Sunday, March 24

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers conduct combat drills in woodland as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 23, 2024. Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Putin seeking to blame Ukraine for Moscow shooting, despite ISIS taking responsibility. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the detained suspected perpetrators of the Moscow shooting allegedly planned to flee to Ukraine without providing any evidence. In his address, the Russian president did not mention the fact that the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the shooting, nor the warnings of Western countries about a possible terrorist attack in Moscow.

Kyiv dismisses Putin’s allegations of Ukraine’s involvement in Moscow shooting. Andriy Yusov, spokesperson of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, denied Russia’s claims that seek to accuse Ukraine of involvement in the shooting. “The version that the perpetrators of the terrorist attack were fleeing toward Ukraine does not withstand any criticism,” he said on national television.

Russia claims it detained suspected perpetrators of Moscow shooting that killed over 100 people. Russia’s security services detained 11 people allegedly involved in the March 22 mass shooting at a concert venue near Moscow, including four perpetrators, the Kremlin’s press service reported on March 23.

Zelensky on Moscow shooting: Putin’s attempts to link it to Ukraine ‘absolutely predictable’. “Putin and his thugs are just trying to blame somebody else… It has happened before. There were blown-up houses, shootings, explosions, and they always blame others,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address.

Ukrhydroenergo: Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant lost a third of generation capacity after Russian strike. Zaporizhzhia’s Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant lost about a third of its generation capacity after a Russian missile strike, the head of Ukrainian state-owned energy company Ukrhydroenergo Ihor Syrota told the Associated Press.

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Minister: If Russia seeks to destroy Zaporizhzhia’s Dnipro Dam, attacks will continue. “It is necessary to understand whether it was a deliberate strike against the dam or whether it simply… (aimed at) the hydroelectric station,” Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said.

Ministry: Situation at Zaporizhzhia’s Dnipro Dam under control, no danger of breach. The situation at Zaporizhzhia’s Dnipro Dam is under control, and there is no danger of a breach following a Russian missile attack, the Environment Ministry said on March 23.

Deputy Minister: Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid have led to $11.5 billion in losses. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have amounted to at least $11.5 billion in losses for Ukraine, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk said on air on March 23.

Military intelligence: Partisans attack Russian soldiers, equipment in occupied Melitopol. “According to preliminary data, about 20 Russian soldiers, two Kamaz trucks, and a UAZ Patriot pickup truck were at the epicenter of the explosions,” Ukraine’s military intelligence agency wrote on Telegram.

Russia claims missile attack on Sevastopol in occupied Crimea. The Russian proxy leader in Sevastopol in occupied Crimea, Mikhail Razvozhayev, claimed on March 23 that “several air targets were shot down” over the city in the evening.

Read our exclusives

Evidence shows recent presidential elections most rigged in Russia’s modern history.

The March 15-17 presidential election was the most rigged in Russia’s modern history, according to evidence published by election experts, observers, and media.

Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Authorities: 3 injured in Russian attack on relief center in Kherson Oblast. Russian troops struck a relief center in a village in Kherson Oblast on the morning of March 23, wounding three people, the regional administration reported.

Russian drone attack on Beryslav in Kherson Oblast injures 2. One of the victims suffered a blast injury and shrapnel wounds to his legs. The other suffered a contusion and multiple injuries to the head, face, and legs, officials said.

Russia attacks 8 communities in Sumy Oblast. Russian forces attacked Sumy Oblast 115 times in 31 separate attacks throughout the day, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on March 23.

Crime of crimes: Is Russia trying to destroy the Ukrainian nation?

International response

Bloomberg: Russian oil trade feels pressure of Western sanctions in India. Russia’s oil industry is starting to feel the pressure of Western sanctions as Indian refineries no longer accept tankers of Moscow’s state-owned state-run Sovcomflot shipping company, Bloomberg reported on March 23.

US Congress approves $228 million in military aid for Baltic countries. “Support from the U.S. has significantly helped Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania fast-track several military infrastructure and capability development projects,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said in a statement.

Biden signs $1.2 trillion US spending bill, urges action on Ukraine aid. U.S. President Joe Biden signed on March 23 a $1.2 trillion spending package that keeps the government funded until the autumn after it cleared Congress hours earlier.

In other news

Military: Energy facilities damaged in Russia’s overnight drone attack against Ukraine. Russia’s overnight drone attack against Ukraine damaged energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, the Southern Defense Forces reported on March 23.

Russian governor confirms fire at Kuibyshev oil refinery, claims drone attack. A fire that broke out at the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region overnight on March 23 had been caused by a drone attack, the regional government told Russian state-controlled news agency Interfax, citing Governor Dmitry Azarov.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia might lose at least 10% of its refinery capacity after drone attacks. Drone attacks on Russia’s oil refineries are likely to have disrupted at least 10% of the country’s refinery capacity, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its latest report. In the past weeks, Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia’s oil industry.

Poland scrambles fighter jets amid drone, missile attacks on Ukraine. Poland scrambled fighter jets to protect Polish airspace during Russia’s drone and missile attack against Ukraine on March 24, the Polish army’s Operational Command reported on X.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleg Sukhov, Martin Fornusek, Dinara Khalilova, Kateryna Denisova, Oleksiy Sorokin, and Dmytro Basmat.

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