Russia-Ukraine war. Timeline of events, March 24-25

🔘 Novaya Gazeta reports that the first group of 200 Lebanese Hezbollah fighters will arrive in Belarus next week. They will be transferred from Damascus to a military base in the Gomel region. On March 29 they will go to Ukraine to fight on the side of Russia. In total, according to the publication, Russia hired 800 fighters for $1,500 a month each.

🔘 The UN confirms the presence of mass graves in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol. The organization has received satellite information on one such grave, said Matilde Bogner, head of the United Nations Human Rights Watch. “According to our estimates, there are about 200 people in one of these mass graves”, Bogner said at a briefing, adding that she had no information on how many civilians and how many military could be in such graves.

Photo: Maxar satellite captured a large landing ship sunk in the port of Berdyansk – BBC

Situation in Ukraine: 

🔘 Residents of some districts of Kyiv report that it is hard to breathe because of the smoke in the air, writes Ukraine Now. Presumably, the smoke may be associated with a strong explosion in the Vyshgorod region, which occurred around 18:00 Kyiv time.

🔘 Ukrayinska Pravda also reports that six cruise missiles were fired at Vinnitsa. Their goal was the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Part of the missiles shot down the air defense, the rest hit several structures. The consequences of the missile attack are being specified, the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

🔘 “Volnovakha, from which the Armed Forces withdrew about 2 weeks ago, does not exist as a settlement. Other cities, including the long-suffering hero city of Mariupol, are being held by the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, Pavel Kirilenko, the head of local authorities, about the city of Volnovakha, where fighting went on for many days.

Video: Ukrainian artillery destroys Russian equipment found in the forest with the help of a drone – UNIAN

In the world:

🔘 Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich arrived in Poland to meet with US President Joe Biden, according to Polish journalist Jakub Krupa.

🔘 The US Federal Communications Commission has added Kaspersky Lab (the company that created, in particular, the well-known antivirus for computers) to the list of companies that pose a threat to national security. Together with Kaspersky Lab, China Telecom (Americas) Corp and China Mobile International USA Inc. are included in the list.

🔘 The New York Times, citing a senior Pentagon official, reports that according to US military data, Russian forces do not fully control the city of Kherson, although they say otherwise. Ukrainian forces took back part of the city under their control.

🔘 Spotify exits the Russian market due to the fact that “recently adopted laws in Russia impose additional restrictions on access to information, eliminate freedom of expression and criminalize certain types of news.” According to the company, this could threaten Spotify employees and possibly listeners. For this reason, the company decided to completely stop broadcasting music and podcasts in Russia.

🔘 Jewelry house Tiffany & Co. announced that it was refusing not only to buy uncut Russian diamonds, but also to buy diamonds cut in other countries that are of Russian origin. The US ban on the purchase of rough diamonds from Russia does not apply to diamonds mined in Russia but cut in other countries.

🔘 The Wall Street Journal reports that Google has suspended work on connecting the cards of the Russian payment system Mir to its Google Pay digital wallet.

🔘 At the summit, EU leaders agreed that the European Commission should be able to centrally purchase gas for all EU countries, said French President Emmanuel Macron.

🔘 Macron said that the requirement to pay for Russian gas in rubles does not correspond to the concluded contracts:

“I don’t see any reason why we should agree with Putin’s demands for gas payments in rubles”

Video: Mariupol City Council announces the destruction of a recently reconstructed children’s rehabilitation center

In Russia:

🔘 Russian President Vladimir Putin signed laws on liability for “inaccurate information about the work of state bodies of the Russian Federation abroad.” Now, it is punishable by a fine of up to 5 million rubles or imprisonment for up to 15 years.

🔘 Pobeda Airlines decided to reduce its fleet from 41 to 25 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. This is stated in the address of the acting general director of the company Andrey Yurikov to the employees.

Photo: Building destroyed by a missile strike in Vinnytsia — Nexta live

🔘 For the first time in a while, the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced the losses of its army – 1,351 soldiers were killed, 3,825 were injured. The department last reported losses on March 2, confirming that 498 were killed.

🔘 At the negotiations, Russia and Ukraine are facing a stalemate in regards to the main political issues, said the head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

“Negotiations have been going on all week, from Monday to Friday via videoconference, and will continue tomorrow. They are carried out by expert groups, and between heads of delegations two or three times a week, the last time last night. Now, on minor issues, positions are drawing closer, but on major political issues, we are actually facing a stalemate”, Medinsky said.

