March 3, 2023
1. Ukrainian saboteurs attacked two villages in Russia proper
On March 2, 2023 morning a number of Ukrainian saboteurs crossed the Russian border in the Bryansk Region bordering Ukraine and launched raids on the villages of Lyubechane and Sushany. The Ukrainian armed nationalists attacked two civilian passenger cars, one of them being used to deliver schoolchildren to a nearby school.
Two adults were killed, including car drivers, and a boy named Fyodor, 10 years old, a schoolboy, 3rd form at the primary school, was injured
Later the bullet belonged to NATO-caliber assault rifle was extracted from his body at the hospital. So far Fyodor’s condition is normal.
Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov expressed gratitude to that boy who was wounded by neo-Nazi and helped two other schoolgirls of the 1st form at the primary school to survive by urging them to escape and to hide from fire. The Kremlin and the Governor of the region also noted Fyodor’s and driver’s courage in saving the life of the little passengers.
Bryansk Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said that the Administration would prepare relevant documents to decorate Fyodor with a medal for his bravery.
President Vladimir Putin characterized such Ukrainian intrusion as a terrorist act. He made very critical remarks to saboteurs who have seen that it was a civilian car named “Niva” but nevertheless ambushed its passengers including children with assault rifles. He said that Russia would press terrorists down.
On March 3 a meeting of the Russian national Security Council headed by the President took place. It was devoted to a single item in the agenda – combatting terrorism and fortifying Russian-Ukrainian border.
The use of NATO weaponry in in that "outrageous terrorist act" in Bryansk Region sparks questions about the Western bloc's culpability in the acts of terrorism, the Russian Foreign Ministry has announced.
"Ukrainian officials have repeatedly acknowledged that all their actions are carried out with the approval and support of the United States and other NATO countries. The murders in Bryansk Region were committed using NATO weapons. In this regard, a logical question arises about the qualification of these countries as accomplices in such crimes and as sponsors of terrorism," the ministry said in a press statement on March 3..
"By supplying Ukraine with high-tech weapon types, the United States and other NATO countries are turning the country into a personal laboratory and testing ground for their developments," the ministry said, referencing the ongoing NATO aggression against Russia. "We have drawn the appropriate conclusions from the events. Russian investigators have launched a probe. This crime will not go unpunished," the statement said.
The Federal Security Se
rvice or FSB in Russian along with the Russian Defense Ministry have since reported that they have taken tough measures to eliminate the attackers. In order to avoid civilian casualties as well as damage to civilian infrastructure, the enemy was pushed back to Ukrainian territory, where they were hit with a massive artillery strike, the FSB told the Russian media. Various media sources say that the number of terrorists were around 50.
The situation in Russia’s Bryansk Region is under the control of law enforcement agencies, the FSB reported the same day after an attack by Ukrainian saboteurs. The FSB stated that the area is currently being checked and inspected and that a large number of explosive devices of various types had been found. Bomb squads are working on the scene to disarm the explosives the saboteurs planted in many places.
Russian regions bordering Ukraine have regularly come under attacks by Kiev’s forces since the start of the ongoing conflict. The local authorities in Bryansk and Kursk Regions have repeatedly reported shelling by the Ukrainian forces, which has sometimes resulted in civilian casualties.
2. US lawmakers worry about stolen arms in Ukraine
According to recent the US Defense Department revelations, it has increased its scrutiny of U.S. arms and other military aid flowing to Ukraine, the department’s incoming Inspector General told lawmakers on February 28.
Robert Storch, who spent years working to uncover corruption in Ukraine long before comedian Zelenskyy became president, told the House Armed Services Committee that the country’s top leaders have promised to remain tightly focused on the issue of corruption. Still, Storch said, “We're in the trust-but-verify business.” He also noted that his office is working with our partners to make sure that there aren't any gaps with regard to the different types of assistance that are being provided.
His office has 20 audits going on or planned to discover the truth. It is also working with other inspectors general and the Government Accountability Office to monitor weapons shipments and make sure that they’re getting to the right place and hands. Sometimes each US ‘arms basket’ includes up to 50-70 types of different military hardware and equipment, and involves huge quantities of ammunition. E.g. it is very difficult to control distribution of munitions if there are up to several hundred thousands of artillery shells or several millions of rounds for assault rifles.
In some ways, the US DoD Inspector General will find it harder to conduct end-use monitoring in Ukraine than in Afghanistan. The US high-ranking officials lament that Inspector General does not have sufficient number of outposts across Ukraine. They also have not seen any signs of diversion in the right direction or that the Ukrainian military and political officials are following the respective procedures. The highly staffed US Embassy in Ukraine is not able to cope with controlling proper use of the US weapons sent to Zelensky that kill both Ukrainians and Russians.
