This Week in the Russia-Ukraine War (March 8) – Defense Security Monitor

A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Political Developments

Ukraine’s military leaders recently discussed their warfighting requirements with U.S. Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, as well as with British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps and the chief of Britain’s Defense Staff, Sir Tony Radakin. Discussions also touched on helping Ukraine develop naval capabilities.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi is traveling to Moscow to discuss nuclear safety inside Ukraine. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is in southeastern Ukraine. Grossi previously met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in October 2022.

Iran has sent ballistic missiles to Russia, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD).  Moscow is using these weapons to support its war with Ukraine.  In addition, Tehran is accused of providing Russia with large quantities of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs).

The Wall Street Journal published a report on March 6 detailing the extent of Ukrainian-Sudanese cooperation over the last few years. Over the summer, Lt. Gen. Abdul Fattah al-Burhan contacted President Zelenskyy about providing support for the Sudanese Armed Forces as it fights the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group with ties to Russia’s Wagner Group. Kyiv sent special forces to assist Burhan’s troops in fighting around the capital, Khartoum, according to the report.

Military Assistance to Ukraine

“They are not asking for American soldiers. In fact, there are no American soldiers at war in Ukraine. And I am determined to keep it that way,” U.S. President Joe Biden said, in response to talk of deploying troops to Ukraine.

The British government is again asking Germany to provide TAURUS long-range missiles to Ukraine.  The German government has been reluctant to meet this request.  Chancellor Olaf Scholz worries that the missiles could be used to strike targets deep inside Russia, perhaps including Moscow.

The United Kingdom announced it will provide an additional GBP125 million ($161 million) to buy drones for Kyiv.  The U.K. originally announced an investment of GBP200 million ($258 million) in January, bringing the total new investment to GBP325 million ($418 million). The aid package will include more than 10,000 drones, most of which will be small systems used for reconnaissance. The aid will also include around 1,000 one-way attack drones and several maritime drones.

Palantir announced on March 4 that it has signed an agreement with Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy to launch what it called a “digitally led demining approach” using the company’s artificial intelligence software.

Battlefield Updates

Ukraine claims it sank Russian patrol ship Sergey Kotov using Magura V5 maritime drones. The Project 22160 ship was in the Black Sea off occupied Crimea. It was previously targeted back in September 2023.

Russia will not deploy the T-14 main battle tank to the battlefield in Ukraine, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov said this week, pointing to the high costs associated with producing the tank. He confirmed that it has entered service with the Russian Ground Forces. Previous reporting in Russian media indicated that “more than 40” would be delivered to the Russian military starting in 2024.

Kyiv has allocated close to UAH40 billion ($1.05 billion) for the purchase of drone systems this year, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this week. He noted that some of these drones will be equipped with electronic warfare systems to suppress Russian equipment.

Ukraine claimed responsibility for an attack on a rail bridge inside Russian territory. Ukraine’s military intelligence service said the bridge was used by Moscow to transport military cargo.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s motorcade was nearly struck by a Russian missile in Odesa Wednesday. Reports indicate the missile landed 490 feet from the motorcade, which was also carrying Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The Russian military conducted another air strike on Odesa Oblast on March 7.  A Russian combat aircraft fired a Kh-31P missile from a position over the Black Sea.  However, the missile malfunctioned before it could reach its target.

The Ukrainian military may have used the Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) in combat.  The AASM is built by Safran and was delivered to Ukraine by France.  The AASM reportedly hit Russia’s  Avdiivka Coke Plant.

The Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence said this week that it carried out cyberattacks on the Russian Defense Ministry, acquiring “software for information protection and encryption, previously used by the Russian defense ministry, as well as a trove of classified official documents belonging to the Russian ministry of war.”

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