Timeline: day 20 of Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression
Today, March 15, is the 20th day Russia's military attack on Ukraine continues. We're reporting about all the current news. The article will be constantly updated.
What is today?
Key points.
Total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 15.03:
- personnel – more than 13,500 people;
- tanks – 404;
- armored combat vehicles – 1279;
- artillery systems – 150;
- MLRS – 64;
- air defense means – 36;
- aircraft – 81;
- helicopters – 95;
- automotive equipment – 640;
- ships / boats – 3;
- fuel tanks – 60;
- UAV of operational and tactical level – 9.
The Armed Forces continue to gradually counterattack.
"The Armed Forces of Ukraine are fulfilling their tasks. We have stopped the aggressor, deployed parts of the reserve, and counterattacked in certain areas. Unfortunately, we are suffering losses. They are several times smaller than the enemy. But the life and health of each of our soldiers are priceless," said the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Zaluzhnyi.
The Prime Ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia will visit Kyiv today. Meetings with Zelenskyy are planned, the Polish government reports.
20:30 – The Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki announced that he had arrived in Kyiv together with the Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic and Slovenia.
Ukraine demands immediate expulsion of Russia from PACE.
Finally! Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law on criminal liability for cooperation with Russia.
The State Security Service has already detained 60 collaborationists and exposed 20 enemy sabotage-reconnaissance groups in various regions.
The occupiers continue to plunder Ukraine. Defense Intelligence reports that Putin plans to cut down and sell Ukrainian forests in the temporarily occupied territories. This is stated in the letter to Shoigu "On the possibility of deforestation on defense lands," the purpose of which is to allow total deforestation.
"We will restore everything. Every street of every city. Every house, every apartment. We will direct all our forces, all the help of the world to this. And we are already creating funds for Ukraine to live," Zelenskyy told Ukrainians.
In Ukraine, the mobilization of conscripts who were not included in the category of "first" reservists, people with combat experience, has begun. At the same time, conscripts will be involved in the defense of the state only in the event of hostilities in the formerly peaceful territory, said the head of the personnel department of the Ground Forces Command of the Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, martial law in Ukraine was extended for another 30 days until April 25.
Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine must rely on its own forces when it comes to our protection and, in particular, the protection of the sky.
The good news is that the servicemen who defended Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea are being prepared to exchange prisoners of war. This was announced by the officer of the public relations service of the 35th separate brigade of marines Serhii Kozachynskyi.
The Verkhovna Rada increased the revenues and expenditures of the army budget by UAH 67.6 billion. This amount will be used for the purchase, modernization, and repair of weapons and military equipment.
The Verkhovna Rada also voted to recognize the Territorial Defense fighters as "war veterans."
Humanitarian corridors
On March 15, nine humanitarian corridors have been agreed upon so far.
- Donetsk region:
Berdiansk – Mariupol: humanitarian goods will leave Berdiansk, bringing tens of tons of water, medicines, and food to the people who are very much waiting for it in Mariupol. On the way back, we will pick up women, children, and everyone in need from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia.
- Kyiv region:
Bohdanivka and Nova Bohdanivka – Brovary
Bobryk – Brovary.
- Sumy region:
Sumy, Trostianets, Lebedyn, Shostka, Konotop – Poltava.
- Kharkiv region:
departure from the village of Oskol.
Warning! The occupiers in Trostianets in the Sumy region are driving locals into fake "green corridors," taking away people's mobile phones and trying to create "living" shields, the Sumy Regional Administration warns. In matters of evacuation, listen to only reports from official sources!
On March 15, at 9:00 am, a humanitarian corridor was opened for private transport in the following directions: Mariupol, Manhush, Berdiansk, Tokmak, Vasylivka, Zaporizhzhia. When evacuating for safety reasons, it is recommended: not to take photos while driving along the route, remove all messengers and photos from phones.
The evacuation from Boromlia, Sumy region, will take place today, March 15. Two buses will be waiting for people at 13:30 in front of the "bazaar." This was reported in the military administration of the Sumy region.
