26.03.2022, Moscow.
The Rossa Primavera News Agency publishes a summary of events in Ukraine as of 5 p.m. on March 26.
On 25 March, high-precision Kalibr cruise missiles destroyed a depot with ammunition and weapons near the village of Velikiye Korovnitsy, Zhitomir region.
Russian air defence forces shot down three Ukrainian military planes (two Su-25 and one Su-24) and six unmanned aerial vehicles over the village of Vyshnyovoye. In addition, one Tochka-U tactical missile was destroyed near the village of Vasilyevka.
During the day, operational-tactical and army aviation hit 117 military targets of Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reports. Among them:
six command posts
three MLRS systems
one S-300 surface-to-air missile system
nine depots with weapons and ammunition, and two with fuel and lubricants
92 strongholds of the Ukrainian army’s units, nationalist battalions and an area where military equipment is amassed.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported the number of military targets destroyed since the start of the special military operation:
267 unmanned aerial vehicles
207 anti-aircraft missile systems
1,618 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles
166 multiple rocket launchers
662 field artillery guns and mortars
1,453 units of special military vehicle equipment
Soldiers from South Ossetia left for Donbass to take part in Russian special operations, President of the republic Bibilov said.
High-precision weapons hit a fuel and lubricant depot in Lvov.
Over Sevastopol, air defense forces shot down flying objects, presumably several Ukrainian UAVs.
Kiev direction
Another fuel depot was hit near Kyiv.
Slavutich is under full control of the Russian Armed Forces. Today the mayor of Slavutich addressed the public and said that he will now cooperate with the Russian Armed Forces.
The mayor of Chernigov stated that the city was in the operational encirclement.
Southern direction
An Onyx precision-guided cruise missile destroyed a fuel depot near Nikolaev, which was used to supply fuel to the Ukrainian army’s grouping in southern Ukraine.
South Ossetian Armed Forces vehicles were spotted in Melitopol going to support the Russian Armed Forces on the southern front.
Liberation of LPR and DPR
As of March 26, 2022, a group of DPR troops in the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic, with fire support from the Russian Armed Forces, had liberated and established full control over 132 towns and villages.
Combats to liberate Mariinka, Novomikhaylovka, and Novobakhmutovka are underway. The mopping-up of Verkhnetoretskoye continues.
Mariupol
The deputy chief of staff of the Ukrainian 503rd Independent Marines Battalion, who, having changed into civilian clothes, was trying to leave Mariupol, was captured. He reported that the remnants of the battalion broke into groups and tried to break out of the encirclement.
In order to ensure public order and combat crime in the formerly occupied territories, the DPR Ministry of Internal Affairs organized the functioning of the district police departments. Zhovtnevy district department is located in Mariupol, Ilyichevskiy – in the village of Sartana, Ordzhonikidzevskiy – in the village of Vinogradnoye, Primorskiy – in the town of Melekino.
“The former employees of the Mariupol Main Department of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine in Donetsk region both certified and retired are obliged to report to the district police departments for registration regardless of the intentions of further service in the internal affairs bodies of the DPR”, the ministry informed.
During the day on March 26, from 08:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., 183 people, including 50 children, were evacuated from Mariupol to Bezymyonnoye, Novoazovsky district. At present, they are in an evacuation assistance point, which has been deployed by the DPR Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Shelling of LPR and DPR territories
The enemy opened fire on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic using 122mm multiple rocket launchers, 152 and 122mm artillery, and 120mm mortars. Areas of 11 towns and villages of the republic were hit by the fire. Over the past 24 hours, one civilian was killed, 12 houses and 8 civil infrastructure facilities were damaged. The Ukrainian militants fired a total of 220 rounds of ammunition.
As a result of Ukrainian army’s shelling of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic, previously liberated by a group of DPR troops, 72 people were wounded. A total of 77 civilians were wounded in varying degrees of severity throughout the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic during this period, the DPR Ministry of Health notes.
A shell fire by the Ukrainian army exploded near the basement of a high-rise building in Pervomaisk, where people were hiding at the time. None of the people in the basement were injured as a result of the shell explosion.
Donetsk
The Ukrainian army shelled the Petrovsky and Kirovsky districts of Donetsk, with house buildings on Khersonskaya, Zheleznodorozhnaya and Tokareva Streets damaged as a result of the shelling.
Gorlovka
Artillery of the Ukrainian militants destroyed house-buildings on Velikan Street in the central district of Gorlovka.
