The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on March 15 2024

Pope Francis on Ukraine: “Seeking Peace, Not Surrender”

Battlefield Earth NATO Attack on Kaliningrad

Pope Francis “got into a garden where no one invited him” – Head of European Diplomacy Josep Borrell

According to him, offering Ukraine to surrender is “more than just a desire for peace.”

“Pope went into the garden where no one invited him. I believe that now is not the time to call on Ukraine to surrender, but, on the contrary, the time to continue to help [Kiev],” the diplomat emphasized.

ukr_leaks_eng

Pope Francis, with his idea about the need for Ukraine to enter into peace negotiations, raised a topic that Europe does not dare to discuss.

Politico writes about this.

“The Pope’s proposal raised a topic that is toxic for Kyiv’s allies. But the time to talk will come,” the publication writes.

“Some Central European countries are very emotional about the idea of   a peace conference. They are still afraid that they will be next as soon as we give in to Putin,” an EU official explained the European reaction to Politico.

But privately, some in European administrations acknowledge that negotiations may be necessary.

“We have to be realistic. At a certain point we will have to start talking about peace and perhaps even giving up part of Ukraine’s territory,” an EU official said.

Out of the corner of our eyes, we are following the critical reviews that have been raining down on the head of the “peacemaker” Pope Francis in recent days. Recently, the pontiff again spoke out on the Ukrainian issue: he actually said that the Kyiv regime should engage in talks, and the one who “will have the courage to raise the white flag” will be the strongest.

In response, Francis predictably received a portion of discontent, both from the so-called Ukraine and from some EU officials. For example, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the Pope “climbed into a garden into which no one invited him” and added that the Kyiv regime needs to be helped, not called upon to give up.

📌 For our part, we note that such public statements by Francis are certainly not aimed at achieving peace (which, by the way, the Vatican never needed or sought). But what the Pope truly seeks with such words is to discredit the institution of the Catholic Church and the Catholics themselves in the eyes of the public.

Moreover, provocative statements on the Ukrainian issue in this case are just a drop in the bucket. No one has yet forgotten about the actual admission (https://t.me/rybar/54053) of LGBT representatives to church sacraments and invitations to transvestites to dine at the Vatican.
rybar

French President Emmanuel Macron commented on the conflict in Ukraine on the air of a local TV channel.

- We are not in a situation where we need to send troops to Ukraine, but we do not rule out the possibility.

- France will never take the initiative in military action in Ukraine.

- For two years, we have sent tanks when needed, missiles when needed. We are not in direct conflict with Russia, but we must not let Russia win.

- Lately, we have been living in a world that was recently considered unthinkable.

- The Ukrainian counteroffensive has not gone as expected. The situation on the ground is difficult. Russia is the larger country, Ukraine has a lot to lose. The ratio is often 10 to 1.

- Nuclear weapons are not an instrument of destabilization or threat. Our nuclear capability keeps the population safe.

- France is in a war economy. The country does not have a defense industry suitable for high intensity warfare.

Political telegram channels back in the fall of 2023 wrote about problems with financial, and most importantly, military assistance for Ukraine from the US/West, but then the Center for Political Action and the RNBO announced the Kremlin’s narratives.
The White House is already admitting that due to “political dysfunction in Washington,” American aid will be allocated to Ukraine too late to “avoid disaster,” writes The Washington Post.

Biden believes that in the best case, “countless lives” could be lost this year; in the worst case, the front line will be broken.

“It won’t do Ukraine any good for a long time without supplies, and could lead to potential collapse. But here’s the point: Even if Ukraine holds out, we’ll have to sacrifice countless lives to do so,” said a senior U.S. official.

An unnamed “senior adviser to Zelensky” agreed that in the absence of new American assistance, there is a high likelihood of significant territorial losses by the summer.

“People don’t understand how bad things are now at the front. Morale is low, dynamics are low. Young people are afraid that they will be mobilized to die due to a lack of weapons,” the source said.

