March 12, 2024: Russian Digest
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March 12, 2024
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Fire reported at several Russian oil refineries after alleged Ukrainian drone attack
A fire broke out at an oil refinery in Russia's city of Oryol, regional authorities reported on March 12. First responders have been deployed to the scene, Andrey Klychkov, governor of Oryol Oblast, said via his official Telegram page.
Kyiv often does not comment on alleged attacks on Russian soil. If attributed to Ukraine, this would be one of the largest attacks conducted against Russia since the start of the full-scale war.
The fire was caused by a drone attack, according to the governor. There were no casualties. Oryol Oblast is located in western Russia approximately 220 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
Authorities in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast reported in the morning of March 12, that several drones hit the Kstovo industrial zone, targeting a facility within an oil refinery. A fire erupted at one of the oil refining units.
Lukoil, Russia’s second-largest oil company, confirmed to state-owned media agency RIA Novosti that operations at the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez processing unit were temporarily suspended "due to the incident." Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is located about 400 kilometers east of the Russian capital.
Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported on March 12 that due to an alleged drone attack on the region, seven settlements have been left without electricity.
The Kyiv Independent couldn’t verify any of the claims above.
Russia's Belgorod Oblast borders the Ukrainian oblasts of Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk, and is frequently used to launch attacks against Ukraine.
There have been multiple reports of oil depots catching fire or railways being sabotaged across Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Via Kyiv Independent
Ukraine-based Russian armed groups claim raids into Russia
Three Ukraine-based Russian paramilitary groups say they have crossed into Russia and are now fighting government troops there.
The Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL) and Siberian Battalion (SB) posted videos purportedly showing their fighters in Russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions.
The FRL and an exiled Russian politician claimed two villages were now in control of "liberation forces".
Russia's defence ministry said the breakthrough attempts were thwarted.
It claimed more than 234 Ukrainian troops had been killed and several tanks had been destroyed.
According to Belgorod's regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, one member of Russia's territorial defence forces was killed and 10 civilians were injured.
These numbers have not yet been verified by the BBC.
Ukraine's military denied any involvement in Tuesday's cross-border raids. Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for the country's military intelligence, said the paramilitary groups were "independent organisations" of Russian nationals, and therefore operating "at home".
In the Ivanovo region, just east of Moscow, an Il-76 military transport plane with eight crew and seven passengers crashed shortly after take-off, Russia's defence ministry was quoted as saying by Russian state-run news agencies.
Read More at BBC
Zelensky shows aftermath of Russian strike on Kryvyi Rih
Search and rescue operations in Kryvyi Rih following Russia’s missile attack on a residential building will continue as long as necessary.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a post on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.
“A rescue operation is underway in Kryvyi Rih following Russia’s missile attack. A nine-story residential building was damaged… People are being searched for beneath the rubble. The operation will continue as long as necessary,” wrote the President.
Read More at Ukrinform
Denmark announces new military aid package for Ukraine worth over US$336 million
Denmark is to provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth about DKK 2.3 billion (about US$336.6 million).
Source: a statement by the Danish Ministry of Defence
Details: This major new aid package includes Caesar self-propelled artillery systems and ammunition for Ukraine.
Among other things, the amount of DKK 2.3 billion will fund the purchase of Caesar artillery shells in cooperation with France and 155-mm artillery shells in cooperation with Estonia and Czechia.
Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that with this aid package, Copenhagen is showing Kyiv and its European allies that Denmark has the will and the ability to continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.
"I hope that more countries will follow suit and contribute to the early implementation of capabilities," he added.
Via Ukrainian Pravda
White House to provide $300 million weapons package for Ukraine
The White House will provide $300 million in additional weapons to Ukraine, officials announced Tuesday, as more funding remains held up in Congress by Republican leaders.
The package will be made available through presidential drawdown authority, or PDA, which pulls weapons from existing U.S. stockpiles. The military equipment headed to Ukraine includes anti-aircraft missiles, ammunition, artillery rounds and anti-armor systems, the officials said.
Read More at NBC
EU Firms Supply $630Mln in Equipment to Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 Project Despite Sanctions
European companies have supplied over $630 million worth of equipment according to the current exchange rate to Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project since the invasion of Ukraine despite it being under Western sanctions, The Moscow Times’ Russian service and the Arctida NGO reported Tuesday in a joint investigation.
