March 20 – A bridge over the Siverskyi Donets River in Stanytsya Luhanska village was completely destroyed as a result of an explosion during fighting between the separatists and Ukrainian military. Russian terrorists have repeatedly tried to use it to cross to areas of Luhansk region, controlled by Ukrainian forces.
March 20 – At this point in time, United States and its European allies exclude the possibility of Russia being disconnected from the international payment system SWIFT because it will result in significant losses, – reports Bloomberg.
March 20 – Recruitment office of Yakymivka rayon in Zaporizhia oblast was fired at by unidentified persons using Kalashnikov automatic rifle.
March 20 – The Department of Russian Federal Security Service in Saratov oblast has held a meeting with a 14-year-old schoolgirl of Saratov High School #32, who attended a rally to celebrate the annexation of Crimea by Russia – the girl had ribbons with Ukrainian flag colors on her.
March 20 – Water supply issue (water for irrigation of agricultural land) hasn’t yet been resolved in the occupied Crimea. Before the annexation the water was supplied from mainland Ukraine.
March 20 – Wellbeing/health of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko who was abducted and arrested by the Russians, has deteriorated. It is expected that she might be transferred to the hospital, wrote her sister Vira Savchenko in her Facebook account.
March 20 – Ukrainian military will participate in 237 NATO partnership events, – stated the representative of the Department for Military Cooperation of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Borys Kremenetskyi.
March 20 – Most residents of eastern and southern regions of Ukraine do not see Donbas outside of Ukraine. This is shown in the data of a sociological survey undertaken on February 24-28 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. The survey, results of which were presented on Frday in Kyiv, was conducted in Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, including the areas not under Ukrainian government control. According to the survey results, 33% of those surveyed think that Ukraine should return Donbas to its own jusrisdiction; the government management of these territoies should remain the same as it formerly was.
31% of the respondents think that Ukraine should return Donbas to its control but should grant these territories expanded powers within Ukraine as the unitarian nation.
In the opinion of 10% of the surveyed, Ukraine should become a federation and Donbas should remain within Ukraine as an autonomous republic.
Simultaneously 11% of the respondents think that Donbas should separate from Ukraine and become independent, 7% Donbas should separate from Ukraine and become integrated into Russia. 8% are reticent to provide an answer.
March 20 – The head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, said on March 20 that the European Union will not refuse from sanctions as a tool of pressure on Russia in order to settle the situation in Ukraine.
March 20 – Ukraine is facing the task of doing an enormous job before considering joining NATO, says Victoria Nuland, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia.
March 20 – Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine are preparing for a new offensive to expand their territory, signaling a six-week-old truce is in danger of crumbling. “We’ll try to push them from here to hell because we’re tired of them killing civilians with indiscriminate fire,” Alexander Khodakovsky, who commands the 3,500-man Vostok Brigade, said in an interview at his headquarters in Donetsk. The campaign may start in the “foreseeable future,” according to Khodakovsky, who also heads the security council of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
March 20 – The United States military is moving forward with plans to send paratroopers to Ukraine to help train volunteer forces. The mission, which was supposed to take place this month, was delayed because of fears that it would affect the fragile ceasefire agreement between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels that came into force Feb. 18.
March 20 – European Council President Donald Tusk said on March 20 it was increasingly difficult to maintain a united European Union position on sanctions imposed on Russia over its involvement in the Ukraine crisis.
March 20 – Turkey has provided $10 million worth of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and will allot another $50 million for Ukraine to cover its budget deficit, says Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Invasion of Ukraine – one year later
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