Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Timeline of events, March 18-19

🔘 As a result of Russian shelling of the city of Rubizhne, Luhansk region, a woman and two children were killed.

“From under the rubble, they first pulled out two children with no signs of life. Rescuers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but, unfortunately, upon arrival, emergency medical workers declared the death of the children”, the State Emergency Service said. Rescuers continued to dismantle the rubble and found another woman and one child.

Photo: situation in Ukraine as of March 19, 18:00 – CNN

🔘 Since the beginning of the war, 228 people have died in Kyiv, including 4 children, the city administration said. 912 people, including 16 children, have been injured. 36 houses, six schools, four kindergartens have been destroyed.

🔘 Chernihiv has been shelled again today. This time, the Remzavod residential area have gotten under attack.

🔘 During the entire war in Ukraine, 847 civilians were killed, 1399 people were injured – UN Human Rights Office

Photo: civilians in one of the shelters – Ukraine 24/7

🔘 The first thousand tons of gasoline has been imported to Ukraine from Europe, Prime Minister Shmygal announced.

🔘 The head of the Kherson regional administration, Gennady Laguta, said that the Russian military did not allow humanitarian cargo to enter the region. 14 trucks were carrying medicines and food for the residents of the region. The Russian military, according to the official, deployed a convoy with humanitarian cargo.

Video: Mariupol after shelling – UNIAN

🔘 Villages of the Kiyv region risk flooding as during the ongoing fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops, a dam on the Kiev reservoir was destroyed.

🔘 There are 562 captured soldiers of the Russian army in Ukraine – Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, all prisoners of war are treated in accordance with international humanitarian law.

🔘 According to preliminary data, 270 military are in captivity of the Russian Federation, of which 92 were captured in the area of ​​​​Zmeiniy Island. According to the Ukrainian media, Russia has not yet confirmed the information about the captured Ukrainians and refused to allow representatives of the Red Cross to visit them.

Video: Talisman dog of Chernihiv sappers helps find explosive objects.

International response:

🔘 It would be a mistake to normalize relations with Putin after the events in Ukraine, said British Prime Minister Johnson.

🔘 Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki proposed adding a complete trade blockade to the sanctions against Russia.

🔘 Bloomberg: The European Union is considering transferring the frozen assets of Russian oligarchs to Ukraine.

Photo: DNR militia force men leaving Mariupol to undress and get searched for Nazi tattoos to identify Azov Battalion soldiers.

🔘 Bulgaria intends to terminate the contract with Gazprom by the end of 2022 due to the war in Ukraine – Bloomberg. Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Asen Vassilev said the country is already looking for other gas suppliers and has already held talks with Greece and Turkey, and also wants to increase purchases from Azerbaijan.

🔘 The New York Times writes that Zelensky today publicly called on Russia for direct negotiations between the presidents. Turkish officials say Putin himself is “not yet ready” for this kind of conversation.

In Russia:

🔘 In the Voronezh region of Russia, local officials are asking retail chains to give the Russian Guard some food “in connection with the current situation on the territory of Ukraine”, Russian media reports.

🔘 Some sea mines, installed by the Ukrainian military on the approaches to the Black Sea ports, are carried away by the current to the Black Sea due to a break in the cables after a storm, the FSB reported. Some of them can get into the Bosporus and the Mediterranean Sea and pose a danger to navigation. According to the agency, the Ukrainian Navy has installed more than 400 mines at its Black Sea ports. Ukrainian authorities say the mines were planted by Russia.

🔘 The only Oscar nominee from Russia will not get to the ceremony. Director Anton Dyakov, the author of the animated film “Boxballet”, said that he was unable to obtain an American visa. The Cannes and Berlin film festivals refused to cooperate with Russian filmmakers.

Video: Ukrainian soldiers blow up a railway bridge on the border of Ukraine and Russia to prevent the supply for the Russian troops – UNIAN

Ambassador of Ukraine to Georgia Igor Dolgov arrived at the Georgian Parliament, where people gathered to honor the memory of Georgian military volunteers who died in Ukraine at a rally organized by opposition Droa party. Dolgov laid a wreath at the images of fallen soldiers. The ambassador then left the without giving any comments, IPN reports.

