On the 389th day Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, on Sunday, March 19, Russian troops continue their attempts to keep the captured settlements of the neighboring country under control. The armed forces and units of the territorial defense of Ukraine resist aggression. It is impossible to verify the statements of representatives of both sides from independent sources. According to the UN, about 16 million Ukrainians have already left their homes.
The course of hostilities
During the day, Russian forces launched 1 missile and 7 air strikes, and also carried out 9 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems, according to the evening summary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to him, in the Kupyansk and Limansk directions, the Russian army continues to attempt to break through the defenses of the Ukrainian troops, in the Bakhmut direction – attempts to capture Bakhmut, and in the Zaporozhye and Kherson directions, the Russian military is defending.
At the same time, Ukrainian aviation struck a Russian anti-aircraft missile system, the type of which was not named at the time of publication, and 6 strikes on areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of Russian troops, and units of missile forces and artillery hit the Tor anti-aircraft missile system. “and 2 areas of concentration of Russian forces, added in the Ukrainian General Staff.
In particular, the village of Kamenskoye, Vasilyevsky district, Zaporozhye region, came under Russian shelling, the military administration of the region said. As a result, three people died, two more were injured, the Ukrainian side pointed out. The authorities have highlighted the danger to civilians in the line of fire. In addition, the Russians fired artillery at the village of Belozerka in the Kherson region, the regional administration reported. According to her, a hit was recorded in a residential building, a woman was pulled out from under the rubble, she was hospitalized. On the morning of the same day, the city of Seredina-Buda in the Sumy region came under mortar fire from the Russian forces, the military administration of the region reported. According to her, 1 private house was damaged as a result. In addition, the Novoslobodskaya community was shelled, the Ukrainian side added.
Putin in Mariupol
Mariupol City Council criticized the late evening visit to the city captured by the Russian forces of Russian President Vladimir Putincalling him an “international criminal”. He “looked at the ‘restoration of the city’… at night. Probably so that in the light of day he would not see the city that had been shot down and killed by his ‘liberation,'” the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian government says.
On the night of March 19, the press service Kremlin disseminated information about the “working trip” of the President of Russia to the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov. This is Putin’s first trip to Russian-occupied territories since the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. According to these data, Putin arrived in Mariupol by helicopter and got acquainted with the situation in the destroyed city and the progress of restoration work during a car tour. In addition, it is reported that Putin talked with the residents of the city.
Germany to comply with ICC demand for Putin’s arrest
Meanwhile, the world continues to discuss the March 17 decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant President of Russia. German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that he would comply with the demand for Putin’s arrest if he ended up in Germany. “I expect the ICC to quickly turn to Interpol, as well as to the participating states, and ask them to execute the arrest warrant. Germany will be obliged to detain Putin if he enters its territory and hand him over to the ICC,” the minister said. According to the newspaper, all countries subject to its jurisdiction, including the EU countries, must act in accordance with the ICC ruling.
Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, welcomed the statement of the German minister. “Perfect. International warrant should be performed. And it is very symbolic that it was Germany that was the first to sharply set the accents: in the event of the appearance of the “suspected Putin V.V.” in their jurisdiction, he will be immediately arrested. For organizing the mass kidnapping and aggressive violence against Ukrainian children,” Podolyak wrote on Twitter. At the same time, he condemned Putin’s trip to Mariupol. “The organizer of the murders of thousands of Mariupol families came to admire the ruins of the city and mass graves. Cynicism and lack of remorse,” Podolyak said.
Zelensky: Putin’s arrest warrant is a turning point
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an evening video message, stressed the weight of the ICC’s decision to issue a warrant for Putin’s arrest. “This outgoing week has finally brought a really significant international legal result for Ukraine, for justice. There is a warrant from the International Criminal Court for the arrest of the leader of Russia, and this is a turning point. The moment after which it becomes certain that the end of this aggression for Russia will be a full range of her responsibility“, he pointed out.
In turn, the President Serbia Aleksandar Vucic criticized the issuance of a warrant for Putin’s arrest. According to the Serbian statesman, the decision of the ICC will have “bad political consequences”, which indicates “great unwillingness to talk about peace and a truce” in Ukraine. “The goal of those who did this (issued an arrest warrant. – Ed.) Is to make it difficult for Putin to communicate,” so that everyone talking to him would know about the accusations of war crimes against the head of the Russian state, the President of Serbia stressed. At the same time, Vučić called the question of Putin’s arrest in the event of the arrival of the Russian president in Serbia meaningless, explaining that the head of the Russian state “has nowhere to go” while the war continues.
South Africa does not rule out Putin’s arrest in August
In the Republic of South Africa, they commented on Putin’s possible visit to this country in August to participate in the summit of the BRICS countries. The South African authorities said they were aware of their legal obligations in light of the alleged visit to the country by the Russian president, whose arrest warrant was issued in The Hague. “We as a government are aware of our legal obligations. However, prior to the summit, we will continue to engage with various relevant stakeholders,” a South African government spokesman said.
Pope Francis mentioned war crimes in Ukraine in his Sunday speech. The pontiff urged believers to pray for the Ukrainian people, who are under attack and “continue to suffer because of war crimes.”
Incidents in Russia
Meanwhile, an unmanned aerial vehicle without identification marks and departmental affiliation fell into a field in the Odoevsky district of the Tula region, the regional committee for regional security said. According to him, there is no threat to the population and infrastructure, and operational services are working at the spot where the drone was found. On February 28, a series of UAV incidents took place in Russia.
The governor of the Kursk region Roman Starovoit accused the Armed Forces of Ukraine of shelling several border settlements. There were no injuries, the official said. In the village of Krasnooktyabrsky, Glushkovsky district, the building of a first-aid post and 4 private households were slightly damaged, and breaks in power lines were also recorded, Starovoit added. The Ukrainian side has not commented on these allegations.
According to the publication “Rise”, on March 19, a funeral was held at the cemetery of the city of Goryachiy Klyuch in the Krasnodar Territory. militants PMC “Wagner”killed in Ukraine. The day before, the mayor of this city said that “it is wrong to make the resort a place for the mass grave of fighters,” but it is worth looking for other places for this. In response, PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin publicly demanded that the mayor of Goryachiy Klyuch be held criminally liable. And the mercenaries of PMC “Wagner” distributed a video on social networks in which they threatened to come and “deal” with the city administration.
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