Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 754.
Odesa mourns the death of at least 21 civilians in Russian missile strikes on March 15. The Kremlin’s mid-day attack on the southern city of Odesa came in two waves, designed to catch first responders arriving after the first round of explosions. A local paramedic, and a firefighter with the State Emergency Service, who had both arrived at the scene after the first missile strike, were among those killed.
Thirty-nine people were rushed to the hospital; some three dozen others suffered minor injuries. On Sunday, March 17, compassionate Odesa residents gathered to pay their last respects to the deceased firefighter, Denys Kolesnikov. “Hundreds of people came to say goodbye to the Hero Rescuer today: relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and all those who care,” the Service wrote in a goodbye message on Facebook. “We are indescribably hurt. This is an irreparable loss. Part of our family, part of us. Eternal memory to our Hero.”
Ukrainian drone raids attack Russia’s oil infrastructure over the past several days, successfully jeopardizing its main budgetary revenue source. Between March 12 and 15, four large Russian oil refineries were attacked, one of them situated deep inside Russian territory. The first refinery, hit on March 12, was LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez, 800 km (500 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border. The following day, March 13, drones hit refineries in the Rostov and Ryazan regions. According to Bloomberg News, these refineries account for more than 12% of Russia’s overall oil refining capacity. A few hours later, the strategic Kinef refinery on the Baltic Sea came under fire, as well. It produces fuel for export and is a priority target for Ukrainian Security Services, according to Bloomberg sources in the Ukrainian government. “Kinef is capable of processing 20 million tonnes of fuel per year and is the second largest refinery in Russia. Any significant failure at this plant will have negative consequences for the global diesel market,” the publication predicts.
This is Ukraine’s second round of massive attacks on the Russian oil industry in 2024. The first one concluded in the second half of January, when major Russian refineries and the Ust-Luga gas condensate processing plant were targeted. It took Russia a month to restore production to pre-attack levels. These recent drone assaults had prices for A-95 petrol reach record levels over the past six months. The leapfrogging comes even though exports of petrol from Russia have been banned since at least March 1.
Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed the European Union’s ratification of a 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) increase in military aid to Ukraine. In an address to a meeting of the EU’s Council of Foreign Ministers on March 18, Kuleba acknowledged the timely Czech timely initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine and thanked all EU member states that have already contributed to its implementation. Kuleba emphasized that Ukrainian soldiers are now the only line of European defense against Putin’s aggression. “The Ukrainian soldier is Europe’s only hope for peace. There should be no restrictions or delays in providing the Ukrainian military with everything they need to break the back of the Russian occupation forces on Ukrainian soil,” he said. The Minister also noted that Ukraine has fulfilled all four steps set by the European Commission as part of the Enlargement Package, and expressed hope that negotiations start on Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
At the 20th Winter Deaflympics, Ukraine’s national team secured the highest number of medals in their history and claimed the top position in the gold medal standings. In total, Ukrainian athletes won 19 medals: 10 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze. Alongside Ukraine, China and Austria also featured prominently in the rankings. The President of Ukraine, in a ceremony held in Kyiv on March 16, personally honored the medalists, expressing profound admiration for their remarkable achievement. “You add pride to Ukraine, the opportunity to be proud of people, the strength of Ukrainians, and powerful Ukrainian achievements,” he said.
Culture front.
A multi-media performance recreating the stories of Ukrainians from the city of Mariupol, now destroyed and occupied by Russian forces, during the first months of the full-scale invasion, has a limited run this month in New York City. The heartbreaking accounts, based on real diaries of Ukrainian people, are recreated by English-speaking actors, bridging the gap between the awful realities of the war and western audiences. “Mariupol: Diary of War and the Tree of Life,” created by Virlana Tkacz, is presented by the Yara Arts Group. The show is accompanied by photos taken by Evgeniy Maloletka and Mstyslav Chernov, Pulitzer Prize winning journalists, whose film, “20 Days in Mariupol” received the Oscar for best documentary in 2024. Remaining performances run March 21, 23, 24 at Howl Arts Gallery, 6 E. First St.
The Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival is coming to New York City for its fifth season, March 28-30. The festival, co-presented with the Ukrainian Institute, Kyiv will take place in Manhattan at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, 450 West 37th St. Besides avant-garde composers and performances, the festival will feature round-table discussions and the electronic-pop duo “Hopanka” at Mriya Gallery in Tribeca.
Daria Dzysiuk, Karina L. Tahiliani