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Negotiations. The delegations from Ukraine and Russia arrived in Turkey for another round of negotiations on March 29 after a series of virtual meetings and working subgroups discussions. Ahead of the meeting, Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, informed that Ukraine is not going to make concessions on key issues: โWe do not trade in people, land or sovereigntyโ. The minimum negotiating program in Turkey is to find a solution to the humanitarian crisis. The maximum program is a ceasefire, reaching stable agreements on this.
Foreign policy. The European Council presented a 10-Point Plan on stronger European coordination on welcoming displaced Ukrainians. The document outlines the main provisions on providing support to people leaving Ukraine. The plan envisages an EU registration platform, a coordinated approach for transport and information hubs, reception and accommodation capacity, an anti-trafficking policy, support to children.
The G7 countries have rejected Russia’s demand to pay for gas in Russian rubles. โPayment in rubles is unacceptable,โ said German Economy Minister Robert Habeck. Six former European Defense Ministers called to provide Ukraine with military aid.
Cities under attack. In Kryvyi Rih, the Ukrainian army managed to push Russian troops 40-60 km away from the city. After months of heavy battles, Irpin, Kyiv region, was liberated yesterday, says city Mayor. Here is a current map of the situation around Kyiv. After the blockade, 150 000 residents were evacuated from Mariupol, while about 170 000 remained under siege. Around 30 000 were illegally deported to the occupied territories and Russia. The City council reports that according to preliminary data almost 5 000 residents died, among them 210 children. 90% of the city’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, was shelled with missiles over the night. The Rivne region faced another missile attack on the oil depot. In Mykolayiv, a missile hit a residential apartment block this morning. In Melitopol, the head of the education department of the Melitopol City Council was abducted by the Russian military. In the temporarily occupied Energodar, Zaporizhzhia region, locals have organized a pro-Ukrainian rally again, calling on Russians to leave the city and to release the abducted deputy mayor.
Sanctions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs about new international sanctions introduced by different countries. Finnish state railway company VR suspends freight railway service with Russia. The Czech Republic froze assets worth hundreds of millions of croons belonging to sanctioned Russian citizens and companies. Korea has banned the export of 57 types of non-strategic goods to Russia and Belarus. These restrictions primarily apply to semiconductors, microcircuits, chips and computers. Massachusetts Institute of Technology has suspended cooperation with Russian research institutes after 11 years of cooperation.
War crime. The Office of the Prosecutor General informed about the launch of a joint team with Eurojust for the investigation of war crimes committed by Russia against Ukraine. This team, supported by Lithuania and Poland, will also coordinate its efforts with the International Criminal Court (ICC). The agency will provide technical and legal support to help set it up.
Energy security. Russian troops that are currently present at the captured Chornobyl nuclear power plant, could get internal radiation poisoning due to radioactive dust. Previously, the troops had driven their armored vehicles without radiation protection through a highly toxic zone called the โRed Forestโ, kicking up clouds of radioactive dust, according to eyewitnesses. Inhalation of the radioactive dust could cause radiation poisoning in their bodies.
Digital security. Ukraineโs national telecommunications services provider, Ukrtelecom, was hit by a massive cyberattack, described as one of the most powerful since the beginning of the war. Ukrtelecom provides fixed-line telecommunications โ phone services and broadband internet โ across the country, being one of the biggest service providers.
Disinformation. Anonymous never stops. This time the group released the leaked document – Russian order to produce propaganda videos to discredit Ukrainian forces by showing how they are mistreating prisoners of war (POWs). During the last couple of days, videos of Ukrainian soldiers torturing Russian POWs have been circulating in the media and online. Ukrainian officials claimed it is a fake, stating that Ukraine has established POW camps as required by the Geneva convention. The leaked document confirmed that the video was staged by the Russian side.
Culture. In Kharkiv, Russian occupiers destroyed another architectural monument โ a former fire station that was built in 1867. While the Russian army continues its destruction of cultural heritage, Ukraine keeps documenting their war crimes. Follow this link to check out an up-to-date list of damaged or destroyed objects of cultural infrastructure.
Positive news. Less than two weeks ago we wrote about the charity auction of the Bankyโs work in London. Yesterday, Banksy’s anti-war painting CND Soldiers was sold at a British Silent Auction for approximately $100 000. Now the proceeds will be transferred to the Kyiv Children’s Hospital “Okhmatdyt”, which treats the people who were wounded due to Russian aggression.
Reading list. We are happy to inform you about the kick-off of the series of articles exploring Russian colonialism trends and ambitions. The first article explores Russian literature – โDecolonizing the Mysterious Soul of the Great Russian Novelโ.
Statistics:
- 1 370 missiles were launched at Ukraine by Russia, US Pentagon informs.
- 510 000 citizens have returned to Ukraine since the beginning of the war. 75-80% are men.
- 3.8 million people left Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
- Since the beginning of the war, the number of cases of criminal and administrative offenses decreased by more than 2.5 times compared to the same period last year, reports the National Police of Ukraine.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., March 29, 2022: personnel โ around 17 200, tanks โ 597, APV โ 1710, artillery systems โ 303, MLRS โ 96, anti-aircraft warfare systems โ 54, fixed-wing aircraft โ 127, helicopters โ 129, soft-skinned vehicles โ 1178, boats and light speed boats โ 7, fuel tankers โ 73, operational-tactical level UAV โ 71, special equipment โ 21, mobile SRBM system – 4.
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