During the evacuation, for security reasons, it is recommended: not to take photos while driving the route, remove all messengers and photos from phones.
Important! Ukraine is recording new fraudulent schemes that began to operate during the Russian aggression. This was reported by the National Bank of Ukraine on its Facebook page. Under the guise of evacuation or rental housing, fraudsters ask people to subscribe to the card, and then simply disappear, the report said.
As of 14:00, it is known that 2 thousand cars left Mariupol. People follow the route Mariupol – Manhush – Berdiansk – Tokmak – Vasylivka – Zaporizhzhia, where they can get the necessary help. Another 2,000 cars are parked at the exit from the city, the Mariupol city council reports.
About 20,000 people have left Mariupol today.
Nuclear objects
Currently, the radiation background in the Zaporizhzhia region doesn't pose a threat to life and health, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration Oleksandr Starukh informs.
Anonymous hacked the website of the Russian company Rosatom and promised to share "several gigabytes of data" and information about the company's security. Rosatom State Holding, which includes several hundred nuclear companies in the invading country, is involved in the seizure of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Chemical threat
The British Ministry of Defense believes that Russia may plan to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine to stage an attack on its own troops.
Ukraine's talks with Russia
13:00 – after yesterday's break, Arakhamia announced the resumption of talks with Russia.
However, the Kremlin refuses to predict when Russia will sign peace agreements with Ukraine.
15:30 – Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President, Mykhailo Podoliak, spoke about the course of negotiations with Russia: "Negotiations are ongoing. Consultations on the main negotiation platform renewed. General regulation matters, ceasefire, withdrawal of troops from the territory of the country…" he wrote.
19:00 – negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have become more constructive, the future agreement is being discussed, said Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Ihor Zhovkva. According to him, Russia began to hear the Ukrainian position: "In the first rounds, Russia was not ready to hear our position, issued ultimatums: Ukraine must surrender, lay down its arms, that our president will sign the surrender. Now that's what Russia is saying in a slightly different tone." Zhovkva added that Ukraine's representatives in the talks were "moderately optimistic." He stressed that "a major breakthrough in these talks will be achieved with the participation of heads of state."
22:00 – Negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations are over and will resume tomorrow. "There are fundamental contradictions. But there is certainly room for compromise," Podoliak said.
Who's coming to Ukraine?
About financial aid, weapons, and volunteer fighters
Turkey has supplied Ukraine with new drones, ammunition, military equipment, body armor, and helmets. Thank you!
Very correct decision: Germany will not disclose details about arms supplies to Ukraine. The German Ministry of Transport has turned off the online broadcasting of cameras on the country's highways.
LEGO has raised more than $16,000 for Ukraine by selling Zelenskyy figurines and Molotov cocktails figurines. All proceeds will be donated to victims of the war in Ukraine.
South Korea will send $800,000 in non-lethal military aid to Ukraine.
US President Biden has finally agreed to provide Ukraine with a "historic" $13.6 billion in aid.
News from abroad
Information from the Pentagon: Russia has launched about 900 missiles since the beginning of the attack on Ukraine on February 24. However, now the Russian offensive has stalled in almost all directions. In some cases, Russian troops have deliberately stopped to regroup, but this is mostly the result of Ukrainian resistance.
Within 10 days, Russia will end the active war. This forecast is given by Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, who previously commanded the US ground forces in Europe. He believes that Russia doesn't have enough of three things to continue the war to deplete: time, human resources, and ammunition.
And the Chinese ambassador in Lviv assured that China will continue to "be a good force for Ukraine" in economic and political terms.
Israel has suspended visa-free travel with Ukraine and will not accept Ukrainian refugees.
The country has set a quota for 5,000 Ukrainian citizens who will be able to enter the country. Israel has already accepted part of the quota and will continue to do so. But Ukrainians will no longer be able to enter there (as tourists). And they do not have a quota for the Russians?
