Air strikes on Ukraine again
Zelensky visits Bucha: “We remain steadfast”
March 31, 2024, 7:42 p.m
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On the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj called for perseverance; two people were killed in Russian air attacks. Meanwhile, France announces further military aid.
In an Easter message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on his compatriots to persevere in the defensive war against Russia. Not a day goes by without Russian terror shaking life in Ukraine, Zelensky explained. “We defend ourselves, we stand firm,” he said. “Our spirit does not give up and knows that death can be averted. Life can prevail.”
The Catholic, Protestant and Greek Orthodox Christians of Ukraine celebrate Easter according to the Gregorian calendar. However, the majority of Orthodox Christians in the country follow the Julian calendar, according to which Easter falls on May 5 this year. Many Orthodox Christians in Ukraine have been celebrating Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar since 2023, a step with which some churches in the country want to distance themselves from Russia. However, the dates for Easter and other religious holidays have so far remained unchanged.
Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and several foreign ambassadors spent the day in the town of Bucha, near Kiev, commemorating the recapture of the area from Russian troops two years ago, on March 31, 2022. The Russian military was there as part of its invasion of Ukraine in February Marched into Butscha in 2022. The city’s name became a symbol of war atrocities: Ukrainian soldiers found the bodies of men, women and children in the streets, in houses, gardens and mass graves. Some showed signs of torture.
According to his website, the Ukrainian president placed a lamp on the Wall of Remembrance in Bucha. The monument lists the names of the 509 identified civilians killed during the occupation.
Russian air strikes – Moscow celebrates
Two people were killed in Russian air strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. A cruise missile destroyed a building and killed a man in the Lviv region, said the area’s governor, Maxym Kosytskyi. A fire also broke out. The rescue operations are still ongoing. In Kharkiv in the northeast, a 19-year-old was killed in an air strike, said the local governor, Oleh Syniehubow.
In Odessa in the south, tens of thousands were without power. Debris from a downed drone caused a fire at an energy facility, said Governor Oleh Kiper. The largest private Ukrainian energy supplier DTEK said that around 170,000 people were without electricity as a result. The Ukrainian Air Force said it intercepted nine of eleven incoming Shahed drones. 9 of 14 cruise missiles were also shot down.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, draws a successful conclusion from the air strikes on the Ukrainian energy supply. Very precise long-range weapons and drones were used. The attacks interrupted production in defense factories. “All targets were hit,” the ministry said.
France: New aid package
France is providing Ukraine with hundreds of old armored vehicles and new surface-to-air missiles. Ukraine has to defend a very long front line, said French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu in an interview with the newspaper “La Tribune Dimanche”. For this they need armored vehicles. After talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky, President Emmanuel Macron asked him for a further aid package for Ukraine. The armored vehicles, first deployed by France in the 1970s, were scheduled to be handed over to Ukraine in 2024 and early 2025.
Klitschko criticizes Mützenich
Kiev’s mayor Vitali Klitschko has sharply criticized SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich for his statements about “freezing” the war. “It’s a wrong attitude, instead we need more support. We won’t give up any territories to Russia. That can’t be a compromise,” Klitschko told “Bild am Sonntag”. Mützenich had brought up the possibility of freezing the war in the middle of the month, triggering strong criticism. Klitschko also called for the continued delivery of air defense systems. “The missile attacks continue to increase, we urgently need more Patriot missiles and more ways to protect people.”