The Russian president affirmed, Monday March 18, that his troops, on the offensive since the capture of Avdiïvka in mid-February against a Ukrainian army lacking men and ammunition, had “entirely the initiative” on the front. “Overall, the initiative lies entirely with the Russian armed forces, and in some areas our men are mowing down the enemy”, declared Vladimir Putin after his re-election for a fifth term at the head of Russia. The Russian head of state has once again promised that Moscow’s objectives would be “achieved”. Follow our live stream.
Vladimir Putin is a man “drunk with power” for Volodymr Zelensky. “It is clear to everyone that this character, as has happened so often in history, is simply drunk with power and is doing everything he can to reign eternally”the Ukrainian president reacted on Sunday in a message published on social networksbelieving that the Russian presidential election had not “no legitimacy”.
A military base in Transnistria hit by an explosive drone. Transnistria, a pro-Russian separatist region of Moldova, said on Sunday that an explosive drone, sent from neighboring Ukraine, had struck a military base in its capital, Tiraspol. Russia has supported this territory bordering Ukraine since the 1990s. But kyiv accuses Moscow of being in charge. “Russia carried out a provocation in Transnistria with a kamikaze drone attack on a military unit,” assured the Ukrainian Security Council. Moldova, for its part, has not confirmed “no attack”.
Two dead in strikes in the Belgorod region. UA 16-year-old girl was killed Sunday morning in an air attack on the town of Belgorod, close to the border and very often targeted, according to the local governor. In the afternoon, one man died and 19 other people were injured in new strikes in the same region.