Liberated territories
The DPR authorities continue to carry out priority activities aimed at restoring the social and humanitarian sphere.
Communications workers installed a mobile communications base station in Pavlopol. In Volnovakha, they are installing a fiber-optic cable to connect telecommunications equipment.
Work has begun to restore the fiber-optic line connecting Mariupol and Berdyansk. In Volodarskoye, Mangush, Yalta and Urzuf, limited connection of subscribers to the Internet was provided.
In Volnovakha and Volodarskoye, infrastructure facilities for radio and television broadcasting are being restored to launch television and radio broadcasting.
Residents of Chermalyk, Kamenka, Donskoye, Kalinino and Bugas received pensions and social payments. In total, from March 7 to 25, more than 3,000 people received payments.
The specialists of the DPR Ministry of Health in the liberated towns and villages treated 251 patients during a day, all received qualified medical aid. Two medical institutions were provided with the necessary medicines.
Specialists from the DPR Ministry of Transport are carrying out repair and restoration work on the bridge in Starolaspa. Eight additional buses have been allocated to evacuate people to safe areas from the liberated territories of the republic.
Specialists of Donetsk Railways are carrying out restoration work in the production facilities of the Volnovakha locomotive depot. 219 railway cars have been inspected, 100 meters of railroad bed has been repaired. Five switches were put into operation at once.
In Khlebodarovka at the railway station, the entrance to the gravel pit was restored. The railway tracks of the Karani to Kalchik section were repaired. The power line on the line from Karani to Volnovakha was restored.
Specialists of the Ministry of Emergency Situations inspected 7.5 hectares of territory and 7,240 square meters of premises in Mangush, Volnovakha, Volodarskoye, Kominternovo, and Granitnoye. 367 explosive objects were neutralized. In Mariupol and Mangush, humanitarian aid was distributed.
Lugansk Communications, a state unitary enterprise (SUE) of the LPR, plans to install about 250 base stations to provide communications in areas of the republic liberated from Kiev’s militants.
Denis Pushilin, head of the DPR, signed a decree allowing payments in hryvnia until July 1. Banks are instructed to accept hryvnya as trade revenue, when residents and businesses pay taxes, fees and state duties. On March 16, LPR head Pasechnik signed a decree allowing payments in hryvnia until March 31.
Political situation
The demands of the Russian Defense Ministry are being fulfilled in a planned manner, the work on contracts will be completed in April, Shoigu said. He noted that taking into account the special operation in Ukraine, it is necessary to maintain the pace of supplies of advanced weapons to the troops.
Moscow is not withdrawing from the dialogue with Washington on the issue of diplomatic missions and is ready to negotiate as equals, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The cybersports team Team Spirit is moving from Russia to Belgrade. This is the same team that Putin personally congratulated on the victory at The International – 2021 and which was called the pride of Russia. Team Spirit said that cybersport has no attachment to a point on the map and they are leaving Russia because of the war in Ukraine.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov, “In recent days, many Russian male citizens have received fake phone calls in which an answering machine voice tells them that they have been summoned to the military commissariat.
All such fake calls are made from the territory of Ukraine, are absolutely untrue, and are a provocation by the Ukrainian security services.
We officially declare: the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation does not conduct and does not plan to conduct any summons to military commissariats for citizens in the reserves.”
Sanctions
More than 42% of US residents are in favor of sanctions against Russia, but only if they do not harm their country, even if it results in less effective pressure, shows the poll conducted by the Associated Press agency.
Fifty-five percent of respondents were in favor of sanctions with any consequences.
The refusal to purchase Russian oil and petroleum products, presented by the US authorities as one of the main factors of rising prices, was approved by 70% of US citizens; 13% disapproved of such a step.
The poll showed that 47% of US citizens are very concerned about the possibility of the United States getting involved in a conflict with Russia, 38% are partly concerned, and another 15% are not afraid of such a prospect at all.
Major Japanese banks, including Mitsubishi UFJ, Sumitomo Mitsui and Mizuho, are suspending dollar transactions with Russia’s Sberbank as of Saturday, March 26, in light of US sanctions against Russia, Kyodo news agency reported.
The Nord Stream 2 project could have a favorable future if Russia’s foreign partners “turn on their heads” and remember that they have taxpayers, voters and a range of social objectives, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev told RIA Novosti. Germany has suspended the certification of Nord Stream 2, which is needed for the pipeline to start operating, following the start of Russia’s military special operation in Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock stated that the project was actually frozen.
