March 26th, 2022
1. Humanitarian issues
The Russian Federation, guided by the principles of international humanitarian law, continues to provide comprehensive assistance to the population in the controlled areas of Ukraine and the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.
To this end, humanitarian corridors continue to open daily since 10:00AM in the directions of Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol, one to Russia and one more through Kiev-controlled territories towards Ukraine's western borders. A significant part of the population forcibly held by radicals in Ukrainian cities is still looking for any opportunities to evacuate to Russia, as evidenced by numerous appeals of citizens through various channels to the official structures of the Russian Federation. Over the past day, another 2,329 such appeals have been received, and in total there are already 2,724,332 of them in the database from 2,095 settlements in Ukraine.
Of the routes proposed by Russia, the Ukrainian authorities have agreed on only three, but not a single humanitarian corridor to the Russian Federation has again been confirmed by official Kiev, which once again proves the indifference of the current government to its own people. At the same time, as of this day, the Ukrainian side announced 12 additional corridors in the directions of Kiev, Zhytomyr, Zaporozhye and Donetsk, of which none in the direction of the Russian Federation.
The Russian Armed Forces strictly observe the ceasefire on all routes, including those declared by the Ukrainian side.
At the same time, the objective control data confirmed once again that the Ukrainian side continues to cynically use the ceasefire to regroup its units to more advantageous positions. In addition, it still continues to prevent civilians from leaving populated areas in every possible way.
For example, in Chernigov, by order of the head of the city and the head of the Ukrainian regional military administration, in order to prevent any attempts by the local population to leave the city, a road bridge across the Desna river on the Kiev direction was blown up.
In the same city, an initiative group of local residents in connection with the serious humanitarian situation (of the remaining 120 thousand people, more than half are sick, medical care is not available to them, medical facilities are filled with fighters of the AFU and territorial defenсe) appealed to the administration with a request to go to the safe areas. As a result, the activists were detained by SSU officers, and several people were subsequently shot.
Despite all the difficulties and obstacles created by Kiev, over the past day, without the participation of official authorities, 17,105 people were evacuated to Russia from dangerous areas of Ukraine, Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, 4,095 of them children, and in total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 401,216 people have already been evacuated, of which 84,865 - children.
47,551 units of personal vehicles crossed the state border of the Russian Federation, of which 1,881 units per day.
On March 24th, 2022, 4,453 people were evacuated from Mariupol, also without any participation of the Ukrainian side, a total of 86,718 people have already been rescued from the lawlessness organized by neo-Nazis.
Despite the humanitarian corridors opening daily, Ukrainian nationalists continue to hold hostage as a "human shield" more than 4.5 million civilians in Kiev, Kharkov, Chernigov, Sumy, Mariupol and more than two dozen other large settlements, as well as 6,837 citizens from 26 foreign countries who, by the will of fate, found themselves on the territories of Ukraine.
In addition, 67 foreign vessels from 15 countries continue to be blocked in Ukrainian ports. The high mine danger created by official Kiev in the internal waters of Ukraine and the territorial sea (minefields are installed with gross violations of the preparation regulations and without drawing up appropriate maps), as well as the threat of shelling by the AFU of vessels following the recommended routes, do not allow them to safely leave the ports of Nikolaev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Odessa, Yuzhny and go out into the open the sea.
At the same time there is no danger to the freedom of civil navigation on the part of the Russian Federation.
To maintain free exit of foreign vessels from Ukrainian ports to the open sea, the Russian Federation is creating a humanitarian sea corridor, which is a safe lane for ships from the collection area located 20 miles south-east of the port of Ilyichevsk. The length of the humanitarian corridor is 80 nautical miles in a south-westerly direction; the width of the traffic lane is 3 miles. The duration of the corridor is daily from 08:00 to 19:00 (Moscow time), starting from March 25th, 2022. Russia calls on the entire international community, including the International Maritime Organization, to influence the Ukrainian side and take effective measures aimed at unblocking and ensuring the safety of the exit of foreign vessels from the ports of Ukraine.
In the regions of the Russian Federation, more than 9.5 thousand temporary accommodation facilities continue to function regularly, where individual work is carried out with the arrived refugees and assistance is provided in solving a variety of issues. There are a sufficient number of buses at the checkpoints to transport people to their chosen places of residence or to temporary accommodation points where medical care and hot meals are organized.
