March 1, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

The Russian defense ministry claimed in a statement that the military prevented a "massive" drone attack on Crimea.

"Six Ukrainian strike unmanned vehicles were shot down by air defense systems. Four more Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been put out of action by means of electronic warfare," the statement published on Wednesday said.

There were no casualties, according to the ministry, which did not release any photographic evidence of the drones, nor provide details about the locations where the drones were allegedly brought down. 

On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that electronic warfare systems had suppressed Ukrainian drones that tried to attack Krasnodar and neighboring Adygea in southwestern Russia. Russian authorities also claimed that a Ukrainian drone had crashed near Kolomna in the Moscow region, but an image of the drone could not be geolocated.

Germany will ramp up its ammunition production as well as weapon repair capacity to better support Ukraine’s fight against Russia's invasion, the country’s leader said Wednesday. 

“The now one-year lasting support of Ukraine has also brought us the knowledge that enables us to ensure that there is also a sufficient supply, with spare parts, that we have created repair capacities for the weapons used in the war, at locations outside of Ukraine,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

Berlin announced last week that it is sending another four Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. 

Several soldiers in the Russian military have offered to instead join the Wagner private military company, according to video obtained by CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront."

In a separate video, CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports that Russian soldiers from Irktusk are refusing to fight.

"Due to the current state of affairs, we find ourselves in a desperate position as the commanders do not care about our lives," a soldier says in the video, according to Pleitgen, who adds that the soldier also said, "we ask for help; we have nowhere else to turn."

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin repeatedly and publicly criticized the Russian Defense Ministry last week over what he alleged was a lack of ammunition from the ministry.

Watch Burnett's report here:

Russia handed an official note to the United States on Tuesday on the suspension of Moscow's participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian state media RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

The note did state that Russia will continue to observe the treaty's central provisions, which include restrictions on the number of relevant systems, said Ryabkov, as quoted by RIA.

“We are ready to discuss any issues that are of interest to [America], on the understanding that there will be no revision of the decision to suspend the START, at least until the American colleagues show their readiness to abandon their hostile course towards Russia - primarily in relation to what is happening in Ukraine and around it,” he added according to RIA Novosti.

Remember: On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law suspending Russia's participation in START, imperiling the last remaining pact that regulates the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals.

The treaty puts limits on the number of deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons that both the US and Russia can have. It was last extended in early 2021 for five years, meaning the two sides would soon need to begin negotiating on another arms control agreement.

The treaty was already essentially paused since Russia had recently refused to open up its arsenal to inspectors.

A small bunch of snowdrop flowers sits on an improvised table in a basement in Bakhmut. Elena Molchanova’s husband brought them for her, a reminder of better times.

“The spring has already arrived to Bakhmut,” Molchanova told CNN via a text message. “I am sure everything will be OK.”

The couple is living in the basement of a hospital where Molchanova works as a doctor.

They have stayed in the eastern Ukrainian city despite its worsening humanitarian and security situation. Every day, the fighting comes closer to her.

As Russian forces continue to advance, Molchanova and her husband are two of the roughly 4,500 civilians who are still in Bakhmut.

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Donetsk regional military administration, Tetiana Ignatchenko, called on people to evacuate the city due to the danger but told CNN on Wednesday they had enough supplies.

China's position on the Ukrainian crisis is consistent and clear, President Xi Jinping told his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, on Wednesday, according to a Chinese readout of the meeting.

Xi urged involved countries to "stop politicizing and instrumentalizing the world economy" and take steps to resolve the war.

According to the Chinese readout, Lukashenko said Belarus "entirely agrees with and supports China's position and proposition" on the issue.

More context: In a released position paper Friday, China’s Foreign Ministry called for a resumption of peace talks, an end to unilateral sanctions, and stressed its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons – a stance Xi communicated to Western leaders last year

China reiterated its calls for a political settlement to the Ukraine conflict on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, as Beijing comes under increasing pressure from the United States and its allies over its growing partnership with Moscow.

The Ukrainian electrical grid has been operating without deficit or wide-ranging blackouts for 18 days, the Ukrainian energy company Ukrenergo said in a statement on Wednesday, as Ukrainians marked the first day of spring in the country. 

“There has been no power deficit in the power system for 18 days already and it is not currently forecasted,” the company said. 

Despite Russia’s attempt to weaponize winter by targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Ukrenergo says its staff was able to repair and maintain the grid. 

Meanwhile, the energy supply in the frontline regions is difficult due to Russian shelling that has damaged the networks in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Kherson regions, Ukrenergo said. “The repairs are being carried out if the security situation is safe for the repair crews.”

Finnish lawmakers have voted largely to support the country’s bid to join NATO in a parliamentary vote Wednesday.

“On 1 March 2023, Parliament approved the government proposal on Finland’s accession to NATO by a vote of 184-7,” the parliament said in a statement.

Finland and its neighbor Sweden applied for NATO membership amid security concerns after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Hungarian President Katalin Novák earlier said she hoped lawmakers would ratify Sweden and Finland’s ascension into NATO “as soon as possible.”

So far, 28 out of the 30 allies have ratified both Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance. Only Hungary and Turkey have not yet done so.

As Russian forces continue their assault on the besieged city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces said they have no plans of withdrawing from the eastern Ukrainian city.

Elsewhere, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has met with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, and Hungary's president has called on lawmakers to ratify Finland and Sweden's bids to join the NATO military alliance.

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