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New satellite images confirmed the hit of Ukrainian drones on the building of an aircraft repair plant in Taganrog. Ukranian Dialog media outlet reported this. There is no A-50 aircraft near the buildings of the Beriev Aircraft Plant in the published pictures. The plant fell under attack by Ukrainian drones on the night of March 9 in Taganrog. It was standing next to the plant 9 days before. "OSINT researchers found that the blow fell on the hangar, aircraft in maintenance are usually placed. Most likely, the target was the A-50. Russian propagandists started talking about restarting production of this type recently," he wrote. Researchers of the OSINT project Frontelligence Insight believe that at the time of the impact, this aircraft could have been in the plant's buildings. Visible damage to the building on the satellites is enough to damage the aircraft being repaired inside the enterprise. Satellite images confirmed the hit of Ukrainian drones on the building of an aircraft repair plant in Taganrog, which became the main target of a massive strike on the Rostov region on last Saturday night. Geospatial analysis of the images was conducted by the Ukrainian analytical group Frontelligence Insight. They compared the pictures of the plant from February 29, March 8 and March 9. In the picture dated February 29, published by the investigative project Schemes of the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty, four aircraft stood next to the hangar for repair, one of which was the A-50. On March 8 and 9, three aircraft remained on the site of the plant, and the A-50 was not among them. “It is unclear if it was in the building at the time of the attack,” Frontelligence Insight analysts wrote. Comparative analysis of the images revealed traces of fire on the roof of the final assembly workshop, where the A-50 was allegedly repaired, Frontelligence Insight researchers reported. Explosions occurred near the entrance of the building, according to the analysis. Analysis of satellite images shows that at least one S-300/400 system was at the airfield during the attack. If it does not serve as a bait, this indicates the ability of the Ukrainian UAV to overcome Russian air defence systems even in the immediate vicinity of strategic facilities. If the A-50 was indeed damaged as a result of the attack on Taganrog, then this is the third aircraft of this class that has been disabled by the Ukrainian military since the beginning of the year. In January and February, the Ukrainian forces shot down two A-50U aircraft over the Sea of Azov.

The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, is convinced that if NATO forces provide support directly on the territory of Ukraine, it will not violate any international norms. Pavel said this in an interview with Czech television. He told that it is necessary to clearly distinguish between the deployment of combat troops and the potential involvement of troops in certain "support" activities, in which NATO already has experience. "It should be remembered that after the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of part of Donbas, which was essentially an [act of] aggression, albeit on a much smaller scale than today, a NATO training mission was operating on Ukrainian territory, which at one time included more than 15 countries and numbered around 1,000 people," Pavel reminded. He emphasised that from the perspective of international law and the UN Charter, "there would be nothing to prevent NATO member states’ troops" from assisting in operations in Ukraine. Asked whether he would support the deployment of NATO troops for direct support on Ukrainian territory, Pavel said that he wouldn’t rule out discussing the matter further. "I would certainly not reject a debate on this issue. If we could agree with the allies that, for example, instead of training Ukrainian soldiers on the territory of NATO member states and transporting thousands of troops to, say, Poland or the Czech Republic, it would make much more sense to transport a few dozen instructors to Ukrainian territory and train Ukrainian soldiers there," he said.

On the night of March 12, there was a drone attack on 7 regions of Russia. This was reported by Russian telegram channels. Ukrainian drones hit Moscow, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Tula, Oryol and Nizhny Novgorod regions. Drones hit an oil base in the Oryol region and an oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod. In Nizhny Novgorod, an explosion and a strong fire occurred at the oil refinery owned by Lukoil and one of the country's largest oil refineries. The plant has temporarily stopped its activity. In Belgorod region, seven settlements were left without electricity. Losses are not reported.

Il-76 military transport plane crashed in Ivanovo region of Russia. The Russian press reported on this. According to the information, the plane tried to land at the "Severniy" airfield, but before reaching there, it crashed in the forest lane. The information was confirmed by the Ministry of Defense of Russia. All 15 people on the plane died during the accident. 8 of them were crew members, 7 were passengers. Rescuers are working in the area. According to preliminary information, the cause of the accident was a fire in one of the engines.

