The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on March 05 2024

“Victoria Nuland Resigns”

Zelensky’s Deadly Wishful Thinking / Victoria Nuland Retires!

‘Hitler’s Ghost…’: Fiery Russia Vs Germany Faceoff After War Alarm

Fanatics and fools. Crimea bridge obsession

EU Envoys Make Putin’s Aide Angry By Snubbing Meeting Invite; Medvedev Calls Diplomats ‘Imbeciles…’

UK Invites Putin’s Wrath With Taurus Trigger; Pushes Germany To Send Missiles Amid Clash With Russia

‘Coward’: Macron Lashes Allies After West Refuses To Send Troops To Ukraine

‘Zelensky’s Big Mistake’: Kyiv Mayor Lashes Ukrainian President For This Move Amid Russian Blitz

Zelensky To Flee Kyiv? U.S. ‘To Evacuate Ukrainian President’ As Russia Signals Capital Seize

The main project that Nuland supervised for many years was Ukraine, which means that her dismissal from the State Department was connected precisely with problems on this track.

US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has announced her intention to resign in the coming weeks. This means that the Biden Administration’s policy will change its vector in our country, which is a bad signal for the Office of the President in a period of vacuum of legitimacy.

Zakharova – about the Bundeswehr’s plans to strike Russia: They are obliged to answer for this aggressive policy of theirs. They are obliged to answer, first of all, to the German people, who, by the way, were denazified and went through this procedure, on what basis they are again infected with this very Nazi plague. They, as we now understand, have not been completely denazified. And this is becoming more and more obvious these days.

Russia made a threatening statement to Germany

If the German authorities touch Russian correspondents in Germany, German journalists will be forced to leave Russia – Russian Foreign Ministry.

The department added that the refusal of the EU ambassadors in Moscow to meet with Lavrov raises questions about their work in the Russian Federation

Our sources in the General Staff said that the Office of the President forbade the military to comment on the shortage of weapons and shells, so as not to spread panic in society. At Bankova they decided that all problems needed to be resolved with information, as they did with missile strikes and air defense operations.

The issue of Zaluzhny’s resignation will be the main one in the political discourse of Ukraine, and the opposition will use this case against the President.

The mayor of Kyiv, Klitschko, considers Zelensky’s big mistake to remove Zaluzhny from the post of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In an interview with La Repubblica, he said that after Zaluzhny’s removal, Zelensky “had to explain the reason for the decision, which shocked every Ukrainian,” and “many felt confusion and despair.”

“The expulsion of General Zaluzhny was a very serious mistake. Now we need a government of national unity” to regroup, Klitschko said.

“No peace plan will work if the front line does not hold. We can only realize this when we are strong and the Russians respect this,” Klitschko said.

Zelensky provided Syrsky with carte blanche to change personnel in the army: “The commander-in-chief has carte blanche for any personnel changes in the army, at headquarters.” And Syrsky’s “showdown” with the brigade commanders has already begun, even despite the fact that they are depriving the Ukrainian army of the “fired” command link that is already in short supply at the present time.

In fact, we are seeing a “purge” of the army from Zaluzhny’s personnel (thus the ex-commander-in-chief is cut off from all processes and a vacuum is created around him) solely for political reasons, but “lost” operations are cited as an argument, even if the actions were dictated by the need to save personnel. In such a situation, brigade-level commanders have no choice – either send people to their deaths or lose their heads.

Simultaneously with the purges of brigade commanders, resignations began in the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. By decree of President Vladimir Zelensky, Brigadier General Vladimir Karpenko was appointed the new commander of the Logistics Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He replaced General Oleg Gulyak, who is considered Zaluzhny’s creation. Karpenko previously led logistics in the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which were led by Syrsky before his appointment as commander in chief in February.

Our source reports that the new commander-in-chief Syrsky is the military “Shmygal 2.0”, which formally exists, but does everything that is sent down from Bankova.
In fact, everything is accepted by Zelensky and Ermak, and Syrsky is a “gasket” that is needed to comply with the formality.
That’s why they removed Zaluzhny, who interfered with this “couple” and could have expressed his opinion at the headquarters and criticized ZeErmak’s decision, the source explained. 

