endless support with the material resources, ammunition, equipment, and so on.
Therefore, our General Staff and the Defence Ministry took a different road. The first thing they did was destroy all the military infrastructure. Not completely but most of it: arms and ammunition depots, aircraft and air defence systems. Destroying air defence systems takes some time (you are civilians, yet you are connected with aviation) – they must be identified and then hit. This work has been practically finished. Hence the demand to impose a no-fly zone. However, doing so would have tremendous and disastrous consequences not only for Europe but also globally. I think those on the other side who are not completely at sea understand that.
That is why we chose that road, and it turned out to be absolutely correct. Our servicemen are working without haste and are doing everything to ensure the safety of civilians. Unfortunately, those bandits, neo-Nazis do not spare people. They shoot dead even their own service personnel who do not want to offer armed resistance. We know about such facts, too.
As for volunteers and those young people who come to military recruiting stations, we are grateful to them for this patriotic impulse and the desire to support the country and the Armed Forces. The very fact of their coming does matters, for sure. However, their assistance is not needed for now, and I believe it will not be needed.
I am turning to the cameras so that they will see and hear me say, “Thank you.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about all the reasons that led to the military special operation in Ukraine and what goals were set for the Russian Armed Forces. In addition, he explained what the de-Nazification and de-militarization of Ukraine meant and why this had to be done.
The fact of the matter is that after the anti-constitutional coup in Ukraine, which was, unfortunately, strongly supported by Western countries… Let us face it. They are not hiding the fact that they spent US$5 billion on it, handing out cookies on Maidan and so on. And then, instead of bringing the situation back on track, even if it spiralled out of control, even if it was what is known as an excessive act – there is such a legal concept, that is, they planned one thing, but did another. Anyway, they could and should have brought this situation back onto the political track. Moreover, right before the coup, three foreign ministers came to Kiev in 2014, signed an agreement with the incumbent authorities and acted as guarantors of these agreements to the effect that the situation would remain within the political track.
"Nothing of the kind. They carried out a coup d’état and supported the perpetrators. Then followed the well-known events related to Crimea and southeastern Ukraine, Donbass, whose residents refused to support the coup," Putin said.
Crimea made a decision, people came to the referendum and voted to once again become part of the Russian Federation.
"Naturally, we could not but support this, all the more so since they were threatened by nationalists and neo-Nazis. There is a great deal of evidence that they were right," he added.
Later on, or practically in parallel, events started in Donbass.
"What was the outcome? People who began to resist these developments were persecuted. The Kiev authorities started conducting military operations on that territory. They conducted two large-scale punitive operations with the use of heavy weapons and combat aircraft. They attacked Donetsk directly with tanks and bombed its squares from aircraft," Putin said.
"Now listen carefully. Maybe this will sound rough but the situation compels me to say such things. You see yourselves that stray dogs attack people in different regions. They injure and even kill people (this is a separate problem and the local authorities must deal with it). Then we see how these dogs are poisoned and shot dead. But, look, people in Donbass are not stray dogs. From 13,000 to 14,000 people have been killed over these years. Over 500 children were killed or mutilated," Putin stressed.