A fire broke out in a warehouse of building materials in the town of Rodniki, Moscow Region, Russia. The Russian press reported on this. The cause of the fire, which covers an area of 700 square meters, is not disclosed. Firefighters were called to the scene. It is said that there are no casualties.

Ukrainian fighters have prevented Russian army attacks in the direction of Novomikhaylovka village in Donetsk region and Zaporizhzhia region. The invaders advancing with armored combat vehicles in both directions were struck by drones and artillery.

Ukrainian fighters have detected and targeted soldiers of the invading Russian army who were advancing at night. As a result of the artillery strike, the invaders' manpower and military equipment were destroyed, and the survivors tried to escape.

The Armenian authorities are changing security cooperation with Russia to strengthen Turkiye's influence. Avet Adonts, the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, said these words in an interview to "Sputnik". He said that although the Armenian leadership says that it has not changed its foreign policy vector, after Pashinyan's visit to Munich, Paris, and the visit of the MFA chief to Antalya, sharp changes and the next wave of statements began: "The intention to remove the Russian border guards from the Zvartnots airport is only a small element in the broader agenda of the Armenian authorities. If earlier the process was aimed at reducing Russia's influence in Armenia and the region as a whole, now they are trying to completely eliminate it." As an example, he pointed to the initiatives taken to become a candidate for EU membership, as well as the statement that the activities in the CSMT were frozen. According to Adonts, the authorities are trying to assess the importance of the EU from a purely economic point of view: "The Russian side has clearly stated that the "freezing" of participation in the CSTO calls into question Yerevan's full participation in the Eurasian Economic Union." He emphasized that Yerevan is changing its foreign policy vector, but without any security guarantee: "Our relations with neither Azerbaijan nor Turkiye have been settled, the situation is unpredictable and extremely dangerous. Iran strongly opposes the involvement of non-regional forces in the current processes and has recently reiterated this. But the anti-Russian and anti-Iranian processes are very active in Armenia." The former deputy minister is sure that the West will not come to Armenia, because there is an example of Ukraine, and instead Russia will be replaced by Turkiye: "The EU itself depends on Washington to ensure security. Now the dominance of the USA in Europe has become even stronger. Democracy, which Armenia declares to be the most powerful weapon, is a children's fairy tale, nobody needs it. Where is democracy, values, human rights, for example, in Gaza?"

Four fighters of the Ukrainian army have attacked a Russian army trench. As can be seen from the drone footage, as a result of the attack, the Russian soldiers in the trenches were forced to surrender and were taken hostage.

An explosion and fire occurred near Pulkovo Airport in Russia’s St. Petersburg city, local Telegram channels reported. According to the report, the fire broke out in the warehouse of the production base. Two people were injured during the incident. The cause of the fire has not been disclosed yet. “Kovyor" plan was put into operation at Pulkovo airport due to drone safety, and flights have been suspended.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, has expressed grave concern after the detention of 14 staff members from the independent online media outlet, Toplum TV. Reports indicate that on 6 March, police conducted a search at Toplum TV's editorial office on unspecified grounds, seizing equipment, sealing the media platform's premises and detaining 14 employees. While most were released from police custody in Baku by midnight, at least three remain detained and face allegations of smuggling. Furthermore, on the same day, unauthorized renaming of Toplum TV's YouTube account and the disappearance of video records were reported. "The repeated imposition of severe measures against media personnel in Azerbaijan is deeply troubling," stated Ribeiro. "Journalists must be able to carry out their work without fear of reprisal." She highlighted these events in the context of recent arrests of journalists from the Abzas Media platform, as well as Kanal 13 and Kanal 11 online media channels, which she previously raised with the Azerbaijani authorities. "I call on authorities to release all detained media workers. All OSCE participating States committed themselves, including through the 2018 Ministerial Council Decision on the Safety of Journalists, to fostering a safe working environment and ensuring the protection of journalists,"