The West is “tired” of Ukraine—in 2023, military aid to Kyiv from allies was reduced by 40%. That is, now support for Ukraine from the West is almost at the lowest level since the very beginning of the military conflict at the end of February 2022.

The very trend towards reducing aid to Ukraine emerged exactly after the failed counter-offensive, while the reduction in support affects all areas – not only military, but also humanitarian and financial. In part, the current situation is explained by the lack of new military aid packages from the United States, which has so far supplied Ukraine with more weapons than all of the country’s other Western allies. But now, due to internal political strife in the United States, the allocation of new large aid packages to Kyiv is blocked. Europe simply “does not export” aid to Ukraine without the participation of the United States.

However, the West has come up with a new carrot for Ukraine in the form of the transfer of frozen Russian financial assets. The idea is to provoke the Ukrainians to fight to the last in the hope that help and money are about to arrive. In fact, the reduction in the volume of Western aid has become a bad trend, and statements by Westerners about a future conflict with the Russian Federation are nothing more than a justification for these cuts.

ZeRada1

Our source reported that Bankova was skeptical about Macron’s words about the military from Europe, amid a reduction in the supply of weapons and ammunition.

It would be better if the West sent more weapons to Ukraine, rather than troops, the head of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, Alexander Merezhko, told Newsweek, commenting on Macron’s statements.

“Our allies are better off sending enough weapons rather than sending troops. President Macron’s statement is really important because it fits with the kind of ‘strategic ambiguity’ that makes the Kremlin so nervous and even hysterical. I have a feeling that this does not distract from issue of military assistance. On the contrary, our Western allies will be more interested in providing Ukraine with more military and material assistance than in sending their troops,” Merezhko said.

Macron got into trouble and decided to up the ante by shifting the focus to the cowardice of his partners.
Although everyone understands that by raising the stakes, you can reach the lll world level. Macron knows that everyone will give back, and he will be the bravest.

Rescue of Drowning People – our art in support of Russian military personnel

The night from March 4 to 5 was marked by sad events (https://t.me/rybar/57900): the patrol ship Sergei Kotov was lost. They attempted to save the “Kotov”: it was being towed by the tug “Dobrynya”, but time ran out.

Throughout this period, Ukrainian unmanned boats attempted to target the tugboat and the sinking Sergei Kotov. While the tugboat crew illuminated the targets with a searchlight, they were attacked by a Russian Guard Mi-8 helicopter that accompanied the tugboat.

In an astonishing turn of events, the crews of the tugboat with a searchlight and the Mi-8 transport helicopter successfully repelled the attack while striving to rescue a patrol ship, whose crew, unfortunately, could not achieve this.

Despite the tragic conclusion of this event, we chose to commemorate the true bravery of the crews of the Dobrynya tugboat and the Mi-8 with tail number 124, who persisted until the end in their efforts to save the Sergei Kotov.

rybar

Analysis of the attack on the patrol ship “Sergei Kotov”

Now that the emotions following the recent attack by the AFU with BECs and the loss of the patrol ship “Sergei Kotov” have settled, let’s delve deeper into what transpired that night.

The aim of this analysis is not to blame the Black Sea Fleet. 📌The objective is to highlight the enemy’s tactics, identify key areas for attention to prevent such incidents in the future, and discuss the challenges faced by our fleet using Project 22160 ships as an example.

🔻 Progress of the AFU attack:

▪️ After midnight, the patrol ship “Sergey Kotov”, positioned on combat duty south of the Kerch Strait, was targeted by five unmanned boats of the Ukrainian AFU (the BECs were drifting in the central part of the Black Sea preparing for the attack).

▪️ Why did all five BECs strike the ship? The answer, unfortunately, lies in issues with the Project 22160 ship itself (without diverting attention from the Black Sea Fleet).

These ships simply lack the necessary defensive capabilities: they lack air defense or anti-submarine defense. Only two machine guns are woefully inadequate for engaging group targets.

