On the 389th day of the full-scale Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine Russian troops continue to try 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, more than 16 million Ukrainians have already left their homes. DW continues to follow developments Sunday, March 19 (Moscow time).
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Mariupol City Council criticized the visit of the President of Russia to the city captured by the Russian forces, calling the head of state an “international criminal”. Vladimir Putin “looked at the ‘restoration of the city’… at night. Probably, in the light of day, not to see the city that had been shot down and killed by its ‘liberation,'” the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian government says.
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NATO in the coming months will make additional efforts to deploy troops and equipment on the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance, writes Politico. The move is intended to prevent Russia from expanding the war beyond Ukraine, the publication notes.
We are talking about the forces of NATO, capable in a short time to go to the aid of the allied states. Alliance officials estimate that this will require up to 300,000 troops.
The first echelon of troops could be about 100,000 troops ready to move out within 10 days. It can include troops from Poland, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, explains former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Policy Horst-Heinrich Brauß. The second echelon is designed to support the first and should be ready for shipment from countries such as Germany within 10-30 days, the publication clarifies. However, for the successful implementation of the plan, the alliance needs to convince individual countries to provide various elements – from military personnel and structures for their training to infrastructure and a large amount of weapons and ammunition.
Chronicle of events March 19 00.00 – 13.59 >>>
Chronicle of events March 18 14.00 – 23.59 >>>
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