Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia shelled, child killed in Avdiivka, Lukashenko seeks nuclear weapons. What happened on the front line on March 31?

“Regenerating counter-battery radar fleets is likely a key priority for both sides, but Russia will likely struggle because the systems rely on high-tech electronics which have been disrupted by sanctions,” the update concluded.

Arms supplies

Ukraine has begun using US-made guided JDAM bombs, said AFU Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat. “These are Western-style bombs, which our aviation quite successfully [uses] in striking important targets,” he explained. In December last year, The Washington Post reported that Ukraine would receive JDAMs – GPS guided bombs capable of hitting targets up to 72 kilometers (45 miles) away – produced by Boeing.

The US intends to double the monthly production of 155 mm artillery shells to 24,000 by the end of the year, according to US Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo.

Production of Javelin missiles will more than double to 330 a month, and production of launchers will double to 41 a month, Camarillo said. According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the US has sent a total of over one million 155 mm shells to Ukraine so far.

The Wagner PMC-affiliated Telegram channel Grey Zone reported that Ukraine’s use of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile was confirmed for the first time. The missile, supplied from Norway, was launched from a ground portable launcher near Ochakiv in the Mykolayiv region, targeting the Kinburn Spit, which is currently under the control of Russian forces.

Pentagon reports on training of Ukrainian soldiers

The Pentagon reported that US instructors have trained more than 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In particular, 65 Ukrainians returned from the US this week, having been trained to operate the Patriot air defense system. 4,000 Ukrainian servicemen are currently completing a combined arms training course in Germany.

Lukashenko: Nuclear warhead sites to be restored in Belarus

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he had ordered the immediate restoration of the country's nuclear warhead storage facilities, where the weapons had been kept until the mid-1990s. He added that Belarus has all the infrastructure for tactical nuclear weapons ready, and emphasized that the country planned to reach an agreement with Russia on the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons on its territory. Earlier in March, Vladimir Putin announced the construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. According to Putin, the missiles will be stationed in the neighboring country, while control over them will be maintained by Moscow.

Pavel Podvig, a nuclear security expert at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, told The Insider that Lukashenko's statements should be taken with a grain of salt:

“At one time there were many storage facilities with nuclear warheads on the territory of Belarus, but over the past 30 years they’ve fallen into such a condition that they need to be restored. It’s not certain that it will be easier and quicker to restore these facilities than to build new ones. Equipment, security systems, and everything else needs to be put in there anyway. Theoretically, it’s possible, but I would be skeptical.

If we talk about strategic nuclear weapons, I don't see any scenarios in which Russia would take such a step as to deploy them in Belarus. There’s no sense in that – neither political, nor technical. But even if we set aside all questions of political logic, in order to return or deploy nuclear missiles in Belarus, it would be necessary to build a mobile missile base. This is a serious structure, they take quite a long time to build. Besides, nobody needs it. I don’t see scenarios in which someone in Russia would approve such a step.”

Anniversary of the liberation of Bucha

On the anniversary of the liberation of the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region, which had been under Russian occupation from 27 February to 31 March 2022, Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General released data on crimes committed by Russian forces during the period. According to the data, the Russian military committed more than 9,000 war crimes in Bucha. More than 1,400 civilians were killed, many of whom were tortured. 37 children were among those killed.