The PACE can officially recognize Transnistria as an occupied territory. PACE members from Romania, Ukraine, France, Estonia, Great Britain, Georgia, and Turkey have proposed officially recognizing Russia's occupation of Transnistria. The decision proposes to declare that Russia has committed an act of military aggression against the Republic of Moldova and occupied part of its territory.
22:30 – PACE officially recognizes Transnistria as a zone of Russian occupation.
US President Joe Biden will fly to Europe for the NATO summit in Brussels.
Many sanctions are never too much!
The United States and Japan are imposing sanctions on defense officials and Russian lawmakers.
The United States also introduced a two-party bill to freeze Russia's gold reserves by $130 billion
- The European Union has approved the fourth package of sanctions against Russia:
- A total ban on any agreements with certain (no list yet) Russian state-owned enterprises in various sectors.
EU ban on steel imports (This will lead to a loss of revenue of approximately €3.3 billion)
New lists of Russian propagandists (also waiting for details)
And the British government has announced a ban on the export of luxury goods to Russia. Earlier, the same decision was made in the EU.
Pharmaceutical companies Bayer and Pfizer have announced the cessation of investment in Russia. A statement from Pfizer said the company would continue to supply drugs to the Russian market but would donate all proceeds to targeted charitable assistance to war victims in Ukraine.
Bayer, in addition to suspending investments, will stop importing all products to Russia, except for medicines and agricultural products.
Russian lies
Russia continues to brazenly lie: "The decision on the possible return of L/DNR to Ukraine remains with the residents of the republics," the director of the relevant department of the Russian Foreign Ministry told Russian media.
Lukashenko also decided to launch a portion of lies. He stated that the Tochka-U missile was launched from Ukraine in the direction of Belarus two days ago and was intercepted.
Most of the world's publications published a photo of the editor of a Russian propaganda channel, who appeared yesterday with an anti-war poster live on the news. But Peskov does not worry about her at all. He classifies this case as "hooliganism": "As for this girl, well, it's hooliganism. The channel and those who belong to it understand this. This is not an issue on our agenda," Putin's spokesperson said in an interview with Medusa.
Russia denies accusations of killing journalist Brent Renaud. The area of Irpin, where he died, was controlled by the Ukrainian army, said Russia's envoy to the UN Vasily Nebenzya.
A Ukrainian laptop with fake data on the targets of the Tocha-U strikes was seized at Russia, RIA Novosti reported.
Russia's RIA Novosti reported that the DPR seized a Ukrainian laptop with data on the targets of the Tochka-U strikes. The Armed Forces were going to "destroy some objects" with fire damage, and Russians made a spelling mistake.
But Zyuganov did his best today. He said that the Ukrainian military traded in the organs of killed and wounded soldiers. Give the old marasmic a herring.
What's in Russia?
Peskov disagrees with the view that the Russian economy is crushed by Western sanctions: "Any difficulties are an opportunity for development."
While Peskov blows soothing things in the ears of compatriots, Russia is running out of sugar and grain. Prime Minister Mishustin signed a decree temporarily banning the export of grain to the Eurasian Economic Union and sugar to all countries.
It did not take long for the Russians to enjoy the high price of oil. The price of oil, which reached $120 last week, has already fallen to $97. Oil is almost never bought from Russia, even at a reduced price. Sales fell by 50%.
Russia has begun a military gathering of reservists in the Far East. A feature of the gathering is fire tasks with the help of mortar systems, Interfax reports. Meanwhile, the number of cases of desertion in the current Russian troops is growing. Russian servicemen refuse to obey command orders.
Russia has imposed sanctions against President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
And in addition, as stated in the Russian Foreign Ministry, they banned the entry of Prime Minister of Canada Trudeau.
Besides Trudeau, Russian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Defense Minister Anita Anand are barred from entering Russia. A total of 313 people are on the list, including a majority of Canadian MPs.
Russia is leaving the Council of Europe. "Because of the unprecedented political and sanctions pressure on our country, Russia does not plan to pay an annual contribution to this organization. I would like to emphasize that Russia is leaving the Council of Europe of its own accord," the Russian Duma deputy Tolstoy added.
