Ukraine Conflict: Day 39

Extensive footage from the recaptured Kievan district of Bucha on day 39 shows evidence of ‘zachistka’, the systematic execution of all men of fighting age, whose bodies have been left outside their houses or dumped in the street. Some claim the body count may reach as high as 270 people. The excuse for this practice will no doubt be the fact that at the outset of the conflict, Ukraine announced a ‘general mobilisation’, conscripting all men between the ages of 18 and 65, which according to a loose interpretation would make all Ukrainians in that demographic a valid military target. Zachistka achieved notoriety for its use in the Second Chechen War, and is widely regarded as a war crime. There is evidence that women and children may also have been killed in this operation. We will obviously not show the footage here.

It is also possible that the footage from Bucha represents a ‘psy-op’ or ‘psychological operation’, often fabricated by intelligence agencies in order to manipulate public opinion concerning a conflict. As the footage has only just surfaced, we will withhold judgement for the time being.

Russia appears to have withdrawn completely from northern Ukraine, as well as the Sumy sector. Ukraine claims to have re-established the national borders in these regions.

Smoke was seen above Odessa after an early-morning Russian air force strike with missiles at 6m local time. [Tweet Deleted]

Russian jets bombed Avdivka in an early morning raid, while MLRS rockets shelled Maryinka and Heorhiivka near Donetsk.

A sortie of Russian combat drones shelled 21 locations around Kharkiv, according to the regional administration. Ukraine claims to have downed an Su-34, with the pilot captured.

A statement by the Ukrainian General Staff confirms that Russian troops have completely withdrawn from northern Ukraine, towards Belarus and Russia. The governor of Sumy claims these troops are being redeployed to the Sumy front. The Russian Army destroyed a bridge at Chumakove, west-north-west of Sumy, which indicates a withdrawal in this region.

As the siege of Mariupol continues into day 39, more footage of destroyed Russian military equipment emerges online… from an action on March 10th. This footage has been recycled consistently. A recent humanitarian ceasefire allowed an estimate 369 civilians to evacuate the combat zone.

More Russian missile logistics were recorded moving towards Minsk. Day 39 saw missile strikes across various locations in Ukraine, hitting Odessa, Mykolaiv, Vasylkiv, Konstyantynivka, Slavuta, Ternopil, Balovne, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kolomyia. Shelling by Russian army units took place across the combat fronts.