What the days before 19 March 2024 revealed about the war
A look back at the strikes, aid decisions and cross-border attacks reported in the days leading up to 19 March 2024.
What did the war look like on the eve of 19 March 2024? The reports from the preceding days describe an intensifying exchange of strikes, with civilians bearing much of the cost and Ukraine's partners making new commitments.
On 15 March 2024, a Russian double-tap missile strike in Odesa killed at least 20 people and injured at least 73 others. Two days earlier, on 13 March, a Russian drone attack on an apartment building in Sumy killed two people and injured at least eight.
Ukraine, for its part, launched drone strikes inside Russia on a second consecutive day on 13 March. They caused a fire at a Rosneft oil refinery in Ryazan Oblast, and a Ukrainian drone was reportedly shot down near the Kirishi refinery in Leningrad Oblast. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attacks were an attempt to disrupt the upcoming presidential election. On 16 March, Russia said two civilians had been killed by Ukrainian shelling in Belgorod. On 17 March, a drone reportedly hit a military base in Transnistria, destroying an Mi-8 helicopter.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant also featured in the reports. On 14 March, Russian-installed officials at the plant in Enerhodar said shelling had hit critical infrastructure there and that such attacks were unacceptable. The plant lies in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which Russian forces began occupying after the invasion from Crimea on 24 February 2022; Russia declared the annexation of its occupied parts on 30 September 2022.
On the funding side, the European Union agreed on 13 March to provide an additional €5 billion to its Ukrainian military aid fund.
Taken together, the reports from 13 to 17 March 2024 show a war fought on several fronts at once: missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, and a steady flow of external financial support.
