Ukraine Daily

Monday, March 21

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Missiles strike Rivne’s all-military training grounds. Rivne Oblast Governor Vitaliy Koval confirmed on March 20 that Russian forces hit the city’s military training grounds with two missiles. There is no information on casualties yet. The city of Rivne is located 300 km west of Kyiv.

Kyiv Retroville shopping mall, cars catch fire due to shelling. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service stated via Telegram on March 20 that rescue services are putting out a fire burning on several floors of the shopping mall and parking lot due to the Russian shelling in Kyiv’s Podil district. Information on casualties has not yet been confirmed.

Kuleba: New sanctions against Russia to be announced next week. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated on March 20 that the sanctions target major companies that have yet to leave Russia, specifically Danone, Nestle, and Unilever, as well as companies that allow Russia to manufacture missiles and other munitions.

Ukraine rejects Russia’s demand to surrender Mariupol. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk responded to Russia’s earlier demand, stating that surrender is not an option. A letter from Russia’s Defense Ministry on March 20 said it would only establish a humanitarian corridor if Mariupol surrenders. Ukraine demands that Russian forces allow safe passage immediately.

Russian social media VK allegedly hacked, spreads truth about war in Ukraine. Users of VK have received messages from the social network’s official account informing them of the true casualties and impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to screenshots posted online. The message also states that all user information has been accessed and those who support the war will be punished.

7,295 people evacuated from hot spots on March 20. According to Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, only four out of seven agreed-upon humanitarian corridors were able to carry out evacuations.

Ukraine: Russia reaches agreement on hiring Libyan mercenaries. According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russia has reached an agreement with Libya’s military commander Khalifa Haftar during his visit to Moscow to recruit Libyan mercenaries for fighting on Russia’s side in Ukraine.

Russian air strike damages 13 buildings in Zhytomyr Oblast. The March 20 air strike in the Korosten district of Zhytomyr Oblast also injured at least three people, according to the State Emergency Service. Fires have been extinguished by local rescue workers.

General Staff: Russia loses tank detachment in failed Kyiv assault. According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian army’s Sixth Tank Regiment has been destroyed as of March 20.

Workers of Chornobyl nuclear power plant evacuated. 64 people trapped at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, occupied by Russia, were released. 46 employees have volunteered to take their place and traveled to the occupied facility. The evacuated employees had been at their workplaces for over 600 hours.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Ukraine’s military: 170 Russian troops killed in Donbas on March 20. Ukrainian troops have destroyed 12 Russian tanks, nine infantry fighting vehicles, three vehicles, a Su-34 jet, and a helicopter on the front lines in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts alone on Sunday.

Update: four dead following shelling of Kyiv shopping mall, residential district. According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, rescuers are working to extinguish the fire caused by an attack on Retroville shopping mall and surrounding buildings late on March 20. Additional information on casualties is being confirmed.

Washington Post: Russian troops suffer high casualties, 1,000 a day killed or injured. According to U.S. intelligence estimates, the front lines have barely moved in more than a week. Russian forces have failed to achieve any of their initial objectives, U.S. officials told the Washington Post.

International response

US reaffirms it will not send troops to Ukraine. In an interview with CNN on March 20, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield was asked if the US would support Poland’s upcoming proposal for a NATO peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. The ambassador reasserted President Biden’s stance that American soldiers would not be sent into Ukraine. She added that America will continue to support its NATO allies and did not rule out support for other member nations sending troops.

New Zealand to provide additional $3.4 million, non-lethal military assistance to Ukraine. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on March 21 the funds would be directed to a NATO Trust Fund that supplies fuel, communication equipment, and first aid kits to Ukrainian forces. New Zealand will also provide Ukraine with surplus tactical equipment.

US not optimistic about negotiated end to war in Ukraine. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said during CNN’s “State of the Union” on March 20 that Russia has not “leaned into any possibility for a negotiated and diplomatic solution.” U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Europe on March 25 to discuss Russia’s “unjustified and unprovoked” war on Ukraine.

Slovenia to send diplomats back to Kyiv, urges EU to do the same. Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said via Twitter on March 20 that the diplomats to return would be volunteers, citing Ukraine’s need for “direct diplomatic support.”

Six European countries begin investigating Russian war crimes. According to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, Estonia, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden have opened criminal cases concerning Russia’s war crimes. Ukraine is working alongside these countries to exchange “information and evidence.”

Zelensky calls on Israel’s support in address to its authorities, citizens. “One can keep asking why we can’t get weapons from you, or why Israel hasn’t imposed strong sanctions against Russia,” Zelensky said. “The answer is up to you,” he added, “and you will have to live with it.”

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Daria Shulzhenko, Thaisa Semenova, Sergiy Slipchenko, Dylan Carter, Teah Pelechaty, Olena Goncharova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Olga Rudenko, Toma Istomina, Lili Bivings and Brad LaFoy.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider becoming our patron on Patreon or donating via GoFundMe. Start supporting independent journalism today.