2/ The #Ukrainian General Staff reported that #Russian forces conducted unsuccessful ground attacks near Dibrova (6km southwest of #Kreminna) and Hryhorivka (9km south of Kreminna). isw.pub/UkrWar031823
3/ #Russian sources continued to claim on March 18 that Russian forces advanced west of Hryanykivka (17km northeast of #Kupyansk) and that Ukrainian forces withdrew to the west bank of the #Oskil River, but @TheStudyofWar is unable to verify these claims. isw.pub/UkrWar031823
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#Russian President Vladimir #Putin visited occupied #Mariupol on March 19, likely to project the image of invulnerability and to continue efforts to portray himself as an involved wartime leader. isw.pub/UkrWar031923
2/ #Putin also likely meant his visit to be a response to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for his involvement in war crimes connected to the deportation of #Ukrainian children, at least 1,000 of whom #Russian officials deported from #Mariupol alone.
3/ #Putin’s visit to #Mariupol likely also aimed to assuage a longstanding and pervasive fear in the nationalist space about a prospective Ukrainian counteroffensive in southern #Ukraine. isw.pub/UkrWar031923
#Ukrainian forces likely conducted a localized counterattack southwest of #Bakhmut amid growing #Russian discussion about a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Bakhmut area. isw.pub/UkrWar031923
2/ Geolocated footage published on March 19 indicates that #Ukrainian forces conducted a successful counterattack southwest of Ivanivske (6km west of #Bakhmut) and pushed Russian forces further away from the T0504 highway in the area.
3/ #Ukrainian Eastern Group of Forces Spokesperson Colonel Serhiy Cherevaty reported that #Russian forces conducted 25 attacks in the Bakhmut area on March 19, but Russian forces likely only secured marginal gains.
The #Ukrainian General Staff specified that Ukrainian forces repelled #Russian assaults in the northern part of #Bakhmut, likely suggesting that Russian forces are concentrating offensive operations on the northern part of the city. isw.pub/UkrWar031823
2/ #Russian milbloggers claimed that #Wagner Group fighters captured unspecified industrial facilities in the AZOM complex in northern #Bakhmut and have cleared most of the complex of #Ukrainian forces.
3/ ISW has not observed any visual confirmation that Russian forces have advanced into the territory of the AZOM complex.
2/ The #Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces repelled #Russian offensive operations near #Bakhmut, within 11km NW of Bakhmut near Orikhovo-Vasylikva and Hryhorivka, and within 6km SW of Bakhmut near Ivanivske and Klishchiivka.
3/ Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces also conducted assaults near Khromove (2km west of #Bakhmut) and Bohdanivka (6km northwest of Bakhmut).
3/ Russian President Vladimir #Putin continued his campaign against anti-war dissent and the misappropriation of military assets within #Russia. isw.pub/UkrWar031823
ISW initially assessed on March 16 that #Prigozhin might have fabricated the alleged plot to support these informational campaigns, but ISW failed to observe that a Russian milblogger had posted rumors about the alleged plot on March 13. isw.pub/UkrWar031723
2/ #Prigozhin’s press service was involved in a fabrication of some kind given the Nezavisimaya Gazeta denial, but Prigozhin does not appear to have fabricated the rumor itself.
3/ #Prigozhin’s press service may have received a fabricated press request or may have fabricated the press request itself.
Regardless of whoever fabricated the press request, Prigozhin chose to give prominence to the rumored plot. isw.pub/UkrWar031723