Russian Digest- 3/22

Top daily stories I'm keeping an eye on

1. The prosecutor general's office has reported the first suspicion of Russian invaders who killed a man and repeatedly raped his wife in the Kyiv region.

   Source: Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova

   Literally:  "In one of the villages of Brovary district, this villain broke into a private house and shot the owner.

   After that, the drunken occupier and his colleague repeatedly raped the wife of the killed civilian, threatening her with violence and weapons. He even threatened her young child, who was with the victim. "

   Details:  Venediktov said that the Prosecutor General's Office receives information about sexual crimes of the Russian military in the occupied territories and in "hot spots".

   Kyiv prosecutors have identified a Russian serviceman who killed an unarmed man and repeatedly raped his wife.

   The Russian occupier was informed about the suspicion of violating the laws and customs of war in absentia. He was declared wanted and a request for detention was filed with the court. via Ukrainian Pravda

   Note: There are reports of many cases of rape by Russian soldiers across Ukraine.

2. Putin's chief spokesman has conceded that Russia has yet to achieve any of its military goals in Ukraine and refused to deny that Moscow could resort to the use of nuclear weapons.

   In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov repeatedly refused to rule out that Russia would consider using nuclear weapons against what Moscow saw as an "existential threat." When asked under what conditions Putin would use Russia's nuclear capability, Peskov replied, "if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be." via CNN

3. DISPATCH: ‘THIS IS HELL’: SURVIVORS OF THE MARIUPOL SIEGE SHARE THEIR STORIES. Update on the catastrophe caused by Russian forces in Mariupol via Nolan Peterson

4. The Pentagon has assessed that Russia’s “combat power” in Ukraine — comprising more than 150,000 troops massed in Belarus and western Russian prior to the invasion — has dipped below 90 percent of its original force for the first time, reflecting the losses Russian troops have suffered at the hands of Ukrainian soldiers.

   A senior defense official, who was not authorized to discuss details of Russia’s actions in Ukraine publicly, said Tuesday morning that Russian forces were “struggling on many fronts,” including routine supply lines and logistics and that the Pentagon had seen indications that some Russian troops had been evacuated because of frostbite. via NYT

5. Russian media outlet exposes a new troll farm set up for war in Ukraine- Operation Cyber Front Z via

   Operation Cyber Front Z- Russia sets up a new troll farm for war in Ukraine