🔘 Reporters Without Borders: during the month of the war in Ukraine, five journalists were killed, nine were injured.

Photo: Ukrainian military in one of the destroyed cities of Ukraine – UNIAN

Situation in Ukraine: 

🔘 Russian forces captured 14 mayors of Ukrainian cities – Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Irina Vereshchuk.

🔘 The Russian Mediazona noticed that in March the Russian authorities for the third time announced the almost complete destruction of the air defense and aviation of Ukraine.

🔘 Ukrainian media, citing the Armed Forces of Ukraine, report on the liquidation of the commander of the 49th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District, Lieutenant General Yakov Rezantsev. Earlier, the Ukrainian side reported the death of six Russian generals during the fighting. Officials in Russia have confirmed only two deaths – Deputy Commander of the 41st Army Andrey Sukhovetsky and Deputy Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Andrey Paliy.

🔘 Ukraine has denounced an agreement with Russia on the mutual recognition of documents on education and academic titles.

Video: Former Russian FSB officer and one of the leaders of the DPR separatists in the initial period of the 2014 war, Igor Strelkov (Girkin), talks about the failure of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – UNIAN

In the world:

🔘 Biden flew to Rzeszow to meet with the President of Poland, and there he also plans to meet with Ukrainian refugees.

🔘 The President of the United States promised to provide the countries of the European Union with such volumes of gas that would allow them to refuse to purchase Russian “long before 2030”

🔘 Biden: the most severe “punitive sanctions” in world history are already in effect against Russia, but new ones will follow.

🔘 Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki said that Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic have prepared a “10-point plan to support Ukraine.” Among them is the disconnection of all Russian banks from SWIFT, the exclusion of Russia from all international organizations, the suspension of visas for Russians, sanctions against the EP and the “business environment of the oligarchs”, the ban on access to ports for Russian ships and the closure of land entry into and exit from Russia

🔘 Microsoft has disabled Mail.ru from all its services.

Photo: Current situation in Ukraine according to British intelligence

In Russia:

🔘 Vladimir Putin spoke about the “cancel culture” in relation to Russia:

“It is enough to mention such a phenomenon as “cancel culture”. In other words, public ostracism, boycott, and even complete silence, oblivion to obvious facts, books, names of historical and modern public figures, writers, just people who do not fit into modern patterns, no matter how absurd they really may be.

Vladimir Putin stated this at a meeting with winners of presidential awards in the field of literature and art for works for children and youth, as well as young cultural figures, Interfax writes.

🔘 Russian Ministry of Defense: in general, the main tasks of the first stage of the “special operation” in Ukraine have been completed. “The combat potential of the armed forces of Ukraine has been significantly reduced, which makes it possible to focus the main efforts on achieving the main goal – the liberation of Donbass”, the ministry said.

🔘 The Russian army will immediately respond to attempts to close the airspace over Ukraine – General Staff of the Russian Federation

🔘 Police officers with machine guns came to the 109th school of the Primorsky district of St. Petersburg for the lesson of Gennady Nikolaevich Tychina, a teacher of labor. They took the teacher to the department, where they kept him for more than 48 hours. A few days before, the director had urged him to resign of his own free will. On March 1, the teacher told the school security guard that he was proud of his Ukrainian origin. He did not speak about the war in Ukraine. – Novaya Gazeta

Video: Rocket hits a crowd of Kharkiv civilians who came to get humanitarian aid

 

🔘 Putin personally approved Abramovich’s participation in negotiations with Ukraine. This was told by two sources of the Financial Times. According to the publication, Roman Abramovich met with a senior official from the office of the President of Ukraine to help organize the negotiation process, having received permission from the President of Russia. Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that Vladimir Zelensky asked US President Joe Biden not to impose sanctions against Abramovich, citing the fact that he could help in negotiations with Russia.