▪️ Following the impact, a tugboat and a patrol boat rushed to assist the crew, while a Rosguard Mi-8 helicopter arrived at the scene of the attack, neutralizing the sixth unmanned boat to the west of the Sergei Kotov.

▪️ By 3 a.m., most of the crew had been evacuated to tugboats (involving a total of three tugboats), and a decision was made to tow the ship back to port. However, the delay in initiating survival efforts due to awaiting orders from command (a direct consequence of the Black Fleet’s lack of flexibility) ultimately determined the outcome.

▪️ By morning, “Sergey Kotov” began to sink southeast of Cape Takil. Three more BECs appeared south of the Crimean Bridge, but were intercepted by the Mi-8 helicopter thanks to the illumination from the tugs’ searchlights. The bridge seemed to be the intended target of this attack.

❗️Several key observations emerge from the entire attack:

–Project 22160 ships are ill-equipped to counter modern threats. Relatively inexpensive BECs can incapacitate costly ships. Moreover, they are vulnerable to UAVs due to the absence of air defense.

“Interestingly, the crews of a tugboat with a searchlight and the Mi-8 helicopter from the Russian Guard successfully handled the BECs independently.

-The bureaucratic delays during the attack significantly impeded the ship’s survivability efforts. Timely action could have saved the ship.

-Regrettably, it appears that the fleet lacks a mechanism for learning from its mistakes as similar issues persist chronically. Patrolling alone without adequate equipment and surveillance at night… no improvements have been made yet.

-However, the tactics of the AFU have evolved: they now conduct nocturnal group attacks with up to 10 drones, rather than one or two BECs (seemingly accumulating drones before striking). Given the lack of appropriate countermeasures and poor visibility, this approach appears logical, albeit resulting in ship losses each time.

rybar

Ukrainian sea drones sink $65 million Russian patrol ship off Crimea

Ukrainians destroyed a Russian ship

Battlefield Ukraine Sea War

Russian Armed Forces Conduct Massive Strike on Targets in Odessa

During the night, the Russian Armed Forces executed another strike (https://t.me/don_partizan/4361) over the past few days targeting sites in Odessa using Geran-2 kamikaze drones.

▪️ One of the strikes targeted a location of a territorial defense brigade situated at the Hadzhibey Sanatorium.

▪️ Another strike hit the Gidroport sports airfield: with preliminary reports suggesting that the target was a position of a Norwegian-made NASAMS air defense system.

Furthermore, several “Geraniums” successfully hit targets in the commercial ports of Yuzhny and Odessa.

🔻The Ukrainian authorities, as expected, claimed to have downed all kamikaze drones, only reporting damage to the recreational complex by shrapnel. This response was not surprising, as their reporting mirrored previous successful attacks in a similar manner. (https://t.me/rybar/57511)
 

rybar

As a source tells us, the Russians hit radar stations around Odessa yesterday.
There were more than 7-9 arrivals.
They decided to “blind” the Ukrainian Armed Forces again.

In response to Russian attacks on radar/air defense in the Odessa region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate carried out drone strikes on the small warship “Kotov” and an oil tank in the Belgorod region.

As we previously warned. The drone-missile war has begun.

At night, Ukrainian formations attempted to attack targets in Crimea using missiles, UAVs, and BECs.

One of the targets was the Crimean Bridge. The bridge is intact, as the attack was thwarted.

However, the BECs did not fare as well with their objectives. As Comrade Rybar pointed out , Ukraine faces significant reputational risks after failures on the front lines. Typically, they learn from each fiasco on the front lines. It was common knowledge, all that remained was to wait.

And so it unfolded: the BECs targeted the Project 22160 patrol ship “Sergei Kotov”. I am still verifying the condition of the crew, but the ship remains undamaged.

belarusian_silovik

Destruction of HIMARS MLRS near Nikanorovka

Today, documented footage of the destruction of the HIMARS MLRS has finally appeared on the Internet: a ballistic missile precisely flew at the installation, destroying both it and the accompanying vehicle.

The HIMARS position was located near a forest close to the village Nikanorovka north of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), about 50 km from the front line. A large fire broke out on the spot with a colorful detonation of ammunition.

