Update on Russian military operations in Ukraine for March 16, 2023:

- Russian warplanes intercepted and apparently clipped the propeller of a US MQ-9 drone carrying out surveillance near Crimea;

- The US has no means of recovering the drone, though Russia may have an opportunity to recover it;

- While the drone operated in international airspace according to the US, it was collecting intelligence on behalf of Ukraine as part of ongoing hostilities, as a party of the conflict and thus threatening Russian national security;

- Bakhmut continues to face encirclement;

- The Western media has begun admitting to the grim deterioration of Ukraine’s forces under the weight of Russia’s strategy of attrition;

- Ukraine has lost the majority of troops trained by NATO over the last 8-9 years;

- Ongoing NATO training is rushed, incapable of meeting or exceeding Russia’s pool of trained manpower;

- Ammunition and weapons are also admittedly running out;

- Ukraine may or may not be diverting reserves for an upcoming spring offensive to instead fight in Bakhmut;

- Any possible counteroffensive around Bakhmut might indicate just how badly deteriorated Ukraine’s forces have become;

References:

The Duran - MQ-9 Reaper drone, military tries to de-escalate. Neocons want to escalate:
https://youtu.be/qNdMD2nlnBo
Garland Nixon - WESTERN MEDIA SLOWLY ACKNOWLEDGES UKRAINE CATASTROPHE:
https://www.youtube.com/live/9den3V3iJws?feature=share
US Department of Defense - Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark A. Milley Hold a Press Conference Following Ukraine Defense Contact Group Virtual Meeting (March 15, 2023):
https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3330701/secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-and-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-sta/
War on the Rocks - How to Think About Bakhmut and a Ukrainian Spring Offensive (March 14, 2023):
https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/how-to-think-about-bakhmut-and-a-ukrainian-spring-offensive/
Politico - Technology concerns imperil Gray Eagle drone transfer to Ukraine (2022):
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/09/technology-concerns-imperil-gray-eagle-drone-transfer-to-ukraine-00050573
Politico - ‘Ukraine doesn’t have any time to waste’: U.S. races to prepare Kyiv for spring offensive (March 15, 2023):
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/15/dod-ukraine-war-supplies-00087291
Washington Post - Ukraine short of skilled troops and munitions as losses, pessimism grow (March 13, 2023):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/13/ukraine-casualties-pessimism-ammunition-shortage/

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