Kyiv Post Morning Memo – Everything You Need to Know on Friday, March 10

Good morning from Kyiv where authorities are still racing to fix the damage caused by Russia’s latest mass missile attack against civilian infrastructure. Six people are known to have died in the strikes.

 As of 8am this morning, electricity and water supplies have been fully restored but 30 percent of the capital’s residents are without heating, according to Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City State Administration.

 Fortunately, a recent cold spell has given way to relatively balmy temperatures of 8-11 degrees centigrade this week.

 At the time of writing there is another air raid alert across all of Ukraine.

 Translator Oleksandra Povoroznyk wrote on Twitter: “Air raid over Kyiv, sirens outside my window howling again. Meh. Screw you, Russia. Your terrorism isn’t going to help you, and neither will your blackmail and your laughable attempts to discredit our government, president, and identity.” 

What’s happening today?

 Russian President Putin has been quick off the mark this morning to congratulate Xi Jinping on his third term as China's leader, hailing the strengthening ties between the two countries.

 "Dear friend, please accept sincere congratulations on the occasion of your re-election," Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin.

 Kyiv and its allies have expressed concern recently over the ties between Russia and China, with the U.S. accusing Beijing of mulling supplying Moscow’s forces with lethal weapons.

Other Topics of Interest

N. Korean Troops Massed in Russia to Enter Ukraine War ’Soon’: Pentagon Chief

Austin said he had "not seen significant reporting" of North Korean troops being "actively engaged in combat" to date.

 What was in President Zelensky’s latest message?

 Unsurprisingly, President Zelensky’s daily address on Thursday evening focused Russia’s mass missile attack, which he described as “another attempt by the terrorist state to wage war against civilization.”

 He added: “Repair crews, power engineers, local authorities and the central government - everyone will work for as long as necessary to restore power supply to the cities and districts where there are problems.

 “I thank everyone who is working for this. We have already shown what Ukraine is capable of.

 “And no matter how treacherous Russia’s actions are, our state and people will not be in chains. Neither missiles nor Russian atrocities will help them.”

 What’s the latest military situation?

 The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) update on March 10 also focuses on Russia’s latest missile attack, noting the “unusually large number of hypersonic air-launched ballistic missiles during the attack”.

 It adds: “This was the first major wave of long-range strikes since 16 Feb. 2023 and likely one of the largest since December 2022.

 “The interval between waves of strikes is probably growing because Russia now needs to stockpile a critical mass of newly produced missiles directly from industry before it can resource a strike big enough to credibly overwhelm Ukrainian air defences.”

 The Institute for the Study of War’s March 9 daily assessment covers a multitude of topics, most notably:

·      Russian forces likely advanced northwest of Bakhmut on March 9 amidst a likely increased tempo of Russian offensive operations in the area.

·      The Wagner Group’s offensive operation in eastern Bakhmut appears to have entered a temporary tactical pause and it remains unclear if Wagner fighters will retain their operational preponderance in future Russian offensives in the city.

·      Russian forces may be preparing to resume offensive operations around Vuhledar, although persistent personnel and ammunition issues will likely continue to constrain Russian forces from advancing.

 And that’s it for today’s Morning Memo.

Kyiv Post will bring you the latest news throughout the day and we’ll be back with another edition tomorrow.