Timeline: day 36 of Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression
Today, March 31, Russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for thirty-six days. We're reporting on all the current news.
What about today?
Key points
In the Donetsk and Luhansk directions, 5 enemy attacks were repulsed in the last 24 hours. Our soldiers destroyed 10 tanks, 18 armored and 13 units of vehicles, 15 artillery systems. The enemy suffered casualties.
The Armed Forces of Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed 4 planes, UAVs, and 2 cruise missiles in the past 24 hours. Air Force aircraft continue to launch missile and bomb strikes on places of accumulation of Russian equipment and the enemy manpower.
Total enemy losses since the beginning of the full-scale invasion:
About 17,500 occupiers have already gone to hell. The Armed Forces turned these into scrap metal:
- tanks – 614 units,
- armored combat vehicles – 1735 units,
- artillery systems – 311 units,
- MLRS – 96 units,
- air defense means – 54 units,
- aircraft – 135 units,
- helicopters – 131 units,
- automotive equipment – 1201 units,
- ships / boats – 7 units,
- fuel tanks – 75,
- UAV of operational and tactical level – 83.
- Special equipment – 22.
- OTRK / TRK launchers – 4.
We believe in the Armed Forces! We continue to destroy the enemy!
The Russians themselves accidentally shot down one of their planes in Ukraine, according to British electronic intelligence. There would be more such "cases."
The United Nations Office on Human Rights confirms that the Russians used cluster munitions in populated areas at least 24 times.
Also, the Chairman of the UN Human Rights Council Federico Villegas announced the establishment of an international independent commission to investigate war crimes in Ukraine. It is due to report on its work in September 2022.
The meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba with the President of Poland Andrzej Duda will take place today.
Humanitarian corridors
The Ukrainian and Russian parties, with the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, agreed on a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of Mariupol residents. As the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk said this morning, 45 buses will be involved in the evacuation, some of them have already left for Mariupol.
In addition, as of March 31, 2 humanitarian corridors in the Zaporizhzhia region have been agreed upon:
- Melitopol – Zaporizhzhia
- Enerhodar – Zaporizhzhia
Russia has declared a ceasefire on March 31 starting from 10:00 to evacuate residents from humanitarian corridors. There is no trust in the occupiers, but we hope that today all the announced green corridors will work.
Today, March 31, 2022, there is no evacuation in the Kyiv region. There are no officially agreed-on humanitarian corridors in the region.
Ukraine's talks with Russia
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine may continue online on April 1. This was announced by Davyd Arakhamia on Ukraine 24 TV channel. According to him, Ukraine expects to develop a draft agreement in a week, which can be discussed by the presidents of the countries.
14:30 – Media reports that Erdogan has announced plans to hold talks with Zelenskyy and Putin. This week, the President of Turkey intends to raise the issue of organizing a quick meeting of the heads of Ukrainian and Russian states.
However, Putin himself believes that the conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine have not yet been created. At least that's what he told Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in a telephone conversation. This was announced by Draghi at a press conference on Thursday, the EP reports with reference to Reuters.
Nuclear objects
Russian troops begin to leave the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. This was reported by sources in the Pentagon. So far, only part of the troops has left the station.
The IAEA will send nuclear safety equipment to Ukraine. The IAEA is also organizing several missions to support the Ukrainian side: at the Zaporizhzhya NPP and the Chornobyl NPP, these will be online missions. Other stations will set up emergency teams of experts who will go to the scene in case of threat to "prevent acts of aggression, as at ZNPP."
Who's coming to Ukraine?
About financial aid, weapons, and volunteer fighters
The United States has already sent a new batch of weapons to Ukraine. U.S. Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said on the night of March 31: "Deliveries are coming to the region every day, including the last 24 hours. We have already shipped the top 50 cargo planes out of about 30 within the $800 million received by the president." Kirby stressed that the shipments include weapons that Ukrainian forces need most, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems.
Norwegian authorities sent 2,000 M72 anti-tank grenade launchers to Ukraine. This decision was made after the speech of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Norwegian Parliament.
Ukraine will be able to buy weapons from German defense companies. Preliminarily, the purchase of weapons and equipment worth €300 million has already been agreed upon. In total, about 200 items are on the list and some of them will be delivered as soon as possible.
The Spanish government has already sent ten offensive planes to Ukraine. This was stated by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles.
Assistance to refugees
Italy will give Ukrainians who have left their homes a residence permit for one year. In addition, refugees will have access to health care, the labor market, education, and some social benefits. Ukrainians will also be able to receive 300 euros for three months.
