Russian Military Operations In Ukraine: Live Updates Day 20

The Russian Armed Forces are still carrying out a special operation in Ukraine. This is a live update for Sunday, March 20th.

Live Update On Russia And Ukraine War

• 00.29 Polish Ambassador to the United States Marek Magerowski announced the government’s plans to confiscate property and assets of the Russian Federation on the territory of the republic in connection with the situation in Ukraine.

• 00.17 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during a telephone conversation with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, which took place on Sunday, March 20, assured that he would continue to defend Ukraine’s interests during the upcoming meetings of NATO, the G7 and contacts with key allies.

• 00.05 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation offered the fighters of the Ukrainian military formations to leave the city of Mariupol without weapons.

• 23:47 The Czech authorities have allowed Ukrainian refugees who received residence visas to work in the country from next week without special work permits – they are usually issued to foreigners from non-EU countries.

• 23:32 Boris Johnson promised Vladimir Zelensky to defend the interests of Ukraine at the upcoming G7 and NATO forums. They had a telephone conversation.

• 23:13 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation invited representatives of the UN, the OSCE, the Red Cross to accompany the humanitarian operation to withdraw residents from Mariupol.

• 22:47 The head of the National Center for Defense Control of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mizintsev, said that on March 21, corridors were agreed with the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the exit of civilians from Mariupol both east and west – to the territory controlled by Kiev. It was decided to start the silence mode at 09:30 local time, from 10 am it is planned to open the gum corridors.

• 22:43 It is reported that the distributed release of “Russia 1” speaks of the return of Nikita Mikhalkov to the federal “button” from the new week. It seems that he will communicate with viewers in the evenings, immediately after Vladimir Solovyov. Recall that at the end of February, the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company announced a change in the broadcasting schedule in favor of “programs of a socio-political orientation” – and added airtime to Solovyov and the program “60 minutes”.

• 22:32 The head of the Public Relations Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Bohdan Senik, said that a ban on the use of video recorders is being introduced for Ukrainian drivers. According to him, this is necessary for security – to avoid disclosing information about the movement and progress of the tasks of the Ukrainian defense forces.

• 22:28 Khinshtein in Solovyov’s studio extremely negatively characterized the political position of Dvorkovich, who left his post at Skolkovo after the scandal. According to United Russia, the “fifth column” is showing itself “more and more actively” and this is the same “national betrayal” that Putin spoke about the other day. “This fifth column needs to be dealt with,” the State Duma deputy added.

• 22:10 The head of the Belarusian Ministry of Finance denied the country’s possible transition to Russian rubles: “Even this has never been discussed directly with us. Why do we need this?” He also added: “The situation that is now developing will spur many to get away from the dollar.”

• 21:55 The Russian Orthodox Church allowed the transfer of the Council of Bishops, which was supposed to take place in November, but was postponed to May due to covid. Now, according to Metropolitan Hilarion, a new problem has arisen: “Many bishops will not be able to come to Moscow because of transport restrictions.”

• 21:46 Moscow has postponed the repayment of obligations on state loans to Minsk for 5-6 years, the head of the Belarusian Finance Ministry said. Belarusian Finance Minister Yury Seliverstov called the new repayment terms more comfortable.

• 21:40 Russia’s permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that after the special operation in Ukraine, “a huge number of unsightly facts” about the West will come out. “Not only military-biological activities, but also many others,” he said on the air of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.

• 21:27 The head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, said that the total amount of military assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine has already exceeded $2 billion. Of these, only last week, Kyiv was supposed to receive assistance from Washington in the amount of $1 billion.

• 21:16 Bastrykin also instructed to check the incident with the Russian flag in Estonia – the embassy in Tallinn earlier reported that the flag was torn off the building where the office of the diplomatic mission is located in the city of Tartu.

• 21:08 Chulpan Khamatova announced her intention to leave the country. As you may be aware, her signature appeared on a letter addressed to President Putin by representatives of charitable foundations shortly after the start of Russia’s military special operation in Ukraine. The actress stated that she has no plans to return.

• 21:06 There were reports of a hack in the official VKontakte group, in which a post about events in Ukraine and Russia appeared. The post has since been removed.

• 20:58 British Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak has stated that London’s sanctions against Russia may have a negative impact on the British themselves. They will have a particular impact on the wallets of British residents.

• 20:46 Chairman of the Investigative Committee Bastrykin instructed to check the leaders of the Ukrainian national formations, who were taken prisoner in Izyum, for involvement in the commission of crimes.

• 20:34 The Russian Ministry of Defense reports that the Russian Armed Forces are completing the defeat of the Ukrainian national battalion “Donbass”. During the day, Russian troops advanced already 12 kilometers. They reached the Nikolskoye line and, in cooperation with units of the Donetsk Republic, blocked the settlement of Sladkoe from three sides.

