Russian invasion of Ukraine: tanks and rocket attacks on the cities. Breaking news

Slavutych territory defence has repelled the first Russian attempted offensive on the town and is heroically holding its ground - Oleksiy Arestovych, the advisor to the head of the Presidential Office.

Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic have prepared a 10-point plan to support Ukraine and end the war.

„This morning mortar calculation of the Azov Regiment destroyed 2 BMDs of Russian occupants by sniper shots. It should be stated that soldiers of Azov Regiment exterminate enemies without the destruction of civil infrastructure despite the fact that Russians hide away among residential buildings”, – Azov Regiment.

Soldiers of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade killed three soldiers of the National Guard of Russia and took trophy weapon and equopment.

As a result of the combat three soldiers of the National Guard of Russia were killed. They served in the 94th Brigade Regiment located in Hudermes city and in the 96th Brigade Regiment located in Urus-Martan city of the Chechen Republik.

Soldiers of the 128th Brigade also took trophies – unharmed BTR-80 and weapons (Kalashnikov machine guns, Kalashnikov assault rifle, Dragunov sniper rifle (SVD) with ammunition.

Yesterday, March 24, Ukrainian military killed another General of Russian occupants. This time Lieutenant General Jakov Rjazantsev was liquidated, – Oleksiy Arestovych, the Advisor of the Office of the President.

Bucha and Irpin were awarded with Hero City status, - Kyiv RSA.

Ihor Kolykhaev, the mayor of Kherson, states that a part of City Council deputies have left the city before occupation. The employees of the Prosecutor's Office, the National Police and the SSU allegedly were already not there on February 24.

It is forbidden to visit the woods in Luhansk region during the time of martial law, - the RSA.

„For over a month already Russian occupants are trying to complete the plan of the occupation of Ukraine in three days“, – Oleksij Reznikov, the Minister of Defence.

„Putin's soldier admits that invaders simply flee under constant fire of our protectors. Short time ago occupants even left their commanders, than searched for them but those [commanders] “were likely captured or killed”. He than tells about Praporshchik who's “gone bonkers” so they had to disarm him”, - the SSU publishes intercepted telephone conversations of occupants.

The Ministry of Infrastructure sent an official request to European Commission with offers to fully block land and sea transport connections with Russia and Belarus.

240 citizens were evacuated from Lysychansk, 77 – from Kreminna. As of March 26 a possibility to provide “humanitarian corridor” for Rubizhne, Lysychansk, Severodonetsk, Hirske, Popasna, Nyzhne is being decided. – Luhansk RSA states.

Situation in Kyiv region according to regional state administration:

- The military continues defensive operations in Kyiv Region.

- In the past 24 hours, the enemy has not succeeded in either direction.

- Sabotage groups are being combated.

- The defence forces have been able to improve their positions in some directions.

- The fiercest points are Bucha, Irpen, Gostomel, Makarov, and the villages of Nemeshayivska community.

- Constant mortar and artillery fire.

- In the Vyshgorod district, the enemy is close to Slavutich - the enemy troops are 1.5 km from the city.

- In Fastiv district, a rocket attack resulted in a fire.

- The occupiers resort to looting.

- More than 30 shelling of residential areas and social infrastructure by Russian troops has been recorded over the past 24 hours. Buchanskyi, Brovarskyi, Vyshgorod and Fastivskyi districts suffered the greatest destruction as a result of the shelling.

- The radiation situation in Kyiv Region is stable.

As snipers are operating in Slavutych, the city council prohibits moving around the city.

Mariupol today:

Summary of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff as of 12:00 on 25 March:

- The enemy failed to achieve the main objectives of the large-scale war - the blockade of Kyiv and access to the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The enemy partially succeeded in creating a land corridor between the temporarily occupied Crimea and part of the Donetsk region.

- The occupiers, in an attempt to make up for losses, are forming and sending troops to Belarus from remote regions - particularly Ulan-Ude and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

- The enemy has not been active in the Volyn area. The likelihood of the involvement of Belarusian armed forces in aggression against Ukraine is assessed as high.

- The enemy has not carried out any offensive actions in the Polesie area. It concentrates its efforts on shelling Ukrainian Armed Forces' positions in the areas of Novaya Buda, Nalyvaikovka, and Ozershchyna. It moves its units, provides logistical support, and tries to consolidate its position. A rear area (field camp) of the Eastern Military District troops is deployed near Chernobyl.

- In the Seversk direction, the occupation troops continue to hold the previously seized lines, attempt to build up their groups and blockade Chernihiv. The shelling of the city's infrastructure continues. Aerial reconnaissance using drones continues. In order to reduce civilian resistance, the enemy distributed leaflets.

- Advance towards Brovary failed, the occupants were immediately halted, went on the defensive and attempted to consolidate their positions.

- In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy is trying to hold positions at the outskirts of Sumy and Kharkiv, recovering losses in equipment and manpower. It does not stop using aircraft and artillery to destroy residential areas of the cities.