Media reports about the death of another Georgian volunteer, Bahva Chikobava, who died in Ukraine in the battles for Mariupol.

🔘 The Russian Ministry of Defense has reported that on March 18, the Kinzhal aviation hypersonic missile system destroyed a large underground warehouse of missiles and aviation ammunition of Ukrainian troops in the village of Delyatyn, Ivano-Frankivsk region. Hypersonic weapons have increased accuracy and destruction efficiency, and their interception by modern air defense systems is practically impossible. President Putin has claimed that Russia has bypassed the United States in developing hypersonic weapons.

🔘 Russia has used a thermobaric weapon, also known as a vacuum bomb, in Ukraine, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.

🔘 Russia is switching to a strategy of attrition (chaotic shelling of the population) and is trying to hide military losses, – the British Ministry of Defense. The ministry said the Kremlin had failed to achieve its initial goals. Putin has significantly increased his control over the Russian media, and the Kremlin is trying to distract Russians from pressing issues.

🔘Proclaimed losses of the warring parties since the beginning of the war:

Ministry of Defense of Russia:

• Drones – 196;
  Tanks and other armored vehicles – 1438;
  Multiple launch rocket systems – 145;
  Artillery and mortars – 556.

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

• Aircraft – 95;
  Helicopters – 115;
  Tanks – 466;
  Armored vehicles – 1470;
  Artillery systems – 213;
  Air defense systems – 44;
  Multiple launch rocket systems – 72;
  Drones – 17;
  Personnel – 14,400 people.

Photo: Clearing of rubble in Nikolaev, where barracks were attacked the day before – UNIAN

Situation in Ukraine:

🔘 Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, 112 children have died – Prosecutor General of Ukraine

🔘 Four civilians were killed, ten were injured as a result of the night shelling of Rubizhne, Severodonetsk and other settlements of the Luhansk region. This was announced by the Governor Sergei Gaidai.

🔘 The causes of smoke in Kyiv is a fire at a city dump and a change in the wind – Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs Vadim Denisenko.

🔘 A long curfew is being introduced in Zaporozhye. The restrictions will be in effect from 16:00 March 19 to 06:00 March 21, 2022.

🔘 As of March 19, Ukraine and Russia agreed on 10 humanitarian corridors (including from Mariupol), Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said.

🔘 The UN Secretary General said that the war in Ukraine disrupts supply chains and entails a sharp increase in prices for fuel, food and transport.

Photo: A woman hides from shelling in a basement in Mariupol – Reuters

🔘 The United States is considering the issue of disconnecting Russia from GPS, said the head of Roscosmos Rogozin

🔘 Youtube can get blocked in Russia. Roskomnadzor has reported that Google does not comply with the requirements to remove restrictions from Russian channels on YouTube

Video: In the Texas City Council, a local politician expressed support for Ukrainians in an unusual way – Nexta live

🔘 The UN has managed to bring the first convoy with humanitarian aid to the city of Sumy, – said the Special Coordinator for Ukraine

🔘 6.5 million Ukrainians have become internally displaced persons, and 3.2 million people have been forced to move abroad due to Russia’s invasion – UN chief

Photo: Destroyed building in one of the Ukrainian cities – UNIAN

Situation in Ukraine:

🔘 A missile attack has been carried out on military barracks in Nikolaev. Debris is being cleared. Media reports that the death toll has already reached forty people.

🔘 During the day, 14 missiles have been fired at settlements and various objects in Ukraine and more than 40 air raids have been carried out – General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

🔘 Strong smog has built up over Kiyv today. Residents complain about the smell of burning. The exact reason is unknown. According to one version, peat bogs in Irpen caught fire because of the fighting.

🔘 Adviser to the head of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak said that negotiations between Ukraine and the Russia could last several weeks, despite certain shifts in the course of the negotiation process.

Video: Baraktar TB-2 strike drone used to correct artillery fire on Russian troops – UNIAN

International response:  

🔘 The Netherlands and Germany, at the request of NATO, will supply American Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Slovakia instead of its S-300 air defense systems, which the country will transfer to Ukraine.