Photo: BMD of Russian troops destroyed in Gostomel – UNIAN

Situation in Ukraine: 

🔘 Morning report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

• Over the previous day, nine attacks were repulsed, 12 tanks, about 20 armored vehicles, nine artillery systems, two aircraft and two drones were destroyed. The enemy lost more than 200 troops.
• In Volhynia, the main efforts of the Ukrainian army are focused on covering the border. The defense continues in the Seversk region. The troops hold Chernigov and hold back the advance of the enemy in the direction of Kyiv.
• The Kyiv defense grouping continues to repel the enemy offensive.
• Russian troops continue to conduct combat operations, deliberately violating the norms of international humanitarian law and the rules of war.

🔘 Latest briefing of the Russian Ministry of Defense:

• The Russian Armed Forces with Kalibr missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalinovka near Kiyv;
  Russian air defenses shot down four more Ukrainian drones;
• Russian aircraft hit 51 Ukrainian military facilities overnight, including two Buk M-1 air defense systems and an S-300 radar near Dnepropetrovsk;
• A group of “Night hunters” of Ka-52 and Mi-28N helicopters destroyed 24 units of military equipment at night, including seven tanks;
• Since the beginning of the operation in Ukraine, the Russian military has destroyed 261 drones, 204 air defense systems, 1,587 tanks and other armored vehicles.

🔘 After a missile attack on an oil depot near Kiev, a strong fire started, which has not been extinguished so far.

🔘 Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine: 135 children have died in the country since the beginning of the war.

Video: Fire at the oil depot in Kalinovka near Kiyv – Real Kyiv

In the world:

🔘 The British Ministry of Defense in its daily analysis of the course of the war reports that the Ukrainians managed to regain control of the cities and defensive positions east of Kyiv at a distance of up to 35 km from the capital.

🔘 Finland has canceled all passenger trains to Russia.

🔘 The German Ministry of Economy intends to halve oil imports from Russia by the summer, and by autumn they intend to replace oil products from Russia with coal, Spiegel writes, citing a memo from the head of the department, Robert Habek.

🔘 The transfer of payment for Russian gas into rubles from buyers from “unfriendly countries” is an attempt to circumvent Western sanctions, but the EU will not allow this, said the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

“The time when we could be blackmailed with energy resources has passed”, said the head of the European Commission.

🔘 Reuters reports that Switzerland has frozen Russian assets worth $6.17 billion.

Photo: result of a missile attack on the building of Kharkiv National University

In Russia:

🔘 The Ministry of Labor announced why layoffs in Russia were called “release”:

“The “planned release” indicator takes into account both data on the dismissal of employees due to a reduction in staff or the liquidation of the organization, and information on employees who will have to terminate the contract with subsequent hiring.

🔘 In June, AvtoVAZ will transfer all employees of factories in Togliatti and Izhevsk to a four-day work week for three months. This decision was made “in connection with the forecast of the Russian automotive market and the ongoing significant shortage of electronic components supplies”.

🔘 The FSB detained a resident of Khabarovsk in the case of treason. According to investigators, he tried to pass information to the Ukrainian special services that could be used to commit sabotage.

🔘 The Investigative Committee of Russia is investigating more than 10 criminal cases about “fakes” about the Russian army, said the head of the department Alexander Bastrykin.

🔘 Medvedev said in an interview with RIA Novosti that criticizing the authorities is normal, but pursuing an anti-state line during a military special operation is a betrayal. He noted that, according to opinion polls, three-quarters of Russians support the operation in Ukraine.

🔘 Russia plans on January 1, 2023 to denounce the Agreement on guarantees of the rights of citizens – members of the CIS in the field of pensions. The Pension Rights Guarantee Agreement was signed in 1992. Its participants, apart from Russia, are nine countries (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine). The document assumes that pensions are assigned and paid by the state of permanent residence of a person, regardless of his citizenship.

Video: Sugar demand still on the rise in Russia – Ukraine 24/7

🔘 Ramzan Kadyrov reported on his telegram channel that “brave Chechen fighters liberated the administration building of Mariupol and hoisted our flag over it”. This statement was repeated by many pro-Kremlin media outlets. But after the video was published on the channel, the “building of the administration of Mariupol” turned out to be the district prosecutor’s office of the Levoberezhny district of the city.

🔘 Advisor to the President of Ukraine Oleksiy Arestovich reports that Russian troops tried to take Chernobaevka for the tenth time, but the assault once again ended in failure

🔘 Forbes: the Ukrainian army now has 43 more tanks than at the beginning of the war. According to analysts, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army has lost 530 tanks, while the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost 74, but captured 117 enemy tanks.