Arctic LNG 2, whose key stakeholders include President Vladimir Putin’s close friend, the billionaire Gennady Timchenko, received a total of 580 million euros’ worth of European equipment between May 2022 and the end of January 2024, the investigation found.
The EU banned the supply of equipment to Russia for the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in May 2022, while the United States sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 at the end of 2023.
But in January 2024 alone, 24 million euros’ ($26.2 million) worth of spare parts and equipment for Arctic LNG 2 were imported into Russia from EU countries, according to Russian customs data seen by The Moscow Times’ Russian service.
In 2023, over 220 million euros’ worth of equipment was imported. The largest suppliers were companies from Italy (112 million euros), France (31.6 million euros), Germany (25 million euros), the Netherlands (12.8 million euros) and Spain (8 million euros).
Read More at The Moscow Times
A friend in terror. How Hezbollah helps Russia avoid sanctions and wage war in Ukraine in exchange for financial aid and weapons
Following its ostracism from the community of civilized nations, Russia is forging closer ties with fellow outcast states including Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and North Korea. It is also cozying up to non-state actors best known for terrorist activities. Take, for example, Lebanese Hezbollah, which supplies Russia with recruits for the Ukrainian conflict while receiving in return the opportunity to procure modern weaponry, including missiles for its attacks against Israel.
Read the Full Investigation at The Insider
Russia, China and Iran began joint naval exercises
China, Iran and Russia have begun joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman, AP reports .
China sent the guided-missile destroyer Urumqi and the guided-missile frigate Linyi to the exercises called Maritime Security Belt 2024, while the Russian forces are led by the cruiser Varyag.
In total, more than 20 ships, support vessels and combat boats from three countries, as well as naval helicopters, are involved in the exercises. The purpose of the exercise is to “improve trade, counter piracy and terrorism, support humanitarian work and the exchange of information in the field of rescue,” said Admiral Mostafa Tajaddini, a participant in the exercise.
A year ago, Russia, Iran and China already held joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman from March 15 to 19. Then the Russian side was represented by the frigate “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov” and the sea tanker “Kama”. Also in 2023, Russia and China conducted naval exercises together with South Africa.
China and Russia held six joint military exercises in 2022. This is the highest figure in the last twenty years, according to data collected by the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the US National Defense University. In 2019, out of five exercises, only two were bilateral. Before 2016, countries conducted bilateral exercises much less frequently.
Via The Moscow Times
Hungary hosts Rosatom head on 25th anniversary of NATO accession
Hungary hosted the head of Russia's state nuclear energy company Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, on March 12, the day of the 25th anniversary of Budapest's accession to NATO.
Likhachev is included in British, Canadian, Swiss, Australian, and New Zealand sanctions lists. He has a prominent role in the Russian military-industrial sector and is responsible for Rosatom specialists to Ukrainian nuclear facilities occupied by the Russian military.
"The investment in Paks (Nuclear Power Plant) has reached another important milestone," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto captioned a photo of himself and Likhachev on Facebook.
Paks Nuclear Power Plant is Hungary's first and only nuclear power plant, located 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Budapest on the Danube River.
Via Kyiv Independent
Armenia's breakup with Russia: Yerevan stands alone
Armenia has taken another significant step in reducing its cooperation with Russia. After de facto suspending its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Yerevan has sent an official letter to Moscow demanding a halt to the activities of Russian border guards at Zvartnots Airport. Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan has increasingly become a target of the Kremlin’s propagandists, and now his country is faced with a dilemma: its former ally in Moscow proved to be unreliable, and the West appears unwilling to offer anything more than moral support. Armenia must now fend for itself in a volatile region.
Read More at The Insider
Some Good News for Ukraine (But Not Enough)
Russia’s ongoing aggression, aided by the failure of the US Congress to pass a $60.1bn weapons and aid package since October, has emboldened Russian forces, leaving Ukrainians rationing ammunition, and resulting in the loss of territory and strategic towns and villages.
And yet despite the formidable challenges ahead, Ukraine is finally seeing signs that NATO allies are beginning to grasp what’s at stake and to act.
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