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

In the Sumy Region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to destroy the occupier's 2S19 Msta-S howitzer division at night, the Ukrainian Land Forces said on their Facebook page.

As noted in the report, soldiers of the 93rd IMBr Kholodnyi Yar managed to destroy the howitzer equipment that the enemy had deployed in the area of the railway station in Trostyanets without causing serious damage to civilian infrastructure.

State Emergency Service (SES) units' reports:

• There were 1,034 raids, including 281, where the units eliminated the consequences of shelling by Russian forces of inhabited areas and civilian infrastructure. 78 people were rescued.
  
  
• The SES's pyrotechnicians carried out 94 engagements, defused 949 IEDs and 20 kg of explosives, surveyed and cleared an area of 38.04 hectares.
  
  
• At state border crossing points in Volyn, Zakarpattia, Lviv and Chernivtsi regions, the State Emergency Service in cooperation with the Ukrainian Red Cross and local authorities deployed 86 tents to keep people warm and shelter them.
• 989 settlements are currently powered down, 91 of them are partially de-energised. SES has engaged 13 generators to provide emergency power to social facilities, including five to supply power to hospitals.
• Over 607,000 people have been evacuated.

Russia's troops have lost about 13,800 personnel, about 200 planes and helicopters, as well as thousands of vehicles in Ukraine. This was reported by the AFU General Staff.

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 16.03, approximately:

staff - about 13,800 people,

tanks - 430 units,

armored armored vehicles‒ 1375 units,

Artillery systems - 190 units,

RSV - 70 units,

VET means - 43 units,

planes - 84 units,

helicopters - 108 units,

automotive equipment - 819 units,

ships / boats - 3 units,

Fuel tanks - 60,

UAVs of operational and tactical level - 11,

Special equipment - 10.

Data are being updated. The calculation is complicated by the high intensity of hostilities

Russian troops are shelling civilian neighborhoods, the head of the Luhansk Military Administration reports. According to his information, 12 residential house fires were put out in Rubizhne and seven in Severodonetsk. Eight people were injured, including one child, and one person died. In addition, a gas pipeline in Lysychansk was broken.

Russia is building up attempts to muster additional military contingent to make up for personnel losses in Ukraine. The UK Ministry of Defence said this on its Twitter page.

Continued personnel losses will also reportedly make it more difficult for Russia to reinforce in already occupied territory. Russia is redeploying forces even from its Eastern Military District, the Pacific Fleet and Armenia. There are also attempts to use non-regular troops, such as private military companies, Syrian and other mercenaries.

"Russia is likely to try to use these forces to hold captured territory and free up forces to resume stalled offensive operations," the UK Ministry of Defence suggested.

Reports from the regional state administrations about the last 24 hours.

Kyiv region. There is intermittent fighting in Irpin, Makariv and Borodyanka. The village of Maryhalivka (Fastivsky district) was hit by an airstrike. There is destruction of residential buildings. According to preliminary reports, there were casualties, information is being verified. The settlements of Baryshevskaya, Kalityanska, Velykodimerska and Kalynivska territorial communities were also unrestful.

Sumy Region. Russian artillery shelled Akhtyrskyy and Sumy districts.

Zhytomyr region. An airstrike on Berdychiv destroyed several buildings.

Dnipropetrovsk region. There were rocket attacks overnight - they hit a fuel depot near Nikopol. There were no casualties or injuries.

Kharkiv Region. In Kharkiv, Russian occupiers have been shelling almost all parts of the city for 24 hours now. The Ukrainian army repulsed Russian troops from Kharkiv and also repulsed an attack in Russkye Tishki. 320 wards from the Oskol boarding school were evacuated.

Zaporizhzhya Region. A powerful explosion was heard at Zaporizhzhya-2 railway station.

Vinnytsia region. There were two explosions. Information is being clarified.

Luhansk Region. The Ukrainian army has repelled an assault on Severodonetsk, but the Russian army is trying to come in from the side of Rubizhne. There are many residential house fires here, 7 wounded, including 1 child, 1 dead.

Donetsk Region. Russian aviation operated in the city of Toretsk, with no civilian casualties. Shelling continues in Avdiivka and Marinka. The Russian army continues to hit Mariupol. Around 4,000 vehicles were able to leave the city.

Mykolayiv region. Hostilities continue in the region. Humanitarian aid will be delivered to villages that were liberated yesterday.