🔘 Zelensky awarded the title of “Hero City of Ukraine” to four more cities: Bucha, Irpin, Nikolaev and Akhtyrka. The President also awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to seven servicemen of the National Guard, five of them posthumously.

🔘 According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the attack on the port of Berdyansk occupied by the invaders, the large landing ship “Saratov” was destroyed. Large landing ships “Caesar Kunikov” and “Novocherkassk” were damaged.

🔘 Police General of Ukraine Vyacheslav Abroskin offered himself to the Russian troops as a hostage in exchange for the evacuation of children from Mariupol.

Video: At night, a residential area of ​​​​Kharkov was shelled – Trukha

In the world:

🔘 Ukraine has told the US that it needs 500 Javelins and 500 Stingers per day, as well as an assistance in the form of hundreds more anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles than previously requested, CNN reports, citing Ukraine’s appeal. By March 7, the US and other NATO members had sent about 17,000 anti-tank missiles and 2,000 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. Also on the list are jet aircraft, attack helicopters and anti-aircraft missile systems such as the S-300. The document lists two types of Russian-made aircraft. According to a list provided by CNN, Ukraine has requested 36 aircraft of each type.

🔘 Canada imposed sanctions against 160 members of the Federation Council “for promoting and allowing violations of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. In the coming days, new bans will be introduced on the export of certain goods and technologies to Russia “with the aim of undermining and weakening the capabilities of the Russian armed forces”.

🔘 Chancellor Scholz said that Germany will not pay for gas and oil in rubles because the supply contracts provide for payment in dollars or euros.

🔘 The EU countries agreed to create a trust fund from which the restoration of Ukraine after the end of hostilities will be financed. In addition, the heads of state and government of the EU countries called on the European Commission to “continue to provide technical assistance to Ukraine to help carry out the necessary reforms”.

Photo: Ukrainian soldier with British NLAW ATGM — UNIAN

In Russia:

🔘 Russian regional airlines using An-24 and An-26 passenger planes for flights to hard-to-reach destinations in Siberia and the Far East have warned of the risks of suspension of flights due to the closure of the Rostov Civil Aviation Plant No. 412. Now engines for such aircraft will be available only at one Aramil aircraft plant in the Sverdlovsk region, which used to belong to the Ministry of Defense.

🔘 There are now no restrictions on the return of the death penalty in Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, said in an interview with RIA Novosti:

“If necessary, the legal position of the Constitutional Court, which approved an indefinite moratorium on the death penalty, will be reviewed”

🔘 Since March 10, the most popular payment systems – Visa and Mastercard – have stopped working with Russia. Their cards continue to be serviced within Russia, but now it is impossible to pay with them abroad or in foreign online stores. To circumvent these restrictions, the Russians began to issue cards of the Chinese UnionPay payment system. The cost of their release in the current conditions reaches 15,000 rubles, and the terms reach several weeks.

🔘 Medinsky proposed to “immediately” introduce morning prayer in schools to the glory of Russia, citing a similar practice in the United States. The Ministry of Education said they were ready to discuss Medinsky’s proposal.

Video: A very strong explosion in the Kiyv region. There is no information about the incident yet – Realny Kyiv

 

🔘 Address of Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the leaders of the G7:

“It is better to give Ukraine the support with weapons that we really need now, than to look for weapons for other countries later – Georgia, Moldova, the Baltic countries, Poland, the countries of Central Asia. This is in our interest. It’s in your best interest. This is in the interests of all democracies. Freedom must be armed. Life must conquer death”.

🔘 NATO at an emergency summit demanded that Russia immediately declare a truce with Ukraine. The alliance also announced the creation of four international military groups in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia, in addition to moving 40,000 troops to the alliance’s eastern borders.

Video: American volunteers participates in battles against Russian troops in the Kiyv region – Nexta live

Situation in Ukraine: 

🔘 6 people have been killed, 15 injured as a result of the shelling of the humanitarian aid center of the “Nova Poshta” on the Academician Pavlova street” — Governor of Kharkiv Region Oleg Sinegubov

🔘 The Kyiv-Ivano-Frankivsk evacuation train came under fire near Vasylkiv, Ukrzaliznytsya reports. Windows were shattered in three carriages, no one was hurt.

