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Russian Defence Ministry has shared footage of shooting down helicopters belonging to the Ukrainian army in eastern Donetsk region. In the released footage, it appears that three of the helicopters parked at the airfield were hit by cluster bombs. As a result of the strikes, two helicopters exploded and were disabled.

After the demilitarization of two oil depots , it became known that the “Freedom of Russia” Legion, Red Army of Ukraine and the Siberian Battalion entered the Kursk and Belgorod regions of the Russian Federation as part of a joint operation. As reported by Russian opposition leader Ilya Ponomaryev, the border town of Lozova Rudka in the Belgorod region is completely under the control of the liberation forces. Representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine Andrei Yusov, in a commentary to Channel 24, commented on the entry of the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Red Army of Ukraine and the Siberian Battalion into Russian territory. “The Legion “Freedom of Russia”, the Red Army of Ukraine and the Siberian battalion on the territory of the Russian Federation act as independent units, since they consist of citizens of the Russian Federation. They, after all, are at home,” Yusov noted. He confirmed that a joint operation of these units is probably now taking place on the territory of the Russian Federation. Returning to the armed assault inside the Russian region of Belgorod earlier this week, and Major General Rupert Jones says that while there is still a "degree of confusion" about the incursion, it poses different challenges for Russia, Ukraine and Western allies. He told Sky News: "From a Russian perspective it points to an internal security problem, it's humiliating for them, it's an attack on their own soil." He adds that from a Western perspective it will "cause some concern" over what degree Ukraine is "supportive of that incursion". "When we're giving weapons, we're concerned about those weapons being used into Russia so there will be some diplomatic concerns." Russia says more than 70 attackers were killed in the Belgorod region and the remnants of their units were pushed back into Ukrainian territory after two days of fighting. Moscow has blamed "Ukrainian militants" but Kyiv portrayed the alleged incursion as an uprising by Russian partisans. Supporting that, the Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom of Russia Legion - who back Ukraine in the war - have both said they were responsible.

On the night of March 13, a drone attack took place on an oil refinery in the Ryazan region of Russia. The Russian press reported on this. It is said that as a result of the strike of 3 Ukrainian drones on the plant, two processing units were burned, and the fire covered an area of 200 square meters. Two people were injured.

The intelligence missions in the Black Sea are preparations for a serious operation in the temporarily occupied Crimea, said Kyrylo Budanov, the Ukraine’s top spy, however such a message can be viewed from both optimistic and pessimistic points of view, Volodymyr Zablotskyi, a Ukrainian naval expert at Defence Express, retired captain of the first rank, told Radio NV . “From an optimistic point of view, something is being prepared that will lead to changes in the temporarily occupied peninsula and to its early return to its historical homeland,” Zablotskyi said. The return of Crimea to Ukraine’s control could dramatically change the situation in Russia itself. The expert hints that dictator Vladimir Putin may be left at least without power: “Crimea is a sacred territory for some in the Kremlin. And whoever owns the peninsula may determine the position and life of the owner of the Kremlin.” However, Zablotskyi suggests another scenario. “From a pessimistic point of view, if this is made public before anything happens there, it could be a statement intended to deceive the enemy, to mislead them about our next steps. Russia occupied Crimea in late February 2014. Ukraine has not controlled this territory for over 10 years. However, the liberation of the peninsula is considered crucial by many experts for Ukraine's victory in the war with Russia. For example, former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe Ben Hodges stated earlier: “Crimea is what we call a decisive territory. Whoever controls Crimea wins this war.”

