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Morning Headlines
Reuters: Russian fuel facilities in Oryol and Nizhny Novgorod regions were on fire on Tuesday after Ukrainian drone attacks, local governors and media said, in what appeared to be a coordinated Kyiv air operation that also targeted Moscow and other regions.
AP News: President Joe Biden is hosting Poland's president and prime minister for White House talks on Tuesday with the Polish leaders looking to press Washington to break its impasse over replenishing funds for Ukraine at a critical moment in the war in Europe.
Bloomberg: The Kremlin elite is feverishly jostling for position in Putin’s new term as the president surrounds himself with loyalists to pursue his war in Ukraine (archive).
The Guardian: The international Red Cross movement is under pressure to take action against the Russian Red Cross over close links between the group and the Kremlin’s war and propaganda machine.
Reuters: Russia's exports of seaborne coal to Asia have been weakening in recent months, with lower shipments of both thermal grades and metallurgical coal used to make steel.
ISW: Russia’s increased defense industrial base production is likely not sustainable in the medium- and long-term as it will likely suffer from labor shortages, decreased weapons and equipment stockpiles, and an inability to completely compensate for military and dual-use items it can no longer acquire due to sanctions.
More News
FT: Brussels is pushing to give Ukraine €2bn-€3bn this year from profits derived from Russia’s frozen assets, accelerating the funding plan as US financial support to Kyiv wanes (archive).
Reuters: The U.N. human rights expert on Russia said on Monday that the death of opposition politician Alexei Navalny was Moscow's responsibility as he was either killed in prison or died from detention conditions that amounted to torture.
The Moscow Times: Moldova on Monday said it would summon the Russian ambassador to show "its disapproval of the decision to open polling stations" in separatist Transnistria during the Russian presidential 'election'.
AFP: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Russian advances had been "halted" in Ukraine and the situation was now "much better" for his troops than in recent months.
Reuters: Russian lawmakers have submitted a draft bill to the State Duma that would rewrite a chapter of history by nullifying the Soviet decision in 1954 to 'transfer' Crimea from Russia to Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine is building 2,000 kilometers of fortifications, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on March 11, following a meeting with military commanders and ministers.
Reuters: German Catholic bishops on Monday called on the Vatican to clarify remarks in which Pope Francis said Ukraine should have "the courage of the white flag" and negotiate an end to the conflict with Russia.
The Moscow Times: Russian nationals who visit Moscow's embassy in Latvia to vote in the March 15-17 presidential 'election' will undergo police screenings, local media reported on Monday, citing the head of the Baltic country's police force.
Bloomberg: Russia is weighing options for big tax increases to raise as much as 4 trillion rubles ($44 billion) as the war in Ukraine puts growing pressure on the government’s coffers (archive).
Reuters: A South Korean citizen has been arrested in Russia on suspicion of espionage, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Monday.
RFE/RL: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has urged the bloc to strengthen its defense industry and replenish its stockpiles in order to be ready to face "potential threats" while continuing to provide military aid to Ukraine.
Reuters: Russia said a group of its warships had arrived in Iran to take part in drills with Iran and China in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
The Kyiv Independent: Several leading international electronics companies have resumed promoting their products in Russia after previously suspending advertising following the outbreak of the full-scale war with Ukraine. The companies include Samsung from South Korea and Xiaomi from China.
POLITICO: Donald Trump will totally stop funding Ukraine if he wins the U.S. election in November, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said following a meeting between the right-wing figureheads.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine has officially started negotiations on the restoration of air travel with American and European safety regulators, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Yahoo News: Weapons imports to Europe nearly doubled over the past five years, partly due to the war in Ukraine, while exports from Russia halved, researchers said on Monday.
Reuters: Russians who own frozen foreign securities will be able to apply from March 25 to sell them to foreigners with frozen assets in Russia, the Russian finance ministry said on Monday, a plan some investors and regulators said would run afoul of Western sanctions.
RFI: The Elysée Palace has confirmed that President Emmanuel Macron has postponed his scheduled visit to Ukraine, but has said the French premier would travel to Kyiv in the coming weeks.
CNN: Russia appears on track to produce nearly three times more artillery munitions than the US and Europe, a key advantage ahead of what is expected to be another Russian offensive in Ukraine later this year.
worth mentioning
Sweden and Finland join Nato's biggest military exercise in decades
CEPA: Russia’s civil nuclear threat must be crushed
Analysis: As he sails to re-election, Putin has a succession problem
How the Russian authorities are working to indoctrinate and digitally surveil deported Ukrainian children
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