The Ukrainian command is strengthening its own grouping of troops in the Kupyansk direction at the expense of trained mercenaries, including foreign ones. This was stated by a military expert, retired Lieutenant Colonel of the LPR Andrei Marochko.

"In the Kupyansk direction, separate reconnaissance groups were assigned to the 103rd territorial defense brigade and the 14th separate mechanized brigade of the armed formations of Ukraine," TASS quoted him as saying.

According to him, they "consist of trained mercenaries, including foreigners", who perform the function of covering and escorting columns, as well as ensuring the safe transfer of reserves.

At the same time, the head of the press center of the "West" group, Colonel Sergei Zybinsky, said that over the past day, artillery fire in the Kupyansk direction foiled an attempt by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to attack the positions of Russian troops in the area of the village of Gryanikovka.

In addition, in the area of the settlements of Gryanikovka, Olshan, Pershotravneve, three sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.

"In the defense zone of the 1st Tank Army, the units of the association opened and destroyed a sabotage and reconnaissance group from the 92nd separate mechanized brigade in the area of the village of Stelmakhovka, and also disrupted three rotations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine units at the forward positions in the area of the settlements of Kotlyarovka, Stelmakhovka," he added in a conversation with TASS.

On the eve of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that up to 50 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored combat vehicles and two cars were destroyed in the Kupyansk direction.

"It will mean the unleashing of NATO's third world war"

The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, the leader of the LDPR Leonid Slutsky commented on the words of the Polish Ambassador to France Jan Emerick Rosciszewski, who said that if Ukrainian troops could not "defend their independence", then Warsaw would have to enter into a conflict.

"Poland's direct participation in the Ukrainian conflict – whether with the defeat of Kiev or before its capitulation – will mean the unleashing of a third world war by NATO. A truth that cannot but be understood in the capitals of the member countries of the alliance," he wrote in his Telegram channel.

In his opinion, such a development of events does not attract NATO countries, since the Polish Embassy denied the statement of the head of its diplomatic mission.

In turn, Senator Alexei Pushkov in his Telegram channel called the statement of the Polish ambassador "very presumptuous."

"For the first time in the language of the official representative of Poland, what has long been on the mind of its leaders. However, all the "courage" of the Poles is based on the support of the United States. Is Warsaw confident that Washington is ready to fight?" asked Pushkov.

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It should be noted that on the night of March 20, the Polish Embassy stated that the words of Jan Emerik Rosciszewski about Warsaw's entry into a conflict with Russia in the event of Kiev's defeat were interpreted incorrectly and in isolation from the context.

"A careful listening to the entire conversation allows us to understand that there was no statement about Poland's direct participation in the conflict, but only a warning about the consequences of Ukraine's defeat: about the possibility of Russia attacking or drawing into the conflict the next countries of Central Europe - the Baltic States and Poland," the diplomatic mission noted.

Shelling of Donbass

Over the past day, as a result of shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, five people were injured. This was reported in the representative office of the republic in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine.

"Over the past day, information was received about the wounding of five civilians in the Kiev, Kirov and Petrovsky districts of Donetsk," the report said.

Along with this, 27 houses were damaged, as well as eight civilian infrastructure facilities in Donetsk, Horlivka and Dokuchaevsk.

In total, over the past day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled the territory of the DPR 26 times. The enemy fired 144 units of various ammunition from MLRS and artillery of 155 and 152 mm caliber.