American military personnel may have been killed in a Russian strike on a United States-supplied Patriot air defense system supplied to Ukraine, according to a Moscow-aligned lawmaker in comments reported by Kremlin-backed media. When asked for a response to the claims, a spokesperson for the Pentagon told Newsweek, "I can confirm no U.S. injuries because we have no US service members in the fight." Mikhail Sheremet, a State Duma deputy from the occupied Crimean region, told state news agency RIA Novosti that two Patriot air defense systems had been targeted by the Russian army in the Donetsk region. "During the destruction of the Patriot air defense system, U.S. military members also may have been killed," he said. Social media users emphasized that it was not an entire Patriot System worth around $400 million that was reportedly destroyed but rather two Patriot launchers, which cost $10 million each. The Kremlin-backed news agency reported that Sheremet had said that the technical difficulty of the Patriot system meant that "American military specialists could be secretly sent to Ukraine to service it." Sheremet's claims about U.S. personnel being on the ground in the war, which the U.S. has taken pains not to be directly involved in, have not been independently verified. No further evidence was presented for the claims. It follows speculation on Russian language media outlets, in particular on Telegram, about the Russian Iskander missile strike in the Pokrovsk area of Donetsk oblast on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry released a video that it said showed the moment of impact of a strike on what it had initially designated as an S-300 missile system. But Russian and Ukrainian media cited a report by Forbes that said "two of the apparent Patriot launchers exploded, almost certainly killing their crews," following "a direct hit on the Ukrainian convoy from potentially hundreds of miles away." This was the first time in the war that Russia had been able to hit components of the U.S.-supplied air defense systems, according to the Forbes report. The Patriots arrived in Ukraine in April 2023, and their ability to target aircraft, cruise missiles, and shorter-range ballistic missiles fired by Russia added an extra dimension to Kyiv's fight against Moscow's aggression.

Ukraine could lose significant ground on the battlefield without the support of the United States, according to the CIA Director William Burns. "Ukrainians are not running out of courage and tenacity. They’re running out of ammunition, and we’re running out of time to help them," he said. Burns cautioned that without additional military aid from the US, "Ukraine is likely to lose ground — and likely significant ground — in 20244." According to him, Russia is interested in a "theater of negotiations" for ending the war but is unwilling to make significant compromises for it. Meanwhile, senior intelligence officials in the Senate stated that since the end of 2023, Moscow has been steadily achieving minor successes on the battlefield and capitalizing on uncertainty about future military aid from the US and its allies. "This deadlock plays to Russia’s strategic military advantages and is increasingly shifting the momentum in Moscow’s favor," they said. The US has withheld military and financial aid to Ukraine for several months, as Congress has yet to allocate funds for it. The US Senate passed a bill allocating $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. However, this initiative faced resistance in the House of Representatives. House Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to bring the bill to a vote, insisting that aid to Ukraine be tied to funding for border security against migrants. According to US President Joe Biden, Washington won't be able to restore aid to Ukraine unless Congress allocates funds for it. Biden reminded that he requested $92 billion from Congress last year for national security needs, which included funds for Ukraine. The request would also allow for significant investments in the American defense industrial base, helping to create and preserve jobs in dozens of states across America. "Absent congressional action on this emergency request, the United States will not be able to continue to provide support to Ukraine to meet their battlefield needs as they defend against Russian attacks every day," the president emphasized.

Russia produces almost three times as much artillery ammunition as the United States and Europe combined, according to Western intelligence estimates. CNN and representatives of Western intelligence agencies reported this. According to NATO intelligence estimates regarding Russian defence production, the Russian Federation is capable of producing about 250,000 artillery shells per month, or about 3 million per year. Together, the United States and Europe can only produce about 1.2 million rounds of ammunition a year to be sent to Ukraine, a European intelligence official told the TV channel. Officials say that Russia is now firing 10,000 shells a day, while Ukraine can only manage 2,000. Representatives of a European intelligence report that the ratio is even worse in some parts of the contact line. "The number one issue that we’re watching right now is the munitions because that’s where Russia really is mounting a significant production advantage and mounting a significant advantage on the battlefield," the NATO representative added. The source of the TV channel says artillery factories in the Russian Federation are working around the clock. In addition, Russia imports ammunition from Iran and North Korea. According to Western estimates, Iran sent at least 300,000 artillery shells last year, "probably more than that." And North Korea provided at least 6,700 ammunition containers that contained millions of shells. Russia "put everything they have in the game," an intelligence official said. "Their war machine works in full gear," the source added. At the same time, according to US and Western officials, the build-up of Russian weapons is still insufficient to meet its needs. In addition, Western intelligence agencies do not expect Russia to make significant progress on the battlefield in the short term. Officials say there is a limit to Russian production capacity, adding that Russian plants are likely to hit peak production sometime next year.

