Victory Chronicles-DAY 1122

Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs (MFA) has denounced a new decree by Kremlin Ruler Vladimir Putin, which orders Ukrainian citizens who haven’t accepted Russian citizenship to leave their homes and face deportation if they don’t comply. 

The executive order, signed on March 20, was described as a “worthless act” and part of a broader Russian policy of genocide toward the Ukrainian people, the MFA said.

The order affects both Ukrainians living in Russia and areas that Moscow has illegally annexed in the Ukrainian Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, all of which aren’t fully controlled.

“The… decree effectively mandates the forced expulsion of Ukrainian citizens from Russian-occupied territories and Russia itself, unless they obtain so-called legal status,” Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said during a March 21 briefing in Kyiv, according to Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

He continued: “This is yet another step in Russia’s campaign of discrimination, persecution, and forced displacement of Ukrainians from their homeland or coercing them into foreign status.” 

Tykhyi emphasized that Russia continues to violate international law, including at least three international legal conventions through this decree. “We stress that these systematic deportations and persecutions are part of Russia’s genocide policy against the Ukrainian people,” the Foreign Ministry stated. Ukrainians who have refused to comply with the Kremlin’s so-called passportization policy have faced threats and discrimination, including the refusal of vital healthcare services.

Germany’s upper house of parliament approves 3-billion euro in military aid for Ukraine. Germany’s upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, has approved constitutional amendments to increase spending in three key areas, including unlocking an additional 3 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine, officials said on March 21..

The measure, which passed the lower Bundestag chamber on March 18, received support from 35 state delegates, surpassing the required two-thirds majority out of 46 total votes. Four states abstained.

The increased spending is made possible by an exemption from Germany’s “debt brake” rule, which limits the government’s ability to take on new loans.

Following the approval, the 3 billion euros in military aid can now be allocated to Ukraine this year.

Germany’s Defense Ministry had already begun assembling the aid package before the vote. The first shipments, including ammunition, vehicles, and drones, are expected within weeks, while more complex systems, such as IRIS-T air defense units, will take longer to produce. The ministry can now proceed with contracts to manufacture the necessary weapons.

Vehicle carrying two Russian officers explodes in occupied Skadovsk, Ukraine’s intelligence reports. A car carrying two Russian officers exploded in the Russian-occupied port city of Skadovsk, Kherson region, situated on the western bank of the Dnipro River along the Black Sea coast, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency(HUR), reported on March 21.

The blast occurred at 8:40 p.m. on March 20 on Myru Street, destroying a Nissan pickup truck carrying the officers. Photos from the scene show the twisted metal remains of the vehicle. HUR said in a statement that the attack was part of efforts to hold Russian forces accountable for war crimes.

Ukrainian forces destroy Russian Buk-M1 air defense system on eastern front. Ukrainian artillery units destroyed a Russian Buk-M1 (eds: beech) surface-to-air missile system, along with its munitions, while it was being transported on the eastern front, Ukraine’s military reported on March 21.

The strike was carried out by the unit Chornyi Lis (Black Forest)  artillery reconnaissance brigade, which identified and targeted the system during its movement, according to Ukraine’s Khortytsia Operational Strategic Grouping .

Footage released by the unit shows secondary explosions from the detonation of the system’s ammunition, suggesting significant damage.

The Buk-M1 is a self-propelled air defense system designed to engage maneuverable aerial targets at low and medium altitudes. The estimated value of a single Buk-M1 unit is around $10 million, according to military analysts.

Key Takeaways:

• Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S.  have not yet concluded the details of the moratorium against energy infrastructure strikes. The Ukrainian strike against Engels Airbase would not have been subject to this moratorium in any event because it is a military target.
• The Kremlin announced that Russia and the United States will hold another round of talks in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia on March 24, and it is unclear whether these talks will include Ukraine.
• Kremlin officials continue to amplify narratives indicating that Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin remains committed to his long-standing goals of conquering Ukraine and is attempting to leverage upcoming ceasefire negotiations to secure preemptive concessions from Ukraine and the United States.
• Kremlin officials are also working to exacerbate tension between the United States and its European allies in order to break Western support for Ukraine and undermine the NATO alliance.
• Putin continues to condition domestic Russian audiences to prepare for a protracted war in Ukraine rather than a sustainable peace built on compromise.
• The Kremlin is intensifying efforts to change the demographic makeup of occupied Ukraine in order to legitimize Putin’s claim over occupied areas.
• The Kremlin also continues Russifying Ukrainian children in occupied areas to further the destruction of Ukrainian national and cultural identity and to portray Russia as the humane governor of occupied Ukraine.
• Kremlin officials continue advertising the possibility of future economic cooperation with the United States, likely to extract preemptive concessions from the United States in ceasefire or peace negotiations.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about investments in Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during their call on March 19.
• U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce condemned North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine on March 19 and expressed concern about Russian support to North Korea.
• Ukraine’s allies continue to provide financial and material military assistance to Ukraine, including funds from frozen Russian assets in Europe.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced in Belgorod Oblast and Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast and near Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Velyka Novosilka
• Russia may extend military veteran status to Russian military bloggers and military correspondents covering the war in Ukraine, likely in an effort to further coopt and appease the Russian ultranationalist military bloggercommunity.

Ukrainian soldier Andrii Tsvyk killed in combat near Porozok, Sumy region. Andrii Tsvyk, a reconnaissance operator in Ukraine’s 117th Territorial Defense Brigade, was killed on Nov. 3, 2023, during a battle with a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group near the Sumy regional village of Porozok in the northeastern part of Ukraine. He was 42 years old.

Born on [month] 24, 1981, in Okhtyrka, Sumy region, Tsvyk earned a degree from the Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University. He worked as a fleet manager at the Poltava Drilling Company and later as a logistics manager at Ukrgazvydobuvannya. Tsvyk was known among friends as an avid hunter and traveler.

During Russia’s full-scale invasion, he served as a reconnaissance operator in the 117th Territorial Defense Brigade.

For his service, he received Ukraine’s War Veteran – Combatant badge, the For Loyal Service medal (2nd Class), and the Order of Courage (3rd Class).

“My husband was an extraordinary man, someone others looked up to—including me,” his wife, Iryna, wrote in a social media post. “He always helped and supported people, whether in civilian life or in service. His call sign, ‘Hunter,’ came naturally—he had loved hunting since childhood.”

Tsvyk was buried in the Alley of Glory in Okhtyrka. He is survived by his parents, widowed wife, son, and daughter.

*Andrii’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

• Bloomberg: US reduces its participation in countering Russian ways to circumvent sanctions
• Polish foreign minister says if Putin’s concerned with aid to Ukraine, he should refuse aid from North Korea and Iran
• Macron exploring UN alternative to Starmer’s Ukraine plan
• US Willing to Lead Ukraine Nuclear Plant, Energy Secretary Says
• US seeks to reopen terms of Ukraine minerals deal
• The Telegraph: Britain discusses sending fighter jets to Ukraine