Embassy of Ukraine in the USA
WAR BULLETIN
March 29, 7.00 p.m. EST
Russian missiles hit Mykolaiv, as a result the building of the regional administration was destroyed, 7 people were killed and 22 were wounded.
President V.Zelenskyy: Signals from the negotiations can be called positive, but they do not silence the explosion of Russian shells.
Minister D.Kuleba: I welcome the decision of G7 to reject Russia's demands to pay for Russian gas in rubles.
Introduction of the Russian ruble in the temporarily occupied territories is a blatant violation of the international conventions.
WAR ROOM
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Russia continues to conduct full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine. It carries out the withdrawal of individual units from the territory of Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, as well as regrouping to focus on the Slobozhansky and Donetsk areas.
The Russian enemy did not conduct active offensive operations in the Polissya direction. It attempted to fire on units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Romanivka, Gorenko, Lychanka, Petrushka, Shpytky, Moshchun, Nova Buda, Maidanivka, Lyubovychi, Zabuyannia, and Nalyvaykivka. It carries out regrouping of troops and their partial withdrawal to the territory of the republic of Belarus.
In the Siversky direction, the situation remains unchanged. The Russian enemy continues to blockade Chernihiv, inflicting fire on civilian and military targets. In the direction of Brovary it is trying to keep the previously occupied positions and prevent further advance of Ukrainian troops.
In the Slobozhansky direction, the Russian enemy continued to blockade Kharkiv, diverted some units of the 1st tank Army from the Sumy region outside Ukraine, and continued to regroup troops in order to transfer them to other directions. It strengthened the offensive capabilities of the group of separate units of the 20th All-Military Army of the Western Military District in the direction of Slovyansk.
In the South Bug direction, the enemy is taking measures to restore combat capability and replenish supplies. It is trying to prepare units for the resumption of offensive operations.
In the Black Sea and Azov operational zones, the Russian enemy's naval group continues to carry out tasks to monitor the situation, conduct reconnaissance and isolate the area of hostilities.
On the territory of the Russian federation, in the area of the settlement of Boguchar, the russia is taking measures to remove from long-term storage of military and special equipment. More than 40 percent of this equipment is out of order.
The Russian federation and its numerous agencies in international organizations deny the transportation and accumulation of large quantities of ammunition by Russian troops in the immediate vicinity of the Chornobyl Shelter. The activities of the Russian occupation forces at any time could lead to the detonation of ammunition and damage to the Chornobyl Shelter.
The tasks of reaching the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, encircling the city of Kyiv and establishing control over the left-bank part of Ukraine remain unfulfilled by the enemy.
Withdrawal of units of the Armed Forces of the Russian federation from the territory of Kyiv and Chernihiv oblasts continues.
According to some indications, the Russian enemy is regrouping units to focus its main efforts on the East. At the same time, the so-called "withdrawal of troops" is probably a rotation of individual units and aims to mislead the military leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and create a misconception about the occupiers' refusal to plan to encircle the city of Kyiv.
There are no significant changes in the composition and position of the Russian enemy's troops in the Volyn, Polissya, and Siversky areas. The Russian occupiers are trying to keep the previously occupied borders; they are not carrying out active offensive operations in these areas.
In the direction of Slovyansk, the enemy continues to hold positions in the area of the settlements of Kamyanka, Sukha Kamyanka? implement measures to supply Russian troops, regroup units and replenish supplies continued.
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy continues to fire and storm. It carried out air and missile strikes in the areas of Kreminna and Mariupol. Its main efforts were focused on taking control of the settlements of Popasna, Rubizhne, as well as the complete capture of Mariupol, which was not successful.
In the South Buh direction, the Russian enemy is taking measures to restore the combat capability of its units. It does artillery fire and airstrikes, trying to restrain the actions of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Russian enemy carried out artillery shelling of the positions of the units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine near the settlements of Stepnohirsk, Orikhove, and Huliaipole.
In the areas of Novokarlivka and Luhivske settlements, the enemy continues to carry out fortification equipment of occupied positions and install minefields.
There are without significant changes in the Black Sea and Azov operational zones.
Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine
The Russian Armed Forces personnel launched a missile attack on the town of Liubotyn, Kharkiv Region. As a result, seven houses and a car were damaged. A man was found dead under the rubble of one of the houses. Seven people were injured.
The Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on the territory of an oil depot in the Rivne region. As a result, fuel tanks at the oil depot were destroyed and a fire broke out. These actions have the potential to cause irreparable environmental damage.
Airstrikes on the homes of civilians in the settlement of Malina.
On March 29, 2022 the armed forces of the Russian Federation carried out a missile strike on the administrative building of the Mykolaiv regional state administration.
Russian military men kidnapped the Head of the education department of the Melitopol City Council. According to preliminary data, the reason for the abduction was the refusal of the heads of schools and kindergartens in the Melitopol district to cooperate with the occupying authorities and start the educational process under the Russian program.
Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights
At the time of negotiations for a possible peace, which took place in Turkey, the aggressor's troops continued to shell peaceful cities and towns of Ukraine.
Mortar shelling in Chernihiv. Russians fired from a distance of more than 5 km to the administrative borders of the city.
In the Luhansk region, the city of Severodonetsk is under "carpet" bombing. The city has no electricity, there is no water and light.
A missile strike was carried out in the Zhytomyr region.
Russians are conducting total searches of houses in the suburbs of Kherson.
On Tuesday morning, armed groups of the Russian military began searching households in the village of Komyshany in the Shumen district of Kherson.
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
On March 29 around 08:45 Russian troops bombed regional state administration in Mykolaiv. As a result, the central section of the building was destroyed.
As of 1:30 p.m., 7 people were killed and 22 were injured. Units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine rescued and released 18 people from the rubble. Search and rescue operations continue.
Luhansk region is once again under Russian missile fire: residents of the cities of Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Rubizhne, Popasna, Kreminna, Zolote and Nyzhne are suffering from heavy shelling.
In Sirotyn, Severodonetsk district, firewood caught fire in a forest area of more than 100 square meters as a result of the shelling. Fire and rescue units of the State Emergency Service of Luhansk region continue to extinguish fires in all cities. The shelling continues.
A fire caused by a missile strike is being extinguished at the Rivne oil depot. 67 firefighters and 17 units of equipment, as well as 2 fire trains are working to eliminate the fire.
https://www.facebook.com/mvs.gov.ua
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine
As of March 29, three humanitarian corridors have been agreed:
- from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia - by own car;
- from Melitopol to Zaporizhzhia;
- from the city of Energodar to Zaporizhzhia.
Ministry of Health of Ukraine
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, three field hospitals have been deployed in Ukraine. These hospitals are expanding the capacity of the treatment network.
State Guard Service
As of March 29, over 54 thousand people and nearly 12 thousand vehicles crossed the state border of Ukraine with the EU and the Republic of Moldova. In comparison to the previous day, passenger traffic at the western border has decreased.
In the last 24 hours, over 33 thousand people left Ukraine. Over 21 thousand of them crossed the Ukrainian-Polish border. We recommend that you consider crossing the border to the EU at less busy crossing points with Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and the Republic of Moldova.
In the last 24 hours, over 21 thousand people arrived in Ukraine, over 18 thousand of whom are Ukrainians. The majority of them are men who are ready to defend our Homeland, weapon in hand. We are grateful to our compatriots! Overall, since the beginning of the overt armed aggression, nearly 479 thousand of our countrymen have returned to Ukraine.
https://www.facebook.com/DPSUkraine/posts/306602258245318
POLICY
President of Ukraine
Signals from the negotiations can be called positive, but they do not silence the explosion of Russian shells - address by the President of Ukraine
The 34th day of the full-scale invasion of Russia and our full-scale defense is coming to an end. Successful defense.
I'm sure you saw the news today that the Russian military command allegedly decided to "reduce hostilities in the directions of Kyiv and Chernihiv."
Well, the same can be said about Chornobaivka - as if the Russian aviation simply decided to fly less, and the Russian military vehicles - to drive less. I am grateful to all our defenders, to all those who ensure the defense of Kyiv. It is their brave and effective actions that force the enemy to retreat in this direction.
However, we should not lose vigilance. The situation has not become easier. The scale of the challenges has not diminished. The Russian army still has significant potential to continue attacks against our state. They still have a lot of equipment and enough people completely deprived of rights whom they can send to the cauldron of war.
Therefore, we stay alert and do not reduce our defense efforts. Both in the north of our state and in all other regions of Ukraine, where Russian troops have temporarily entered. The defense of Ukraine is the number one task now, and everything else is derived from it.