The federal executive authorities, together with the subjects of Russia, various public organizations and patriotic movements, continue to accumulate humanitarian aid.
More than 22 thousand tons of food, medicines and basic necessities have already been prepared at the collection points.
Since March 2nd the Russian Federation has already delivered 4,933 tons of humanitarian cargo to Ukraine and carried out 597 humanitarian actions, including 36 over the past day in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Nikolayev regions, during which 379 tons of food, clothing, hygiene products and medicines were transferred to civilians.
On March 24, 20 humanitarian actions are being held in the Kiev, Sumy, Chernigov and Kherson regions, during which 110 tons of basic necessities and food packages, including baby food and vital medicines, are being transferred to the population.
2. Russian MoD and the ICRC held talks
On March 24th, consultations were held between the Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General Alexander Fomin, and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, who was on a visit to Moscow. The Russian MoD and the ICRC exchanged information on the evacuation of civilians and foreign citizens from the dangerous zones of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics to the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as in the western direction to the territory of Ukraine. In addition, during the meeting, issues of providing humanitarian assistance to victims and other aspects of a humanitarian nature were discussed.
The Russian Defence Ministry and the International Committee of the Red Cross noted the constructive nature of cooperation in the humanitarian field. At the same time, special attention was paid to compliance with the norms of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949.
3. Developments in the battlefield
A group of troops of the Russian Armed Forces is fighting for the capture of the settlements of Novomikhailovka and Novobakhmutovka, inflicting fire damage to the enemy in strong points and on its reserves.
The Russian Armed Forces have launched a precision-guided missile strike on Ukrainian military infrastructure. The crew of a small missile ship of the Black Sea Fleet has launched four Kalibr cruise missiles at military facilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the Black Sea. As a result of an accurate hit, the high-precision weaponry destroyed weapons and military equipment depot on the territory of Zhitomir Region.
The crews of the high-precision Iskander operational-tactical missile complex destroyed the training base of foreign mercenaries with a pin-point strike.
Also, a high-precision Onyx cruise missile destroyed a fuel base in the area of Nikolaev, from which fuel was supplied to the AFU grouping in the southern part of Ukraine.
During the day, 117 military facilities of Ukraine were hit by operational-tactical and army aviation.
Among them: six command posts, three multiple rocket launchers, one S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, nine depots with weapons and ammunition, two with fuel and lubricants, as well as 92 strongholds of the AFU, nationalist battalions and the area of concentration of military equipment.
Three Ukrainian aircraft (two Su-25 and one Su-24), as well as six unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by Russian AAD in the air over the village of Vishnevoye. In addition, one tactical missile of the Tochka-U complex was destroyed near the village of Vasilevka.
Russia can use two types of this missile – either cruise missile or ballistic missile. The Iskander tactical complex was tasked with fire suppression of the enemy. A ballistic missile hit a building housing a foreign legion and a training base. As a high-explosive penetrating warhead was used, the building, 60 metres long, was completely destroyed and the enemy eliminated. This missile is basically impossible to intercept
The Iskander missile complex is designed for covert preparation and effective missile strikes against critical targets behind enemy lines. High firing accuracy at a considerable range, short launch-readiness time, and high missile defence penetration efficiency allow the system to promptly engage any standard target with a single self-propelled launcher, or with a salvo of two missiles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation (February 24th), 267 unmanned aerial vehicles, 207 anti-aircraft missile systems, 1,618 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 166 multiple rocket launchers, 662 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 1,453 special military vehicles have been destroyed.
4. A request for advanced high-precision long-range weapons
The Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, on March 26th, held a working meeting on the implementation of the State Defence Order program and the fulfillment of social obligations to the servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
He noted that despite the anti-Russian sanctions, today the level of concluding government contracts is 85 percent, and in April Russia will complete this work in full. "The priorities are high-precision long-range weapons, aviation equipment, as well as maintaining the combat readiness of strategic nuclear forces," he said. In his words, this year it is necessary to maintain the set pace of delivery of advanced weapons to the troops, including robotic complexes, information support and electronic warfare, as well as combat service support.
Written by Vladimir P. Kozin
