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

Director of Azovstal Enver Tskitishvili said that after the shelling by Russian occupation troops, the plant was forced to shut down completely. Employees began stopping the blast furnaces on 24 February, immediately after the invasion began. Now the environmental load has been reduced to a minimum. This is reported by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security.

"We will get back to the city, rebuild the enterprise and revive it, it will be working the same way as before and glorifying Ukraine, as it has always done," the director stressed.

He added that Azovstal was completely shut down the only time - in 1941.

Hungarian journalists called on the European Union to ban the Russian propaganda channel RTR Planeta on the territory of Europe, the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting reported. 

"On their channels they can keep talking in Russian about Russia's attack on Ukraine as a "special military operation." This propaganda channel slavishly follows Putin's narrative and shows no sensitivity to acts of war against humanity," the National Association of Hungarian Journalists (MUOSZ) said.

Australia has banned the export of alumina and aluminum ore to Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine. This was reported by The Guardian.

The sanctions will limit Russia's ability to produce aluminum, Russia's main export and a critical component of weapons and ammunition. Russia used to satisfy 20 percent of its alumina needs with Australian export.

The foreign journalists took a photo of a Ukrainian young man mourning his mother, who was mortally wounded by the Russian occupying forces in Kyiv during an airstrike on the city.

The humanitarian corridor safely evacuated 71 children from a specialized orphanage in Sumy. These are children who for various reasons do not have parents and most of them need constant medical care. The head of the Sumy Military Administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyy wrote about it on Telegram.

According to the head of the Regional State Administration, the children were hiding in bomb shelters from the airstrikes of the Russian invaders' army for almost two weeks. Now there are those who are ready to take them to another country, providing care and safety.

Ukrzaliznytsia published a list of evacuation trains for March 20.

Kyiv, Darnytskyy railway station:

8:00 - Intercity+ Darnytsia - Lviv;
17:00 - Intercity+ Darnytsia - Lviv.

Kharkiv:

8:00 - Intercity+ Kharkiv - Lviv;
11:30 - No 229/230 Kharkiv - Uzhgorod.

Dnipro:

20:00 - No 234/233 Dnipro - Chop. Kramatorsk:
13:00 - No 267/266 Kramatorsk - Lviv;
16:00 - No 269/268 Kramatorsk - Lviv.

Additional trains will also depart:

From Odesa to Uzhorod at 22:32,

From Kyiv to Chełm, at 19:13.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree awarding the title of Hero of Ukraine to 12 service members, eight of them posthumously. A total of 70 defenders have been decorated with such awards during the war. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video address.

In total, the head of state signed a decree on giving state awards of Ukraine to 161 of our defenders, 40 of them posthumously. In 24 days of the war 2180 Ukrainians "were awarded orders, medals for courage, for saving fellow military members and civilians, for effective actions in defense of our state".

The National Security and Defense Council has decided to ban the activities of a number of political parties associated with Russia during martial law. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his video address.

"Any activity of politicians aimed at splitting or collaboration will not succeed, but will receive a harsh response. Therefore, the National Security and Defense Council has decided: given the full-scale war unleashed by the Russian Federation, and the connections of some political structures with this country, suspend any activity of a number of political parties during martial law," said the president.

Such parties include:

- Opposition Platform

- For Life Shariy's party

- Nashi

- Oppoblok

- Left Opposition

- Union of Left Forces

- Derzhava Party

- Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine

- Socialist Party of Ukraine

- "Socialists" Party

- Volodymyr Saldo Block

The Ministry of Justice has been instructed to take measures to ban the activities of these parties.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address on 19 March.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's proposal to prepare a recovery plan for Ukraine is an excellent initiative that will help restore the country. The advisor to the head of the presidential office, Mykhaylo Podolyak, wrote this on Twitter.

"Mateusz Morawiecki is impeccable in his initiative to help Ukraine recover. Poland is a sincere friend of Ukraine," he wrote.