It is on this basis that I consider the messages on the negotiation process, which is underway at various levels with representatives of the Russian Federation.
The enemy is still in our territory. The shelling of our cities continues. Mariupol is blocked. Missile and air strikes do not stop. This is the reality. These are the facts.
That is why the Armed Forces of Ukraine, our intelligence and all those who have joined the defense of the state are the only guarantee of our survival today. As a nation. As a state. The guarantee that works.
Yes, we can call positive the signals we hear from the negotiating platform. But these signals do not silence the explosion of Russian shells.
Of course, we see all the risks. Of course, we see no reason to trust the words of certain representatives of a state that continues to fight for our destruction. Ukrainians are not naive people. Ukrainians have already learned during these 34 days of invasion and over the past eight years of the war in Donbas that only a concrete result can be trusted. The facts - if they change on our land.
Of course, Ukraine is willing to negotiate and will continue the negotiation process. To the extent that really depends on us. We expect to get the result. There must be real security for us, for our state, for sovereignty, for our people. Russian troops must leave the occupied territories. Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be guaranteed. There can be no compromise on sovereignty and our territorial integrity. And there will not be any.
These are clear principles. This is a clear vision of the possible outcome. And to those on social networks who perceive words as if they are facts already, I want to remind one thing: we live in a democratic state and fight for our freedom. For freedom for our people.
Therefore, any decisions that are important for all our people must be made not by one person or a group of people with any political views, but by all our people. The wise people of Ukraine.
And certain countries should not even expect that certain negotiations will facilitate the lifting of sanctions against the Russian Federation. The question of sanctions cannot even be raised until the war is over, until we get back what’s ours and until we restore justice.
On the contrary, sanctions must be strengthened. Intensified weekly. And they must be effective. Not just for headlines in the media that sanctions have been imposed, but for real peace. Real.
And to ensure this, a team of Ukrainian and international experts has already begun work to assess the effectiveness of the sanctions imposed on Russia. On the Ukrainian side, this area is coordinated by Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak, and on the international side by Michael McFaul.
During the day the rescue operation was ongoing in Mykolaiv. The debris of the building of the regional administration destroyed by Russian missile strikes was dismantled. As of now, 8 people have been reported killed and 30 wounded. It is likely that these are not final figures.
The Russian troops hit Mykolaiv very insidiously. At a time when people came to their workplaces in the morning. Thank God, most of those in the building managed to evacuate when they heard an air alarm.
This one more act of the Russian so-called denazification of Mykolaiv took place in the morning after the anniversary of liberation of the city from Nazi invaders. Mykolaiv residents remember the day of March 28, 1944. And they see who the Russian troops trying to capture their city now look like.
I spoke about Mykolaiv today in my address to the Danish Parliament and the Danish people. I invited the society of this country to take part in the reconstruction of the city and the region after the war. In the framework of our program of Ukraine's reconstruction, we involve partner states, leading companies and the best specialists in order to guarantee the speed and quality of the reconstruction of our state. As I was told, this proposal was very positively received in Denmark.
There is also important news from our government officials. As of today, the new functionality of our "Diia" state service will be available. As I promised, the state will compensate for the loss of a house or apartment as a result of hostilities. Every citizen of ours can already submit an application in "Diia".
Applications are already available in the mobile application. You need to update the app to see this new service. And in a week it will be available offline - in the centers of administrative services. In itself, the functionality in "Diia" is quite convenient. But all the necessary details will still be clarified by our government.
The main thing is that the state will compensate for every meter of lost real estate.
In addition, government officials today expanded the program to help those institutions that support IDPs from the areas of hostilities.
Another important decision was to allocate 426 million hryvnias to pay the miners' salaries.
Traditionally, I signed several important decrees before delivering this evening address. The first is about awarding communications service employees. I am sincerely grateful to everyone who provides the fundamental basis of our lives. Who gives us connection.
By the way, on the day of the beginning of the Russian invasion, the first missile strike in the JFO area was made against them.
12 people were awarded state awards, 4 - posthumously.
The second signed decree is on awarding 126 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 34 of them - posthumously.
We will always be grateful to each of our defenders for the defense of our state in the Ukrainian Patriotic War against Russia.
The new multilateral treaty should make any aggression against Ukraine impossible - Andriy Yermak
The new multilateral treaty should make any aggression against Ukraine impossible and become a key element of the new international security system. This was stated by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak commenting on the face-to-face round of Ukrainian-Russian talks, which took place on March 29 in Istanbul.
