Here are the main developments on the 1,110th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The situation as of Monday, March 10:
Combat Operations
- Russia’s Defence Ministry announced its troops have seized control of Kostyantynopil, a village in southern eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to their claims. Additionally, Moscow reported the recapture of three other villages – Malaya Loknya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, and Kositsa – near the Kursk border.
- The Ministry also claimed that Russian forces have captured territory in Ukraine’s Sumy region for the first time since 2022, as part of a cross-border raid.
- Ukraine’s military stated that the number of Russian soldiers killed or injured since the commencement of Moscow’s invasion of Kyiv has risen to approximately 885,130, including 1,180 casualties recorded in the past 24 hours alone.
Politics and International Relations
- French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecournu, declared that France intends to use the interest from frozen Russian assets to finance $211m worth of armaments for Ukraine. Furthermore, Lecournu stated that France will also provide some of its older armored fighting vehicles to Kyiv.
- United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Saudi Arabia this week for discussions with Ukraine’s representatives, the State Department announced.
- Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski indicated that Poland, which funds Ukraine’s access to Starlink internet services, may “need to seek alternative suppliers” after Elon Musk, the owner of Starlink, remarked that Ukraine’s “whole front line would collapse if I turned it [Starlink] off”.
- Rubio responded to Sikorski on X, accusing him of “fabricating” and stating that no threats have been made regarding cutting Ukraine off from Starlink. “And say thank you because without Starlink, Ukraine would have lost this war long ago,” Rubio added.
- After this exchange, Musk stated on X that he would never shut down Starlink terminals in Ukraine, regardless of any disagreements with Kyiv’s policies.
- Zelenskyy announced his intention to travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday, after preliminary exploratory talks between Kyiv and Washington.
- US President Donald Trump voiced a positive stance on the US-Ukraine negotiations in Saudi Arabia, noting that his administration has “almost” lifted the regular suspension on intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