• 20:16 Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang said that the information that China allegedly sends military assistance to Russia is disinformation.

• 20:14 The Ukrainian Armed Forces fired at the Petrovsky district of Donetsk from the Grad installations. This was reported by the representative office of the DPR in the JCCC.

• 19:50 All miners from the de-energized mine named after Zasiadko in Donetsk are raised to the surface. There were no casualties, as reported by Minugol and the power industry of the DPR.

• 19:35 The head of the Rus Triedinaya public organization, which interacts with the Russian military, said that Russian troops control the village of Russian Tishki in the Kharkiv region. Earlier, the Ukrainian media claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine knocked out the Russian military, but as it turned out, this was not the case.

• 19:08 Deputy head of the People’s Militia of the DPR Eduard Basurin said that the People’s Militia of the DPR over the past day during a special military operation lost seven servicemen killed.

• 18:24 Andrei Paly, the deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet, was killed during the battles to liberate Mariupol from Ukrainian nationalists. This was announced by Senator Ekaterina Altabaeva of Sevastopol.

• 18:18 US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she couldn’t yet say whether Washington would recognize Crimea as Russian, as well as the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, if Ukrainian authorities do. The decision is still in the hands of the Ukrainians, she claims. At the same time, she said she couldn’t predict how the US would react to the decision reached during the negotiations.

• 18:05 Ramzan Kadyrov released a video featuring captured armored vehicles. He said he’d drive one of them to Kyiv. According to him, he rode in a captured general’s armored car, which was confiscated from nationalist commanders in Ukraine. The armored vehicle is brand new and has never been used.

• 17:55 According to French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, the French authorities have blocked the assets of Russian businessmen in French jurisdiction for €850 million since the beginning of March.

• 17:18 Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that if the international community “reacted appropriately” to the reunification of Crimea with Russia, there would be no conflict in Ukraine.

• 16:50 Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law extending martial law in Ukraine for 30 days from March 26.

• 16:43 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance is increasing support for Ukraine, including in the military, humanitarian and financial areas. At the same time, NATO is still focused on ensuring that the conflict in Ukraine does not spill over into the country.

• 16:30 Ukrainska Pravda reports that the resumption of online negotiations between the official delegations of Russia and Ukraine is scheduled for March 21. We are waiting for official confirmation. Or denials

• 16:20 The US does not want an escalation in Ukraine. In this regard, they will not send the military there, as stated by the Permanent Representative to the UN. In addition, it is known that Biden’s visit to Ukraine is not yet planned.

• 15:40 The Ukrainian Ministry of Health has introduced a ban on Belarusian-made medicines. Thus, 39 items were on the black list. Similar drugs are produced by Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies.

• 15:14 Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on unified broadcasting for all Ukrainian TV channels under martial law. Now all national TV channels, “the content of which consists mainly of information and / or information-analytical programs” are united on a single information platform.

• 14:59 France has frozen the assets of the Central Bank of Russia in the amount of 22 billion euros. This is reported by the Ministry of Economy of France.

• 14:54 French finance minister hopes for a way out “of this energy price shock in the next few months.”

• 14:44 During the operation to liberate the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, the soldiers of the Russian Guard captured several leaders of national formations and accomplices of the SBU. In addition, important documents were captured. 40 servicemen and special forces officers are presented for awards for participation in the liberation of the city.

• 14:15 Unidentified people plucked the Russian flag from the office of the Russian Embassy in Tartu, Estonia. Now the embassy hopes that those responsible will be punished.

• 14:12 According to RIA Novosti, NATO units began to arrive in Slovakia to deploy Patriot systems. Before that, it was stated that Bratislava was ready to transfer its S-300 to Kiev. However, this will be done only after this is compensated by the receipt of another air defense system.

• 13:58 Andrey Klimov, head of the Federation Council Commission for the Protection of State Sovereignty, spoke about the entry of Ukraine and Georgia into NATO. According to him, if Ukraine or Georgia ended up in an alliance, then the situation could become “completely different for them in such circumstances – fatal, like for any other NATO country.”

• 13:16 Rostourism announces the cancellation of Azur Air’s export flight 686 from Egypt. The reason is the new US sanctions. It is noted that tourists need to be in touch with the tour operator. He will inform you as soon as there are any changes or news.

• 12:53 The Ministry of Defense also showed the use of the Solntsepyok flamethrower system on the positions of Ukrainian nationalists in the Donbass.

• 12:33 Head of the Association of German Trade Unions Rainer Hoffmann warns that the situation in Ukraine threatens to lead to a global economic crisis.