Interestingly, today about 200 deputies from 46 PACE member states gathered to discuss Russia's exclusion from the organization. That is, Russia was expelled here as well. But it is difficult to admit this.
21:00 – And here is the reaction to Russian sanctions from the White House: we are not planning a trip to Russia, and we do not have bank accounts there. It seems that American officials are not very upset, and Russia is heading for its own warship.
Last chance: Russia turned to North Korea for help, Mirror, and Express report. According to the media, Kim Jong-un refused and called Russia "too crazy."
What can we hear about Belarusians?
In the Belarusian city of Stolbtsy, unknown individuals set fire to tracks, after which security forces have been terrorizing local residents for two weeks now: detaining them and beating them in police stations.
Belarus will host two more Russian military facilities. The contract is concluded for 25 years. Russia will deploy missile attack warning systems in Baranovichi. And in Vileika, Russians will install naval radio stations.
Despite this, Lukashenko reiterated that Belarusian troops would not take part in the war in Ukraine. "We have nothing to do there, we are not called there," Lukashenko said.
Social media
Meta has banned Facebook and Instagram users from posting death wishes to presidents. That is, "Die!" is impossible to write about Putin again, but nothing prevents us from addressing the same to all of Russia.
Life considering hostilities
"Wishing death and killing the enemy is not a sin," said Epiphanius, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. During the telethon, he said: "We as a nation do not seek the death of those who are our neighbors. But because they came to our home, we protect our family, our homeland, our land. Our soldiers protect all Ukrainians. Protecting, killing the enemy is not a sin. We protect, we do not seek another's. And he who came to us with a sword, he will die from that sword," said the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Harvard students developed and launched a website for Ukrainian refugees, www.ukrainetakeshelter.com. Information on free housing is available in 12 languages worldwide. You can immediately see whether the owners are ready to accept animals, the language spoken by homeowners, how many places there are, and how long they are ready to receive Ukrainians.
Innovations are introduced to support business in times of war:
- Instead of VAT and income tax, there will be a rate of 2% of turnover and simplified accounting.
- Sole proprietors of the first and second groups will pay taxes voluntarily (without mandatory tax).
- The state cancels all business inspections.
"It will not be possible to adopt children during the war. This also applies to foreign nationals," said Kateryna Pavlichenko, Ukraine's deputy interior minister.
The aggressor uses a new method of correcting enemy fire; users-bots or "live" accounts send messages in local chats to find out the extent of the bombing and the exact location of the missile. Once again, we warn you: don't share photos of affected houses on social media in the area, do not even answer the sympathetic questions of strangers!
The SBU detained a hacker who provided the occupiers with mobile communications in Ukraine.
Infrastructure
Ukrzaliznytsia begins the procedure of nationalization of Russian cars in Ukraine.
This is more than 3 thousand. Now they will work for the economy of our country!
By the way, Ukrzaliznytsia is also ready to take Medvedchuk's "golden car" under its wing after a small modernization.
Kyiv and region
On the night of March 15, a series of explosions took place in Kyiv. The enemy aimed at a high-rise building in Podil and a private house in Osokorki, and 2 high-rise buildings in the Sviatoshynskyi district were damaged. The blast also damaged the facade of the Lukianivska station building and office space. Trains will not stop at the station.
The fire in a sixteen-story building in Sviatoshynskyi district was extinguished at 3:30 p.m. 3 people died, 5 were injured and 48 were rescued, rescuers report.
Dog trainers with dogs arrived at the railway station in Kyiv. Dogs are now working as psychotherapists for children to distract them from the war and give them moments of joy.
And the paramilitary guards of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, together with the military, detained two saboteurs working for Russia in Kyiv. One of the detainees is a native of Luhansk, the other is from Brovary. The traitors were handed over to the relevant authorities.
Kiva is no longer a deputy! The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine deprived Illia Kiva of his mandate as a People's Deputy. We will remind that earlier the general prosecutor Iryna Venediktova declared to Kiwi suspicion of treason.
Because of introducing curfew in Kyiv from 20:00 on March 15 to 7:00 on March 17, changes will be made to the schedule of passenger trains.