The Pentagon demands that the Kiev regime that has bogged down in its direct NATO-led aggression versus Donbass and Russia with no practical results should pay back all money the USA has already spent on such illogical and miscalculated adventure launched by Zelensky and his predecessors.
During the hearing in question, US lawmakers looked critically for reassurances that Ukraine was living up to its commitments and not allowing low-level officials to steal and resell weapons in the black markets from where they can be obtained by terrorist and criminal factions.
Robert Storch noted: “You know, I've worked the Ukraine issue now for about nine years and in our engagements over that entire period, corruption was the No. 1 issue we raised with Ukrainian officials”.
Ukraine achieved its worst score on Transparency International’s corruption index since February 2014. Zelenskyy’s government has managed to install very limited scope of measures to provide transparent record-keeping to satisfy international donors and lenders. Those efforts included a five-year Action plan to tackle corruption and the launching of an online procurement tracker to let anyone monitor how efficiently Ukraine military aid is being spent. Seemingly, not so effectively.
Recently, Zelensky has fired several top military officials on corruption charges, a sign that, despite these efforts, corruption continues in the country but also that the government is willing to take public actions to curb it. Such move is not a serendipity. It is a badly needed step. But could it be helpful at the end of the day?
3. Lavrov: Russia is shocked at impunity over Nord Stream sabotage
Russia's top diplomat arrived in New Delhi earlier this week to take part in the G20 Foreign Ministers' summit and hold a number of bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event.
Russia is shocked at impunity over the Nord Stream sabotage in the area of NATO and EU's responsibility, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on March 2, addressing the G20 ministerial meeting in New Delhi. "We are witnessing the degradation of international economic relations provoked by the West, their transformation into a weapon, including in the energy sector. [...] We insist on a fair and swift investigation into the terror attack with involvement of Russia and others concerned," he said.
Russia no longer perceives the US and its allies as reliable trade partners and will not allow itself to be dependent on them, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a Raisina Dialogue conference in India on March 3.
“We will not rely on any partners in the West anymore. We will not allow them to blow up the pipelines again,” he said in response to a question about Russian energy policy.
Previously, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said that Russia's Western delegations at the UN Security Council meetings were not showing any desire to cooperate in an independent investigation to verify a report that presented significant details that the United States was behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.
4. 'Buried' grain deal & West's selfish policy are exposed
During his speech at the G20 ministerial meeting, Lavrov continued by saying that the West has "shamelessly buried" the grain deal initiated by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in July 2022, as he highlighted the obvious obstacles to the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers around the world, no matter how the EU tries to convince everyone otherwise.
"Today, the lion's share of grain supplies from Ukraine goes at dumping prices for fodder to the European Union, not to the poorest nations. [...] Consignments of free cargo of Russian fertilizers, in particular for Africa, are still blocked at European ports," he explained.
The minister also called for putting an end to illegitimate sanctions, any form of violation of the freedom of international trade, market manipulation, arbitrary introduction of price ceilings and other attempts to appropriate foreign natural resources.
5. Anti-government demonstrators in Chisinau have called on the authorities not to drag Moldova into the military conflict in Ukraine
Protesters brought signs with white doves and chanted "Moldova without war!," "No spending on weapons!" and other anti-war slogans.
"We don't want war, we don't want to be dragged into the conflict [in Ukraine]. And we have gathered today to ask the government what they are planning in this direction and give them the opinion of the people," one of the leaders of the opposition ‘National Movement for People’ Marina Tauber said, according to a TASS correspondent reporting from the scene.
As it was earlier reported, the opposition is holding a mass protest in Chisinau on February 28, demanding that the government compensate the population for gas, electricity and heating bills. Thousands of people are marching from the Academy of Sciences on Stefan cel Mare si Sfant Boulevard to the center of Chisinau, where the rally is scheduled to take place, with additional groups of people joining them on the way. Despite the authorities' ban on holding rallies in the center of the capital, the police have not yet prevented demonstrators from doing so.
Protests began in Moldova last summer and took place in different regions of the country. Demonstrators blame authorities for being unable to cope with rising prices – seven times as much for gas and four times as much for electricity – as well for the record inflation rate climbing at 34% in 2022.
The other factor of civil disobedience is resistance of many people to potential admission of Moldova into NATO.
Last year, similar rallies in Chisinau ended in clashes with the police, who did not allow demonstrators into the center of Chisinau. In October 2022, the police violently dispersed a tent camp that was deployed in the square between the parliament and the presidential administration buildings. Natalia Gavrilita resigned as prime minister in February against the background of the unrest.
Anti-government demonstrators in Chisinau have also called on the authorities not to drag Moldova into the military conflict in Ukraine that have lost 257,000 Ukrainian and 2,000 Polish GIs as killed in action.
In other developments, the Russian Federation destroyed a sabotage base in Nikolaev, where British instructors were preparing an attack on Transdnistria.