• 12:31 Anatoly Shariy, who is the founder of the Shariy Party, also spoke about the suspension of the activities of Ukrainian parties. According to him, “the minimum wage dictator could not find anything to ban in court, and decided to ban it out of lawlessness.”

He added that Zelensky had “no reason at all, mumbling something about the mythical ‘ties with the Russian Federation’ that never existed and don’t exist.

• 12:26 The Russian Ministry of Defense published a video of the destruction of armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A high-precision missile strike from the Forpost unmanned aerial vehicle was used.

• 12:05 Kyiv’s decision to suspend its activities was deemed illegal by the opposition Platform for Life Party. The political force stated that it would challenge it.

• 11:30 The Financial Times warns that due to supply chain disruptions and the situation in Ukraine, global milk prices may skyrocket.

• 11:20 State Duma speaker Volodin spoke about Zelensky’s next mistake. We are talking about the suspension of the activities of the Opposition Platform for Life and other political parties that are considered opposition to the Kiev authorities. “Zelensky, being primarily a showman and actor, made another mistake: by his decision he split the society – there are parliamentary parties among the banned parties. He needed to meet with them, conduct a dialogue. He didn’t want to,” Volodin said.

According to him, this is “a common practice for the Kiev authorities to shut up the mouth of objectionable people.” Volodin argues that anyone who “talks about the arbitrariness of the regime that has taken the Ukrainian people hostage” can be declared enemies without trial.

• 10:45 Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that the Russian Federation and Ukraine’s positions have converged on a number of critical issues. However, some issues must be addressed at the presidential level.

If it is decided to hold a meeting between Putin and Zelensky in Turkey, he believes it can be done with the participation of Turkish President Erdogan.

• 10:40 Furthermore, the Ministry of Defense reports that DPR troops have taken control of Stepnoye and the majority of Verkhnetoretskoye. In addition, a Ukrainian tactical missile “Tochka-U” was shot down by the Russian air defense system near Kharkov at night.

• At 10:28 a.m., the Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on a mercenary training facility in Ukraine. Over 100 special forces and foreign mercenaries have been killed.

Caliber cruise missiles launched from the Black Sea were able to destroy workshops for the repair of damaged Ukrainian armored vehicles. In addition, a large base in the Nikolaev region for storing fuel and lubricants for the Ukrainian military was destroyed by the Caspian Sea.

In addition, a “Dagger” attack on the fuel base was carried out from the airspace over Crimea. It supplied ammunition to Ukrainian armored vehicles.

• 10:24 The children’s city hospital was damaged as a result of Ukrainian troops shelling Donetsk’s Petrovsky district. This was reported by the DPR’s JCCC representative office.

• 10:16 According to the Research Institute of Special Food Technology, the sanctions will have no effect on the production of food for Russian cosmonauts. All raw materials are sourced from within the country.

• 10:14 DPR authorities report that the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk has been decommissioned as a result of Ukrainian shelling. It is still occupied by 35 miners.

• 10:02 Finland’s President, Sauli Niinistö, has commented on the possibility of the country joining NATO. According to him, it may appear that with this step, the Finns’ concerns will be alleviated. However, “various alternatives entail risks,” which Helsinki must recognize. So far, the main risk is a worsening of the situation in Europe.

• It is 9:50 a.m.The German Meteorological Society talks about possible problems with obtaining data due to a special operation in Ukraine. Now data from Russia and Ukrainian regions, in which there are no hostilities, is coming through channels agreed upon by the UN. But the channels of communication with Russia are limited.

• 9:40 — At least 16 people (among them 2 children) were injured during the day after the shelling of the liberated territory of the DPR by Ukrainian troops. This is reported by the headquarters of the territorial defense. According to the DPR representative office in the JCCC, 19 people were injured.

• 9:33 Erdogan’s spokesman announced the need to hear Russia’s arguments. As Ibrahim Kalyn said, any steps taken by the West in relation to the Russian Federation will have an impact on the new security architecture. He stated this in an interview with The New York Times.

• 9:10 For the first time, the Russian Ministry of Defense published a video of night flights of the Su-35 during a special operation. During the performance of flight missions, fighter pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces discovered and intercepted air targets and destroyed the air defense systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

• The activities of a number of political parties in Ukraine that, according to the authorities, are linked to Russia have been halted during the period of martial law.
• According to the Washington Post, Western officials believe Ukrainian leaders are sending ambiguous and conflicting signals about the status of negotiations with Russia. Some NATO members are concerned that Kyiv will make too many concessions.
• Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, has warned that GPS in Russia may be turned off. The United States, he claims, is considering such a scenario.