Thus, during the curfew, the entrance to Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi and Darnytsia stations, as well as boarding passenger trains in Kyiv will be allowed only to transit passengers, as well as passengers who arrived at the station before the curfew. Exit from the station may be restricted by the police for security reasons.
Two more journalists were killed by Russian troops. FoxNews cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski was killed in a Russian attack in Kyiv region. This was reported on the TV channel. According to the presenter, Zakrzewski worked with journalist Benjamin Hall. Their car came under fire in the Kyiv region. Hall's injuries became known the day before, on March 14.
Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova also died from the fire of the occupiers together with the cameraman Fox News.
Kharkiv
During the night, rescuers from Kharkiv and the region responded to fires 34 times. Shelling and explosions were observed in various districts of the city and the Izium district of the region. The bodies of 7 people were found under the rubble, three more were rescued.
In the Kholodnohirskyi district, a fire engulfed commercial premises and a residential building. The fire was extinguished by about 20 branches of the State Emergency Service.
During the night in Kharkiv, shells hit residential buildings and several commercial premises.
During a national telethon on March 15, Interior Minister Vadym Denysenko said that Kharkiv was being destroyed on the direct instructions of a Kremlin maniac Putin: "The most painful place in Ukraine is Kharkiv. Kharkiv is a catastrophe. Today there were shelling and fires again," he said.
In the area of Izium, there were cadets in the lined-up Russian tank of 6 separate tank brigades. In Russia, no one is spared.
The Blizniuky village council has announced a tender for captured Russian tanks at Prozorro. The village council plans to purchase 500 "second-hand tanks, without towers, burnt." The expected amount of the purchase is UAH 100 million.
Potential contractors have already asked the customer whether captive tankers should be included in the delivery. And they promised to make every effort to offer a wide range of captured Russian equipment. Even if it's a joke, it's very appropriate.
Ukrainian defenders repulsed another horde offensive near Kharkiv. In the afternoon, the Russians tried to storm Kharkiv from Piatyhatky. The Armed Forces pushed the enemy out of his previous positions.
In the first half of the day, they fought fiercely with the occupiers in Ruski Tyshki. The collision lasted more than an hour. Our Ukrainian fighters also forced the enemy to retreat to previous positions, said the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration.
And the regional center fired at the Russian army 65 times only for the last days. 48 schools in the city were completely destroyed, kindergartens, medical institutions, and administrative buildings were bombed. "Yesterday they even shot at the perinatal center. It is good that we foresaw this and moved all the mothers," the mayor said.
Luhansk and Donetsk regions
The occupiers destroyed a care home for the visually impaired children, a city hospital, and three schools in Rubizhne. Previously, four people died.
In the Luhansk region, 22 settlements were completely blacked out, 14 partially. 96,454 consumers are without electricity.
The Russians on the Rubizhne city multidisciplinary hospital: the maternity hospital was completely destroyed.
One of the ex-commanders of the militants, Taras Hordienko, nicknamed Clooney, was killed today near Mariupol. Clooney took part in the battles against the defenders of Ukraine in Donetsk and closed the Ilovaisk boiler from the southwest, in which many Ukrainian soldiers died. And also in the Debaltseve cauldron, where many anti-terrorist operation fighters also fell!
And in the Luhansk region, during the day, the defenders of Ukraine destroyed five MLRS BM-21 Grad with ammunition to them, three T-72 tanks, one BMP-3, and more than 15 enemy soldiers. These data are specified, the General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces reports.
Russian occupiers fired on the village of Oleksandropil in the Donetsk region, injuring a man. This was reported by the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, in Telegram.
Zaporizhzhia
"The abducted mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, is in occupied Luhansk, where he's accused of terrorism. Dniprorudne Mayor Yevhen Matveev is also a prisoner of the occupiers, but his fate is unknown," said Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration.
Another war crime took place in Berdiansk. There, occupiers kidnapped the priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Oleh Nikolaev. The priest's house was first searched and then he was taken away in an unknown direction.