News from partners
Lithuania has included Russia and Belarus in the list of hostile countries.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland, Andrii Deshchytsia, said that Ukraine was negotiating with Poland on the possibility of completely closing the border with Belarus. According to the ambassador, the diplomatic mission is negotiating with the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure and the Polish government. The primary goal is to close the border with Belarus by 100%. However, even if this decision is not taken at the level of the European Union. Andrii Deshchytsia also stressed that diplomats from Ukraine were discussing similar issues with the Baltic states.
Germany is ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, but after the end of hostilities, said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerboсk.
And this is Denmark playing with the Netherlands. Thank you for your solidarity with the Ukrainian people!
Russian nuclear planes violated Swedish airspace. Sweden believes that this was intimidation.
What's in Russia?
Unrecognized South Ossetia will soon take legal steps to join Russia. Reunification with Russia is the country's strategic goal. This was stated by the President of South Ossetia Bibilov. Prior to that, the leader of the so-called "LPR" Leonid Pasichnyk stated the same intentions, but he was told by Russia that "now is not the time."
Self-proclaimed Abkhazia abandoned the idea of joining Russia.
Meanwhile, soldiers from South Ossetia refused to "liberate" Donbas and returned home. The information was confirmed by the former President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity. He said that "it is not necessary to condemn the military," but it is necessary to "understand the reasons for what happened." Ossetian blogger Alik Pukhayev also said that 300 servicemen refused to fight voluntarily: "Today, about 300 servicemen (mostly ethnic Ossetians) from a Russian military base returned to South Ossetia voluntarily because they thought they had been left to die during a 'special operation' in Ukraine," he wrote. And rightly so.
13:00 – Georgia reacted to South Ossetia's statement on holding a referendum on joining Russia: "Talks on a referendum in South Ossetia are unacceptable," said the Georgian Foreign Minister.
Putin "turned on the back" about paying for gas in rubles. The aggressor country will not require Europeans to pay for gas supplies in rubles. They will be able to pay in euros. This was stated by German government spokesman Steffen Seibert following a telephone conversation between Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The French Embassy in Russia will start issuing tourist visas in April. From 1 April 2022, it will be possible to apply for all types of visas to France, including tourist visas, without restrictions related to COVID-19. This was reported on the website of the Consulate General of the French Embassy in Russia. It becomes clear why Macron calls Putin every week.
In Russia, there was hysteria over the disqualification of skaters. Russian-titled Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova reacted to the International Skating Union's (ISU) decision to remove Russian figure skaters from competition because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine: "You should have a conscience. The life of an athlete is very short, and they take it away. Bandits!" Disrespectful Tarasova, your compatriots, real thugs of the Russian army, are taking the lives of Ukrainians, not figuratively, but literally. But you are unlikely to realize this, so the sanctions will continue to work.
The thief country doesn't return leased aircraft to Europe. AerCap, the world's largest aircraft leasing company, is demanding from insurers about $3.5 billion in compensation for aircraft stuck in Russia, Bloomberg reports. It is noted that the Irish company managed to return only 22 of the 135 aircraft and 3 of the 14 engines installed on Russian aircraft before the "special operation."
What about Belarus?
The occupiers are using the airport in Brest, Belarus, to shell Ukraine. The issue of the invasion of Belarusian troops into our country "went away." "The offensive from Belarus is already underway, but not the Belarusian army. Moreover, the Russians have begun to use the Brest airport, from which the shelling of our territories starts," said the adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Vadym Denisenko.
The second train in three days in Belarus derailed. It was equipped with Russian military equipment. 8 activists were detained.
And in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Armed Forces began to form a Belarusian regiment Pogonia (Chase) of Belarusian volunteers. The regiment was created on the initiative of Belarusian officers with the support of the Armed Forces to protect the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as to create a base for a new professional Belarusian army.
Russian lies
The Center for Strategic Communications explored the main narratives in Russia's Telegram channels on March 28-29. Russian fascist propagandists talk about "neo-Nazis," the sale of orphans, and discrimination against black people. The occupying country demonizes the Ukrainian army and lies about bullying the Russian military, promotes the topic of "black transplantology" and argues that poverty has already begun in Europe because of sanctions against Russia. All these are obvious throwaways and fakes.
The Kremlin's lies are very professional and convincing. According to a Levada Center poll, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian support for Putin's actions rose to 83%.
Russian fascist propagandist Simonyan and her fictional flash mob.