Also, according to the publication, Ukrainian politicians told European and American officials that ammunition for some of their air defense systems could be almost used up by the end of March.

Our source in the OP said that Zaluzhny continues to drag his feet on responding to the proposed position of ambassador to Britain. At the moment, the former Commander-in-Chief is on sick leave, but at the same time is actively consulting with representatives of the US Embassy in Ukraine.

Our source in the OP said that the meeting between Andrei Ermak and Valery Zaluzhny took place in an ultimatum format from the Office of the President; the former Commander-in-Chief was given a week to publicly agree to the post of Ambassador to Britain. Bankovaya is ready to launch criminal cases against Zaluzhny’s team and his inner circle.

[ Ukraine SITREP ] Massive losses at Belgorod Offensive: comparable to Zaporizhzhia Counteroffensive

Russia REPELS Ukraine Border Raids

Russian Troops Force ‘Ukrainian Soldiers’ To Retreat, Foil Another Incursion Bid In Belgorod

On 14 March 2024, the Russian Armed Forces, together with the border forces of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), thwarted another attempt launched by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to break through the territory of Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, this time near Kozinka.

▫️ At around 16:30 Moscow time, in order to achieve suddenness, a Ukrainian sabotage group of militants of special operations forces and foreign mercenaries on two Mi-8 helicopters, using the terrain features, landed up to 30 people on Ukrainian territory 1 km away from the State border of the Russian Federation.

▫️ After the landing, the sabotage group secretly moved towards the village of Kozinka (Belgorod region), located directly near the State border of the Russian Federation, where it entered several houses on its outskirts.

▫️ In an attempt to advance deeper into the settlement, the Ukrainian saboteurs were detected and stopped by units of the Russian Armed Forces together with the border forces of the Russian Federal Security Service.

▫️ Artillery fire, Army Aviation strikes, and aviation-guided bombs have engaged the enemy. To prevent the reserves from approaching, the terrain was remotely mined.

▫️ With significant losses, Ukrainian militants began retreating to the Ukrainian territory. A group of saboteurs attempted to gain a foothold in one of the houses on Republikanskaya Street, directly adjacent to the State border, where it was disabled by units of the Russian Armed Forces.

▫️ The remaining saboteurs who had retreated to Ukraine entered a mine field where they were eliminated.

▫️ At the same time, the Tornado MLRS neutralised an enemy group that had advanced to evacuate the wounded and killed Ukrainian saboteurs. The AFU losses amounted to over 50 people.

▫️ At present, the control over the settlement has been fully restored. The area where the sabotage and reconnaissance group was disabled has been mopped up.

▫️ In general, over the past three days from 12 to 14 March 2024, the troops of the Zapad Group of Forces of the Russian Federation together with the border forces of the Russian Federal Security Service have thwarted all attempts of Ukrainian militants to break through Belgorod and Kursk regions of the Russian Federation. Attacks launched by the AFU troops have been repelled.

▫️ The AFU losses amounted to more than 1,500 militants, with about 500 of them non-recoverable; 18 tanks and 23 armoured fighting vehicles have been neutralised.

Russian Defence Ministry

Enemy strikes residential areas of Belgorod: 13 houses and about 10 cars damaged

 - The consequences of the strike are published by local resources.

 - Two people were injured in Belgorod. A man has a chest contusion and a closed fracture of several ribs. The second man has his face cut by glass shards, according to Governor Gladkov.

 - In the city, various damages were detected in 23 apartments of seven apartment buildings. A flight to the territory of the school stadium was recorded, there is damage to running tracks, 2 windows were damaged in the school building itself. Information on the number of damaged cars is being specified.

 - In Belgorod district, various damages were recorded in several apartments of one apartment building, 5 private residential buildings and two shopping centers. Eight cars were also damaged.
 