🔘 LG Electronics has announced the suspension of all deliveries to Russia

🔘 Bosch stops production at its factories in Russia due to supply and delivery problems.

🔘 The transnational oil corporation Halliburton has announced the termination of its activities in Russia and the suspension of further business development in the country – TASS.

🔘 Navigation map updates have been disabled for Russian ships. They will soon be unable to leave the ports due to the refusal of Register Lloyd Voyage Rus to sell and update their electronic navigation charts for the Russian Federation.

Photo: Police detain a girl with an anti-war poster in Moscow — Nexta live

Two Georgian volunteers, Gia Beriashvili and David Ratiani, have died fighting the Russian army in Ukraine.

The leader of the Droa party, Elene Khoshtaria, has announced that on March 19 at 15:00, a rally in memory of the dead Georgian volunteers will be held in front of the Georgian parliament building.

The Georgian Legion has been fighting on the Ukrainian side since the first day of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.

🔘 Today, all over Russia, the authorities has held actions in support of Russia and Putin, dedicated to the day of the annexation of Crimea. According to numerous reports, state employees were forcibly taken to the protests. In Moscow, at the Luzhniki stadium, a patriotic concert has been held, which was accompanied by speeches by Putin, Margarita Simonyan, Tina Kandelaki and other Kremlin figures.

Video: “Stuffed into the bus and brought.” SOXA journalists tried to find out why people came to the concert “in honor” of the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea. — Nexta live

🔘 At the stadium in Luzhniki, Putin addressed the people. His speech was broadcast by the state TV channels, but the broadcast was interrupted and included the earlier speech of Oleg Gazmanov. Putin’s statements:

• “Crimeans did the right thing by putting a hard barrier in the way of neo-Nazis”
  “The goal of the operation in Ukraine is to save people from the genocide”
  “The Russian military in Ukraine cover each other, we haven’t had such unity for a long time”
  About Donbass: “there is no more love than if someone lays down his life for their  friends”

🔘 Zelensky: “Europeans should block all ports for the Russian Federation so that Russian commercial ships follow their warship. Ukraine will rebuild everything and become a full member of the European Union.”

🔘 The neutral status of Ukraine and its non-entry into NATO are the topics on which Moscow and Kyiv have brought their negotiating positions as close as possible, said Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation. He added that before talking about the meeting between Putin and Zelensky, we need the text of the agreement.

Photo: Warehouses of paints and varnishes are on fire in Sumy after Russian shelling – UNIAN

🔘 Hromadske journalist Victoria Roshchina is missing. According to journalists, Victoria was traveling from Zaporozhye to Mariupol on March 11. The next day, the girl stopped communicating.

🔘 “The next 10 days will be decisive,” ex-commander of US forces in Europe Ben Hodges in an interview with DW. He believes that after ten days of fighting, Russian troops will not be able to continue the offensive and will try to “freeze” the conflict. Hodges is confident that Kyiv will not be surrounded, and calls the nuclear threat exaggerated.

Video: Street of the besieged Mariupol – Trukha

Other news:

🔘 Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a video meeting with President Biden that China and the United States must assume international responsibility for world peace and tranquility.

🔘 Greece announced its readiness to rebuild the maternity hospital in Mariupol destroyed by the occupiers. Previously, the theater was the center of the Greek national minority of the city.

🔘 Lithuania has limited the export of euro cash to Belarus and Russia. Travelers can now carry no more than 60 euros.

🔘 State Department: The United States hopes to lift many sanctions against the Russian Federation if it stops the special operation and restores the sovereignty of Ukraine.

🔘 Washington understands that Western sanctions affect the population of Russia, but their goal is the country’s authorities, says the State Department.

🔘 Norway has supported a number of new EU sanctions against Russia. Among them are both personal sanctions and restrictions on the export of technologies, goods and services.

🔘 Temporary mini-houses delivered from the EU countries will be installed for migrants in the Transcarpathian region.

Video: Russian artillery shells Azovstal plant in Mariupol — UNIAN

🔘 Missiles fired at Lviv hit the aircraft repair plant. According to the city authorities, during the strike no one was killed and one person was injured. This was announced by the head of the Lviv OVA Maxim Kozitsky.

