War in Ukraine / March 29

The Molfar team sends a daily newsletter about the war in Ukraine. The editorial staff of AIN.Capital publishes the full version of the digest. You can subscribe to the newsletter by sending your email address to [email protected], you will be added to the base.

Russia wants to leave Ukraine without fuel

At the beginning of the war, Russia stated that its goal was military objects. Everything has changed dramatically in the last week: today, rockets are hit at critical infrastructure – oil storage facilities. Fuel bases are being bombed throughout western Ukraine: Lviv, Rivne, Khmelnytsky, Volyn and Kyiv regions have been hit. The targets are oil depots, where fires are extinguished for several days.

This is a big blow for Ukraine. Fuel is needed for the military, civilians, and ultimately for business. Right now there is sowing, farmers need access to petroleum products to simply sow the fields. If there is no fuel – the equipment will stop, work will not go. Ukraine will have enough reserves to feed itself, but the huge industry, which generates more than $10  billion in export revenue each year, will stop.

The problem is complicated by the fact that most of Ukraine’s oil products were previously supplied from Russia and Belarus. Now supplies have stopped, Ukraine needs to reorient to the West. It is possible, but not a one-day affair. As a result, fuel is in short supply. To somehow slow rising prices, the government has reduced VAT and excise taxes.

In conclusion, we see that Russia cannot beat Ukraine head on, so it is trying to destroy the rear and resources. 

Airstrike, missile and MRL damage

Kyiv region:

• After the supply hit in the Brovarsky district, a food warehouse caught fire. The fire area was 20,000 sq.m. According to the interview, the warehouse was 100% full of food, neighboring warehouses – 10%, the work of the sabotage group is expected.

Donetsk region:

• Shelling of villages and towns: Marinka, Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Volnovakha, Ocheretyne, Novoselivka, Zaitseve. Damaged private houses, schools, private buildings
• Dormition Nicholas-Vasily Monastery of the UOC-MP. Bishop Ambrose of Volnovakha, who was operated on in occupied Donetsk, was wounded. On March 21, they had already struck at the monastery
• Attack on 2 warehouses with ammunition for artillery, according to the statements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
• As a result of the shelling, the Mariupol office of the EU Advisory Mission was damaged, the premises and equipment were badly damaged

Kharkiv region:

• The residential area of the Kyivsky district of the city of Kharkov was shelled. Burned: apartments of a residential high-rise building, the private sector, a warehouse building, an outbuilding, trade facilities, a service station and several cars.

Dnipro region:

• Missile attack near Nikopol.
• Missiles attack in Pavlograd, 2 explosions, damaged road surface on the viaduct. 1 driver was injured. 
• Two missiles hit the territory of a farm in the Novomoskovsky district, Dnipropetrovsk region.  The equipment and buildings were damaged, the pensioner was seriously injured and underwent surgery.
• Missile strike on a residential sector.

Khmelnytskyi region:

• Missile attack by a Kalibr, cruise missile, on the airfield, fuel reserves were completely destroyed. The mayor asks the society for fuel or funds to purchase it.
• Missile attack on the industrial facility in the city, a fire broke out. Another missile, which was aimed at a civilian infrastructure facility, was shot down.

Zhytomyr region:

• A series of attacks. 
• A factory caught fire in the Korosten region due to a missile attack, the fire is being extinguished, by lifeguards.

Luhansk region:

• On March 29, due to the ongoing shelling, the specialists were unable to gain access to the damaged infrastructure.

Mykolaiv region:

• Missiles attack on Mykolaiv, hit on the building of the region. administration. 34 people were injured. 

New laws

Russia:

• [Propaganda] A draft law has been introduced, it is proposed to classify only those who speak Russian as compatriots.
• [Support for the economy] Recommendations for banks from the Bank of Russia: transfer new foreign currency mortgage loans that will be received before May 31, 2022 into rubles at the rate as of February 18: dollar – 75.7527 rubles, euro – 86.1308 rubles. As of March 29, the exchange rates were set by the Central Bank at 93.7125 rubles per dollar and 102.6714 rubles per euro. At the same time, until September 9, 2022, it is impossible to purchase currency in cash at bank branches, only a cashless transfer is possible. The same recommendations are given to microcredit organizations.
• [Propaganda] A bill has been submitted to the State Duma on the accelerated receipt of temporary asylum for citizens of Ukraine and ORDLO within 5 days, it is also planned to issue it without passing a medical examination.
• [Restrictions] To export products for cars, it is necessary to obtain permits for each batch of goods separately.
• [Military service] Decree on the postponement of military conscription for IT specialists up to 27 years old, if they have worked in the industry for up to 1 year or graduated from the university and started working in their specialty. Employers must submit lists with such employees by May 1, 2022. There is also a list of specialties at the university that have a deferment from the army: mathematics, applied computer science, cartography and geoinformatics, radio engineering, electronics and nanoelectronics, robotics, aircraft engineering, shipbuilding and others.ґ

War in Ukraine. Weekly digest of the key events