Newsletter 29/03/2024
Daily news digest
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Massive attack: Ukraine’s air defenses destroy 58 Shahed UAVs, 26 missiles overnight
On the night of March 29, the Russians launched a powerful missile and air strike on the facilities of the fuel and energy sector of Ukraine, using various types of missiles and combat UAVs – a total of 99 means of air attack
Shmyhal: Energy infrastructure damaged in six regions following night attack
On the night of March 29, the Russian missile attack damaged the energy infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Cherkasy, and Chernivtsi regions.
Russians send tank battalion to Crimea - partisans
Russian invaders have sent a tank battalion to the temporarily occupied city of Yevpatoria to strengthen their Crimean group.
Russian warplanes drop two FAB bombs over Belgorod region - media
Russian warplanes have accidentally dropped two aerial bombs over Russia's Belgorod region, including a FAB-250 and a FAB-500. Residents of one village had to be evacuated.
Bodies of 121 fallen defenders returned to Ukraine
Ukraine managed to repatriate 12 bodies of defenders who fought in the Luhansk direction, another 107 – in the Donetsk direction, and two – in the Zaporizhzhia direction.
Danilov will become new Ukraine’s ambassador to Moldova – President
President Volodymyr Zelensky has approved the candidacy of former Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov as Ukraine's ambassador to Moldova.
War
Russians attack three DTEK TPPs, injuring power engineer
On the night and morning of March 29, Russians attacked three DTEK thermal power plants (TPPs), damaging equipment and injuring a power engineer.
IAEA experts record sounds of outgoing artillery fire at ZNPP
"At the ZNPP, Europe's largest nuclear power plant (NPP), the IAEA experts stationed at the site have continued to hear explosions every day over the past week, at different distances from the plant. Several times, the sounds appeared to come from near the site, presumably from outgoing artillery fire, the experts said," - said IAEA Director General Mariano Grossi.
Politics
Kremlin tying West to terrorist attacks to generate domestic support for war in Ukraine – ISW
Russian officials are tying the US and the West to a broader set of “terrorist” attacks against Russia following the Crocus City Hall attack, likely to intensify rhetoric about alleged Western and Ukrainian threats to generate greater domestic support for the war in Ukraine.
Moscow no longer hiding military cooperation with N. Korea at USNC - Kuleba
Russia's veto of the draft resolution of the UN Security Council on extending the mandate of the expert panel monitoring sanctions against North Korea is in fact a guilty plea by Moscow confirming military cooperation with Pyongyang.
Ukraine, India’s top diplomats agree to restore cooperation to pre-war level
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and India, Dmytro Kuleba and Subramanyam Jaishankar, held a review meeting of the intergovernmental commission and agreed to restore the level of cooperation that had existed before Russia unleashed a full-scale war against Ukraine.
Defense
Coalition of armored vehicles for Ukraine includes 15 countries
Poland initiated the creation of a so-called coalition of armored vehicles to support Ukraine in January of this year and it currently consists of 15 countries, including Ukraine.
British company developing EW-resistant drones for Ukrainian Armed Forces
The British company Evolve Dynamics has already supplied about 100 Sky Mantis reconnaissance drones to Ukraine and is working on technology that could help keep drones in the sky even after Russia tries to jam them electronically.
Economy
Ukraine receives $1.5 B loan from Japan, UK through World Bank mechanism
Ukraine has received a $1.5 billion Growth Foundations Development Policy Loan (DPL) from Japan and the United Kingdom through the World Bank mechanism.
Frozen Russian assets worth $300B: Ukraine’s reconstruction costs much higher
Following an updated Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA3), which was conducted in cooperation with the World Bank, the total cost of Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery reached $486.2 billion at the end of 2023.
Interview
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces:
Oleksandr Syrskyi was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces under a Ukrainian presidential decree in February 2024. This appointment, as well as subsequent changes in the country's military leadership, the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Avdiivka, a lasting offensive by Russian invaders and Ukraine's transition to strategic defense became a matter of close attention, and not only in Ukraine. Western allies and partners started expressing alarming thoughts that Ukraine is losing ground and capabilities to continue the fight against the enemy. The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, told Ukrinform how justified such assessments are, what the real battlefield situation is, and what a new strategy of the Ukrainian forces means.
Video
How two girls saved three dozen horses from war
Galina and Ksenia save horses from war in their spare time. They have already installed three dozen horses on their ranch. Among them is 19-year-old Buran, who spent a year under occupation in the Kharkiv region. He was brought to the ranch emaciated and frightened. And now he happily goes to people and already takes food from their hands. More about its history and the social ranch for horses - in the story of Ukrinform.
Ranch owners say: horses, like people, suffer from war - both physically and psychologically. But unlike us, they cannot take care of themselves. They desperately need human contact. Therefore, everyone is invited to the ranch to help take care of the horses.