🔘 130 people have been evacuated from the destroyed Drama Theater in Mariupol, more than 1,300 remain in the basements, – Ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova.

🔘 The transfer of Soviet S-300s by other countries to Ukraine will allegedly be considered illegal, so Moscow will not allow this, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said: “Any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia”.

🔘 Russia changed its mind about submitting a draft resolution on a ceasefire in Ukraine to a vote in the UN Security Council, which was supposed to be considered today, March 18. “Western countries put pressure on UN members not to support the Russian initiative”, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Vasily Nebenzya

🔘 The Ukrainian army has set a record in the effectiveness of the use of Javelin anti-tank systems. Out of  112 shots, 100 hit the target – Pentagon.

Video: destruction of two pieces of Russian equipment by the Ukrainian ATGM “Stugna” – UNIAN

Situation in Ukraine:

🔘 In the morning, Russia has launched a series of missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. In addition to Lviv, missiles have been launched in Kiev, Kharkov and Kramatorsk. In Kramatorsk, a rocket hit a residential building and an office building. It is already known about 2 dead and 6 wounded – the mayor of the city.

Video: The result of a rocket hit in Kramatorsk – Nexta live

🔘 As a result of the strike in the Podolsky district of Kyiv, a 5-storey building has caught fire this morning. At the moment, it has been reported about 4 injured and 1 dead. According to other sources, these were fragments of a downed Russian missile.

Photo: Result of a rocket hitting Kyiv – UNIAN

🔘 6 cruise missiles have been fired at Lviv, presumably X-555, from the Black Sea. 2 missiles have been destroyed by means of anti-aircraft missile forces of the Zapad air command.

🔘 The Office of the President has responded to the statements of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who blames the war solely on Putin, and not on the Russians as a whole:

“Chancellor Scholz, wanting to justify his indecision, proposes to divide ordinary Russians and Putin as the author of the war. In Europe, this may become an untruthful trend. After all, officially 71% of Russians categorically support the war against Ukraine and the massacres of our citizens,” tweeted adviser to the President of Ukraine Mikhail Podolyak.

🔘 The second wave of mobilization is taking place in Ukraine.

Video: The building of the Kharkiv Regional Institute of Public Administration after a missile attack

In the world:

🔘 Putin, in a telephone conversation to Turkish President Erdogan, has voiced his demands for Ukraine:

• neutral status of Ukraine,
  refusal to join NATO,
  disarmament of Ukraine to a level that the Kremlin considers sufficient for itself,
  ensuring the protection of the Russian language in Ukraine,
  “denazification”.

🔘 The head of the European Parliament has banned diplomats and civil servants from Russia from entering their residences in Brussels and Strasbourg.

🔘 The British regulator Ofcom has revoked the license of the Russian state television channel RT to broadcast in the UK.

🔘 The Polish government is preparing to present the idea of ​​a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine at the NATO summit and at the meeting of the European Council, – Polish government speaker Piotr Muller.

🔘 China is increasing its purchases of corn from the United States, against the background of the war in Ukraine, which jeopardized the export of this crop, as well as the spring sowing campaign in the republic, according to Boomberg

Photo: Ukrainian serviceman in front of a destroyed house – Oleksandr Khomenko

In Russia:

🔘 The pirate site RuTraker, blocked in Russia, has threatened to block it platform for Russians. According to the website representative, the service “in the current situation does not support any actions of the Russian authorities”. If Roskomnadzor removes the site from the banned list, the platform itself will block access to it for users from Russia.

🔘 Large household appliances in Russia have risen in price by 50%. At the same time, the demand for it has increased by 2.3 times (123%), follows from a market study conducted by the service for comparing goods and prices.

🔘 The State Duma of the Russian Federation wants to toughen the punishment for high treason. Now the terms under this article are from 12 to 20 years in prison. In the future, lawmakers plan to increase the term to life.

🔘The ruling United Russia party is preparing a bill on criminal and administrative liability for “fake news about Russian government agencies operating abroad.” It will concern representatives of the Russian Guard, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Russian embassies, Rossotrudnichestvo and other government departments.

