Video of the shooting of Ukrainian PoW, appointment of NABU director: highlights of the day

Video of execution of Ukrainian prisoner of war

A video of the killing of a Ukrainian prisoner of war has been shared online. The video shows a man wearing a Ukrainian army uniform saying "Glory to Ukraine!" and then being shot dead.

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, has already reacted to this. He called it a violation of the Geneva Conventions, as well as "a manifestation of lowliness and meanness." The Ombudsman noted that he had already sent the video to international partners and fellow commissioners from around the world as evidence of another war crime by Russia.

The head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, called the shooting an example of Russia's "national insignificance and weakness." The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War told us that they have not yet identified the deceased, but are already working on it.

The Security Service of Ukraine launched an investigation, and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan to help find the perpetrators. At the same time, Ukrainians on their social media pages began to respond to the killed prisoner of war, spreading the slogan "Glory to the Heroes!"

New director of NABU

The government has appointed Semen Kryvonos as the new director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. The selection of the NABU director was one of the seven recommendations made by the EU when Ukraine was granted candidate status. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine has now fulfilled all the recommendations.

Kryvonos was the head of the State Inspectorate for Architecture and Urban Planning. He is the closest to the President's Office among the three finalists for the position: the official does not hide the fact that he is friends with Yermak's deputy, Oleksiy Kuleba. However, he assures that none of the high-ranking politicians, including those from the Zelenskyy administration, will be able to influence his decisions.

Despite the fact that Kryvonos successfully passed the integrity interview, there are still open questions with regard to him. For example, his wife bought a claim for UAH 24,300 ($658) under a loan agreement worth UAH 26.9 million ($728,503). He mentioned the debt on the house, but did not explain how he managed to buy out such a large debt for such a low amount.

Personnel decisions at SBU

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a number of decrees on personnel decisions in the Security Service of Ukraine. The head of state dismissed:

• Oleksandr Yakushev from the post of Deputy Head of the SBU;
• Oleksandr Provotorov from the post of Head of the SBU Economic Support Department;
• Ihor Nosko from the position of Head of the Department of State Secrets Protection and Licensing of the SBU. In his place, Zelenskyy appointed Oleh Khramov.

Also, the head of the SBU Office in Zaporizhzhya Oblast, Borys Bezrukyi, and the head of the SBU Office in Sumy Oblast, Eduard Fedorov, left their posts. The president appointed Oleh Krasnoshapka to replace the latter.

Situation at frontline

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia is focusing on an offensive on the Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Shakhtarsk axes. The occupiers continue to storm Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast.

On March 6, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Staff.

The President's Office noted that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi support the continuation of the defense of Bakhmut.

Also, on March 5, the Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, once again visited the Ukrainian military defending Bakhmut and the approaches to the town. According to him, the fighting for Bakhmut has reached the highest level of tension.

Night attack by drones

On the night of March 6, Russian occupation forces attacked Ukraine with drones. According to Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat, the Russians launched Iranian-made Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones from the north.

They attacked the central and eastern regions of Ukraine. According to preliminary data, the Russians launched 15 drones, 13 of which were destroyed by air defense.

Russia's losses

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian military has killed 153,770 Russian soldiers during the full-scale war and as of the morning of March 6.

On March 5 alone, Russia lost 650 of its soldiers, 9 tanks, 11 armored combat vehicles, 7 artillery vehicles and other equipment, according to the Ukrainian command.

Other important news

• Law enforcement officers served suspicion notices to three Russian soldiers involved in the shooting of civilians who wanted to evacuate Irpin in March 2022;
• the head of the Odesa Oblast Military Administration, Maksym Marchenko, said that the Security Service of Ukraine had detained his deputy, Ihor Tkachuk. The Dumskaya media outlet, citing a law enforcement source, reported that he was detained on suspicion of taking a bribe;
• The Ministry of Economy revised its macroeconomic forecast for 2023. The ministry downgraded its forecast for GDP growth in Ukraine from 3.2% to 1%, primarily due to the assumption that military operations will not end in mid-2023 but will last "almost the whole year."
• stand-up comedian Andriy Shchegel recorded a video message after his statements about fleeing Ukraine and "the choice of others to die" became public. This time, he tried to explain his previous statements and said that he "in no way" despised Ukrainians;
• the majority of Ukrainians voted in Diia to keep March 8, the International Day of Women's Rights and Peace, a public holiday.