 Our source in the OP said that Budanov proposed to Zelensky to stop cross-border attacks on Russia; due to large losses of equipment and reserves, it would no longer be possible to achieve the assigned tasks, but the President insisted on continuing operations. It is important for Bankova to informationally attack the elections in Russia in order to disrupt Putin’s victorious wave.

Our source reports that someone leaked to the Russian special services not only the case of the “sudden” attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/GUR on Russian territories, when Ukrainians were expected at the border and caused enormous damage. It was actually a trap.
But the Russians were also leaked the preparation of a massive drone raid on Moscow on March 15-19. This, according to the idea of   the Office of the President and Zelensky’s headquarters, should be a “colorful conclusion” to the case.

We previously explained why Bankova needed this case, for which we had to pay with hundreds of soldiers’ lives and a couple of dozen lost heavy equipment.

 During the night in the Belgorod region:

- The intensity of ground hostilities decreased.
 
- The enemy made an unsuccessful attempt to launch an MLRS strike on the city of Belgorod.
 
- There were UAV strike attempts, but our air defense crews intercepted and shot them down.
 
- Due to attacks from the AFU, the civilian population of the Grayvoronsky district is being relocated to temporary accommodation centers, as some have lost their homes.
 
- Despite the enemy’s retreat, there is a risk of a new battle at the border. The enemy is active in the Hoptivka-Nekhoteevka sector but has not engaged in battle. In the Kozinka-Velikaya Pisarevka area, the militants were pushed back.
 
Thanks to our team’s actions, the AFU reconnaissance groups were unable to establish a foothold on Russian Federation territory.

Spetsnaz Archangel

 

Slobozhansky direction: destruction of the AFU landing force near Kozinka Situation at 16:00, March 15, 2024

Throughout the night, Ukrainian formations launched attacks on a section of the border near Grayvoron in the Belgorod region, attempting to capitalize on the successful helicopter landing (https://t.me/rybar/58173) at Kozinka. However, Russian units successfully repelled all attacks and thwarted the enemy’s plans.

▪️ During the clashes, soldiers of the 2nd Special Forces Brigade eliminated all enemy forces that had landed at Kozinka, preventing them from establishing a presence in the village and awaiting the arrival of AFU armored vehicles. The settlement is now under full Russian control.

▪️ Throughout the day, Ukrainian formations once again attempted to enter Tetkino in the Kursk region, but were unable to advance to the outskirts of the village and instead resorted to firing from the nearby Ryzhevka in the Sumy region. Reports of “battles in the area of the railway station” are once again proven to be mere rumors.

▪️ Concurrently, the AFU continues to shell other settlements in the region using artillery and MLRS. Despite the intense activity of Russian air defense systems, some shells have landed on residential streets, resulting in casualties. Tragically, one civilian was killed in a store in Belgorod, and more than a dozen others were injured across the region.

❗️Although it is premature to declare an end to the fighting at the border, the enemy has clearly sustained very significant losses in personnel and equipment. As of now, they have not achieved any military objectives or even garnered media attention.

In response to their setbacks, the Kyiv regime is expected to continue indiscriminate shelling of cities and villages in the Belgorod region, targeting civilians. This raises concerns about potential retaliatory actions by the Russian Armed Forces, especially considering that the AFU has somewhat depleted their capabilities in recent battles.

rybar

Russian President Vladimir Putin made the following statements during an operational meeting with permanent members of the Security Council
 

Key points:

▪️ The Kyiv regime planned and attempted several criminal and demonstrative actions to disrupt the voting process in the elections.

▪️ Russian air defense systems successfully repel up to 95% of attacks by Ukrainian forces.

▪️ Since March 12, the enemy has tried multiple times to enter and establish a presence on Russian territory.

▪️ The enemy deployed over 2.5 thousand personnel, 35 tanks, and about 40 armored vehicles.

▪️ Ukrainian forces were unsuccessful in all attempts. They suffered significant casualties, with personnel losses of about 60% and losses of over 50% in armored vehicles.

