Kyiv Post Morning Memo – Everything You Need to Know on Monday, March 27

Good morning from Kyiv.

Spring is finally in the air and the weekend in the capital passed without a single air raid alert, two things people took full advantage of.

What do people do on warm spring days in Kyiv? They visit the sea, just like President of the Kyiv School of Economics, Tymofiy Mylovanov, did on Sunday.

OK, it’s actually a large reservoir on the Dnipro River not a sea, but situated to the north of Kyiv, it’s so wide that you can’t see the other side and comes complete with sandy beaches, so the local tradition of calling it a sea only takes a little imagination.

What’s happening today?

Back to the reality of the day-to-day news cycle, the world awaits to see if President Putin is going to follow through with his threat of stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

As of Monday morning, the U.S. has said it’s yet to see any evidence this has happened, but the situation is being closely monitored.

You can read more on that story here .

Elsewhere, Ukraine interim football head coach  Ruslan Rotan remains upbeat after his team’s 2-0 loss against England on Sunday.

He said the “incredible” Wembley atmosphere would inspire the team as they battle to qualify for Euro 2024.

What was in President Zelensky’s latest message?

During his daily address on Sunday evening, President Zelensky highlighted the work of the National Guard who yesterday celebrated a day designated in their honor.

Other Topics of Interest

Zelensky Meets CIA Director William Burns in Ukraine

Zelensky said he had met Burns on multiple occasions throughout the war, but their meetings had been undisclosed.

“I thank all Guardsmen: soldiers, sergeants, officers, command,” he said. “Thank you to everyone who helps the units of the National Guard, who trains soldiers, provides them with everything they need, helps with treatment after injuries, with rehabilitation.

“The strength of Ukraine is the strength of all those who fight for Ukraine and who help the warriors. And it is simply impossible to imagine our state’s might without the National Guard.”

You can read more about the National Guard and the crucial work they do here.

What’s the latest military situation?

The  British Ministry of Defence (MoD) update on March 27 focuses on a recent attack in which “at least three uncrewed surface vessels (USV) and one uncrewed aerial vehicle reportedly attempted to strike the Russian naval base of Sevastopol, in occupied Crimea.”

The MoD notes: “Open source reports suggest that one USV was stopped by defensive booms, while two were destroyed in the harbor. Russian officials said that no Russian vessels had been damaged.

“A previous USV attack on Sevastopol on October 29, 2022 reportedly damaged the minesweeper Ivan Golubets and the frigate Admiral Makarov.

“Even though the new attacks likely failed to damage any military assets, the USV threat likely continues to constrain operations of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.”

The  Institute for the Study of War’s March 26 daily assessment is a special report that focuses on “Russian President Vladimir Putin’s continued efforts to seek complete victory in Ukraine, which he appears confident that he can attain over time.”

It notes:

·      The outcomes of wars often are, in fact, determined on the battlefield with negotiations that merely ratify military realities. Putin likely has one such example vividly in his mind – World War II in Europe.

·      Putin initiated the current war and is the key actor who must decide that he cannot achieve his aims by military power and must instead engage in a negotiated resolution of the conflict if the war is to end in this fashion.

·      Putin continues to make clear by word and deed that he has come to no such conclusion yet despite the failures of his major military efforts this winter.

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.