The Armed Forces near Mariupol destroyed 150 Russian soldiers and 10 units of equipment, broke up a reconnaissance group near Avdiivka, and shot down Marine units in the south.
In the evening it became known that from the rally in Berdiansk the Russian, military kidnapped another person, activist Vitalii Shevchenko.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces near Mariupol destroyed 150 Russian soldiers and 10 units of equipment, broke up a reconnaissance group near Avdiivka, and shot down Marine units in the south.
Zaporizhzhia already received Starlink from Elon Musk.
Chernihiv region
In the Chernihiv region, the head of the local district hunters' association refused to provide the invaders with a list of all hunters. He detonated a hand grenade right at his home, killing himself and several occupants.
And near Chernihiv, the Armed Forces destroyed the occupiers' battery of MLRS, from which they fired on residential areas of the city.
22:30 – Orcs began to surrender en masse in the Chernihiv region
Dnipropetrovsk region
In Dnipro, as a result of enemy shelling, the runway of the International Airport was destroyed. The enemy fired 2 missiles. No one was killed.
Sumy region
In the last 20 days, the orcs have dropped more than 30 bombs on the small, peaceful Okhtyrka.
The ruins of the city only remain. In the city center, administrative buildings are damaged, houses in the private sector are burned, the thermal power plant and the power substation are destroyed, water supply, sewerage, and electricity supply are interrupted. Burn in hell, Russian scum.
Kherson region
"The occupiers in Kherson are going to apartments, looking for former security officers," said a fighter of the Kherson Territorial Defense about the situation in the city.
Chulakivka village head Oleksandr Musienko is detained against his will in the village council. He said this in a morning address to the villagers. He also said that the Russian military would conduct searches in the village. "I am doing everything possible so that civilians are not injured," he said.
At the Kherson International Airport in Chornobaivka, enemy vehicles were destroyed by shots fired by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, namely: about 10 helicopters and about 20 KAMAZ vehicles with a good deal of enemy ammunition. A significant amount of enemy manpower that was in this place was also destroyed. It is noted that as a result of hitting the enemy, it began to detonate and scatter around the perimeter of the airport, as a result of which enemy forces began to flee in an unknown direction, Kherson 24 reports.
By the way, the equipment of the enemy of the Armed Forces was covered in Chornobaivka in the same place for the fourth time.
In Nova Kakhovka, Kakhovka, and Tavriisk in the Kherson region, the Russian occupiers are urging locals to become collaborationists, urging them to join the police.
Mykolaiv and region
On the outskirts of Mykolaiv, orcs left the artillery and ran away. They didn't even have time to turn. The Armed Forces received new trophies.
A column of occupiers is fleeing from the Mykolaiv region towards Kherson. The head of the Mykolaiv regional state administration Vitalii Kim warned of possible provocations from the enemy!
In the Mykolaiv region, the Russian equipment which muffles mobile communication was seized.
Odesa region
20:30 – The occupiers fired a missile at a settlement in the Odesa region. Two people were injured. Also, the troops of the Russian Federation let out about 90 shells on other settlements, the Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration reported.
Vinnytsia region
In the Vinnytsia region, locals saw a strategic cruise missile class "air-to-ground" X-101, super-expensive and state-of-the-art, capable of flying more than 5,000 km. This one flew low. People didn't have a jar with tomatoes on hand. They started firing at her with a machine gun, and very quickly the enemy killer became heavier than air.
Zhytomyr region
Industrial enterprises will resume their work in Novohrad-Volynskyi on March 16. Mayor Mykola Borovets said this in a video message on his Facebook page: "We will try to work during the war to support the economy. Also, our communal services will begin work, in particular, we will carry out spring improvement of the city. Today we need to move to a job that provides us with life: economic, financial, utility industries will return to the rails of life.
Western Ukraine
Strike on the TV tower near Rivne: the death toll rose from nine to 19 people. Disassembly of the destroyed building continues.
Ukrainian air defense shot down a Russian drone maneuvering over the Yavoriv test site.
