In the area of the Joint Forces Operation on March 9, 18 violations of the ceasefire by the armed formations of the Russian Federation were recorded, - the JFO headquarters reported. The Russian-occupation troops fired at the positions of our units near the settlements of Krasnohorivka, Pisky, Novozvanivka, Zolote-4 and Opytne, using mortars of 120 mm and 82 mm prohibited by the Minsk agreements, as well as grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. The enemy made aimed shelling of Ukrainian positions in the suburbs of Avdiivka, the villages of Lebedynske and Pivdenne from grenade launchers of various systems and large-caliber machine guns. The occupiers opened fire from light and heavy anti-tank grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms near the village of Troitske. It was noticed in the same direction that the enemy was arranging engineering positions. Our defenders returned fire to the enemy's actions. There are no combat losses among Ukrainian soldiers.
The "L-DNR administrations" in the occupied Donbas are preparing for hostilities. This was reported in the Eastern Human Rights Group (EHRG). Thus, columns with diesel fuel pass through the Dovzhansk and Marynivka checkpoints, deliveries are made in the evening and at night. Also, polygons began full-scale work in CADLO. Local residents report that explosions and shots are heard at the test sites. Combat training sessions with recruits are held every day. The EHRG social activists also claim that the Russian Union of the Donbass Volunteers is recruiting volunteers from the Russian Federation to participate in hostilities in Ukraine. "Similar messages have been sent to all branches of the organization", - the EHRG noted. In addition, the group wrote that during February 2021, sessions to coordinate actions with other units in combat conditions were held with commanders of the "people's militia" units of the "LNR" illegal armed formations. According to the EHRG monitors, columns with military equipment enter CADLO from the Russian Federation through the Izvaryne checkpoint at night.
The "DNR" leader Denis Pushilin complains that the OSCE SMM does not support the separatist propaganda fakes. He told this on the air of the Russia 24 Russian propaganda channel. According to him, the quality of the work of the OSCE monitoring mission has recently "decreased". "The OSCE mission records the shelling, gives certain data, then, when we refer to this data, they say that this could be wrong, because these are our value judgments", - Pushilin was indignant that international observers do not allow manipulating the data provided by the Mission.
The so-called "supreme court of the LNR" sentenced its own official to 20 years in prison with confiscation of property for the so-called "high treason". This was said in the message of the fake "LNR Prosecutor General's Office". It was reported that the defendant had worked in the law enforcement agencies of the Luhansk oblast until 2014 and was allegedly recruited by the SBU in March 2015. Then he got a job in one of the so-called "LNR ministries" and being in a "leading position", "collected and transmitted to his supervisor from the SBU information about the personnel of subordinate units, their work, and also introduced disorganization and misinformation into the activities of these units". The occupiers found the collaborating official guilty of "illegal acquisition, storage of ammunition" and "high treason", having sentenced him to "20 years in prison with confiscation of all property and deprivation of a special rank".
The "DNR" occupiers confirmed 25 517 cases of COVID-19 infection on March 9. This was reported by the fake "DNR Ministry of Health". 5145 patients are now undergoing treatment, there are 2092 fatal cases. The mortality rate is 8.2%, which is several times higher than similar indicators in the free territory of Ukraine and in the world. 34 more cases of "usual" pneumonia were identified over the day. Of these, 19 patients were hospitalized. In total, 960 patients with "usual" pneumonia are being treated, of which 468 are on oxygen support (+10 over the day).
Residents of three villages in the Novoazovsk district of the occupied Donetsk region were left without water supply. This was reported by the so-called "Ministry of Construction of the DNR". The water supply to the villages was cut off due to the breakdown of the pumps. Subscribers of the villages of Khomutove, Samiylove and Klynkyne of the Novoazovsk district were left without water supply. They promise to bring water to the residents of the listed settlements.