Victory Chronicles-DAY 1133

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, First Lady Olena Zelenska, and lawmakers from nearly 20 countries assembled in Bucha and two more northwestern suburbs of Kyiv on March 31 to commemorate the third anniversary of the city’s liberation from Russian occupation and honor the civilians killed during the brutal Russian invasion.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s top pastor, Mark Burns, was also part of the entourage. The presidential couple lit candles at a memorial on the grounds of the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called and All Saints of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

According to the presidential office, members of parliament from Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Spain, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Croatia, Czechia, Sweden, and the European Parliament attended the event. 

High-ranking Ukrainian officials and local authorities were also present. Russian forces occupied Bucha for 33 days, from Feb. 27 to March 31, 2022. 

Ukrainian authorities report that 561 civilians, including 12 children, were killed during the occupation. The massacre became one of the most notorious examples of Russian war crimes during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that started in February 2022.

Ukrainian defense forces destroy 408 Russian artillery systems in a week. Ukraine’s military destroyed 408 Russian artillery systems between March 24 and 31, according to Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi.

In a statement posted on social media, Syrskyi credited the sharp increase in enemy losses to accurate drone strikes, counter-battery fire, and the coordinated efforts of Ukraine’s defense components.

“Thanks to precision strikes by drones, counter-battery warfare, and the professionalism of all components of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, Russian losses in artillery systems totaled 408 units last week alone,” he wrote. Since the beginning of this year, Russian forces have lost 4,005 artillery systems, Syrskyi added.

Russia strikes Kharkiv regional town of  Kupiansk with guided bombs, injuring three civilians. Russian forces launched a massive airstrike on the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, dropping seven guided aerial bombs (KABs) that injured three civilians, including two women, regional officials said.

Kupiansk is considered a war hotspot given its proximity to the Russian border and its location to important supply routes. Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, said the strike destroyed one single-family home and damaged another.

The wounded include a 59-year-old man, a 74-year-old woman, and a 53-year-old woman. Emergency services are responding at the scene. Kupiansk, located in northeastern Ukraine near the front line, has been a frequent target of Russian air and artillery strikes.

Ukrainian drone operators destroy Russian tanks in repelled assault on Pokrovsk front. Ukrainian forces thwarted a Russian armored assault along the Pokrovsk axis in the Donetsk region, destroying two enemy tanks using first-person view drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Force Command.

Operators from the Air Force’s Composite Rifle Brigade and a Marine Corps unit detected the approach of Russian armored vehicles attempting to storm Ukrainian positions. Using aerial reconnaissance, they identified enemy movement and quickly deployed suicide drones to intercept the advancing column.

The drone strikes successfully disabled the tanks, halting the assault before it could gain momentum. No Ukrainian positions were overrun, and the enemy was forced to retreat with significant losses.

“This is yet another demonstration of the skill, coordination, and combat effectiveness of our troops,” the Air Force Command said in a statement on social media. “In the sky and on the ground – one mission, one fight, one victory.”

Key Takeaways:

• U.S. President Donald Trump stated on March 30 that there is an unspecified “psychological deadline” for Russia to agree to a general ceasefire amid continued Russian efforts to hold the temporary ceasefire in the Black Sea hostage to stall efforts toward a general ceasefire and extract additional concessions from the West.
• Russian officials continue efforts to undermine the proposed US-Ukrainian mineral deal by promoting potential US-Russian rare earth mining projects.
• The Kremlin continues efforts to sow division between the United States and Europe.
• Ukraine’s European allies continue to provide financial and military aid to Ukraine.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk. Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk and Sumy oblasts and near Kupyansk, Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka.
• Russia is reportedly struggling to restore what few tanks remain in its stocks.

Ukrainian soldier Yurii Kharchuk killed in drone strike near Bakhmut. Private Yurii Kharchuk, known by the call sign “Motsnyi” (Sturdy), was killed on Sept. 11 near the village of Orikhovo-Vasylivka in the Bakhmut district of Donetsk Oblast. While carrying out a combat mission, he suffered serious shrapnel wounds after a Russian drone dropped explosives on his position. During evacuation, he sustained additional injuries that proved fatal.

Kharchuk was born in the village of Lychany in Volyn Oblast. He graduated from the Ostroh Regional Military-Physical Training Lyceum named after Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi.

After marrying, he relocated to the town of Sheptytskyi in Lviv Oblast, where he worked as a tunneler at the Mezhyrichanska coal mine of the state-owned company Lvivvuhillia. In his free time, he enjoyed fishing, traveling, and working with stone and wood.

In December 2023, Kharchuk joined the 24th Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo, serving as a machine gunner. He was awarded a commendation from the Commander of Operational Command “West” for excellence in service.

“Yura was, is, and will always be my most cherished, beloved person. He was incredibly kind, cheerful, and funny. Even when he was tired, he never complained,” his wife Oksana said.

Kharchuk was buried in the village of Bendiuga in Lviv Oblast. He was posthumously honored as an Honorary Citizen of the Chervonohrad Community. He is survived by his parents, Olha and Viacheslav; his wife, Oksana; and their sons, Vladyslav and Matvii.

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

• Trump considering new sanctions on Russia if Putin fails to deliver on deal
• Russia refrains from large-scale drone attack overnight for first time in 2025
• US Department of State: Trump rejects idea of interim administration in Ukraine under UN aegis
• Zelenskyy: Moscow blatantly mocks Western efforts to restore peace
• Republican congressman calls on colleagues and Trump to stand up to Russia
• US secretary of state to meet other NATO foreign ministers and discuss lasting peace in Ukraine