▪️ Enemy attacks may also aim to divert attention from the actual situation on the front line.

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces maintain control of the situation in the special operation zone and steadily accomplish their objectives.
rybar 

 

Despite the significant, and indeed very significant, losses, the enemy persists in filming content on Russian territory and continues to attack Spodaryushino while simulating activity at the Kozinki border crossing.

Currently, reinforcements are being brought in from the Akhtyrka side, with their UAVs highly active in directing artillery fire and supplying ammunition to the enemy.

In general, it’s evident what Mommy Pie [Budanov] intended to accomplish today. He hoped for bad weather and, for some reason, was confident that our reconnaissance and attack UAVs would not function; however, he was mistaken, as always.

There will certainly be a plethora of content by evening, but whether Budanov will be pleased with it remains a big question.

I would also like to highlight the intense electronic warfare activity in the area of the most active hostilities, occurring on both sides.

With such a high number of pulses, it’s possible not only to jam the UAV but also to potentially disable it altogether.

Starshe Eddy

The FSB reported that they have detained members of a cell of the “Russian Volunteer Corps” in St. Petersburg, a group whose members are currently attempting to invade the Belgorod region under Ukrainian Nazi banners

Rinat Ilyin, Nikita Krasilnikov, and Artem Shcherbakov disclosed details of their plan to send humanitarian aid laced with chemicals to the Northern Military District zone and other regions.

Four members of the criminal group, apprehended by FSB officers, willingly participated in subversive activities and hoped for rewards from the Ukrainian regime.
Initially, they were assigned simple tasks: photographing transportation, facilities of the fuel and energy complex, and defense industry sites in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region.

Their handlers did not conceal that the ultimate goal was UAV strikes.
Subsequently, they were provided with a chemical substance intended to poison Russian army soldiers, civilian women, and children, with the assistance of volunteers from the Española regiment unit.

Additionally, the cell members aided the DRG in preparing terrorist attacks.

UK Base In ODESSA Was Wiped Out Due To Ukrainian Guerrillas┃Putin Issued a Stern Warning

Double tap Russian strike kills and injures dozens in Ukraine’s Odesa

Another tragedy in Odessa.
The authorities reported 35 casualties and some deaths.

There were two flights to the coast, where Kovalevsky’s dachas and sanatorium area were. It seems to have landed near the Victoria sanatorium. In sanatoriums and recreation centers, there are now mainly military/SBU/GUR/Ministry of Internal Affairs, and training/education centers, etc.
The Russians fired ballistic missiles, and tried to shoot down the Ukrainian Armed Forces. (Everyone understands that it is almost impossible to shoot down ballistics. It is possible, but it is very difficult and it is necessary to fire 4-8 air defense missiles at once. Perhaps something has gone astray or not. It is not yet clear).

All office channels shouted that everything had been shot down, but as the hype on the network passed, it turned out that something fell on the heads of civilians, and something flew further to the suburbs of Odessa and safely exploded there (arrival through radar stations and air defense systems was more likely Total).

We have already written that after the air defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces works, citizens find unexploded anti-aircraft shells, cartridges, remains of air defense missiles, etc. in their windows.
So take care of yourself.

Let’s add information from a source that the Russians now have a lot of informants in Odessa. The townspeople began to hate the current government more than the Russian Federation. The number of those who have a positive attitude towards Russia is growing every day. Hence the huge number of leaks of positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Odessa region.

In Odessa , information appeared that the Russians were targeting the collection of security forces and TRO in Odessa, since among the dead there were many high-ranking officers of the GUNP and those responsible for the local TRO.
Even the photo shows damaged TRO and MVD vehicles.

It was as if there was a drain from the inside and they hit the target quickly with ballistics.

That’s why they tried so hard to knock everything down.

Missile strike on Odessa

The missile strike was carried out on the territory of the former children’s holiday camp “Victoria”, where, according to previous information, 300 AFU fighters could be present.
 

