Victory Chronicles-DAY 1127

A Russian military court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced 23 Ukrainian prisoners of war, including members of the Azov Regiment, to prison terms ranging from 13 to 23 years, independent outlet Mediazona reported.

Twelve servicemen received real terms in high-security colonies where there are tighter controls, and conditions are harsher than in the general regime colonies.In these colonies, inmates often face more physical labor and more limited contact with the outside world Eleven others were sentenced in absentia, including some who returned to Ukraine in prisoner swaps. Nine women, formerly military cooks, also received sentences of 13 to14 years.

Defendants said confessions were coerced through torture and were denied medical aid. One prisoner, Oleksandr Ishchenko, died in custody before trial. Ukraine condemned the sentences as illegal and politically motivated.

Ukraine’s National Guard shoots down more than 300 Shahed drones in early 2025. According to a spokesperson, mobile firing groups of Ukraine’s National Guard have shot down more than 300 Russian Shahed-type drones in the first two months of 2025.

Ruslan Muzychuk, spokesperson for the National Guard, said in an exclusive comment to Ukrinform that the units “effectively complement the state’s air defense system,” particularly during Russian aerial assaults.

“These mobile firing groups are key to protecting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, cities, and civilians during airstrikes,” Muzychuk said ahead of National Guard Day, observed on March 26.

He added that the National Guard is also developing its own unmanned aerial systems. Specialized drone units—such as Typhoon, Wings of Omega, and the UAV strike unit of the 27th Pechersk Brigade—are already in operation. Nearly every brigade, regiment, or battalion has its own drone operation team, he said.

Russian airborne strike kills 3-year-old girl, mother at playground in Donetsk Oblast. A Russian airstrike on a playground in eastern Ukraine killed a three-year-old girl and her 36-year-old mother on March 25, Ukrainian officials said.

The attack took place in the settlement of Kurtivka, part of the Druzhkivka community in Donetsk Oblast, according to Vadym Filashkin, head of the regional military administration, and the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

Officials said Russian forces dropped an FAB-250 gravity-based bomb equipped with a guidance kit on a residential area. The woman and her young daughter were killed instantly. A second child, a 15-year-old girl, was hospitalized with shrapnel wounds and a fractured hip. The family had been at the playground when the strike occurred.

Photos released by prosecutors showed the aftermath of the blast, with debris scattered around the site.

Ukrainian drone operators stop Russian armored column near Novopavlivka

‘Ukrainian drone operators halted a Russian armored assault on the Novopavlivka front in southern Donetsk region, destroying several vehicles and repelling the attack, according to the 110th Mechanized Brigade.

Novopavlivka has been one of the main focal points of military activity and is located near the Russian-occupied port city of Mariupol. The brigade, named after General Khorunzhyi Marko Bezruchko, said its unmanned aerial systems battalion spotted an advancing enemy column, led by a tank equipped with reinforced armor and drone protection.

Reconnaissance drones detected the column in time and began striking it. Some of the vehicles were disabled, the brigade said. One Russian tank, however, continued advancing rapidly toward Ukrainian defensive positions, reportedly bypassing multiple mine and explosive barriers placed along the road. The tank was eventually stopped after the third explosion and destroyed by kamikaze drones.

Key Takeaways:

• US, Ukrainian, and Russian officials reached some agreements for temporary ceasefires on strikes against energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea. The details of these ceasefires remain unclear and evaluating the ceasefires’ specifics in the absence of officially published joint texts of the agreements signed by Russia and Ukraine remains difficult.
• The Kremlin’s and Umerov’s statements suggest that Russia and Ukraine may not yet be in agreement about whether the ceasefire has gone into effect or not as of March 25.
• Putin continues to reject Trump’s and Zelensky’s proposed temporary frontline ceasefire, despite agreeing to some form of ceasefire for strikes on energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea. Putin’s persistent stalling and intransigence are inhibiting Trump’s efforts to secure a lasting and stable peace settlement.
• The Kremlin stated that it will not implement the agreed ceasefire in the Black Sea until the United States lifts sanctions on Russian state-owned agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank and other unspecified financial organizations involved in international food and fertilizer trade.
• Russian forces recently advanced in the Kursk-Sumy Oblast border area, near Toretsk, and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.
• The Russian military continues to deny rotations to soldiers who have been fighting in the war in Ukraine for years.

Ukrainian soldier Vadym Parovai killed in action near Donetsk regional village of Hrodivka. Soldier Vadym Parovai was killed on Dec. 1 near the village of Hrodivka in Donetsk region’s Pokrovsk district during a combat mission. He suffered fatal wounds  in a mortar strike. He was 33 years old.

Parovai was born in the village of Koliukhiv, Vinnytsia region. He graduated from the Barskyi College of Transport and Construction, specializing in civil engineering. He later lived with his family in the town of Tyvriv. Vadym worked at the Tyvriv District Power Grid, at a local auto repair shop, and more recently in residential construction and roofing.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion, Parovai joined the 122nd Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. He served as a rifleman in the 211th Battalion.

“Vadym was kind, calm, responsible, hardworking, and full of life. He hated conflict and always brought his family joy with his warm smile and great sense of humor. He adored his daughter, Olichka, and spent every free moment with her. His dream was to walk her to her first day of school next September,” said his brother, Oleksandr Parovai.

Vadym was laid to rest in Tyvriv, Vinnytsia region. He is survived by his parents, Maria and Mykola, his brother Oleksandr, wife Tetiana, and daughter Olha.

*Vadym’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

• CIA director: Ukrainians will fight with their bare hands if they have to
• Zelenskyy: US offers Ukraine a new ‘big deal’ on fossil fuels
• US intelligence: Ukraine and Russia believe flawed truce is worse than continuing war
• Russia rejects unconditional ceasefire in Black Sea after meeting with US
• Zelenskyy: US-Russia agreement easing access to global markets weakens sanctions targeting Moscow
• Deputy Chief of DIU (GUR): Russia maintains high missile production, reveals types
• Russia rejects calls to return Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
• Trump: Russia Could Be ‘Dragging Their Feet’