"We all and I personally liaise around the clock with our international partners to elaborate a quality and effective multilateral security treaty," he said.
According to the Head of the Office of the President, today the relevant work is underway together with the United States, Great Britain, China, Canada, France, Germany, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Israel. The leaders of these states have appointed specific political and security advisers. They are working with the Ukrainian party on a future document on security guarantees.
"Ukraine needs clearly and qualitatively formulated legally effective and binding international security guarantees. The horrors that the Russians have brought to the Ukrainian people must never be repeated," Andriy Yermak said.
He stressed that "Ukraine is primarily concerned about ending the war, withdrawal of Russian troops from our territory and, of course, building a new security structure."
The Head of the President's Office noted that today it is important for Russia to stop the shelling immediately and for the full-fledged humanitarian corridors to all cities where a humanitarian catastrophe already exists or is approaching to be opened as soon as possible. First of all, we are talking about Mariupol, other cities of Donbas and Chernihiv.
Andriy Yermak thanked the members of the Ukrainian delegation for their important and difficult work.
"I'm sure everyone understands how difficult it is to negotiate with representatives of Russia today," said the Head of the President's Office.
Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
The National Bank of Ukraine declares that the activities of the Russian invaders to limit the circulation of cash and cashless currency, as well as attempts to put into circulation the Russian ruble, in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia constitute a gross violation of international law.
By trying to circulate its currency there, Russia is creating additional preconditions for a humanitarian crisis in the Ukrainian territories that are, for the time being, under Russian control. The aggressor state must immediately stop all attempts to subject Ukrainians to these acts of financial terrorism.
The NBU considers unacceptable the Russian actions to limit the circulation of cash and cashless hryvnias and introduce the Russian rubble in the territories of Ukraine that have temporarily been occupied. Those areas include Zaporizhzhia region and Kherson region.
The NBU has been alerted to this “initiative” by multiple reports from banks and the media. At the same time, such actions by the Russian invaders would have been impossible without unlawful support and political will from the leadership of Russia’s Central Bank.
In this regard, the NBU reiterates that under the Constitution of Ukraine, the only currency accepted as legal tender in Ukraine is hryvnia.
The issuing and circulation in Ukraine of currencies other than the hryvnia are expressly prohibited by Ukrainian law, as is the use of money substitutes as a means of payment.
Ukraine’s banking system has the capability to provide all necessary services to the Ukrainian population, and the NBU and Ukrainian-based banks are fully capable of ensuring the circulation of hryvnia, in accordance with Ukrainian legislation, in the areas temporarily occupied by Russia.
The NBU therefore:
considers it unacceptable for anyone to promote Russia’s military aggression in this way, in particular by placing any restrictions on the circulation of Ukraine’s currency, hryvnia.
demands that the Russian central bank immediately cease all actions it has been taking to put into circulation any other means of payment in the areas of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia.
In addition, we emphasize that under Article 43 of the Regulations respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land, annexed to The Hague Convention (IV) on Laws and Customs of War on Land, dated 18 October 1907, to which Ukraine and the Russian federation are parties, the occupant “shall take all the measures in his power to restore, and ensure, as far as possible, public order and safety, while respecting, unless absolutely prevented, the laws in force in the country.”
The NBU declares that the activities of the Russian invaders to limit the circulation of cash and cashless hryvnias, as well as attempts to put into circulation the Russian rubble, in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia constitute a gross violation of international law.
By trying to circulate its currency there, Russia is creating additional preconditions for a humanitarian crisis in the Ukrainian territories that are, for the time being, under Russian control. The aggressor state must immediately stop all attempts to subject Ukrainians to these acts of financial terrorism. The NBU has called on the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to take this information into account as it prepares to file lawsuits with relevant international courts.
Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine
The Ukrainian government institutions have launched an international information campaign DO NOT sponsor murder to help businesses boycott Russian and Belarusian goods and services.
The main idea of the project is:
1. to convey to foreign business the importance of boycotting Russian and Belarusian goods and services;
2. to contribute to the rapid and large-scale decline of the aggressor countries' economies;
3. to replace Russian and Belarusian goods and services with goods and services of countries that oppose the war in Ukraine, or in support of Ukraine's economy — with Ukrainian ones.
https://business.diia.gov.ua/en/do-not-sponsor-murder