First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska has asked the World Council of Churches to become an intermediary in the organization of humanitarian corridors to save the lives of Ukrainians from the attacks of the Russian invaders. This is reported on the website of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"I appeal to you as an organization called to preach peace and brotherhood: be the voice of those suffering from the war today! Bring to the members of the World Council of Churches the importance of professing justice and peace in our land that comes from faith in God," Zelenska said.

The head of the 652nd group of information and psychological operations of the Russian troops was severely reprimanded for the failure to create a fake "Kherson People's Republic" in the Kherson region. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"The Kremlin leadership is unhappy that there is not even a conventionally demonstrative 'picture' due of the people's resistance," the report said.

Ukrainian forces have destroyed Russian assault units near Izyum, Kharkiv region. This was stated in a report of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff on 19 March.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces continues its defense operation in the Eastern, Southeastern and Northeastern directions. The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repulses concentrated missile and air strikes and air attacks of the enemy, air cover of densely populated cities, important industrial facilities of Ukraine and troops operational groups.

The situation by destination is as follows:

In the southern direction the front line of defense was restored along some borders. In this direction the enemy is forced to regroup, deploy additional reserves, take measures to restore the combat effectiveness of units.

In the Donetsk direction Russian occupation forces are conducting assaults and fire.

In the Volyn and Polissya direction the enemy did not carry out the active action, building fire control systems, engineering support and logistics in preparation for the attack on the city of Kyiv.

Offensive operations are also not underway in the Siverski and Slobozhansky directions. Enemy forces are shelling Ukrainian settlements. In the direction of IZYUM the enemy tried to break through the defenses of our troops, but was unsuccessful, the assault units of the invader were actually destroyed.

Switzerland is ready to mediate and host negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The country's president, Ignazio Cassis, said this, RFI reported. 

"I am deeply impressed, dear Volodymyr, by your willingness to resist, your readiness to go forward, your readiness and the readiness of your people to overcome this terrible crisis," he told Zelenskyy after the Ukrainian leader spoke live to Swiss citizens at a rally.

The Swiss president will visit Poland's border with Ukraine on Monday.

A girl from Japan wrote a letter in Ukrainian in support of Ukraine opposing the Russian invasion. She shared her drawing on Twitter.

Kaori clarified that it was her first time writing in Ukrainian and asked not to judge strictly.

"Ukraine! Make the world peaceful! I love Ukraine. We will do everything we can to support Ukraine. Don't die before the war is over! May the world be happy. Glory to Ukraine! Ukraine is a friend!" - the little Japanese girl wrote in the letter.

In Manhush and Melekino, which are temporarily occupied by Russian troops, Mariupol residents who had fled from constant shelling by the invaders, are starving to death. The head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said this on Telegram.

According to him, Russian troops are committing genocide of the Ukrainian people. Kyrylenko demands that the invaders observe the rules of war, provide food and water to civilians, and allow them to leave the war zone.

In Russia, mothers abandon their sons who came to Ukraine with the Russian occupying army and were captured.

Telegram channel Operative AFU posted a video of a Russian soldier calling his mother in Russia. He asks if she called the division. She states that she did not call. It is clear from the conversation that she is not going to find out anything about her son's fate.

American TV presenter and showman Bill Maher joked on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's high approval rating in the US.

"America finally has a president that everyone loves and has a support rating to the heavens. It's the president of Ukraine. But still," he said.

Russian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Igor Kalabukhov indirectly confirmed that Russia has "plans" against NATO members.

When asked why Russia is not concerned about neighbouring countries that are already members of NATO, he replied: "How do you know we have no plans against Croatia, Hungary, Poland?

Ukraine will receive air defence systems and other weapons from the USA in the next few days, National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said in a nationwide TV marathon broadcast on Ukrainian channels.

The US company KelTec is handing over 400 rifles of its own production to Ukraine.

