Two fronts on 17 March 2022: Rubizhne and Wellington
A look back at how events on the ground in Luhansk region and sanctions decisions in New Zealand unfolded on the same date.
What did the war in Ukraine look like beyond the main battle lines on 17 March 2022? Two developments on that date show different arenas of the conflict: control of local administration in the east, and widening international sanctions.
In Luhansk region, Russian-backed militants from the so-called Luhansk People's Republic took control of government buildings in the city of Rubizhne. Seizing administrative premises is a step that places the machinery of local governance in the hands of an armed force.
Far from the front, New Zealand expanded its measures against Russia. It added 364 Russian political and military targets to its list of people banned from entering the country. It also added 13 individuals and 19 entities to its sanctions list, which includes asset freezes. The listings included Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Taken together, the two reports show pressure being applied through very different means on 17 March 2022: force on the ground in Rubizhne, and travel bans and financial restrictions imposed by a distant state.