The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security states that Russian propaganda media have begun to disperse new lies about Ukraine. They claim our country allegedly did purposeful work to distort the historical truth and ideological preparation for the military operation against Russia. This conclusion is based on the results of an "analysis of about 300 Ukrainian textbooks and manuals" conducted by Russian educators and historians. The aggressor state pretends to be the victim, and the victim is tried to be shown as the aggressor. This is how politics is done in Putin's Russia.
Sanctions on the aggressor!
Australia imposes additional duties of 35% on all goods imported from Russia and Belarus.
Japan has included gold bars in the list of luxury items; now they're prohibited to export to Russia. This is the strengthening of sanctions in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine. In addition to ingots, it is also forbidden to export gold coins and banknotes.
Britain has expanded the list of sanctions against Russia. It includes:
– Chairman of the National Center for Defense Management of Russia Mikhail Mizintsev;
– TV presenter Sergei Brilov;
– General Director of Gazprom-Media Aleksandr Zharov;
– Russia Today media group (works under the Sputnik brand);
– RT channel.
Life considering hostilities
Ukrainian karateka Stanislav Horuna has put up for sale his bronze medal, won at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He will donate the money to support the army. "My Olympic medal is the most valuable of the more than 200 medals I have won in my 19 years of career. It symbolizes every victory won on the way to the Olympics. I want to sell it at auction and support my people in this difficult time. There's now nothing more important than Ukraine," said the athlete.
In Ukraine, a platform has been launched to seek help in all Ukrainian regions, Palyanytsya.Info. On the site, you can find help with evacuation, housing, food, medicine, including for internally displaced persons, the elderly, children. You can search both in individual cities or villages and throughout Ukraine.
- If you represent a non-governmental organization, charity, or volunteer headquarters and are ready to help, you can click Add Information and fill out the appropriate form, it will be processed within 12 hours.
- If you want to help in your city, you can click Become a Volunteer and go to the chatbot at the link.
Another useful resource is the new TacticMedAid home care application. It contains simple instructions on how to act before the arrival of doctors. The program is available to iOS and Android users and works even without the Internet.
In a couple of days, more than 120,000 entrepreneurs applied for the transition to a new tax system: 2% of turnover. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said this in his video address. He noted that in the last week Ukraine began to return to work. "Business is starting to recover after the first shock. A set of decisions in the field of tax, regulatory, customs, and credit policy has certainly contributed to this. Immediately, several of the largest plants begin to operate," said Shmyhal.
After the war, new buildings in Ukraine will be designed with a bomb shelter and a fortified underground parking lot, says Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
Trophies of the Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have converted the captured modern Russian Linza medical armored vehicle into a combat vehicle. A large-caliber machine gun was installed on the trophy equipment, which will mow down the Russian invaders.
Ukrainian defenders eliminated a group of Russian occupiers from units of the 7th Military Base. This was reported by the East Operational and Tactical Command.
According to the defenders, these are soldiers who came to fight against Ukraine from the self-proclaimed republic of Abkhazia. The enemy's armored vehicle was also destroyed.
Kyiv and region
According to British intelligence, the occupiers continue to hold positions east and west of Kyiv, despite the withdrawal of a limited number of units. The British Ministry of Defense predicts fighting on the outskirts of Kyiv in the near future.
Units of the National Guard of Ukraine continue to defend Kyiv and destroy enemy vehicles. In the Kyiv direction, artillery units destroyed two self-propelled artillery units, missile systems of volley fire, and several dozen enemy armored vehicles and vehicles.
15:30 – Russian occupation forces withdraw from Kyiv and head north. This was stated by Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby. At the same time, the capital of Ukraine is still under bombardment, airstrikes, and artillery shelling by the occupiers. According to Kirby, the threat to the city still exists.
At the same time, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels that "Russia is, in fact, trying to regroup, replenish supplies and step up the offensive in Donbas," NATO Secretary-General was quoted.
Today in Kyiv, the head of the military administration signed an order to establish a commandant's office. More details here.
Donetsk and Luhansk regions
President Zelenskyy created eight new military administrations in Donbas in Avdiivka, Vuhledar, Maryinka, Ocheretyne, Svitlodar, Sloviansk, Toretsk, and Druzhkivka.
On the night of March 30-31, Russian occupation forces fired phosphorous shells at Maryinka, Krasnohorivka, and Novomykhailivka. Eleven people were injured, including four children.
On the evening of March 30, an oil depot came under fire in Lysychansk, Luhansk Region. The photo of the fire was published by the head of the regional military administration Serhii Haidai. There is no information about the victims and the amount of damage.
In Mariupol, the Azov Regiment destroyed three enemy tanks and more than 64 infantry on Wednesday. Among the destroyed occupiers were special forces of the GRU of Russia.