Kherson region. Hostilities continue near the airport. In small settlements, people are critically short of medicine and sometimes food. There is also a problem with electricity, gas and water supply.

Odesa Region. Preparations continue for a possible Russian airborne landing on the coast of Odesa Region. Russian ships are still sailing in the Black Sea and the probability of missile strikes is high.

"Zaporizhzhya Regional Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine" reports that the radiation background on the territory of Zaporizhzhya region remains unchanged and does not threaten life and health of the population.

Energodar - 10 μR/hour;

Zaporizhzhya - 12 мcR/hour;

Melitopol - 12 - 16 μR/hour;

Vasilivka - 15 µR/hour;

K-Dniprovska - 12 µR/hour,

Ukraine will need over $500 billion for post-war reconstruction. This was told by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a briefing in Kyiv with Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Jarosław Kaczyński, Prime Ministers Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland, Petr Fiala, Czech Republic, and Janez Janša, Slovenia.

"The direct one-time losses for Ukraine are estimated to be over $500 billion. This is the money that will be needed to restore our country at the expense of both reparations from the RF and donations from our partners."

Shmyhal added that Ukraine will work on arresting the foreign property of Russia and assured that all destroyed objects will be restored over time.

On the night of 16 March, Russian troops shelled settlements in the Odesa region, said the spokesman for the Operational Headquarters of the Odesa Regional Military Administration Serhii Bratchuk. According to him, there were no casualties, but two persons were injured.

As a result of enemy shelling, a 12-storey residential building collapsed in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv. This was reported by the local department of the State Emergency Service.

The fire was extinguished at 7:45 a.m. Two people were injured, 35 people were evacuated. However, this information is still to be updated. It is also reported that the neighboring 9-storey building was partially damaged.

Ukraine will outlast the president of the aggressor country, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during an interview with CNN.

“There's going to be an independent Ukraine a lot longer than there's going to be a Vladimir Putin. One way or the other, Ukraine will be there and at some point Putin won’t,” Blinken said.

The Secretary said the U.S. is trying to prevent as much death and destruction as possible. They're doing that through the support provided to Ukraine and by the pressure exerted against Russia every single day.

Operational information as of 06:00 16 March from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

• The Armed Forces of Ukraine have destroyed three planes (of which two were Su-34), and also one helicopter, three UAVs operational-tactical level, and two cruise missiles.
• The Ukrainian air forces have made nine airstrikes on invaders’ convoys of equipment and concentrated forces.
• The Russian army continues to suffer losses and retreats in certain directions. The invaders are mainly making efforts to secure their positions and hold the previously captured areas.
• The occupational forces continue to make missile and bomb attacks on the infrastructure and densely populated areas of Ukrainian cities.

In the U.S., they mocked the anti-American Russian sanctions.

“None of us are planning tourist trips to Russia. None of us have bank accounts that we won’t be able to access,” Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said ironically.

She also noted that the U.S. President’s full name is Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., and the Russian sanctions list includes the name of his late father.

The former U.S. presidential candidate Hilary Clinton said that her name on the sanctions list is like an Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award.

Since 24 February, 1.5 million Ukrainian children have become refugees, UNICEF reports. “Every day, over the past 20 days, in Ukraine more than 70,000 children have become refugees. That’s every minute, 55 children fleeing the country,” said James Elder, spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund.

Kurt Volker: “Putin knows he is losing, and is doubling down on aggressive actions even as his strategic position weakens. This means we are now entering the most dangerous phase of Putin’s ill-fated campaign. The United States and the West must manage this situation carefully. Instead of telling Russia what we will not do, we must make him concerned about what we might do.”

The advisor to the mayor of Mariupol Petro Andriushchenko said that, in addition to airstrikes, ships have now started shelling — the first missiles have been fired from a ship near village Bilosaraiska Kosa toward the city.

"The inhumanity of their behavior and attacks is rising… The Russians continue to destroy the city and exterminate its inhabitants. Their only purpose is to erase the symbol of resistance and the outpost of Ukraine, "he wrote.

Kharkiv, this night's shelling:

The U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken reacted to the death of another two journalists in Ukraine, of whom one worked for an American channel.

"I am grateful to all those risking their lives to show the world what is happening in Ukraine. The United States condemns Russia's ongoing violence, which is putting the safety of journalists and other media workers in Ukraine at risk. Very saddened to hear that FoxNews cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova were killed covering Russia’s war against Ukraine. My deepest condolences and wishes for a speedy recovery to our correspondent who was injured in the attack," wrote Blinken.