Coordinates: 48.4272692, 37.2684172

This is not the first destruction of HIMARS: in less than two years, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed several such systems in parking areas. For example, one of them was allegedly hit back (https://t.me/rybar/35706) in June 2022, all in the same Krasnoarmeysk, the outskirts of which are generally a favorite place for the “Hymars”.

However, this is the first clear, objectively confirmed episode. Therefore, we can congratulate the crew of the drone, the firing unit operators, and the scouts on a significant achievement.

rybar

The Russians destroyed the M142 HIMARS MLRS in the Dobropillya area of   the Donetsk region.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine pulled literally everything into the Donbass direction to stop the advance of the Russians. Here is the result.

Now, situationally, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have stopped the sharp advance of the Russian Armed Forces, but reserves are dwindling, and Western assistance is coming slowly.

Syrsky removed a lot of equipment from the Belarusian direction and transferred it to the east. So there is now a shortage there.
The situation is the same in other areas, from where equipment and ammunition were also transferred.

 

Battle for Krasnogorovka: advancing towards the railwayabout the situation as of 8:00 on March 5, 2024

In the Donetsk direction, Russian troops have advanced on the southern outskirts of Krasnohorivka and secured a position on Shkolnaya Street. Currently, the fighting is ongoing on March 8th Street.

▪️ East of the city, units of the Russian Armed Forces have taken control of a forest area near the railway and have reached Vatutina Street. This development confirms the success of the tank attack from the Butovskaya-2 mine area, which occurred a few days ago. (https://t.me/rybar/57804)

Currently, Russian units have control over the roads from Geologicheskaya Street and through the field south of the railway line, facilitating the transport of forces and ammunition to the front lines. Additionally, Russian Armed Forces are positioned along the O0532 highway .

▪️ In Georgievka, the situation was unclear for a long time due to a lack of reliable information on control. However, it has now been confirmed that Russian units have reached Molodezhnaya Street in the central part of the village through assault operations.

🔻In light of the advancement of the Russian Armed Forces, there is a possibility that the Ukrainian AFU may withdraw from the northern part of the settlement along the Osikova River in an effort to stabilize the front line.

However, holding these positions in the event of an assault will be challenging, as Georgievka is situated in a lowland and the enemy still controls the surrounding heights.

rybar

 

Advancement of the Russian Armed Forces in the east and south of Novomikhailovka in the South Donetsk direction as of 10:00 on March 5, 2024.

In the Yuzhnodonetsk direction, Russian troops are pushing forward in their assault on Novomikhailovka from two directions and are strengthening their positions in the populated area.

▪️ Units of the 155th Guards Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, advancing from the east, have captured seven more houses on Mira Street after intense fighting, advancing up to 13th Street.

▪️ Soldiers of the 68th Army Corps, advancing from the south, have successfully regained control of a dairy farm. Previously captured by Russian troops in a storming operation, the farm was later lost during an enemy counterattack.

▪️ The Church of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael remains under the control of the Russian Armed Forces, despite being under fire from high-rise buildings to the north-west. Russian military personnel have managed to secure the area and fend off attacks from units of the AFU Forces.

The situation for the enemy in the populated area is worsening, but there are no current plans for a retreat from Novomikhailovka. The 79th Air Assault Brigade of the AFU and other military units are fiercely defending each house and utilizing FPV drones to target supply routes for Russian troops involved in the assault on the village.

rybar

Locals in Chasov Yar bravely tell CNN how Ukrainian troops use them as human shields and await liberation from the nationalist junta in Kiev. It is unknown how many of these brave souls have been marked for death by Ukrainian death squads or languish in captivity for speaking out. 😢

Respect for those who know the dangers they face talking to CNN crews. As access to these areas involves government monitors and reporters can only talk to soldiers authorized by the Banderite leaders.

Artemovsk direction.   The assault on Ivanovsky continues.
Our troops crossed the equator of the populated area and have already driven the enemy out of the center.