🔘 During the month of the war in Kyiv, 75 civilians were killed, including four children, said the mayor of the city, Vitali Klitschko. According to him, 87 multi-storey residential buildings, 10 private houses, 12 schools and 6 kindergartens were damaged in the city.

🔘 Almost 200 civilians were killed in Chernihiv, the Russian army is shelling not the military, but residential facilities – head of the regional administration Vyacheslav Chaus in an interview with Liga.net

🔘 The fall of the Ukrainian economy due to the war is currently estimated at 35-60% of GDP. This was stated by Deputy Head of the Office of the President Rostislav Shurma on the air of the telethon.

🔘 Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations introduced one-time payements “in the liberated territories of Ukraine”. 10,000 will be paid to individuals from “the most socially vulnerable groups of the population – pensioners and public sector employees”.

🔘 The Antonov Concern proposes to create an International Fund for the revival of the An-225 Mriya transport aircraft destroyed by the Russian invaders. The company assures that this is real, since it has retained the design and scientific and technical documentation.

“We propose to establish the International Fund for the revival of the An-225 Mriya transportation aircraft”, said Antonov Sergey Bychkov, General Director of the State Enterprise Antonov.

An-225 “Mriya” was the world’s largest transport aircraft, made in a single copy. It was destroyed during the fighting for Gostomel airport in the early days of the Russian invasion.

Video: Russian missile hit one of the yards in Kyiv — Realny Kyiv

In the world:

🔘 Joe Biden called for the exclusion of Russia from the G20 and suggested inviting Ukraine to the summit of the organization.

🔘 Due to the events in Ukraine, an unprecedented food crisis may arise in the world, French President Emmanuel Macron said at the G7 summit. US President Joe Biden has also expressed concern about this.

🔘 The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine. 140 states voted for the resolution, 38 abstained. Five opposed: Russia, Syria, North Korea, Eritrea and Belarus.

• Georgia voted for
• Armenia abstained
• Representatives of Azerbaijan did not participate in the voting
• 🔘 Shoigu does not answer calls from the Pentagon for more than a week. The Pentagon said that over the past 7-10 days, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chief of Staff Mark Milley have tried several times to get in touch with Russian Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. But the Russian military leadership does not make contact. The hotline, created specifically to resolve possible conflicts in the airspace, has not yet been used for its intended purpose, writes The Washington Post.

🔘 Nord Stream 2 AG intends to file for bankruptcy in the coming days, according to the Stuttgarter Zeitung, citing CEO Matthias Warnig.

Video: the consequences of the fighting in Irpin — Real Kyiv

In Russia:

🔘 In Russia, the word “dismissal” has apparently been banned. Russian employers reported the “release” of 59,000 workers, according to the Russian Interfax.

“Almost 14,000 employees are on leave without pay. About 59,000 people have been released, which is 10% more than on March 1. At the same time, we do not record information about mass layoffs, which the organization must warn about in advance”, said Elena Mukhtiyarova, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection, on Thursday at a meeting of the Council for the Development of Social Innovations of the Subjects of the Russian Federation under the Federation Council.

🔘 12 fighters of the Russian Guard from the Krasnodar OMON refused to go to Ukraine. The refusal to carry out the order was explained by the fighters of the Russian Guard as illegal. The fighters were returned to Krasnodar, they conducted an internal check and were fired from service. They filed a lawsuit for reinstatement, believing that they were fired illegally.

Video: journalists from pro-Russian channels decided to walk around Mariupol, looking for residents who sympathize with Russia, but got an unexpected response — UNIAN

 

🔘 President Zelensky spoke at the NATO summit. Here are the key points from his speech:

• I’m sure you understand that Russia has no intention of ending [inavsion] with Ukraine. It wants to go further, against the eastern members of NATO. The Baltic States, Poland – that’s for sure. Will NATO then stop thinking about it, worrying about how Russia will react? Who can be sure of this?
• Again, please, never, never tell us that our army does not meet NATO standards. We have shown what our standards are capable of, and how much we can give to common security in Europe and the world.
• You can give us one percent of all your aircraft. One percent of all your tanks. One percent! We cannot just buy it – such supplies depend only on the decision of NATO.
• Yes, it’s true, we’re not in the Alliance. Not in the most powerful defense association in the world. It feels like we’re in a gray area. Between the West and Russia. But we protect all our common values ​​with you.

