What did the strikes of 22 March 2023 reveal?
A look back at civilian attacks in Rzhyshchiv and Zaporizhzhia, and a dispute over British ammunition for Ukraine.
What did the days around 23 March 2023 show about the war's pressures on Ukrainian civilians and on Ukraine's partners? Two sets of events stood out: attacks on residential areas, and a quarrel over weapons supplied from abroad.
On 22 March 2023, a Russian drone strike in Rzhyshchiv killed at least nine civilians and injured 29 others. The same day, a Russian missile struck an apartment building in the city of Zaporizhzhia, killing a civilian and injuring 25 others. Both attacks fell on places where people lived, and together they left at least ten civilians dead and 54 injured.
The Zaporizhzhia strike was not the first on a residential building there. An earlier missile attack on a residential building in the city, on 9 October 2022, killed at least 13 people and injured more than 89 others. The March casualties were fewer, but the pattern of strikes on homes in the city was already established.
A dispute over ammunition
On 21 March 2023, the United Kingdom confirmed it would give Ukraine depleted uranium armour-piercing shells to accompany its Challenger 2 main battle tanks. London said there was a low risk of radiation contamination. Russian president Vladimir Putin responded that Russia would be forced to react to the British move.
The two threads belong to the same moment. Ukraine's government was seeking heavier equipment from allies to defend itself, while civilians in its cities and towns continued to bear the cost of Russian strikes. The British decision showed Western governments widening their military support. The Russian reply showed that each step would be met with warnings from Moscow.
Looking back, 21 to 23 March 2023 offers a compact picture: continued attacks on civilians, a further deepening of allied military aid, and rhetoric from the Russian leadership about retaliation.
