Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 383

As the war between Russia and Ukraine enters its 383rd day, we take a look at the main developments.

This is the state of affairs on Monday, March 13, 2023:

To fight

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says more than 1,100 Russian front-line troops have been killed fighting over Bakhmut in recent days, and some 1,500 Russian soldiers were also so badly injured that they could no longer fight.
• Russia’s defense ministry, meanwhile, says more than 220 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed in the 24 hours to Sunday.
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says Ukraine will continue fighting in Bakhmut, likening the Russian advance to a thief breaking into someone’s house and trying to “steal everything”.
• Ukrainian ground forces commander Oleksandr Syrsky says continued defense of Bakhmut is needed to “buy time” for a planned counter-offensive.
• Ukraine’s National Police say Russia has carried out 48 attacks on civilians in the Donetsk region, targeting 15 cities and towns, including Bakhmut, Konstyantynivka and Avdiivka.
• The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says Russia’s advance on Bakhmut appears to have stalled and that while the soldiers of the Wagner Group continued to fight, they did not appear to be making any progress.

Diplomacy

• According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russian representatives have yet to participate in negotiations to extend the Black Sea grain deal.
• Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar says he believes the deal allowing grain exports through the Black Sea will be extended from the current March 18 deadline.
• Zelenskyy has had his first talks with the new president of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel. He says the two discussed the situation at the front and Ukraine’s security needs.
• Moldovan police say they have arrested members of a network “orchestrated by Moscow” in an attempt to destabilize the small former Soviet nation through anti-government protests.

Weapons

• Iran has reached an agreement to buy advanced Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, expanding a relationship involving Iranian-built drones used in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Iranian state media said Saturday.
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged Germany to speed up ammunition deliveries and to begin training Ukrainian pilots on Western fighter jets.
• Swiss President Alain Berset has defended the country’s controversial ban on the transfer of Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine, stressing the importance of the country’s neutrality.