🔘 The US will accept up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine and other people “escaping Russian aggression” – White House.

🔘 As of March 23, more than 3.6 million people left Ukraine, of which went to:

• Poland – 2173944 people
• Romania – 563519 people
• Moldova – 374059 people
• Hungary – 330877 people
• Russia – 271254 people
• Slovakia – 260244 people

 

Photo: Ukrainian child evacuated from the war zone – Meduza

🔘 Today, the first full-fledged exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine took place. Ukraine exchanged 10 Russian prisoners of war for 10 captured soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was reported by Irina Vereshchuk. Also, 11 civilian sailors rescued from a ship flooded near Odessa were handed over to the Russian side. 19 sailors returned to Ukraine from the rescue ship “Sapphire”, seized by Russia while trying to take the military from the Zmainiy island. Russia also agreed to return the ship itself.

🔘 Russian artillery fired at the Novaya Poshta settlement in Kharkiv, near which local residents received humanitarian aid. According to preliminary data, six people were killed, another 15 were injured.

🔘 The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted to introduce criminal liability for photographing and recording the movements of the Ukrainian army.

🔘 The city council of Mariupol claims that a car of Russian troops with a loudspeaker is driving through the city, announcing that Zaporozhye no longer accepts refugees, Odessa has fallen and that people need to go to Russia. The authorities recalled that the evacuation in Zaporozhye continues, the evacuation from Nikolsky is “in progress”, and “Ukraine does not abandon its own people”. Information about the capture of Odessa is also not true.

🔘 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the Russian army “has no success in the Izyum direction”. According to the agency, the Russians “suffered losses and retreated to the southern part of the city”. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated in the morning that Izyum had come under the control of Russian troops.

🔘 Deputy Prime Minister of Crimea annexed by Russia Georgy Muradov claims that in the southern regions of Ukraine, which are under the control of the Russian military, people began to use rubles, refusing hryvnia, RIA Novosti writes. We are talking about the captured settlements of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, including Melitopol.

Photo: Besieged Mariupol today – UNIAN

In the world:

🔘 NATO leaders warned Russia against the use of chemical weapons. “Any use by Russia of chemical or biological weapons would be unacceptable and would have dire consequences”, NATO said in a statement following the Brussels summit.

🔘 Statements by Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO summit:

• NATO will not deploy peacekeepers into the territory of Ukraine at the suggestion of Poland, as this could turn into a war with Russia;
• Ukraine will receive equipment for protection against chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, as well as cyber defense equipment;
• The Alliance does not intend to allow the war to spread beyond Ukraine;
• NATO will increase its military presence in the East, strengthen air defense and missile defense systems and additionally create four multinational battle groups in Europe

🔘 German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Economics Robert Gabeck announced that the Bundeswehr no longer has weapons that could be transferred to Ukraine, reports Der Tagesspiegel. Christine Lambrecht said that the possibility of transferring weapons from the Bundeswehr reserves to Ukraine has already been exhausted “and we are looking into what other options exist”, she added.

🔘 The EU came to the conclusion that Russia wants to occupy Ukraine, it is not interested in negotiations. The head of European Union diplomacy, Josep Borrell, believes that Russia is not yet interested in negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine, since its army has not achieved its military goals. It wants to surround the coast to the border with Moldova and isolate Ukraine from the sea.

The United States announced a new package of sanctions against Russia. The list included:

• 328 State Duma deputies who supported the recognition of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR
• 48 Russian defense enterprises
• head of Sberbank German Gref
• State Duma as a legal entity

In addition, the current sanctions now apply to any transactions with gold, if they are associated with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

🔘 The Sejm of Poland has officially recognized Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal.

🔘 Switzerland will freeze the assets of sanctioned Russian officials and oligarchs, but will not confiscate them because they do not have laws allowing this, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said.

Photo: Unexploded MLRS shell in one of the apartments in Kharkiv – UNIAN

In Russia:

🔘 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has published information according to which the United States allegedly exercises control over biological laboratories in Ukraine. The scheme includes: George Soros, Hunter Biden, as well as the laboratory that developed the Manhattan Project. All these activities are coordinated by the Pentagon and the State Department, Russia alleges.

