As the war rages on into its 761st day, here are the key updates on Tuesday, March 26, 2024:
Fighting:
– Ten individuals, including a young girl, were wounded when Russia launched missiles at Kyiv in the third bombardment in five days. While air defense managed to intercept the missiles, debris falling to the ground in central districts caused injuries.
– Nearly a dozen people were injured in Mykolaiv and Odesa after Russian drone attacks. Although most drones were shot down, a plant fire in Odesa led to an emergency power shutdown.
– In the Kharkiv region, a 65-year-old man was killed during Russian shelling.
– Ukrainian press officer Oleg Kalashnikov reported tense situations in Chasiv Yar, with Russian forces targeting populated areas and fortified positions with guided bombs.
– A Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at a major Russian power plant in Rostov, resulting in the shutdown of two power units.
Politics and diplomacy:
– Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed “radical Islamists” for an attack in Crocus City Hall, implicating Ukraine without evidence. The Afghan ISIL branch claimed responsibility for the attack, refuting Putin’s claims.
– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied any involvement in the attack, accusing Putin of deflecting blame.
– The Russian ambassador in Warsaw, Sergey Andreev, failed to appear for a diplomatic summons after a missile breach in Polish airspace.
– The wife of imprisoned Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza advocated for prisoner exchanges to free political detainees in Russia. Kara-Murza, a UK citizen, was sentenced to 25 years for accusing Russia of committing war crimes against Ukraine.
– Russia summoned Australia’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow to protest a social media post condemning Russia’s organization of presidential elections in occupied parts of Ukraine.
Weapons:
– Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged international allies to provide more air defense support, specifically Patriot systems and missiles, following Russia’s recent attack on Kyiv.