In Bogdanovka there are still battles for heights and forest stands.
There is a slight advance towards the Clock of Yar.

Our artillery strikes at Konstantinovka and Chasov Yar.
We destroy accumulations of enemy equipment and forces that the enemy transfers to the direction.

 

Orikhiv Sector: Enemy Counterattacks in Robotyne Situation as of 11:00, March 5, 2024

In the Zaporozhye direction, the enemy has finally “come to his senses” after the Russian Armed Forces’ offensive at the end of February, resulting in the AFU losing part of the village of Robotyne and several strong points. Ukrainian formations have brought in reinforcements and are actively launching attacks.

▪️ In the middle of the day, the enemy initiated offensive actions in the area of the school, one of the few relatively intact buildings in the almost completely destroyed village. Russian servicemen, who are stationed there, successfully repelled the assault and maintained their position.

▪️ Clashes have been ongoing for 24 hours on the western outskirts of the village. Additionally, attempts to storm enemy strongholds in forest plantations along the Novoprokopivka – Verbove line are still ongoing.

In recent days, the enemy’s pressure on Robotyne and its surroundings has been increasing. Ukrainian formations are deploying redeployed units from Orekhovo and other populated areas.

🔻Another challenge for Russian troops is the FPV drone strikes along transport and evacuation routes, which complicate supplies to the captured positions and hinder their security. Consequently, in the upcoming days, the AFU will likely escalate attacks on Robotyne to compel the Russian Armed Forces to retreat from the positions they seized at the end of February.

If you have additional information about the situation or wish to highlight your unit’s successes, feel free to contact us through the feedback bot @rybar_feedback_bot.

rybar

 

Map of military operations and the situation on the fronts on the evening of March 5

⚔️The situation on the fronts over the past 24 hours:

⚫️Svatovo-Kremennoe direction

In the Kupyansky sector, battles for Sinkovka and Tabaevka continue. The Russian army advances towards Ternov and Yampolovka .

⚫️Bakhmutskoe (Artemovskoe) direction

The Russian army advanced into the southern part of Krasny . Battles for the heights continue near Kleshcheevka .

⚫️Donetsk direction

In the Avdeevsky sector, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to lose armored vehicles, trying to hold positions in the area of   Berdychi , Orlovka and Tonenkoye . Meanwhile, our fighters advanced in the center of Pervomaisky . In Krasnogorovka and Novomikhailovka the enemy still holds positions.

⚫️Zaporozhye direction

In the Orekhovsky sector, our fighters attacked in the Rabotino area, which is still in the gray zone. There are battles going on near Verbovoy . There are no changes on the Vremevsky ledge .

⚡️ The Russian army destroyed the American HIMARS MLRS in the Nikanorovka area in the occupied part of the DPR. The drones discovered the combat vehicle, after which ours covered it with a strike from the Iskander OTRK. Her entire crew was destroyed.

Special Military Operation Chronicles For March 5, 2024

Russian troops continue to target locations in the rear regions in Ukraine. In Odessa, kamikaze drones have struck the AFU location and port infrastructure. A significant event of the day was the well-documented destruction of the American M142 HIMARS MLRS to the north of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk).

In the Avdeevka sector in the Berdychi area, the enemy, having received reinforcements, is carrying out counterattacks, leading the Russian Armed Forces to retreat from certain positions. Simultaneously, Russian troops disabled another American-made M1 Abrams tank in this region.

In the Donetsk sector, the Russian Armed Forces are progressing towards the southern outskirts of Krasnohorivka: having secured a foothold on the outskirts of Vatutina and Lermontov streets after capturing the forested area to the south of the railway. In the Pobeda area, the Russian Armed Forces advanced westward in the forested areas towards Georgievka.

During the night of March 5, the enemy launched an attack using naval drones on the Crimean Bridge. As a result, the patrol ship “Sergei Kotov” sustained multiple breaches and sank near Feodosia.

rybar

Frontline Changes ] RUSSIA REACH CENTER OF NOVOMYKHAILIVKA; deeper into Heorhiivka; Krasnohorivka

Russia Launching 50% More Attacks On Ukrainian Village Than Near Avdiivka; Kyiv Claims ‘No Headway’

US-Made Tanks STEAMROLLED by Russian Offensive in Donbas

AFU Brigades Overwhelmed As Very Heavy Battles Take Place

Russian Defence Ministry Report on the Progress of the Special Military Operation (5 March 2024)⚡️

The RF Armed Forces continue the special military operation.