As a result of the battle with the units of the Joint Forces Operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the headquarters of the Kadyrovites was destroyed.
In Mariupol, the head of one of the police stations, Lieutenant Colonel Valentyn Popov sided with the Russian occupiers and is already standing at their checkpoint. This was announced by Deputy Chief of the National police Viacheslav Abroskin. He also warned everyone who helps Mariupol residents to get out of the environs to take into account the presence of a traitor at the occupiers' checkpoints.
13:00 – In Severodonetsk, the house was destroyed by Russians, one person was killed, two were rescued. Also, at the moment rescuers are extinguishing a fire in a warehouse of 200 square meters in Severodonetsk.
Dnipropetrovsk region
During a special operation, the SBU neutralized an organized crime group, which attacked one of the leaders of the local Territorial Defense. He prevented the illegal transportation of weapons through the checkpoint.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, there was a missile strike on a military unit, said Governor Valentyn Reznichenko. Two people were killed and five were injured. The administrative building and the fuel depot were destroyed.
Zhytomyr region
During the day on March 30 in the Zhytomyr region, Russian troops fired on the territory of three communities in the region; in two of them, residential buildings and outbuildings were damaged after the shelling.
Zaporizhzhia region
Units of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, together with other units of the Defense Forces of the Zaporizhzhia Region, liberated the villages of Zatyshshia, Malynivka, Vesele, Zelenyi Hai, and Chervone near Huliaipil from Russian occupation. This was reported by the Assault Troops command.
Kharkiv region
In the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are gradually displacing the Russian occupiers, in particular in the Derhachi and Rohan districts. The enemy continues to chaotically fire at areas with various weapons to destabilize the situation.
During more than a month of the war, the Russian occupiers destroyed about 15% of the housing stock in Kharkiv. In total, 1531 objects were destroyed in the city.
A mother and her 11-year-old son died in an airstrike in the village of Slobozhanske, Kharkiv Region. The shell of the occupiers hit a house.
At least one person was killed and three were injured in the shelling of the city council in Derhachi, Kharkiv region.
Kherson region
To implement the scenario of creating another pseudo-republic in the Kherson region, the FSB, the 652nd Information and Psychological Operations Group, and officers of the 12th Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation are conducting so-called "explanatory work" with local authorities and the population.
"Explanatory work" is often brutal. Verkhovna Rada deputy Ihor Molotok spoke about cases of torture by the occupiers of the local population, which does not want to receive their orc's "humanitarian aid." After one of the residents in the village of Radensk crushed the invaders on a tractor, the occupiers began to walk around the houses and put nails into people's hands.
Retribution to the Russian inhumanities will come. Our soldiers are gradually liberating the settlements of the Kherson region. In the last days, the Ukrainian Armed Forces established control over the villages of Orlove, Zahradivka, Kochubeivka, the Head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council Mykola Lukashuk reported.
9:00 – In Hola Prystan, people went to a peaceful rally. They are demanding that the Russians return the mayor and other kidnapped residents of the community.
14:00 – Ukrainian defenders liberated Orlovo, Zahradivka, and Kochubeivka in the north of the Kherson region. The occupiers are trying to conduct offensive operations in the direction of Oleksandrivka.
Mykolaiv region
Rescuers found more bodies under the blockages of the Mykolaiv regional state administration. This was reported in the SES. As of 07:00 on March 31, 16 people died (rescuers released 15 bodies from the rubble, 1 person died in intensive care). The missile strike of Russians on the Mykolaiv regional state administration happened on the morning of March 29.
14:30 – The number of victims as the result of the missile strike on the Mykolaiv regional state administration increased to 20 people. Search and rescue operations continue.
Odesa region
Replenishment of ammunition for Caliber cruise missiles on the Admiral Makarov frigate has been completed at the Sevastopol naval base. The probability of rocket attacks on Odesa, the Odesa region, and other regions of the state remains high, said the spokesperson of the Odesa Regional Military Administration Serhii Bratchuk.
Chernihiv region
Yesterday, near Chernihiv, Putin's freaks fired on a column of volunteers on five buses. Volunteers broke into the occupied territories to evacuate people. Among the volunteers, one was killed and four were seriously injured. Fortunately, one car managed to escape from the shelling. The driver was injured, he is also in hospital.
The Ukrainian military fought out the Russian occupiers from the village of Sloboda in the Chernihiv region. Victory will come! Glory to the Armed Forces!
Western Ukraine
In the Rivne region, the State Security Service exposed an agent of the Russian special services who was gathering intelligence, including the location of units of the Armed Forces.
