Here are the key developments as the war enters its 764th day on Friday, March 29, 2024.
Fighting
In the ongoing conflict, at least three people were killed in Russian shelling and aerial attacks. Among the casualties was a taxi driver in southern Kherson, whose car was hit by a missile, resulting in his death. Two passengers were injured and taken to a hospital.
In southern Zaporizhzhia, two people were injured by falling debris after Russia launched drone attacks on various regions in Ukraine. The Ukrainian military successfully shot down 26 out of 28 Iranian-designed attack drones.
Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, announced that security measures in the Ukrainian capital would be heightened, especially around large gatherings, following a series of Russian ballistic missile attacks and threats of escalation.
Politics and diplomacy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the United States Congress to pass a $60bn military aid package for Kyiv, during a phone call with Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba arrived in New Delhi for talks on Kyiv’s 10-point peace plan ahead of a proposed summit in Switzerland, which includes demands for the withdrawal of Russian troops and restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
US Commerce Department official, Matthew Axelrod, urged American companies to halt shipments to over 600 foreign parties over concerns of diversion to Russia for use in Ukraine.
Russian activist Oleg Orlov, leader of human rights group Memorial, is reported to be in declining health under inhumane conditions while serving a jail term for criticizing the war in Ukraine. Journalist Mikhail Feldman was sentenced to two years in Kaliningrad for speaking out against Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Azat Miftakhov, a self-described anarchist, was jailed for four years in Yekaterinburg on terrorism charges for expressing support for Ukraine and previous actions against the Russian government. France dismantled a fake website recruiting volunteers to fight against the Russian invasion in Ukraine, which claimed 200,000 French people were invited to enlist.
Weapons
Ukraine’s defence minister requested more air defences from allies at an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, citing that 97 percent of Russian attacks this year targeted civilian infrastructure.
Head of Russia’s SVR, Sergey Naryshkin, visited Pyongyang to strengthen cooperation between Russia and North Korea, amid accusations of North Korea supplying weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.