Kharytin Starskyi, a serviceman of the Rapid Reaction Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, has dedicated a video to the Ukrainian Mriya, which died in the enemy fire. On 27 February, Russian invaders destroyed the world's largest aircraft An-225 Mriya when they stormed Antonov airfield in Hostomel.

Paramount is suspending its operations in Russia and making a $1 million donation to support humanitarian relief in Ukraine, says Bob Bakish, President and CEO of the studio.Other activity in the RF, including content licensing, will take more time to pause due to existing contractual, technical, and partner complexities, he added.

Reuters: The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal. It was a rare show of unity in the deeply divided Congress.

Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, said in an interview with The Washington Examiner that he was surprised by Putin’s decision to start a full-scale war against Ukraine. Trump believed that deploying the Russian troops near the Ukrainian border "was a tough way to negotiate, but a smart way to negotiate."

A new address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (with english subtitles):

Killed Russian invaders, destroyed equipment, and trophies of the Ukrainian military:

The UK Intelligence update as of 15 March. Russia is seeking to replace its losses and is redeploying forces even from its Eastern Military District, Pacific Fleet, and Armenia. It is also increasingly seeking to exploit Private Military Companies, Syrian and other mercenaries.

The UK Ministry of Defense believes that Russia will likely attempt to use these forces to hold captured territory and free up its combat power to renew stalled offensive operations.

The Head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyi reported on the day of humanitarian corridors on 15 March: "In Trostyanets, the Russian military demanded that civilians hand over their phones. The cell phones were put in a bag and burned down. The convoy of evacuees was completely deprived of communication. They were kept in the city until the evening."

Zhyvytskyi also said that before the convoys departed, the suburbs of Sumy had been shelled by artillery.

Right now, air alert sirens are heard in many Ukrainian regions: the Lviv, Dnipro, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kryvyi Rih, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Khmelnytsky regions.

Minus one more Russian general. As Zelenskyy said in his address, "among the killed invaders, there’s one more general, at least one general for today." Zelenskyy also mentioned the tens of officers and conscripts who were killed.

Earlier, it was reported that the Azov regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine killed a Russian general, whose name wasn’t known, on 15 March. Supposedly, it could be Major General Oleg Mityaev.

Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki: "Europe must understand that if it loses Ukraine, it will never be the same again. Without Ukraine, Europe will no longer be Europe. Rather, it will be a defeated, humiliated, and pathetic version of its former self. I want a strong and resolute Europe."

A new defeat of Russian troops near Kyiv:

Zelenskyy signed a decree awarding the title of Hero of Ukraine to six defenders of Ukraine, including four awarded posthumously:

Colonel Valerii Hudz. Posthumously. For the heroic defense of Popasna in the Luhansk region.

Colonel Serhii Kotenko. Posthumously. His courageous actions and personal determination helped destroy several columns of enemy equipment.

Colonel Oleksandr Maryniak. Posthumously. Thanks to his determination during the defense of the Kyiv region, a large number of invaders, refuelers, and enemy equipment were destroyed.

Major Pavlo Sbytov. Posthumously. His professionalism and resolute actions helped annihilate several large enemy units.

Senior Lieutenant Dmytro Dozirchyi. His effective actions during the defense of the Kherson region allowed the Armed Forces to break out of the encirclement and continue the battle.

Senior Lieutenant Volodymyr Sydunets. Thanks to his actions, a battalion of Russian Iscanders was destroyed.

Zelenskyy called on Russian officials and propagandists to speak up against the war and resign. Otherwise, the international community will deprive them of everything they have earned in many years, and this is already underway, the President said.

"If you continue working for propaganda, you are at a much greater risk than if you just leave, just resign. It’s the risk of sanctions and an international tribunal for the propaganda of aggressive war, for acquitting war crimes. Resign. A few months of being jobless is definitely better for you than a lifetime of international persecution," Zelenskyy said.

A new address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He invited all friends of Ukraine to visit Kyiv, saying, "It can be dangerous here because our sky has not yet been closed to Russian missiles and planes. The decision to strengthen our aircraft arsenal has not yet been made. We did not receive planes. But the eyes of all the people in the world are now looking at our capital, at Ukrainians. Hence, everyone who is with us will be praised. And not only by us, but also by other nations."