The Belarusian Telegram channel NEXTA published a video from Homel.

"Cars with wounded occupiers in Homel. It is also reported that more than 2,500 dead bodies were taken to the Russian Federation from there," the commentary to the video states.

On 19 March, the Russian occupiers significantly reduced their presence in Ukrainian skies. Therefore, unfortunately, the air defence forces today shot down only three enemy helicopters, the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has reported.

The AFU Air Forces stressed that the Air Forces are successfully beating the occupiers with weapons from the 1980s, while the Russians are using the latest weapons against us - hypersonic missiles and aircraft that are significantly superior to ours in both numbers and combat characteristics.

The situation may change dramatically when the AFU receives modern air defence systems and fighter jets from its partners.

War. Day 24. Video digest from the AFU General Staff.

Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng told a security forum in Beijing that NATO should not expand further east and "corner" nuclear-armed Russia. He also spoke out against anti-Russian sanctions and said that Russian citizens were allegedly being deprived of foreign assets "for no reason".

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba posted on Twitter a satellite photo of the Mariupol Drama Theatre destroyed by a Russian aircraft bomb.

"These are the ruins of the Drama Theatre in Mariupol, where hundreds of civilians hid. Inhuman Russian war crime. I want to ask the multinational companies still working with Russia or in Russia: how can you keep doing business with them? How can you feed, serve and pay those who did this?" - Kuleba wrote.

Mariupol mayor's adviser Petro Andryushchenko has reported details of the forced deportation of Mariupol residents to the Russian Federation by the occupiers.

"Yesterday the Russians forcibly deported Ukrainian citizens to Russia from the largest shelter in the Terrasport sports complex. Several thousand Mariupol residents were taken to Novoazovsk by the occupiers under the guise of "evacuation". There, after filtration measures, Mariupol residents were stripped of their Ukrainian passports, transported to Taganrog and from there sent by rail to various economically depressed cities in Russia. Our people were given papers that oblige them to stay in a certain city. In fact without the right to leave it for less than 2 years with an obligation to find a job in a specified place. A complete calque of the World War II Nazi gastarbeiters," Andryushchenko wrote.

Russian occupiers shelled Mykolaiv in the evening, the city's mayor, Oleksandr Senkevych, has said.
According to him, the shelling took place "in the Dubky radius" and residential areas were damaged.

Report in the north-western direction of Kyiv.
The offensive of the Russian invaders bogged down. Now they are "fighting" with the civilian population.

Kyiv region, the occupier, realizing its inability, is simply trying to destroy the civilian population.

The enemy will be destroyed.

#Вистоїмо
#StrongTogether
#UkrainiansWillResist

The POWs of the Russian military will be involved in restoring Ukraine's economic potential or they might go to an exchange. This was announced by First Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin during a nationwide TV marathon.

He noted that Ukraine acts clearly in accordance with international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Convention, which is an integral part of Ukraine's national legislation.

6,623 people have been evacuated today through humanitarian corridors, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the presidential office.

4,128 people left Mariupol for Zaporizhzhya, including 1,172 children.

A total of 1,820 people have been evacuated from Kyiv region.

675 people have been evacuated from Luhansk region.

Appeal by Kharkiv defenders: "Houses are falling down and we are standing".

Russian army shelled the western part of Chernihiv today, Viacheslav Chaus, head of the regional state administration, reports.

As a result of the shelling, three fires broke out at infrastructure facilities: a fuel warehouse, a plastic products factory, and warehouses.

As a result of shells hitting residential buildings, there were fires at 10 addresses.

Ukrzaliznytsia has announced a schedule of additional evacuation trips on 20 March.

Ukrzaliznytsia has announced a schedule of additional evacuation trips on 20 March.

Eleven employees of the Belarusian embassy have left Ukraine.

During the past week, several thousand Mariupol residents were forcibly displaced to Russian territory, the Mariupol city council has reported.