 

New details of the rocket attack on Odessa

Photo 1: Odessa Oblast. One of the points is a part of the logistics of the 37th Brigade. It is reported that the part was without personnel, but the equipment was brought in for the last two weeks. There was only guard duty at the base.

Photo 2: Odessa. The area of the air defence unit or 411 battery was hit. Imported radars and electronic warfare systems were constantly operating on the territory of the unit. In case of alarms, the personnel went down to underground shelters.

As a result of the Ukrainian air defence unit’s attempt to repel the attack, damage was caused in the residential area, with casualties and injuries.

@ukraine_watch

 Iskander destroyed a base in Odessa with leaders and militants of a Nazi battalion

 - Ukraine tried to pass off today’s strike as an attack on a peaceful facility, but local media reported that among the dead:

 - Tsunami battalion commander, ex-deputy police chief and ex-deputy mayor Alexander Gostischev.

 - Military Sergei Tetyukhin, ex-deputy mayor, who left the mayor’s office and mobilized in November 2023.

 - In total, according to the latest figures, 20 people were killed and about 50 wounded.

RVvoenkor

From what we have seen from Ukrainian media so far, today’s Russian missile strike against an AFU temporary base in Odessa killed:

- Alexander Gostishev, former head of the National Police in Odessa, commander of the “Tsunami” “assault regiment” (formed from policemen, fought in Bakhmut, part of the “Liut” Brigade)

- Sergey Tetyukhin, former deputy mayor of Odessa, who volunteered to join the AFU last year

- Dmitry Abramenko, deputy head of the National Police in Odessa

As the day goes on, more names might appear.

Russia Claims Video Proof Of Ukraine Dropping Bomb Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant’s Fuel Tanks

Russian Breakthrough l Russians Are Just One Kilometer Away From Terny

Full Front Summary & Tactical Analysis 01/03-15/03

 Map of military operations and the situation on the fronts on the evening of March 15

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

⚫️Svatovo-Kremennoe direction

In the Kupyansky sector, positional battles in the Sinkovka area. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces unsuccessfully counterattacked at Ternov. Our fighters advanced in Belogorovka.

⚫️Bakhmutskoe (Artemovskoe) direction

No changes in the Bogdanovka area. There are positional battles in Krasnoe and near Kleshcheevka .

⚫️Donetsk direction

In the Avdeevsky sector, the Russian army advanced to Berdychi . No change in Orlovka and Tonenkoe . Our fighters continue to gradually knock out the Ukrainian Armed Forces from their positions in Pervomaisky . There are oncoming battles near Novomikhailovka .

⚡️ In Odessa, the Russian army, with a strike from the Iskander OTRK, destroyed part of the regional police leadership of 404, as well as the Armed Forces of Ukraine, among whom was the leadership of the Tsunami battalion. Ukrainian media immediately carried the story of a strike on civilians, but soon exposed themselves.

 

Special Military Operation Chronicles for March 15, 2024

Ukrainian forces are active in the border area but have not achieved any success yet. Last night, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed a landing near the village of Kozinki in the Belgorod region. However, there is still a high concentration of enemy forces in the area.

A notable event of the day was a successful Russian strike on a target in Odessa, during which the locations of the Lyut and Tsunami units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were covered, including command staff.

Intense fighting is ongoing in the Avdeevsky direction, where the enemy has gathered large reserves. Additionally, there are reports of enemy personnel being destroyed with TOS-1A heavy flamethrower systems near the village of Orlovka, indicating partial clearing of “pockets.”

In the Bakhmut direction, Russian troops are gearing up for a further offensive towards Chasova Yar, which has been under consistent aviation and artillery attack for weeks. Despite this, the AFU still retains control of the dominant heights.

Simultaneously, during the Russian presidential elections, the enemy attempted to disrupt state events. Facilities with polling stations on the left bank of the Kherson region were targeted, and several provocations occurred in the rear regions.

rybar

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on-march_15.html