Events in Ukraine on 5 March 2015.

Briefly about the most important today's events in our digest of events

that have happened in Ukraine today

Russians do not mind if their "volunteers" fight in Ukraine

The majority of Russian citizens feel OK about Russian "volunteers" fighting in Donbas and would not mind if Russian military are deployed there, according to an opinion poll conducted by "Levada-Centre".

So, 52% of respondents feel OK about Russian volunteers fighting in Donbas. 31% of them appraise the fact negatively.

45% of Russians said they would take it well if they find out that Russian professional soldiers are participating in hostilities in Donbas. 35% would disapprove of it.

Apart from that, 25% of Russians are confident that Russian troops are stationed in the east of Ukraine, 53% of respondents do not see them there.

34% of Russian citizens believe that there is a war going on between Ukraine and Russia, and 60% made an objection to this.

60% of Russians spoke against Russian troops being deployed in Donbas. Only 25% of respondents spoke out in favour of this idea.

44% of Russians are willing to support the Russian authority in case of an armed conflict in Ukraine, 39% would not back up the Kremlin in this situation.

One soldier killed, and another one wounded in the past 24 hours in the ATO area

According to the preliminary information, one Ukrainian military died in Donbas in the past 24 hours and another one was wounded, an acting spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vladislav Selezniov, reported at a briefing on the morning of March 5.

Nuland: Russia filled the east of Ukraine with military equipment

Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland accused Moscow of supplying military equipment to Donbas.

There are thousands and thousands of Russian personnel and a large number of military equipment in the east of Ukraine, she said at a hearing of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives on March 4, as reported by  DW with a reference to AFP.

Moscow has sent to Donbas hundreds of units of military equipment since December, including tanks, armoured vehicles, MLRSs, heavy artillery, Nuland says.

According to her, Russia has its own command structure established in the east of Ukraine. It finances the war, fuels it, is in command of it and controls it.

Having said so, the assistant secretary was not able to specify the number of Russian troops in the east of Ukraine.

I am not able to tell you a specific figure, Nuland said reminding that the hearing was open to the press. "I would say thousands and thousands," she said.

Speaking to the Committee of Foreign Affairs, Nuland also noted that the United States were discussing with the EU a possibility to impose new sanctions against certain  sectors of the Russian economy.

According to her, it is important for Washington to achieve "a unified position with Europe on the issue of additional sanctions to be introduced, if the Minsk agreements are violated", or if further attempts are made to occupy new territories.

ATO forces draw off Grad MLRSs from the line of confrontation

The ATO Headquarters have informed on the launch of the next stage of withdrawal of heavy weapons along the front line in Donbas, the ATO press centre announced in its report.

The next stage of withdrawal of artillery systems from the front line in the ATO area at a distance defined in the Minsk agreements is going to start on March 5.

In particular, BM-21 Grad volley fire systems are relocated to prepared sites along the entire line of confrontation, the ATO press centre noted.

Verkhovna Rada increases the number of the Armed Forces

The Verkhovna Rada has passed the "presidential" law on the overall strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

270 MPs voted in favour of the proposal.

According to it, the Ukrainian Army should consist of 250 thousand people from now on, including 204 thousand soldiers.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine have to number 250 thousand people for a timely deployment of the determined military group (forces)," the president said in an explanatory memorandum to the law.

Before, the law made provision for the strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine within 184 thousand soldiers. 

ATO Headquarters: Rebels have restored the Debaltseve railway hub and are transporting weapons

The Debaltseve railroad hub has resumed operation, a spokesman for the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council, Andriy Lysenko, reported at a briefing on Thursday.

"According to intelligence data, the Debaltseve railroad hub is in operation again. The enemy uses it for transporting weapons and military equipment to the mentioned area. In particular, freight cars with ammunition were seen being unloaded at the railway station on March 3," Lysenko said.