More than 46,000 Russian military servicemen have been identified as victims killed in the war against Ukraine since February 2022, BBC Russian Service reported on March 8, referencing a joint investigation with independent Russian outlet Mediazona. According to the report, 5,565 of the dead were mobilized troops, and 8,599 were convicts who were recruited into the Russian military. In the investigation, which collects data from open sources, journalists note that the largest number of losses in the Russian army are among volunteer fighters, mobilized personnel, and recruited prisoners. On Jan. 12, they wrote about more than 42,000 Russian military personnel killed in the war against Ukraine. The journalists write that many reports of the losses were registered during the battle for Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast. They have also found out that since February 2022, 12 female Russian soldiers have been killed in the war, most of them serving as combat medics. As of March 7, the journalists confirmed the deaths of 3,227 Russian officers, 992 of whom were "specialists of the command level of airborne troops, marines, special forces, special forces of the National Guard, and military pilots." Among the regions of Russia, the highest casualty figures were recorded in Krasnodar Krai (1,799 killed), Sverdlovsk Oblast (1,575 killed), and Bashkortostan (1,509 killed). Finally, the investigation found that up to 23,500 fighters from Russian proxies LPR and DPR were killed in the war by mid-January 2024, along with 520 dead from Moscow and 523 from St. Petersburg. A senior U.S. defense officials revealed staggering Russian losses from Moscow's brutal war in Ukraine, citing 315,000 Russians killed or wounded, at least 20 Russian navy vessels sunk, and up to $215 billion in direct financial costs to supply and sustain its military operations. Russia has also lost an estimated $10 billion in postponed or canceled arms sales, along with another $1.3 trillion in previously anticipated economic growth through 2026, according to the U.S. official.

Russia is preparing for a long-term confrontation with NATO while it steps up its campaign in Ukraine, an intelligence report has disclosed, according to the National media outlet. As a result of lessons learnt from the bloody fighting with its neighbour, Moscow has an army that has “improved its combat effectiveness”, Lithuania’s intelligence agencies reported. Russia is planning a war with NATO while it continues its campaign against Ukraine, where it is learning valuable tactical lessons, especially in the use of drones, the report said. The National says that the Baltic Sea region was the key focus for the Kremlin’s potential attack on the alliance, where it has increased its air and naval resources, according to Lithuania’s declassified 2024 national threat assessment. This included missile cruisers equipped with the Kalibr cruise missiles near St Petersburg and its force of Tupolev Tu-22 “Backfire” heavy bombers, conducting five sorties over the Baltic Sea last year after in 2022. “Russia is preparing for a long-term confrontation with Nato, including in the Baltic Sea region, and is gradually expanding its military capability westward,” the report said. There is also a strong likelihood that President Vladimir Putin will use his near-guaranteed victory in next week’s Russian presidential election, starting on Friday, as a platform to make unpopular decisions. This could well include the imposition of greater mobilisation for Russian men to bolster the army’s ranks, which “could allow the Kremlin to address some potential constraints on its long-term war effort”, the Institute for the Study of War said. The Washington think tank also reported that Russian military thinkers were now “openly discussing how Russia can go to war against Nato in the near future”. It quoted an article in the Russian Ministry of Defence journal, Military Thought, that suggested the war in Ukraine “could escalate into a large-scale war in Europe”. The Russian colonel author argued that peace in Ukraine would “not lead to the end of confrontation between the West and Russia”. Lithuania’s intelligence chiefs suggested Russia had the “manpower, material and financial resources” to sustain the Ukraine fight. Despite suffering heavy losses in personnel and equipment since the 2022 invasion, Russia has been able to rebuild its armed forces in greater numbers. “Moscow is able to evaluate the lessons learnt and improve its combat effectiveness,” said the report composed by Lithuania’s State Security Department and the Defence Intelligence and Security Service. Russia continued to prioritise quantity of manpower and materiel over quality of forces, it added.

Ukrainian aerial scouts have struck the combat equipment belonging to the invading Russian army. As result of the kamikaze drone strikes, the invaders' tank, armored personnel carrier, cannon, anti-aircraft gun, cargo and passenger vehicles, communication means and equipment were destroyed along with their crewmembers.