Russia-Ukraine War: Key Events – Day 1,284
Here’s a summary of key events in the Russia-Ukraine war as of March 16, 2024, based on recent reports:
Military Situation
Fighting remains intense in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces are reportedly focused on stabilizing the front line in the Donetsk region and preventing further Russian advances into the Dnipropetrovsk region. Reports indicate that Kyiv’s troops have encircled Russian units in one specific area.
Ukraine’s military has claimed responsibility for attacks within russia, stating that overnight on Saturday, they struck oil refineries in Krasnodar and Syzran, resulting in fires at both facilities.
russian infrastructure has also been impacted.Ukrainian shelling reportedly left over 17,000 people without power in the border town of Rylsk, in Russia’s Kursk region, according to Russia’s TASS state news agency.
Kursk’s Acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein stated that 201 bodies have been found in the region since January 1, following Ukraine’s incursions into the Kursk region, and 590 people remain missing.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence claims to have intercepted a notable number of Ukrainian aerial attacks, reporting the downing of 233 Ukrainian drones, one guided bomb, and four missiles within a 24-hour period, as reported by TASS.
Politics and Diplomacy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the Kremlin of prioritizing attacks over preparations for a potential peace summit. He stated that “the time meant for preparing a leaders’-level [peace] meeting [was] used to organize new massive attacks” and called for increased international sanctions against Moscow and its supporters.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Zelenskyy, reaffirming India’s support for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. According to a statement from New Delhi,”India extends full support to all efforts” aimed at restoring peace and stability.
The European Union is considering utilizing frozen Russian assets – valued at 210 billion euros ($245.85bn) – to fund Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction. EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, acknowledged that immediate confiscation is not currently politically feasible. This discussion follows calls from some EU members (Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland) for immediate asset seizure, which have been resisted by larger economies like france and Germany, and Belgium, which holds the majority of the assets.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned Russia’s continued attacks, stating that recent diplomatic efforts had been “answered with an even more aggressive approach by this regime in Moscow against the population in Ukraine.” He added, “This will also not stop until we ensure together that Russia, at least for economic reasons, and perhaps also for military reasons … can no longer continue this war.”
United States President Donald Trump outlined his approach to the conflict, stating, “We’re not spending any money in the war,” contrasting this with the “hundreds of billions of dollars” previously allocated by the US. He also affirmed that the US will not deploy ground troops to Ukraine and now sells military equipment to NATO allies, who then pay for it.
Weapons & Aid
Ukraine’s Defence minister Denys Shmyhal announced US State Department approval for the sale of Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, estimated at $179.1 million, alongside satellite communications services valued at $150 million.
