Early on the morning of February 24th, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on state television that Russia will carry out a 'special military operation' in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow claims the 'operation' is aimed at 'denazification and demilitarization' of Ukrainian territory at the request of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk 'people's republics', and is based on the right to self-defence. Russia also says that it does not attack the civilian population.
But, the fact is, Russian armed forces have killed innocent people, including children and the elderly. Russia deliberately targets civilian infrastructure and falsely claims that it is Ukraine's army that puts people's lives at risk.
Suspilne, the largest independent news media outlet in Ukraine, and a number of English-speaking volunteers launch this live updates page to let the world know what is really happening on the ground. Tune in for hourly news bulletins from all Ukrainian regions.
Russian troops continue the militarization of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. It increases the risk of damage to the shelter structure installed above the station's fourth power unit after the 1986 explosion. According to the General Staff of Ukraine, in the city of Chernobyl, the Russian army deployed a temporary command post of the Eastern District. Dozens of tons of ammunition are transported there every day on the road through the city of Pripyat and a few hundred meters from the isolation facilities of the nuclear power plant.
Furthermore, over 30 fires have been recorded in the forests around the nuclear power plant. More than 10,000 hectares of forests are burning due to the fighting, which causes an increased level of radioactive air pollution, said the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmyla Denisova.
On the night of March 27, a rocket from the Russian Grad MRLS pierced the roof and concrete floors of the school in Kharkiv. Then, there were people inside the school, the residents of the nearby houses came to the shelter for the night. No one was injured. During the day, teachers and residents of the neighborhood cleared the debris.
A Ukraine — Russia negotiating group member, MP David Arahamiya, said their next meeting would be held offline in Turkey on March 28-30.
The self-proclaimed "Luhansk People's Republic" is currently not preparing for a referendum on joining Russia, said Leonid Pasichnyk, the "leader" of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic. Earlier, he said that a referendum could soon be held in the occupied territories. Later on, the State Duma of the Russian Federation explained that now it's not the right time for this step.
Since the war began, 264 hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities have been damaged; 13 of them have been completely destroyed, Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said. 65 emergency medical teams and cars were also damaged. Six medics died, 18 were seriously injured, and now stay in hospital.
Adviser to the head of the President's Office, Oleksii Arestovych, urged the Ukrainian military and civilians not to humiliate captured Russian servicemen. He noted that there would be many more prisoners as the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in some areas.
Russia once again launched rocket attacks on Ukraine on the evening of March 27. Two humanitarian corridors worked today; more than a thousand people have been evacuated from the danger zones. Suspilne gathered the main news of the thirty-second day of the war.
Shelling continues in Kharkiv
A woman, man and 3-year-old child died by shelling in the Izium district, between the villages of Shevelivka and Husarivka. Also in the Izium district, the Russian military fired artillery shells at the village of Oskil, killing seven people including a 7-year-old boy, reports the Regional Prosecutor's Office. Five people were injured.
Earlier it was reported that heavy battles are ongoing near Izium, the south is controlled by the Ukrainian army, the north is occupied by the Russians. Head of the Regional Military Administration Oleh Synyehubov said that the invaders are trying to reach Donbas through Izium to "cut off the Joint Forces Operation line".
Fires in Chernobyl
More than 10,000 hectares of forests in the Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone are burning because of the fights. 31 fires were reported so far, causing increased levels of radioactive air pollution. This was reported by the Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova, and the information was confirmed in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is impossible to attend to the fires as the exclusion zone is occupied by Russian troops.
Slavutych
Slavutych Mayor Yuriy Fomichev said in his video address on March 27 that as of 15:00, Russian invaders have left the city. A big anti-Russia rally was held in the city the day before, the mayor was captured and then released. He claimed that there were no weapons in the city, so the Russian troops agreed to leave. However, he later reported that Russians remain in the city and check people for weapons.
Slavutych has been blocked by Russians for several weeks. The humanitarian situation is difficult, and no official humanitarian corridor has been established. A humanitarian aid base will operate in Slavutych on March 27 according to Slavutych City Council.
The International Committee of the Red Cross and kidnapping of Ukrainians
The scandal around ICRC broke out after a meeting between its president Peter Maurer and the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Serhiy Lavrov. Maurer then stated that he would like to improve ICRC logistics in Russia.
According to the data available to the Ukrainian government, about 40,000 Ukrainians were forcibly moved to Russia. Russian troops prevent Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories from leaving through humanitarian corridors to Ukraine. The Committee of International Red Cross is facilitating daily agreements between Ukraine and Russia for evacuation corridors, Iryna Vereshchuk told Suspilne. According to the information received by Ukraine, ICRC plans to open an office in Rostov-on-Don.
Ukraine received British Starstreak MPADS
The UK has transferred a batch of Starstreak man-portable air defence systems to Ukraine. This was reported by the Centre for Counteraction to Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine with reference to the UK Defence Minister Ben Wallace. Initial operational training has been completed, and the first Starstreak systems are currently being deployed for combat use.
Starstreak is a British man-portable anti-aircraft missile system designed to hit low-flying helicopters and aircraft. The complex uses the world's fastest short-range surface-to-air missiles and can hit air targets at an altitude of up to 5 km. A Starstreak rocket can speed up to 4,200 km per hour.
The LPR no longer wants a referendum on joining Russia
In the morning of March 27, Leonid Pasichnyk, the self-proclaimed head of the LPR, the temporarily occupied territory of the Luhansk region, announced a referendum on joining Russia. Ukraine and several international partners stated that this referendum would have no legal force. In the evening of the same day, Pasichnyk claimed that the LPR was not preparing for the referendum.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky gave the first big interview to Russian journalists after the beginning of the war.
Russian regulator Roskomnadzor immediately stated that Russian media must not publish the interview. Zelensky spoke about his vision of victory and said that Ukraine will ensure the safety of Russian businessmen should they support Ukrainian Forces.
More than 40 international companies continue to fully operate in Russia
42 large international companies have ignored calls for withdrawal or reducing operations in Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine. Acer, Alibaba, Asus, Auchan-Retail, Huawei, Lenovo, Metro, Turkish Airlines, Xiaomi and others are among them. The full list is available here. We remind that Ukraine calls for boycotting these companies.
Peace talks
The next round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia will be held in Turkey on March 28-30. For some time, negotiations were held remotely. Both Ukrainian and Russian sides have confirmed the meeting in Turkey.
Humanitarian corridors will not be opened today. Intelligence reported on possible provocations by the invaders, reported Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. Yesterday, both arranged humanitarian corridors were functioning and 1,100 people were evacuated from Mariupol and Rubizhne in Donbas during the day.
Kyiv. Fire in a house hit by rocket debris on the evening of March 27.
143 children have been killed, 216 were injured since the beginning of the war on February 24, reported the Prosecutor General's Office. The previous data as of the morning of March 27: 139 children killed and 205 injured.
A child was killed by a detonated shell in a village of the Donetsk region. According to the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmyla Denisova, the boy found a part of a Tornado-S cluster missile.
Last night, the Russian military launched airstrikes on several cities. An oil depot was hit in Lutsk, no casualties were reported so far. According to the head of the Volyn Regional Administration, a cruise missile was fired from Belarus. Explosions were heard in the Zhytomyr region as well. Kryvyi Rih district of the Dnipropetrovsk region was shelled wi
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