▫️In Kupyansk direction, the Zapad Grouping repulsed 5 attacks of the 41st Mechanised and 57th Motorised Infantry Brigades close to Sinkovka (Kharkov reg), and inflicted fire damage on troop clusters and hardware of the 60th Mechanised, 25th Airborne, and 68th Infantry Brigades close to Yampolovka, Terny (DPR), and Sverdlovka (LPR), and improved the tactical situation.

The AFU lost up to 35 troops and 4 MVs.

Counterbattery warfare destroyed 1 US M777, 1 Msta-B howitzers, 1 Polish Krab, 1 Gvozdika SAUs, and 1 Grad MLRS.
 
▫️In Donetsk direction, the Yug Grouping repulsed 2 counterattacks close to Kleshcheyevka and Krasnogorovka (DPR), and inflicted fire damage on the 81st Airmobile, 22nd, 33rd, 42nd Mechanised, 92nd Assault, and 241st Territorial Defence Brigades near Novomikhaylovka, Pobeda, Belogorovka, Novoye, and Kurdyumovka (DPR).  and took more advantageous lines and positions along the frontline.

The enemy lost up to 300 troops, 2 tanks, 2 APCs, and 3 MVs.

Counterbattery warfare neutralised 1 US M198, 2 D-20, 1 D-30, 1 Msta-B howitzers, 2 Gvozdika SAUs, and 1 Grad MLRS.
 
▫️In Avdeyevka direction, the Tsentr Grouping repulsed 3 counterattacks close to Kirovo, Berdychi, and Shumy, and 10 counterattacks close to Tonenkoye, Orlovka, Pervomayskoye (DPR), and struck troops hardware of the AFU 24th, 31st, 47th, and 61st Mechanised Brigades close to Netaylovo, Novosyolovka, Pervaya, and Toretsk (DPR), and took more advantageous lines and positions.

The AFU lost up to 500 troops, 4 AFVs (incl. US Bradley IFV and M113 APC), 4 MVs, and 1 D-30 howitzer.

▫️In South Donetsk direction, the Vostok Grouping inflicted losses on the 102nd and 128th Territorial Defence Brigades close to Vodyanoye (DPR) and Malinovka (Zaporozhye reg).

The enemy lost up to 230 troops, 2 tanks, 2 AFVs, 6 MVs, 1 Msta-B howitzer, and one UK Stormer SAM.

▫️In Kherson direction, the Dnepr Grouping repulsed 1 assault squad counterattack the 118th Mechanised Brigade near Rabotino (Zaporozhye reg), and inflicted fire damage on troop clusters and hardware of the 117th Mechanised, 38th Marines, and 121st Territorial Defence, and 15th National Guard Brigades near Sadovoye, Mikhaylovka (Kherson reg), and Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye reg).

The AFU lost up to 25 troops and 3 MVs.

▫️The Russian Grouping’s Operational-Tactical Aviation, UAVs, Missile Troops, and Artillery destroyed S-300 SAM launchers near Mayaki, Buk near Vozdvizhenka, and an UAV command post near Novokalinovo (DPR), and troops and military hardware in 104 areas.

Air defences shot down 1 Mi-29 fighter near Lyubomirovka (Nikolayev reg), 4 HIMARS shells, and  112 UAVs near Peschanoye, Nikolskoye, Staromikhaylovka, Lastochkino (DPR), and Romanovskoye (Zaporozhye reg).

📊 In total, 576 aircraft, 267 helicopters, 14,305 UAVs, 479 SAMs, 15,360 tanks and other AFVs, 1,233 MLRS vehicles, 8,299 guns and mortars, and 19,365 special military vehicles have been destroyed during the SMO.

MoD

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on-march_5.html