Prepared by Denis Bogush, military and political expert, International Headquarters for Assistance to Ukrainians
General description of the situation. Russia launched a war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022 (25th day of the war). They began with a rocket-bomb attack on 17 Ukrainian cities, first on military infrastructure and now on civilian infrastructure.
Today, March 20, the twenty-fifth day of the heroic opposition of the Ukrainian people to the Russian military invasion has begun.
The defense of the positions has not changed significantly during the last day.
Three Russian combat helicopters were shot down by the air defense of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
During the day, the enemy did not conduct active offensive operations, concentrating efforts to replenish current losses.
The occupiers use terrorist methods to impose a strict administrative and police regime, deliberately create conditions for a humanitarian crisis in the temporarily occupied territories, and try to force the local population to collaborate. The invaders are distributing leaflets with proposals to contact the occupation administration. In addition, the head of the 652nd Group of Information and Psychological Operations of the Russian terrorist forces was severely reprimanded for his weak work in creating the so-called “Kherson People’s Republic”.
It became known that one serviceman from the combined detachment of the 331st Guards Parachute Landing Kostroma Regiment, which took part in the fighting in the Kyiv direction, survived in the hospital.
Against the background of similar circumstances, the command of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is urgently taking measures to replace 130 contract defenders of the 810th Marine Brigade with paratroopers of the 7th Assault Division. The question of their further service is decided by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. In the temporarily occupied Crimea, some marine units have lost up to 90 percent of their personnel, and there are no reserves to recover. In addition, in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region, Russian curators announced another wave of mobilization to replenish the 1st Army Corps. The maximum age of the demobilized has been raised to 65 years.
Out of 10 humanitarian corridors, 8 worked, a total of 6,623 people were evacuated.
Russia has mined the recommended routes from the Bosphorus to Odessa and said it was Ukrainian mines.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian military used hypersonic missiles of the Dagger complex to destroy underground military personnel in the village of Delyatyn, Ivano- Frankivsk region. The Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the enemy did strike at the storage depots, but the type of missile is yet to be determined.
Russia will no longer be able to supply Ukraine with its equipment and supplies via the Belarusian railway, as there is no longer a railway connection between Belarus and Ukraine. This was stated
by Chairman of the Board of Ukrainian Railways Oleksandr Kamyshyn. All Belarusian diplomats left Ukraine.
There are 562 camps for captured occupiers in Ukraine.
The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has decided, in view of the full-scale war waged by Russia and the ties of some political structures with that country, to suspend any activities of a number of political parties during martial law, including OPZZh, Sharia Party. “Our” and others.
Losses of military personnel and military equipment of the RF Armed Forces
- Military personnel – about 14,700 people,
- tanks – 476 units,
- armored combat vehicles – 1487 units,
- artillery systems – 230 units,
- means of air defense – 44 units,
- aircraft – 96 units,
- helicopters – 118 units,
- automotive equipment – 947 units,
- ships / boats – 3 units,
Ukrainian soldiers eliminated the Deputy Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet for military and political work, Captain First Rank Andriy Paliy.
Colonel Mykola Ovcharenko, the chief of engineering waxes of the Western Military District, was killed during the construction of a pontoon-bridge crossing over the Seversky Donets River in the Izyum district of Kharkiv region. He also killed 18 and wounded 46 others.
Cases of resistance from the local population
With the help of propaganda stories, the occupiers are trying to form a picture of the loyal attitude of the local population to the occupying power. Attempts were made to distribute “humanitarian aid” in settlements in the Chernihiv region. The locals did not take anything from the enemy, even under pressure.
Civilian casualties
As of the morning of the 24th day of the full-scale invasion of Russia on the territory of our state from the actions of the occupiers killed 112 children and more than 140 wounded. This was reported by the Office of the Attorney General. The largest number of victims was in Kyiv – 57, Kharkiv – 36, Donetsk – 28, Chernihiv – 30, Mykolaiv – 21, Zhytomyr – 15, Sumy – 14 and Kherson – 14 oblasts. In Mariupol, this statistic is much higher, but we have not been able to calculate yet.
