Ukraine Daily

Wednesday, 30 March 2022

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

Famous defender of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island released from Russian captivity. Border Guard Roman Hrybov, whose viral transmission “Russian warship, go f*ck yourself,” was part of the recent prisoner exchange.

General Staff: Russia partially withdraws military units from Kyiv, Chernihiv oblasts. According to Ukraine’s military, the Russian army is regrouping in the east to concentrate its military power in the area. In the south, Russia is preparing to resume offensive operations.

Prosecutors say Russian troops kidnap mayor in Kherson Oblast. The mayor of Hola Prystan was kidnapped on March 28, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine said. Previously Russian troops had kidnapped other mayors in occupied territories.

Izyum has not received a humanitarian convoy since March 14. Max Strelnyk, a deputy of the Izyum city council, told CNN on March 29 that the northeastern city has not received any food, water, or medicine since March 14 and that the humanitarian situation in the city is worsening daily.

US: Russia creating a global food crisis, blocking 94 ships with food from leaving Ukrainian ports. US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said at a UN meeting on global food security that while Russia blames western sanctions on global rising food prices, its navy is blocking crucial grain exports from reaching the world.

UN: 3.9 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia launched full-scale invasion. More than 2.3 million people have left Ukraine for Poland since Feb. 24, according to the most recent data from the office of the U.N. High Commission for Refugees.

Russian forces destroy Mykolaiv’s regional state administration building. Vitaliy Kim, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, said most employees were able to get out but the rescuers are looking for eight civilians and three military personnel still under the rubble. The central part of the nine-story building has been completely destroyed.

UK Ministry of Defense: Highly likely Russia will look to refocus combat power to their offensive in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In an update on March 27, the U.K. said that Russian setbacks and successful Ukrainian counter-attacks “mean it is almost certain that the Russian offensive has failed in its objective to encircle Kyiv.”

Zelensky: ‘Ukrainians are not naive,’ we see risks in peace talks. President Volodymyr Zelensky called not to trust any promises given by Russia. “Of course, we see all the risks. Of course, we don’t have a reason to trust the words of representatives of a country that wages war against us,” said Zelensky.

Russia’s Defense Minister shifts narrative, says main goal is ‘liberating Donbas.’ Sergei Shoigu said on March 29 that Moscow can now focus on its key objective since the main tasks of the first phase of the war have been completed and Russian forces have “significantly reduced” the Ukrainian military’s combat power.

NYT: Russia says it will reduce attacks in northern Ukraine. Following the recent round of Ukraine-Russia negotiations in Turkey, Moscow said it would reduce the assault in the north, where Ukraine’s capital is located, the New York Times reported. The announcement came as Ukraine’s forces continue to successfully push Russian troops further back from Kyiv.

Pentagon: Russian troop movement near Kyiv possibly ‘repositioning, not a real withdrawal.’ Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that the small number of Russian forces withdrawing from Kyiv are “not anywhere near the majority of what they have arrayed against Kyiv,” and that Russian airstrikes continue.

Ukraine’s military: Over 17,200 Russian troops killed since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s military have also reported taking out 1,710 Russian armored personnel carriers, 597 tanks, 1,178 vehicles, 303 artillery pieces, 54 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 96 launch rocket systems, 127 planes, 129 helicopters, 73 fuel tanks, 21 pieces of special equipment, 71 UAVs, and seven boats.

Read our exclusive, on the ground stories.

Ukraine is seeking stronger security guarantees than NATO’s Article 5, David Arakhamia, the leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s faction in the parliament and head of the Ukrainian delegation during the ongoing peace negotiations with Russia, said on March 29. Arakhamia spoke following peace talks with Russia held in Istanbul earlier that day.

The human cost of Russia’s war

12 people dead, over 30 wounded after Russian missile hits Mykolaiv Regional State Administration. The attack took place in the early hours of March 29. The search and rescue operation continues.

Prosecutor General’s Office: Russia’s war kills at least 144 children, wounds more than 220. The data does not include child victims in the besieged city of Mariupol, where the mayor said about 210 children have been killed.

International response

Fundraising concert raises 11.3 million pounds for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The two-hour show included performances from Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, and other famous artists. Jamala, Eurovision 2016 winner representing Ukraine, performed her song “1944,” about the forced deportation of the Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union.

US prepares new round of sanctions against Russia. According to Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, the sanctions will target supply chains for the Russian military and undermine the country’s defense industry.

Ambassador says German minister was against helping Ukraine, thought it would fall within hours. Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, said in an interview that German Finance Minister Christian Lindner was against supplying weapons to Ukraine or cutting Russia off the SWIFT messaging system after Russia launched the invasion on Feb. 24. Lidner thought Ukraine would collapse within several hours and was ready to talk to a puppet regime that would be installed by Russia, Melnyk told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. German Ministry of Finance denied the accusation in a comment to the Kyiv Independent.

Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic expel Russian diplomats over espionage. 17 Russian diplomats have been expelled from the Netherlands, 21 from Belgium, and 1 from the Czech Republic. “Together with our allies, we are reducing the Russian intelligence presence in the EU,” Czech foreign ministry wrote on Twitter. Additionally, Ireland has asked four senior Russian diplomats to leave because their activities are not in accordance with the international standards.

Blinken: No signs that Russia is serious about peace talks with Ukraine. “There is what Russia says, and there is what Russia does. We’re focused on the latter,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference, as quoted by CNN.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Asami Terajima, Natalia Datskevych, Oleg Sukhov, Sergiy Slipchenko, Olena Goncharova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Olga Rudenko, Toma Istomina, Lili Bivings and Brad LaFoy.

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