🔘 Shoigu appeared at a meeting of the Security Council, TASS writes. The agency, citing Peskov, reports that the Minister of Defense reported to Putin on the course of the war in Ukraine and efforts to provide assistance to the population.

Photo: Residents of Kherson, captured by the Russian army, hung a large flag of Ukraine on one of the main buildings of the city. Previously, they had already done this, but the flag was removed- UNIAN

 

 

 

🔘 The enemy ship destroyed in the port near Berdyansk could be carrying up to 20 tanks. This was announced by Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar.

“The destroyed ship in Berdyansk could carry up to 20 tanks, 45 armored personnel carriers and 400 paratroopers. This is a huge target that was hit by our military”, she said.

🔘 Kyiv is negotiating security guarantees with the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Turkey, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba

Photo: large landing ship “Orsk” burning in the port of Berdyansk. The fuel depot is also on fire – Nexta live

Situation in Ukraine:

🔘 The head of the Luhansk regional military administration, Sergei Gaidai, said that the Russian military fired at the city of Rubizhne at night with phosphorus ammunition. Severodonetsk, Lisichansk, Kremennaya, Novodruzhesk and Voevodovka were also hit by missiles, Gaidai said. According to preliminary data, four people died, of which two were children.

🔘 The authorities of the Zaporozhye region report that in the village of Obilnoe, Melitopol district, three teenagers found a dangerous object (probably a mine or explosive ammunition) and played with it until it detonated. The children were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

🔘 Due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, 128 children have been killed, and more than 172 were injured. – Office of the Prosecutor of Ukraine

🔘 Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 87 residential buildings, 10 private estates, 12 schools and 6 kindergartens have been damaged in Kyiv, local authorities report

🔘 This morning enemy ships shelled Odessa. This was announced by the speaker of the operational headquarters of the Odessa Regional Military Administration Sergei Bratchuk. According to him, in the morning Russian ships fired several shots towards Odessa.

Video: Burnt civilian cars on the road to Irpin — UNIAN

In the world:

🔘 The UK has expanded its sanctions lists: they included 59 more individuals and organizations. Among the new names are the head of Sberbank German Gref and businessman Oleg Tinkov. Among the organizations are Sovcomflot, RusHydro, Russian Railways, Gazprombank, Alfa-Bank, Rosselkhozbank.

🔘 The White House has assembled a special team of officials who are developing scenarios for Washington’s response in case Moscow uses nuclear or chemical weapons in Ukraine, writes The New York Times. The probability of this is currently assessed as low. The group is also working on scenarios for actions in the event that Russia spreads military operations to the territories of other countries – for example, Moldova or Georgia.

🔘 Apple banned the use of Russian Mir cards in Apple Pay

🔘 Western Union has stopped money transfers in Russia since March 24.

🔘 Poland blocked the bank accounts of the Russian embassy.

🔘 The Ukrainian Institute of Mass Information reports 148 crimes against journalists and the media that Russian troops have committed since the beginning of the invasion. Five journalists were killed, seven were injured, and six were kidnapped. Some of these people were tortured. At least 70 regional media outlets were forced to shut down as a result of threats from Russians. As a result of the shelling of 10 TV towers, which are civilian objects, television and radio broadcasting was stopped in eight regions of Ukraine. It was not possible to restore it everywhere.

Video: Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the peoples of the world — Nexta live

In Russia:

🔘 A meeting between Putin and Zelensky is possible, but subject to the development of its details, said the Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko

🔘 The Ministry of Defense claims that the Russian military took control of the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region

🔘 Peskov on the absence of Defense Minister Shoigu in the media space “Now is not the time for media activity of the Minister of Defense”.

🔘 Tour operators began to offer “card tours” abroad for Visa and Mastercard. “Vestnik ATOR” reports that such tours are replacing the “vaccine tours” that are losing relevance. The first offers for tours to Uzbekistan have already appeared on the market. During a three-day trip, tourists receive an international payment card at a local bank, where they are accompanied by a representative of the tour operator. All necessary documents are collected in advance. In the near future, tour operators plan to expand the geography – to Armenia, Kazakhstan, Turkey.

🔘 The devaluation of the ruble and logistical problems can lead to a drop in alcohol imports in the Russian Federation by 20-40%. Kommersant writes about this with reference to market participants.

🔘 AvtoVAZ has begun work on “import-substituted” versions of Lada models, which will have fewer imported components, especially critical ones, the company said.