The occupiers illegally drove people out of the Levoberezhnyy district and a shelter in the sports club building, where over a thousand people (mostly women and children) were hiding from constant bombardment. Fighting was going on in these areas.

"In order to save the lives of Mariupol residents, the AFU retreated from places of mass gathering of people, which the aggressor side took advantage of," the report said.

It is known that captured Mariupol residents were taken to filtration camps, where the occupants checked people's phones and documents. After the check, some of the Mariupol residents were transferred to remote Russian towns, while the fate of others remains unknown.

A Czech soldier joined the International Legion.
Philipp was a professional military. He knows how to kill to defend. Philipp won’t have it that Ukrainian children die as a result of bombings.

According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff, the Russian occupiers are suffering losses:
In temporarily occupied Crimea, individual Marine units have lost up to 90% of their personnel, with no reserves to replace the losses.

There have been attempts to staff companies to be sent to Ukraine with detachments from other military units. More than 20 men in these units have written up their refusal to take part in the war against Ukraine, and the "refuseniks" are being subjected to repressive measures.

In recent days, the enemy units manned through mobilization in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region have suffered significant losses in the Mykolayiv direction. Over two days of fighting, the enemy suffered more than 200 casualties, while the rest were demoralized and refused to take part in combat operations.

Refrigerated trucks with cargo "200" arrive at the Luhansk regional hospital every day. These are the bodies of soldiers of the 2nd Army Corps suffering significant losses.

20,000 soldiers from the whole world are already in. The International Legion of Ukraine to fight Russia: how to join.

Enemy intelligence came to conclusion that due to strong resistance of Ukrainians it is impossible to establish a pro-Russian government at the territories temporarily under the control of invaders, reports the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Today Ukrainian military from the Joint Forces successfully countered 10 enemy attacks, reports Joint Forces Operation in Facebook.
Ukrainian military destroyed:
- 10 amphibious infantry fighting vehicles;
- 2 multi-purpose towing vehicles;
- 8 tanks;
- 7 infantry fighting vehicles 2;
- 1 armored personnel carrier;
- 10 trucks.
Casualties amounted to 100 people.

Deputy commander of the National Guard regiment Azov commented the situation in Mariupol as of evening of March, 19.

As of this hour today irrecoverable casualties of Russian invaders reach 50 people in infantry, two tanks, two armoured personnel carriers, one multi-purpose towing vehicle and one armoured personnel carrier were left behind at the battle field. Several trucks were destroyed as well.

Video from Mariupol.

Mariupol after Pax Russica came to liberate it. You will burn in hell!

Vitaly Kim, head of the Mykolayiv regional military administration, has appealed to residents of the region to bag the bodies of dead occupiers.

"The myth is that they will turn into fertiliser and we have to spread the seeds. No, it will take a long time and the cadaveric poison will interfere with our own sowing. Dogs won't eat much, neither will wolves," said Kim.

Ukrainian Intelligence headquarters together with fighters from sabotage group from “Azov” completed a special operation next to Russian border.

Following a strategic goal, they blew up a railway bridge that invaders were intending to use for supplying their units with ammunition and food.

A KA-52 helicopter has been destroyed and another similar aircraft damaged in the Zaporizhzhya direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff has reported.

Around 60 Russian occupiers and several units of the enemy's armoured vehicles were also eliminated.

Railway connection between Ukraine and Belarus, which was used by the invaders to send military trains, is no more working, says the head of Ukrainian Railroads Board of Directors Olexander Kamyshyn.

Fighting moves away from Mykolaiv, but Russian forces are shelling at the city from the distance of 50-70 km, reports the head of Mykolaiv Oblast State Administration Vitaliy Kim in the marathon on Ukrainian channels.

Rubizhne in Luhansk oblast is under the control of Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The enemy is spreading fake news that the town is controlled by the Russian troops.

Our National Guard says hello and claims that the town is completely under the control of Ukrainian military.