Craters as deep as human height, missile tails, destruction of infrastructure and residential buildings — this is today's Kharkiv reality. The National Guard says the enemy is "fed up" with losses suffered in combat with them. The battles are being gradually reduced to artillery and missile duels, as well as to airstrikes.

The headquarters of Air Defence Forces of Armed Forces of Ukraine informs that on March 15th, three Russian aircraft were destroyed. Two of them are Su-34 fighter-bombers and the remaining one is currently undefined. Also, the enemy lost one helicopter, three UCAVs, and two cruise missiles.

The Office of the President of Ukraine in Crimea: The invaders are planning celebrations in Crimea to divert attention from all the wounded and killed Russian soldiers flowing to the peninsula. The occupation regime is planning to celebrate the 8th anniversary of the "Russian Spring" featuring the notorious Night Wolves bikers' club.

Meanwhile, in many cities in the annexed Crimea, civil doctors are reportedly working as army doctors. Hospitals and morgues are overcrowded. Mobile hospitals and crematoriums are being deployed. The source informs that near the railway station in Simferopol, there's a very distinct dead body smell. Apparently, the bodies are stored in railway cars next to the station during their transition.

During his visit to Kyiv, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Jarosław Kaczyński said that a NATO peacekeeping mission should be sent to Ukraine due to Russia's full-scale invasion.

Day 20 of the war in a video digest. Shelling of several neighborhoods of Kyiv. Shelling of residential areas in Kharkiv during the evacuation of civilians. Rallies against Russian troops in temporarily occupied cities The Ukrainian military killing the invaders.

The Azov regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine currently located in Mariupol warns of diversions planned by the Russian army. According to their data, the invaders intend to dress terrorists from the Donetsk People's Republic as Azov forces to discredit the Battalion.

"We are aware of this plan, and we warn these Russian animals: we will respond to every crime they make. To all the citizens of Ukraine: don't fall for this diversion," - the message says.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense regrets to inform that on March 12th, the famous colonel Valerii Hudz died in the Luhansk Region. On March 15th, a ceremony took place in Boryspil. In 2016, Hudz received the title People's Hero of Ukraine. Up until 2020, he commanded a legendary 24th Mechanized Brigade named after the King Daniel of Galicia. When Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, he returned to the brigade.

The headquarters of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces posted a video demonstrating how Ukrainian paratroopers destroy Russian invaders in the Luhansk region.

Journalist Yuri Butusov informs that on March 15th, the ukranian Air Assault Forces launched a successful counterattack and drove Russian forces back from the position they were attempting to force the Ukrainian defense through. Several Russian T-72 tanks have been damaged and captured, and some of the invaders have been liquidated.

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We will win because together we are strong. And together, we are the truth.

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

Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky: The Russian army destroyed 3500 infrastructure facilities in Ukraine.

These include 230 transport infrastructure and 165 civil infrastructure facilities. Also, 2700 housing facilities, 72 educational institutions, 10 social sphere facilities, and more than 400 other objects including State Emergency Service facilities.

Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov: Another batch of Starlink systems arrived in Ukraine.

"Technology is the future. Today, technology helps Ukrainians. It helps the new good defeat the old evil. The future belongs to Ukraine. Thanks, Elon! Thanks, Poland!" - Fedorov.

A press scrum from Volodymyr Zelensky after his meeting with Prime Ministers of neighboring countries.

"With such friends, neighbors, and partners we will definitely win", - said the President.

Kharkiv after the arrival of Putin's "Pax Russica".

Russian invaders killed a civilian near Kyiv. German journalists from ZDF Frontal published evidence of the crime.

This footage recorded from a drone caught a moment when a tank opens fire against a civilian who raised hands.

"Putin says that this special operation doesn't mean to harm civilians. However, several kilometers away from Kyiv, a drone taped a civilian being killed by Russian soldiers", - the journalists say.

President Zelensky met Poland's Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Czech Republic's Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Janša.

The Сenter for Countering Disinformation of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine published a list of Russian generals, colonels and lieutenant colonels that have been liquidated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

- Major General Magomed Tushaiev
- Major General Vitaliy Gerasimov
- Major General Andrey Kolesnikov
- Colonel Andrey Zakharov
- Colonel Sergey Porokhnya
- Colonel Igor Nikolayev
- Lieutenant Colonel Yuriy Agarkov
- Lieutenant Colonel Dmitriy Sofronov
- Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Yermolin

As the report stresses, the list is far from being full.