 

🔘 Today marks exactly one month since the Russian attack on Ukraine.

🔘 US President Biden is flying to Europe for an emergency meeting between NATO and the G7 to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

🔘 The UN Security Council did not adopt the draft Russian resolution on Ukraine. All members of the Security Council – except Russia and China – abstained. The draft resolution has called for a ceasefire and the evacuation of the civilian population from the battle zones, but most members of the Security Council refused to support it, because the text did not condemn Russia as the culprit of the emerging humanitarian crisis. Belarus, Syria and North Korea have agreed to become co-sponsors of the Russian draft resolution, but they are not members of the Security Council.

🔘 The Times writes that Russia plans to suppress the protests in Ukrainian Kherson with great terror. The FSB will break into the houses of the locals in the middle of the night and take them to Russia. In addition, the invaders intend to disperse peaceful actions by shooting demonstrators. Previously, Russian troops have already used force to disperse peaceful protests in the captured Kherson.

Video: Armed Forces of Ukraine ambush Russian troops using thermal imagers — Realny Kyiv

Situation in Ukraine: 

🔘 Ukrainian media, citing a high-ranking representative of the US Department of Defense, say that Russian troops have been pushed back 25-35 km east of Kyiv:

“Russian forces are about 55 km from the center of Kyiv to the east, which is 25-35 km more than in the same place yesterday”

🔘 Since the beginning of the war, Russian troops have destroyed 998 residential buildings and 145 non-residential buildings in Kharkov. This was announced by the mayor of Kharkov, Igor Terekhov.

🔘 Ukraine announced plans to exchange captured sailors from Zmeiny Island. 11 Russian sailors fell into Ukrainian captivity – they can be exchanged for 92 military personnel, including those taken prisoner on Zmeiny Island. This was stated by the Minister for the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk.

🔘 Another victim of the bombing of Mariupol by Russian troops was 11-year-old Ukrainian gymnast Katya Dyachenko. She was found dead under the rubble of her house.

🔘 As of today, Russia has already caused damage to Ukraine in the field of mine action in the amount of about $ 250 billion – General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Photo: Due to shelling and fighting, residents of Mariupol do not have access to cemeteries and bury the dead in the yards – Meduza

In the world:

🔘 President Zelensky called on people around the world to take to the streets in support of Ukraine to mark a month since the Russian invasion. His call for global support came ahead of an emergency NATO summit in Brussels. NATO leaders are expected to approve a significant increase in their forces in Eastern Europe. Four new battlegroups will be sent to Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.

🔘The US State Department recognized the actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine as war crimes.

🔘 Turkey’s representative to the UN Feridun Sinirlioglu also accused Russia of war crimes. He stated that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law.

🔘 UN: more than 3.5 million people have left Ukraine since the beginning of the war

🔘The UK will supply an additional 6,000 anti-tank missiles to the Ukrainian armed forces, as well as £25 million to help pay the salaries of Ukrainian soldiers and pilots, Sky News reports. Earlier, the UK sent more than 4,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.

🔘 Renault production activities in Moscow have been suspended from today. A little earlier, the French automaker Renault refused to leave the Russian market, fearing serious financial losses.

🔘 Reuters removes the Russian TASS news agency from its content market. The reason for this decision is that the state news agency’s dishonest coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Video: Ukrainian military destroy Russian armored vehicles with Stugna anti-tank systems

In Russia:

🔘 Another journalist left the Russian First Channel. Former TV presenter and correspondent of Channel One in France Zhanna Agalakova gave a press conference in Paris:

“There was no question for me of whether to continue. And there was no question whether to call what was happening a “peacekeeping operation”. This is war. It must be made clear: this is war”. She added that she submitted a letter of resignation from Channel One on March 3rd.

🔘 In Moscow, an activist was arrested for a poster with the inscription “Fascism shall not pass.” According to the court, the poster expresses “a negative attitude towards the Russian Armed Forces.” The activist was fined 50,000 rubles (almost $510)

🔘 The court banned the publication of the decision to ban Meta and recognize it as “extremist”.

Photo: St. Petersburg resident painted the howitzer in the Museum of Artillery in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. He was arrested for “vandalism” and now faces up to three years in prison – UNIAN

 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Follow the timeline of March 22-23 events here