As the war enters its 748th day, major developments include:
This is the situation as of Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
finding
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the situation along the eastern front was “much better” and that after capturing the eastern city of Avdiivka last month, Russian troops would no longer advance and Ukraine “regained” its strategic position. He said he did.
- The Kremlin declined to comment on reports in Russian media that it had fired Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, the commander-in-chief of the Navy, after losing a series of warships to Ukrainian military attacks in the Black Sea. Several media outlets, including the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper, reported over the weekend that Evmenov had been replaced by Northern Fleet commander Alexander Moiseyev.
- Ukraine said its air defense forces shot down 15 of 25 Russian drones launched in a night attack on the southern region of Odessa, but infrastructure facilities and some commercial buildings were also attacked. Ten Shahid drones were destroyed over the Black Sea port of Odesa.
- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced that more than 1,400 buildings belonging to Ukrainian scientific institutions were damaged in the Russian invasion and will cost $1.26 billion to repair.
politics and diplomacy
- Pope Francis called on Ukraine to “show the courage of the white flag” and begin negotiations to end the war, but continued to stir up unrest. Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, said the call was “very understandable,” while Ukraine's NATO allies said it was not the time to talk about “surrender.” Meanwhile, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry summoned the Vatican ambassador, known as the papal legate.
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said former US President Donald Trump told him he would “not donate a dime” to the Ukraine war. Mr. Orban met with Mr. Trump, who is running for the US presidential election again, in Florida. He added that it was “hard to disagree” with President Trump's position.
- “20 Days in Mariupol'' won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Associated Press journalist Mstislav Chernov captured the brutal siege and fighting over the Black Sea city in the early days of Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine. President Zelenskiy hailed Ukraine's first victory and said the documentary showed “the truth about Russian terrorism.”
- Russian lawmakers have submitted a bill to the State Duma that would rewrite a chapter in history by nullifying the Soviet Union's 1954 decision to transfer Crimea from Russia to Ukraine. The draft law says the extradition is arbitrary and illegal.
weapons
- U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines urged lawmakers to approve more military aid to Ukraine, asking a key Senate committee “how will Ukraine retake territory from Russia” without further support from Washington? He said it was difficult to imagine if it could be maintained.