- Near Izyum, the enemy attempted to break through our troops' defenses from the south, near Kamyanka, which was stopped near Tikhotsky. Destruction of the enemy that had infiltrated is underway.

- In the Donetsk direction the enemy continues to recover its losses, regrouping its units with simultaneous use of artillery and aviation fire on the infrastructure of peaceful towns. It does not abandon its plan to reach the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

- On the Tavrian direction, preparations for the establishment of the occupying authorities are continuing in the temporarily occupied territories, in particular by Rosgvardia units. Measures have been taken to isolate the Kherson railway station.

- The enemy is building up its fleet of ships in the Sea of Azov. A small minesweeper Valentin Pikul, a Naberezhnye Chelny missile boat and two amphibious boats have been mentioned passing through the Kerch Strait to the north.

The staggering 83% of citizens of Ukraine believe that Ukrainian should remain the only official language in the country. The Russian-speaking segment of Ukrainians is shrinking: from 40% in 2012 to 26% in 2021 and 18% at the beginning of the war.

Ukraine's Mykhailo Podolyak, the Advisor to the Head of the President Administration: "Dmitriy Medvedev publicly admitted that the decision about this uneasy special operation (war) was taken solely by the president of Russia. The ruling elite is trying to distance itself from the president because it understands the consequences. It's a notable symptom."

The cyber police in Zaporizhzhya have exposed a woman in a fraud disguised as selling military ammunition. A 24-year-old resident of Petrivske village deceived more than 20 citizens wishing to buy ammunition for the Ukrainian military. The woman posted advertisements on social networks for the sale of gloves, kneepads and unloading waistcoats.

She received an advance payment from customers in the amount of 200-800 UAH and blocked communication with them.

Rescuers of Luhansk Region's State Emergency Service continue to clear rubble and extinguish fires caused by shelling in Rubizhne, Severodonetsk, Pryvillya, Shchedrishcheve, Lysychansk and Novotoshkivka. In the past 24 hours, emergency workers extinguished more than 30 fires in residential buildings, private houses and other facilities in the region and saved 18 people.

In the morning of 25 March, the occupants fired artillery and Grads at a polyclinic in Kharkiv's Osnovyanskyy district where humanitarian aid was being distributed. Seven people were injured, of whom four died - Kharkiv regional state administration.

Azov Regiment: During the night, fighters of the Azov Regiment destroyed five trucks, two BMDs, and one enemy airborne combat vehicle damaged. More than two dozen occupiers were destroyed. The city defenders continue to fight for Mariupol!

Operational Command North: "The resistance forces of Sivershchina are working tirelessly to defeat the brazen enemy as quickly as possible. Their armoured vehicles turned out to be not so armoured either. Another column of occupiers has fallen on Chernihiv land".

Rescue equipment, trucks with fire-fighting equipment, protective clothing, personal protective equipment and a fire-fighting robot have been delivered to the SES units by international partners to eliminate the consequences of Russian shelling and effectively perform their assigned tasks.

Anatolij Sharij was found in Spain, Telebachennja Toronto informs. Activists visited him for a talk

Novotroitske, Kherson region. Ukrainians go out to protest against the occupants.

Since the beginning of the war, Security Service of Ukraine neutralized more than 20 enemy diversion groups and arrested more than 350 members of such groups.

In Kyiv, there was neutralized an armed diversion group that claimed to be a Territorial Defense unit. More than 10 Russian agents were uncovered in the Luhansk region. Also, SSU forces arrested Russian agents who were collecting intelligence data on Ukrainian UAVs.

Apart from that, the Ukrainian intelligence neutralized enemy attempts to "federalize" Zaporizhzhia. It blocked 89 YouTube channels owned by the Russian media and propagandists, as well as thousands of social media accounts aimed to collect data about the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Also, enemy attempts to bring militants from the Middle East to Ukraine were undermined.

Destroying enemy equipment hidden in the woods.

This morning occupants fired on city hospital in Osnovjanisckij district of Kharkiv where the issue center of humanitarian help is located, the police of Kharkiv region informs.

No military object is located anywhere near. In the result of shelling 7 civilians were injured, 4 of them died.

RF military experiences financial problems, The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine informs.

Available February funds limits of military units in temporarily occupied Crimea are completely drained after the payment of „business leaves” to those participating in the war against Ukraine. There is no funding for any payments for March.

Similar situation might be seen in payments for Russian PMC mercenaries' participation in the war. Cases of refusal to enter Ukraine territories among them [mercenaries] become more frequent. The reason being the non-fulfillment of the terms of concluded contracts. Militants do not receive neither payments for participation in war actions, nor compensations for injuries and promised “social guarantees”.