Robert Halver, chief analyst at Baader Bank AG Frankfurt, accuses Putin of “sneaky” circumvention of sanctions, commenting on the statement about switching to payments in rubles when selling gas to unfriendly countries.
German banks (Post bank, Deutsche Bank) have begun blocking the accounts of Russians who have short-term residency permits.
The US promises to punish the countries that help Moscow evade sanctions. These are India, China, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Armenia, as Financial Times reports.
Qatar Energy Minister: I don’t think we can help, and no one can replace Russian gas and oil supplies.
Gas prices will be higher tomorrow than yesterday – the CEO of French Total Energies.
The European Union will substitute Russian gas in any case, even if it takes two or three years, the head of Total Energies oil company Pouyanné said during an international conference Doha Forum in Qatar.
In Italy, against the backdrop of the crisis in Ukraine, 100 thousand agricultural enterprises may close – a report of the Coldiretti Association of Italian farmers.
Finnish railway company VR Transpoint (a subsidiary of state railway operator VR for cargo transportation) suspends the reception of trains from Russia from March 27 because of sanctions against Russian Railways.
Ukraine
Biden held talks with the heads of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry in Poland. Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov said after talks with Biden that the world is living in the era of “Ukrainian-centrism.”
Ukraine purchased from the German defense concern DND 5.1 thousand anti-tank grenade launchers Matador. Half of the purchased grenade launchers has already been delivered to Ukraine, reports Bild. The other half is to be delivered by the end of May.
Western countries
Poland may lay a claim to the Kaliningrad region – a Polish general. The former commander of Polish ground forces, General Waldemar Skrzypczak, “The Kaliningrad region is a territory that has been under Russian occupation since 1945. This territory has never been Russian, but historically belonged to Prussia and Poland. Now it should be referred to as reclaimed land. The Kaliningrad region, in my opinion, is part of Poland. We have the right to claim that territory which Russia occupies.” Poland makes it clear that it is not about Ukraine, it is about a war with Russia to break up and occupy our country.
Polish President Andrzej Duda asked his US counterpart Joe Biden to speed up the supply of modern weapons to Poland under current programs.
During a speech before the Armed Services Committee of the US Congress, the head of the US Northern Command General Glen VanHerck stated that “the largest portion of the GRU members in the world is in Mexico right now”. It was also indignantly stated that Russia and China are aggressively expanding their influence in Latin America and the Caribbean. Moreover, it turned out that all criminal organizations in the western hemisphere are so active only because of the Chinese and Russians.
Bulgaria should not arm Ukraine. Zelensky will soon capitulate – Bulgarian General.
Erdoğan reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity at the NATO Leaders’ Summit and said that during bilateral meetings, he comprehensively shared with the leaders the active and principled policy that Turkey is pursuing and the effective diplomatic efforts it is making. President Erdoğan stressed that Turkey has provided all the help it can during this process.
At the same time, according to comparative data published in the media, Turkey provides the broadest range of military assistance to Ukraine among other countries.
Scholz said that Germany is able to substitute Russian gas faster than is commonly believed. The Chancellor also added that the process of independence of EU countries from Russian gas has now become irreversible.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban responded to Zelensky’s accusations, “The Ukrainian point of view is perfectly understandable: they are asking for NATO to intervene, to start an air war, to supply arms. But we are not Ukrainians, we are not Russians – we are Hungarians… The answer to the question ‘whose side is Hungary on?’ is: Hungary is on the side of Hungary… We help people who are in trouble, but we want to ensure and protect our own national interests. Hungary has to defend its national interests over and over again. That’s why it doesn’t matter what kind of government Hungary has. It is a government that defends the national interest or that wants to float as a subordinate with other countries that are larger or have authority. We are a government that stands up for national interests, and we want to continue to do so.”
Josep Borrell, head of European diplomacy, stated that Europe supports Ukraine but does not want a larger conflict. At the same time, Europe wants to press Russia with all it might to make it pay the price.
Turkey banned night fishing in parts of the Black Sea after a mine was discovered in the Bosphorus.
Retired Turkish Navy Rear Admiral Cihat Yaycı said on Haber Türk that it was a war crime to place mines like this off the Black Sea. The former naval commander believes there is now a serious risk that mines could crash into Turkish seismic and drilling rigs in the Black Sea. In addition, mines could threaten commercial, fishing and passenger ships that sail in the region.
Turkey sees no problems in visiting the country by Russian citizens, including businessmen, said the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
