Press digest – Ukraine
32th day of heroic resistance of Ukraine against Russian military invasion
Every morning, starting March 17, a nationwide minute of silence has been declared throughout Ukraine at 9:00am Kyiv time.
“We will remember the Ukrainians who gave their lives, all the military, civilians and children” (c) President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
DESTRUCTION AND LOSSES
📌Since the beginning of the Russian aggression, 139 children have been killed and more than 205 injured by Russian occupying troops and Russians who indulge in the leadership of Russia.
📌On March 26, Russian aviation simultaneously launched 70 missiles – 52 of them were fired from the warships of Russian Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol, and at least 18 from the territory of Belarus. This is a record number since the beginning of the Russian invasion. The Ukrainian air defense downed most of the missiles – only 8 reached their targets. The approximate cost of these missiles reaches $340 million in direct production costs, and together with the logistics of delivery to Black Sea Fleet ships it costs $500 million.
📌On March 26, Russian troops fired at a Holocaust memorial in Drobitsky Yar in Kharkiv. “Preliminarily, the shells hit the Menorah and the pedestal. The police have recorded the incident and will continue to document Russia’s war crimes in Kharkiv and the region,” – the National Police of Ukraine said.
Drobitsky Yar is one of the most tragic places in Kharkiv, where in 1941-1942 the Nazis massacred civilians.
📌Yuri Fomichev, Mayor of Slavutich city, confirmed that the city is occupied by Russian troops. He also confirmed the death of three civilians during a rally against the invaders.
📌In the temporarily occupied cities, Russian troops continue terrorizing and intimidating the local population: frequent cases of maraudering, kidnappings and robberies. This is a violation of the international humanitarian law.
📌On March 26, Russian aviation shelled an oil depot in Dubno, Rivne region. The shelling caused the fire, which was extinguished, according to the head of the Rivne Regional State Administration Vitaliy Koval, no one was injured.
📌During the night shelling, Russian aviation damaged 11 houses in Luhansk region, and in Popasnaya they fired at their own positions with a mine-thrower.
📌Russian troops used Tornado-C multiple rocket launchers to fire at the residential sector in Krasnohorivka, Donetsk region. The occupiers used cluster bombs, illegal for usage.
📌According to preliminary estimates, 20,000 to 30,000 Mariupol residents were forcibly deported by the Russian occupation forces to the DNR, LNR, Crimea, or Russia. Also, according to media reports, in Mariupol, the Russian occupiers forcibly deported to Russia the doctors and patients of the City Hospital #1, as well as children alone without their parents, a total of about 700 people.
📌As of now, as a result of the Russian invasion and the war that Russia has waged against Ukraine, 1,455 settlements in Ukraine have been cut out of electricity, 39 of them – at least partially de-energized.
📌In the temporarily occupied Kherson, the Russian military troops dispersed a peaceful rally with smoke bombs.
📌Due to Russian attacks and hostilities, more than 10,000 hectares of forests are burning in the area around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, 31 cases of fires have been recorded. This is a threat of a dangerous radiation level to Ukraine, Belarus and
European countries. Control and extinguishing of those fires is not feasible because the exclusion zone is now occupied by the Russian troops, who don’t allow to stop the disaster and attack the Ukrainians. Fires cause increased levels of radioactive air pollution.
📌In the city of Chernobyl, Russian troops have deployed a temporary command post of the Eastern Military District, and a command post of the 38th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade. Dozens of tons of rockets, artillery shells and mortar ammunition are transported there from Gomel every day. This seriously increases the risk of damage to insulation facilities built over the fourth Chernobyl unit after the 1986 explosion. Damage to the protection will lead to a significant amount of radioactive dust entering the atmosphere and contaminating not only Ukraine but also other European countries.
INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
📌Martial law has been imposed in the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic amid new tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan called on the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to ensure the complete withdrawal of the remnants of the Armenian army and illegal Armenian armed groups from the territory of Azerbaijan.
⚠️Despite the full-scale war waged by Russia against Ukraine and the condemnation of this action by the world, a number of international companies continue financing the Russian army by paying significant taxes to the Russian budget. Currently, one of the largest investors in the Russian economy/the economy of murdering Ukrainians are French companies, namely the retail network ADEO: Leroy Merlin, Auchan and Decathlon.
DEFENSE UPDATES
📌Estimated losses of the Russian Federation Army in Ukraine:
The units of the United Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully repulsed 7 enemy attacks in Donetsk and Luhansk directions.
📌Those who together with the Armed forces of Ukraine defend Ukraine from Russian aggression in territorial defense and volunteer units have been legally recognized as servicemen.
📌Ukraine will hold the next round of negotiations with Russia in Turkey on March 28-30, according to David Arakhamiya.
HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS AND EVACUATION UPDATES
📌On March 26, 5,208 residents of occupied or besieged cities were evacuated through humanitarian corridors. 4,331 residents of Mariupol reached Zaporizhia after unblocking the movement of the evacuation column that was detained for two days. 351 people were evacuated from the Kyiv region, and 526 from the Luhansk region.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s daily statements
📌The price of Ukraine’s security is planes for Ukraine, tanks, missile defense, and anti-warship weapons. This is what our partners have.
📌Our partners have to step up the assistance to Ukraine. This is the security of Europe. This is what we agreed on in Kyiv when three prime ministers of Eastern European countries and Mr. Kaczynski visited our capital in mid-March.
📌It is impossible to unblock Mariupol without a sufficient number of tanks, armored vehicles and, of course, aircrafts. Ukraine needs the help of the world to protect the people of Mariupol.
📌The occupiers committed another crime against history. Near Kharkiv, Russian troops “de-nazified” the Holocaust Memorial in Drobitsky Yar. During World War II, the Nazis shot about 20,000 people in this place. 80 years later, they were killed for the second time, and it’s Russia who did it. Russian troops intentionally kill civilians, destroy neighborhoods, targeting shelters and hospitals, schools and universities. Even churches and memorials to Holocaust victims.
📌President Zelensky gave interviews to Russian journalists from the Zygar YouTube channel, the Dozhd TV channel, the Medusa portal, and the Kommersant and Novaya Gazeta publications. Russian authorities have banned these media from publishing the interview. The journalists received threats.
PUBLIC AND BUSINESS SUPPORT
📌The Ukrainian community in New York held a protest near Colgate-Palmolive headquarters, demanding to end their cooperation with Russia.
📌Terrasoft leaves the markets of Russia and Belarus. The company has already invested over UAH 10 million to support the Ukrainian army and volunteer projects.
📌In Russia, Parimatch Tech software was switched off and Parimatch brand now is banned from using in any manifestation.
📌A composer Hans Zimmer stopped his concert in London to demonstrate a video of a Ukrainian pianist who played his melody while air raid sirens were on in Lviv.
📌Poczta Polska supported Ukraine and issued thematic post stamps. Now, thousands or even hundreds of thousands of letters will be decorated with Ukrainian symbols. Earlier, a similar post stamp was issued by Estonia.
📌British author Joanne Rowling (J. K. Rowling) was recently canceled in Russia. Here is what she said: “Critiques of Western cancel culture are possibly not best made by those currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance, or who jail and poison their critics,” she told her 13.9 million followers on Twitter, along with the attached article about Navalny and the hashtag #IStandWithUkraine
📌A refugee from Ukraine won a marathon in Jerusalem. Valentyna Veretska, a professional runner and physiotherapist from Mykolayiv, was forced to leave her hometown after the Russian invasion. Her husband remained to defend Ukraine, the family house in Nikolaev was destroyed.
📌The Scottish national team played a charity match with the Polish national team. The Polish team previously had to play against the Russian team who are now disqualified. In total, the sports arena gathered about 39,000 fans, who not only financially supported Ukraine, but also actively protested against the actions by Russia and Putin.
📌In London, tens of thousands of people went out for a rally to support Ukraine, and the advertising screen in Piccadilly Circus demonstrated the slogan by Yoko Ono “Imagine Peace”.
📌Photo of the day
An action was held in Budapest in memory of the victims of the Mariupol Drama Theater shelling – 300 pairs of worn shoes were placed on the Danube River bank, next to the “Shoes on the Danube” memorial which commemorates the Hungarian Jews killed by the Nazis.
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT OF UKRAINE
📌Agnė Bilotaitė, a Lithuanian Minister of the Interior, called to exclude Russia and Belarus from Interpol.
📌The European Organization for Nuclear Research has announced a halt to cooperation with Russia and Belarus.
📌The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on Russia’s defense company Kronstadt, a major manufacturer of drones Orion.
📌Ireland has joined the Group of Friends of Accountability, which unites the countries who demand responsibility for Russia’s crimes in Ukraine.
📌The United Kingdom will send humanitarian aid to Ukraine worth of 2 million pounds.
📌Greece sent 75 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine’s regional centers Rivne and Khmelnytsky.
📌The National Bank of Slovakia sent 2 armored vehicles to the National Bank of Ukraine.
📌Switzerland has sent another humanitarian aid cargo: 15 tons of medicines and 40 tons of food.
📌The United States will allocate additional $100 million to Ukraine. Increased funding will continue the steady flow of personal protection tools, field equipment, tactical equipment, medical supplies, armored vehicles and communications equipment for the State Border Guard Service and the National Police of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, with full respect for the work of journalists, especially in wartime and in hotspots, urges the international media community not to show or publish footage of Russian missiles during and after the shelling and not to name the exact location of the shelling. This helps the Russian air force to adjust the fire and pose a danger to civilians in cities under bombardment and shelling.
📌Tweet of the day
Everyone on the planet needs to know what Russia is doing. So that the responsibility for crimes against the Ukrainian people becomes inevitable and as severe as possible for the Russian military.