Putin celebrates in Crimea - Again drone attacks in Ukraine

Russia declared the Ukrainian peninsula part of its own territory in 2014. The war goal of the government in Kiev is the liberation of Crimea and all other Russian-occupied areas. Meanwhile, renewed drone attacks were reported.

On Friday evening, the Russian army attacked Ukraine with Iranian-made drones, the Ukrainian army said in a statement on the online service Telegram. Eleven of 16 drones were “destroyed”. The attacks were launched from the Sea of Azov and from the Russian region of Briansk.

The region around Lviv in the extreme west of Ukraine was reportedly particularly targeted by the drones. “Around 1 a.m. our region was attacked by Shahed 136 kamikaze drones,” said regional governor Maksim Kositski. Three drones were shot down and three others hit non-residential buildings, he added. There was damage, but no one was injured.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, three drones were also shot down in the Dnipro region in the southeast. There were no injuries there either, but “critical infrastructure” was hit in Novomoskovsk, there was a fire and four houses were destroyed and six others damaged. However, drones aimed at the capital Kiev were all shot down by the Ukrainian air defense, the city administration said.

expansion of military service

According to British intelligence services, Russian authorities are probably preparing for an expansion of military service in order to strengthen the armed forces. On March 13, a bill was introduced in the Russian House of Commons, according to which men between the ages of 21 and 30 should be called up instead of men between the ages of 18 and 27, the British Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday.

“The law is expected to be passed and would then come into force in January 2024,” it said in London. Since Soviet times, Russia has been conscripting conscripts twice a year. “Officially, Russia continues to exclude conscripts from operations in Ukraine, although at least hundreds are likely to have been deployed – through mix-up by authorities or after being forced to sign contracts,” the UK ministry wrote.

According to the intelligence services, many 18- to 27-year-olds are currently applying for exemption from military service by citing that they are in college education. Authorities are now likely changing the age range to increase troop levels, sources said. “Even if Russia continues to refrain from using conscripts in war, additional conscripts will make a larger number of professional soldiers available for combat operations.”

The British Ministry of Defense has published daily updates on the course of the war since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, citing intelligence information. In doing so, the British government wants to both counter the Russian portrayal and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses London of a disinformation campaign.