MOSCOW, March 16. /tass/. The Russian military operation in Ukraine is developing successfully and in accordance with the plan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday at a meeting on socio-economic support for the regions.
The Head of State stressed that Moscow had no other opportunities to ensure its own security, and the "economic blitzkrieg" of the West had failed. He also called what is happening a struggle for the sovereignty and future of the country, "the right to be and remain Russia."
TASS has collected the main information about the events in and around Ukraine.
Statements by leaders and organizations
- Putin devoted most of his opening remarks to the situation in Ukraine at the regional meeting, but focused on the confrontation with the West. He noted that Western sanctions would have been imposed in any case, since deterring Russia is a "conscious long-term strategy," but they did not achieve their goal, although the country will have to go through a difficult time.
- Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, speaking via video link to the US Congress, called on Washington to impose sanctions against all current Russian politicians, create "an alliance of responsible countries that will have the strength and ability to immediately stop conflicts," and also requested the supply of air defense systems, including S-300, if the introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine is impossible.
- US President Joe Biden made a brief speech on the situation in Ukraine. The United States will allocate another $800 million in aid to Kiev and will supply a variety of weapons, including 800 air defense systems, 9 thousand anti-tank complexes and 20 million ammunition (later the State Department clarified that 100 unmanned tactical systems would be included in the aid package). At the same time, he admitted, what is happening in Ukraine "can become a long and difficult battle."
Negotiation process
- Russian-Ukrainian negotiations are going hard and slow, but progress has already been made on a number of positions, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who heads the Russian delegation, told reporters. According to him, Moscow's position has not changed since the beginning of the military operation, and it is striving for "an agreement for generations."
- The parties, Medinsky said, are discussing the "Austrian, Swedish version of a neutral demilitarized state" proposed by Kiev, which implies the preservation of the armed forces. The "Swedish version" can be considered as a "certain compromise", but now further detailing of this topic is impossible, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also announced some progress in the negotiations. In an interview with the RBC TV channel, he said that there are specific formulations that are "close to agreement" and "a certain hope for reaching a compromise."
- Statements about the rapprochement of the positions of the parties are also heard from Kiev. Zelensky, in his next address on Wednesday, noted that "the positions in the negotiations sound more realistic."
Operation progress
- The Russian operation is developing according to plan, and its goals will be achieved, Putin said at a meeting on the regions. He stressed that the Russian military "are doing everything that depends on them to avoid losses among the civilian population of Ukrainian cities," while the Kiev authorities "beat indiscriminately, on squares, with fanaticism and frenzy of the doomed" - "like fascists <...> in the last days of the Third Reich."
- On Wednesday morning, the Russian military with a precision strike disabled communication and intelligence nodes in Vinnitsa, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. According to the ministry, during the day they hit 34 military facilities in Ukraine and shot down a Mi-24 helicopter and six drones.
- In total, 180 Ukrainian planes and helicopters and 166 drones, 1,367 tanks and armored vehicles, 132 multiple rocket launchers and 502 guns and mortars have been destroyed since the beginning of the operation, the ministry said.
- The Defense Ministry also told about the repulse of the nationalist attack on the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and the preparation by the Security Service of Ukraine with the support of Western countries of a provocation with the use of toxic substances. At the same time, the Russian military seized a map of the storage facilities of such substances on Ukrainian territory, so any attempt at provocation "will inevitably be disclosed," said the official representative of the ministry Igor Konashenkov. In addition, the department denied allegations of the shooting of civilians in Chernihiv and the explosion of the theater building in Mariupol.
- 31,367 people were evacuated from Mariupol during the day, including 89 foreigners (including 71 OSCE representatives), the Russian side reported. Only 36 evacuees went to the territory controlled by Kiev, the rest expressed a desire to go to Russia or areas controlled by it.
- A total of 271,231 people, including 58,422 children, have been evacuated from dangerous areas since the beginning of the operation, the Russian Defense Ministry said. At the same time, the ministry stressed that on Wednesday the Russian side reopened humanitarian corridors along previously agreed routes, although Kiev did not provide it with official written consent.
Political decisions
- The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided to terminate Russia's powers in the organization starting on Wednesday. Earlier, Lavrov handed over a letter on the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the organization to the Secretary General of the Council, Maria Peychinovich-Burich.
- Lavrov himself recalled that the decision to withdraw from the Council of Europe was made a long time ago, and State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin suggested that the organization dissolve itself, since without Moscow it loses its meaning.
- On Wednesday evening, the European Court of Human Rights announced the suspension of consideration of all complaints against Russia. Withdrawal from the Council of Europe implies that Moscow no longer recognizes the jurisdiction of this instance, but, as the Foreign Ministry assured, the Russian Federation will comply with the court's decisions already adopted, if they do not contradict its constitution.
- The International Court of Justice of the United Nations demanded that Russia suspend the operation in Ukraine. The Chairman of the instance, Joan Donohue, also called on all parties to refrain from actions that could aggravate the conflict.
Sanctions against Russia
- Japan, following the United States and a number of other countries, deprived Russia of the status of the "most favored nation" in trade, and also decided to expand personal sanctions and ban the export of "luxury goods". At the same time, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida noted that Tokyo remains interested in the Sakhalin-2 project.
- Switzerland has expanded sanctions against Russia by blacklisting 197 individuals and 9 organizations. The government of the confederation explained that its sanctions list is identical to the list of the European Union adopted the day before.
- Sanctions in the cultural sphere continue - the organizers of the Berlin Film Festival decided to exclude all Russian institutions, delegations, as well as persons who support the authorities of the Russian Federation. Auction houses Sotheby's and Christie's will refuse to auction items of Russian art in June.
Russian Economy
- The Russian ruble strengthened at the auction on the Moscow Stock Exchange: the dollar exchange rate decreased by 1.9%, to 108 rubles, the euro exchange rate - by 0.67%, to 117.69 rubles. The official rates of the Central Bank on Thursday - 108.05 rubles. per dollar and 118.76 rubles. per euro (against 111.48 rubles. and 122.45 rubles. a day earlier).
- Putin proposed a number of new measures, including an increase in social benefits, the minimum wage and the subsistence minimum, as well as an increase in advance payments under state contracts to 50%. He also signed a decree according to which the heads of regions should take "exhaustive measures" for socio-economic stability and protection of citizens.
- Foreign companies that continue to work in Russia "will certainly receive further opportunities for development," Putin said. He condemned the business that had left the country since the beginning of the operation, but assured that Moscow, unlike Western countries, would respect the right of ownership.
- Representatives of the Spanish clothing store chain Inditex (own brands Zara, Bershka, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti and others) said they want to resume work in Russia when circumstances allow. The company suspended operations in the country on March 5.
Foreign economy
- The US Federal Reserve raised the rate to 0.25-0.5% - this happened for the first time since December 2018, and in the last two years the rate has been at the level of 0-0.25%. The regulator worsened the forecast of GDP growth in 2022 from 4% to 2.8% (but kept the forecast for 2023 at 2.2%), and also raised the forecast for inflation at the end of this year from 2.6% to 4.3%.
- Zelensky signed the law on virtual assets, which legalizes the cryptocurrency market in the country. Now crypto exchanges will be able to work legally, banks will be able to open accounts for crypto companies, and the state guarantees judicial protection of the rights to virtual assets of citizens.
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