Zelenskyy on frontline situation, defense lines construction, and more

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy convened the Meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief today, March 18, to discuss the situation on the frontlines, the construction of defensive fortifications, and more.

During the meeting, the president received detailed reports from the frontlines and listened to a briefing from the Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Oleksandr Syrskyi, regarding the main directions of active operations. Issues concerning:

・expenditure and receipt of ammunition;

・intelligence data;

・the status of fulfilling concluded contracts and contracting for future periods, including procurement and production of equipment, weaponry, and ammunition were also addressed.

In particular, the president heard reports on the implementation of previous decisions of the meeting, namely:

・concerning the protection of critical infrastructure objects such as energy, water, and gas supply;

・regarding the continuation of defensive fortifications’ construction, which is ongoing.

Frontline situation

According to data from the General Staff of the AFU, there were 72 combat engagements during the past day. Russian terrorists continue active assaults in the Donetsk region and along the Novopavlivka direction.

Meanwhile, analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) report that Ukrainian military successfully repelled reconnaissance and sabotage attacks near Stara Huta and Brusk in the Sumy region. Positional battles persist around the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.