🔘 In Russia, the demand for antidepressants has risen sharply. From February 28 to March 6, sales of these drugs in the country exceeded 525 million rubles, which is more than four times more than a year earlier, DSM Group told Kommersant.

🔘 In Russia, today is the day of the annexation of Crimea. Across the country, the state organizes actions in support of Putin and the war in Ukraine. A video message from the President of the Russian Federation to the people is expected.

Photo: State employees gathered for the Crimean Spring concert in Moscow

🔘 3 have reportedly gone off in Lviv. Presumably, a missile attack was carried out on objects on the outskirts of the city. The media write that at least one blow was struck at the city’s airport. The mayor of the city said that the hits occurred nearby, but the Lviv airport itself was intact.

🔘 Russian military shelling interferes with the rescue operation in the theater of Mariupol. Up to a thousand people can still be under the rubble, BBC reports  with reference to the representative of the “Azov” regiment.

Video: Smoke around hit Lviv airport

🔘 More than 320,000 Ukrainians have returned to Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Most of them are men, State Border Service of the country reports.

🔘 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that Russian troops have lost their offensive potential and have been stopped in all directions.

🔘 First Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Denis Kudin on the air of the UA channel Razom spoke about the economic situation in Ukraine. According to him, the Ukrainian economy experienced a “deep fall”, and in some areas the decline was 75%. Kudin also named the approximate amount of losses from the Russian invasion – 565 billion hryvnia (almost 20 billion dollars). The official announced a reduction in fuel prices.

🔘 Russia announced its desire to convene a meeting of the UN Security Council on March 18 to discuss the topic of “US biological laboratories in Ukraine”.

Photo: The fire in the largest market of Kharkiv continues to burn

🔘 UN humanitarian convoys cannot enter Sumy and Mariupol, the head of the World Health Organization said at a meeting of the UN Security Council.

🔘 Zelensky awarded the Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov who was held captive for six days with the Order “For Courage” III degree. It is reported that the Russian military persuaded the mayor to cooperate with Russia, but he refused and was then exchanged for nine prisoners of war.

Video: Destruction of Russian armored vehicles with the help of the Ukrainian anti-tank complex “Stugna”

In the world:

🔘 Democrats in the US Senate are discussing a bill to remove tax breaks for US companies that continue to do business in Russia. At the moment, this law is valid for the DPRK, Iran, Sudan and Syria.

🔘 The Swedish Union of Port Workers has announced a blockade of Russian ships, SVT reports. The blockade will extend to Russian-owned ships, ships traveling to and from Russia, and ships carrying Russian goods. The workers of the Swedish ports refused to carry out loading and unloading, towing and mooring of ships.

🔘 Japan, Australia and New Zealand are imposing new sanctions against individuals and companies from Russia. The sanctions are directed against Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, oligarchs Suleiman Kerimov, Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg, some Russian banks and officials, Rosoboronexport and others.

🔘 Reuters reports that more than 200 million euros worth of Russian assets have been frozen in the Netherlands as part of the sanctions.

🔘 The World Bank will allocate $100 million for scholarships in Ukraine

🔘 Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the attacks on Russians in Germany, recalling that Putin is the cause of the war:

“It is absolutely unacceptable when we insult, scold or use physical violence against people of Russian origin. Because this is Putin’s war. Only he is responsible for it”, the German Chancellor wrote on his Twitter.

Photo: A fragment of a Russian Mi-24 combat helicopter shot down yesterday

In Russia:

🔘 Apple will not sell the new iPhone SE and other devices from the spring presentation in Russia. The sale of the iPhone SE in the world starts today, March 18.

🔘 Shops and food suppliers began to cancel discounts on chocolate, laundry detergent, and other goods that Russians are used to buying with promotions. According to Nielsen, more than 50% of the goods buyers of the largest retail chains took on shares.

🔘 Rapper Oxxymiron announced a new charity concert “Russians Against War” in London. At a recent concert in Istanbul, he managed to raise a $20,000 in support of refugees from Ukraine.

Photo: destroyed Russian tanks somewhere in Ukraine – UNIAN