The US was preparing a response in case Russia used nuclear weapons against Ukraine. However, this response would have been "non-nuclear," according to The New York Times. As noted by the media, the peak of concern regarding a possible nuclear attack by Russia came in October 2022. At that time, Russian president Vladimir Putin stated that Russia could use "nukes" against Ukraine. According to New York Times, during several weeks in October 2022, the White House was engulfed in crisis. The administration of US President Joe Biden feared that Moscow might use tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield. According to sources cited by the publication, the White House's concern was so great that task forces were convened to determine what the US response might be. Biden's team believed that the response should be "non-nuclear," but according to representatives of the US President's administration, the reaction should be dramatic - possibly a "conventional attack on units that had launched nuclear weapons." In the White House, it was believed that the use of nuclear weapons in response could encourage Putin and other authoritarian states to use their nuclear arsenal. It is worth noting that Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened Ukraine and Western countries with nuclear weapons. In addition, Russia has moved its nuclear weapons to Belarus. However, the president Alexander Lukashenko cannot use them independently. As reported by the American news outlet CNN, the US was preparing for a nuclear strike by Russia on Ukraine by the end of 2022. Washington relied on some intelligence information. "We had to plan so that we were in the best possible position in case this no longer unthinkable event actually took place," a senior US administration official told CNN. According to another US official, from late summer to fall 2022, the US National Security Council convened a series of meetings to develop contingency plans, including for either very clear signs of a nuclear strike in the making or an actual strike. "How we would respond, how we would try to preempt it, or deter it," the official explained. The United States believed that the loss of Kherson could provoke Russia to a nuclear strike on Ukraine, as Moscow could see it as an "existential threat," the unnamed American official said. A nuclear strike could also be seen by the Kremlin as a tool to deter Ukraine from further liberation of territories or a potential attack on Russia.

A drone attack was launched on the administrative building of Russia’s Belgorod region on March 12, provincial governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on his Telegram channel. An explosion occurred after a strike from the kamikadze drone reportedly belonging to the Ukrainian army. As a result of the strike, the windows of the building were broken and the facade was damaged. The governor said that two women received shrapnel wounds during the incident.

The Swedish national flag was raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels on 11 March. The country has officially become the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Alliance. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Crown Princess Victoria and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg looked on as two soldiers raised the blue banner emblazoned with a yellow cross among the official circle of national flags at the headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. “The Russian, brutal, full-scale invasion against Ukraine united Sweden behind the conclusion that a full-fledged NATO membership is the only reasonable choice,” Kristersson said. Swedish government ministers and party leaders from across the political spectrum attended in a show. As the flag was raised, a military band played the Swedish national anthem. "After over 200 years of neutrality, you are joining the strongest and most successful military alliance in history. Welcome to NATO, we are glad to have you here," Stoltenberg said during the ceremony. For his part, Kristersson stated that "Sweden has come home". "Sweden is a proud member and ally of NATO, alongside our closest friends and partners. We are humble, but we are also proud. We know the expectations for Sweden are high, but we also have high expectations for ourselves," he noted.

US President Joe Biden’s recent blunder in which he mixed up Ukraine and the Middle East sums up his poor mental state, former Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev has claimed. Biden’s gaffe came in an interview with MSNBC, as he discussed the Israeli military campaign in Gaza with host Jonathan Capehart. The US leader said West Jerusalem should not repeat the mistakes that Washington made following the September 2001 terrorist attacks. “America made a mistake. We went after Osama bin Laden until we got him, but we shouldn’t have gone into Ukraine,” Biden stated. He then corrected himself, saying he meant “the whole thing in Iraq and Afghanistan,” referring to the US invasions and occupation of the two Middle Eastern nations. Confusing places and people has been a recurring issue for the 81-year-old president. Medvedev, who serves as deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, posted a short clip of the gaffe on social media, adding: “A rare kind of idiot.” Some Russian officials have suggested that Biden’s slip of the tongue was Freudian. “He didn’t mix it up. He can no longer keep to himself what everyone understands – the US has disgraced itself in the bloodiest manner with the whole Ukrainian project,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Moscow perceives the Ukraine conflict as a US-led proxy war against Russia, in which Ukrainian soldiers serve as “cannon fodder”. In the nine-minute interview with MSNBC, Biden mentioned Ukraine once, calling out former President Donald Trump for his skeptical attitude towards NATO. The incumbent leader described the organization as “critical to our national defense.” Moscow has cited the expansion of the military bloc in Europe as a key cause of the hostilities with Ukraine.

The Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, has announced the preparation of a significant operation in Crimea amid the actions carried out by the reconnaissance units of combat missions, referring to the Main Directorate of Intelligence's documentary film "War for the Sea: From the Dnipro to Crimea". Commenting on the significance of the combat missions carried out by the reconnaissance units, particularly in the Black Sea and in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, Budanov said that "these are all preparatory measures for a serious operation in Crimea." "This is a test of the accuracy of our claims about the routes of approach and withdrawal from there. Also, it is a morale boost for the population that's been living under occupation for already 10 years. Many of them believe they have been forgotten," Kyrylo Budanov said. The Main Directorate of Intelligence disclosed operations successfully executed by the department's special forces. In the summer of 2023, the Shaman special forces unit crossed to the left bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region. After destroying and capturing invaders, the first steps were taken towards establishing a left-bank bridgehead in that area. Also, in July of last year, the Timur special forces unit regained control of the state-owned oil and gas extraction platform "Ukraine" and later participated in the Crimea operation Awakening of Strength. Regarding the destruction of enemy fleet ships, the Main Directorate of Intelligence said that this is the responsibility area of the Group 13 special forces unit. On the night of February 1, Ukrainian forces destroyed the missile boat Ivanovets of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. As reported by the Main Directorate of Intelligence, the Ivanovets boat was to some extent the pride of the Russian fleet. There were only three units of such ships. It could accommodate up to 40 Russian sailors. Furthermore, near the shores of the temporarily occupied Crimea on February 14, the Main Directorate of Intelligence and the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the Russian large landing ship Tsezar Kunikov near Alupka off the coast of Crimea. On the night of March 5, 2024, the special forces unit Group 13 of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine attacked the patrol ship Sergei Kotov of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

International media outlets report that the Russians have destroyed two Patriot systems near the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. The Armed Forces of Ukraine do not comment on this, while the Institute of the Study of War believes it is not true. It is specified that this is the first time in the two years of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine when the Russians managed to find and destroy a Patriot system. Julian Röpcke, a Bild journalist, states that the launchers were 10 metres away from one another, and they "were parked for long enough for Russia to launch ballistic missiles on them". In turn, the Institute of the Study of War at the moment does not confirm the destruction of the Ukrainian Patriots since the Russians had demonstrated the footage of destroyed German MAN KAT1 trucks, which can be used as a base for Patriot air defence missile launchers or in logistics. Forbes recalls that over the past month, Ukrainian Patriot batteries have shot down as many as a dozen Russian air force fighter-bombers, blunting Russia’s air superiority. "Indeed, it’s possible the launchers and crews that Iskander struck this week, 20 miles from the front line, were the very same launchers and crews who shot down many of those Russian jets. The air over eastern Ukraine may have gotten a lot safer for the Russians", Forbes says. Forbes calculated that in case this information is confirmed, then the Ukrainians lost up to 13 percent of the entire number of their Patriot launchers in just one attack, and they did not have proper anti-air defence during their movement. It is stressed that a Patriot easily downs Russian Iskander missiles but it is only possible when the batteries are deployed and on alert, rather than when on the move between positions.

Ukraine has likely accelerated the construction of defensive positions along several sections of the front line, which in turn will diminish Russia's ability to advance, reports the British Ministry of Defense. According to intelligence reports, soldiers' defensive positions include: anti-tank obstacles known as "dragon's teeth"; trenches; infantry trenches; minefields; fortified positions. "It is highly likely the expansion of defensive lines will reduce Russia's ability to advance or exploit tactical gains as part of it ongoing offensive operations," the intelligence adds. It is noted that the creation of primary defensive positions indicates the attritional nature of the war, so "any attempt to conduct breaching operations will highly likely to be accompanied with high losses." Recently, RBC-Ukraine reported that engineering troops of the Support Forces are constructing fortifications 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As Dmytro Lykhoviy, the spokesperson for the Operational grouping of troops Tavria, pointed out, there is no such thing as too many fortifications during wartime. However, they cannot be compared to the wall in the series Game of Thrones. According to Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk, construction work on defensive lines is progressing at an accelerated pace. Still, the biggest problem is enemy drones. According to the general, during a working trip, he traveled hundreds of kilometers along the front line. “On-site, together with representatives of the parliament and heads of regional military administrations, we assessed the situation and discussed problematic issues. Engineering works on the construction of defense lines have been progressing at an accelerated pace recently. The weather has been favorable for several weeks now. New forces and technical capabilities have been involved. The government has allocated necessary funds," Havryliuk said. Meanwhile, in the Avdiivka direction, fortifications are currently being built on the second line of defense.