State of affairs in the regions as to the morning of March 25:

Kyiv region. Fighting continues in Bucha district. Hottest points being Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, Makariv, villages of Nemishaiv community. In Vzshhorod district the enemy came close to Slavutych, the city is isolated. Successful defense operation was performed in Brovary district.

Donetsk region. Mariinka, Avdiivka have been under fire for the whole night and morning. Civilians are injured.

Mykolaiv region. Two missiles were shot down above Mykolaiv this night.

Kherson region. Powerful explosions detected at night within the regional center and near Mykolaiv region. Occupants dig trenches and fire the AFU locations placed in Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions.

Updated data from the General Staff of the AFU on enemy losses since the beginning of the war.

About 300 people could have died in the result of Russian aircraft shelling in Mariupol Drama Theater, the Mariupol City Council informs referring eyewitnesses present at the time of blow.

This is how the ruined by missiles strikes building of the economics faculty of Kharkiv National University of Karazin looks like today. Photos by Anton Geraschenko.

Recent assessment of the situation by British intelligence:

At night the occupiers shelled Zhytomyr, the Head of the city Sergiy Suhomlyn informed. Syhomlyn did not specify what exactly was shelled and if there were victims.

The Head of Kharkiv SRA Oleg Synjegubov on the situation in the region: during last 24 hours there were 55 strikes from the Russian occupiers, high activity of “GRADs” was noticed, of “URAGAN” about 240 times. In the evening the enemy stoke twice the terminal of Kharkiv airport by MLRS.

Dergachi suffered from the occupiers: civil infrastructure, communications, hospital, there are victims.

Our defenders destroyed a Russian group from the 59th tank regiment of Western military district that have been acting in Kharkiv direction, 2 enemy’s aircrafts and a missile have been hit.

The Head of Tsyrkunivsjka regional territory community Mykola Sikalenko, who was kidnapped from his own home, remain in captivity.

Video of the enemy’s armed vehicle destruction by antitank forces of AFU and the Territorial Defense.

One more video with fighters from the international legion. According to the man in the video, there are several injured ones, still there is the rest everything to make this day great: the USA stripe at the shoulder, bullets, burning building, missiles.

The Head of the Ministry of Reintegration Iryna Vereschuk – two humanitarian corridors have been agreed for today:

• From Melitopol to Zaporizhzhia
• From Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia

Evacuation by buses for Mariupol citizens is planned from Berdiansk, there are already 48 buses at the city entrance already. There is also a fuel truck blocked at the entrance of Berdiansjk. When it is allowed to the city, Mariupol citizens would be able to refuel their private vehicle and exit.

The situation on Chernihiv according to the Head of Chernihivsjka SRA Viacheslav Chaus: the footbridge, that has been under artillery strikes of the enemy, is in the emergency condition, and it is closed for movement, both by feet and by cars. At the same time, Chaus assured there was a certain plan which is under implementation now.

At night the Russians launched missiles strikes on the military base near Dnipro twice, Head of Dnipropetrovska SRA Valentyn Reznichenko writes. Serous damages have been made. Rescuers are disassembling the blockages and searching for people.

CNN published new satellite pictures of destructions in Izum Kharkiv region.

The United Nation General Assembly adopted a resolution “Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine”, it is informed at the United Nations website.

The resolution contains the demand for Russia immediately to stop military actions in Ukraine, attacks to civilians and civil infrastructure objects, provide corridors for peaceful citizens, as well as humanitarian access to those requiring help.

Japan has frozen assets of 25 Russian officials, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Ermak writes.

Personal sanctions have been applied to: General Director “Severstalj” Oleksiy Mordashov, shareholder of “Russia” Bank Mykola Shamalov, Head of “VEB.RF” Igor Shuvalov and members of their families, relatives of Dmitriy Peskov, Sergiy Kyrienko, Mykola Patrushev, and Boris Rotenberg.
Besides, Japane has introduced a prohibition to export for 81 russian federation organizations and a prohibition to export luxuries to Russia.

According to preliminary data, since the beginning of russian federation’s break in to Ukraine, 135 children have died, 184 children have been injured, Lyudmyla Denysova writes, the Authorized by Verhovna Rada in human rights. Actual number of killed and injured children it is impossible to study due to active fighting.

Today morning the humanitarian convoy, that the occupiers did not allow to the city yesterday evening, have reached Melitopol, the mayor of the city informed. People will receive medicine, food, individual hygiene, and other help. The buses will be able to take and deliver about 350 Melitopol citizens to Zaporizhzhia on their way back.

In the evening March 24, in Kalynivka village of Fastiv district, because of shelling there was a hit into the oil deport with further ignition, State Emergency Service of Ukraine writes. As of 6:00 a.m. oil products residuals were still in fire. There is no danger of the fire spreading outside the oil deport.

American volunteers on the background of a burning tank of the occupiers:

The share of the used by Russia against Ukraine high precision missile systems failure is very high, it is up to 60% for some models – Reuters. Such failures can be anything – from a failed launch up to a hit without detonation.