Good morning from Kyiv.
It’s been a relatively quiet few days in the capital in terms of air raids and sirens, but on the ground, tensions have been bubbling at the site of the Pechersk-Lavra monastery complex.
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Wednesday was the deadline given to those remaining loyal to Moscow to pack up and leave the holy site. You can read Kyiv Post’s report from the monastery here.
What’s happening today?
King Charles III continues his tour of Germany today where Ukraine has already been high on the agenda.
Speaking at a state banquet hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Charles hailed the "enduring value" of the UK's relations with Germany.
The two countries' joint support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia's unprovoked aggression epitomised their commitment to "protecting and advancing shared democratic values", he added.
Elsewhere, the Russian propaganda machine has once again been exposed for the shoddy and fake-ridden entity that it is, this time by internet sleuths who did some digging about what at first glance, appears to be a video of Ukrainian soldiers harassing a mother and her baby .
What was in President Zelensky’s latest message?
During his daily address on Wednesday evening, President Zelensky reported on his virtual attendance at the “Summit for Democracy at the invitation of President Biden.”
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He said: “Now, thanks to Ukrainian courage, thanks to the leadership of the United States, President Biden, thanks to the Congress of the United States and everyone who works for the consolidation of the world, we have the greatest unity of democratic countries in a long time. And this unity, as we can see, is enough to fight for freedom.
“But to win against tyranny, greater unity is needed. I am sure that the democratic world is capable of achieving it. It is capable of winning. Democracy needs victory! As soon as possible.
“And all of us together: Ukrainians, all Europeans, our American allies, our friends on all continents - in Africa, in Asia, in Latin America, in Australia - will do everything to bring victory closer. The victory of Ukraine. The victory of freedom. The victory of the rules-based international order.”
What’s the latest military situation?
The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) update on March 30 focuses on reports that the Kremlin is preparing to start another major military recruitment campaign, with the aim of signing up an additional 400,000 troops.
The MoD notes: “Russia is presenting the campaign as a drive for volunteer, professional personnel, rather than a new, mandatory mobilisation.
“There is a realistic possibility that in practice this distinction will be blurred, and that regional authorities will try to meet their allocated recruitment targets by coercing men to join up.
“Russian authorities have likely selected a supposedly ‘volunteer model’ to meet their personnel shortfall in order to minimise domestic dissent. It is highly unlikely that the campaign will attract 400,000 genuine volunteers.
“However, rebuilding Russia’s combat power in Ukraine will require more than just personnel; Russia needs more munitions and military equipment supplies than it currently has available.”
The Institute for the Study of War’s March 29 daily assessment covers a multitude of topics, most notably:
· Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow on March 29, to review strategic and long-term cooperation agreements that will likely intensify Russia and Iran’s bilateral security relationship.
· Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov’s demonstrative response to an attack on a police station in Chechnya, which suggests that he may be concerned about the stability of his authoritarian rule.
· Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated on March 27 that Ukrainian forces may be planning to launch a counteroffensive in April or May, depending on weather conditions.
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.
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