First fighter jets from Slovakia, new military aid: highlights of the day

New military aid

The Slovak Ministry of Defense announced the delivery of the first four MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine. The rest of the planes will be delivered in the coming weeks.

The President of Finland has approved the 14th military aid package for Ukraine worth 161 million euros. It will include three Leopard 2R demining tanks and training in their use. In February, Finland announced the transfer of three such tanks, bringing the total number of Leopard 2Rs that Ukraine will receive from this country to six.

Spain will be able to ship the first Leopard 2A4 tanks to the Ukrainian military at the end of next week. They are in a fully operational and safe condition. The final firing tests remain to be conducted, and then the work will be considered complete.

The Swedish parliament has authorized the government to send 6.2 billion kronor (554 million euros) worth of defense equipment and ammunition to Ukraine, including tanks, self-propelled artillery systems and anti-aircraft missile systems.

False statement by General Staff

In an evening report, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine mistakenly stated that as of March 22, all Russian army units stationed in the town of Nova Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast, had left the town.

Later, the General Staff published a refutation of its statement: "The occupiers are still temporarily in Nova Kakhovka. The information about the alleged withdrawal of the enemy from this settlement was made public as a result of incorrect use of available data. However, we will definitely liberate Nova Kakhovka as well."

ICC opens representative office in Ukraine

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin and ICC Registrar Peter Lewis signed an agreement to open a Representative Office of the International Criminal Court in Ukraine.

Prosecutor General Kostin called the signing of the document "another step towards ensuring full accountability for international crimes."

"This is only the beginning, but a significant beginning. I am convinced that we will not stop until all those responsible for international crimes committed against Ukraine are brought to justice. Including the highest military and political leadership of the criminal regime of the Russian Federation," he said.

MFA calls for hospitalization of journalist imprisoned in Crimea

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has called for the immediate hospitalization of civic journalist Iryna Danylovych, illegally imprisoned in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

On March 22, Iryna, who was sentenced to seven years in prison on trumped-up charges by the occupation authorities, went on a dry hunger strike "until her diagnosis and treatment are organized or until her biological death."

Investigation into death of territorial defense figher on border with Belarus

In response to hromadske's request, the State Bureau of Investigation said that law enforcement officers are investigating the death of a territorial defense fighter in Volyn as part of a criminal case on violation of the rules of combat duty.

The investigation found that on February 25, at approximately 02:00 a.m., near the village of Tur, Kovel district, Volyn Oblast, soldiers on the command of the commander opened fire after receiving a report of unknown persons near the border of Ukraine with Belarus. As a result, one of the servicemen was wounded and died during transportation.

The investigation is ongoing, and expert examinations have been scheduled to help establish the circumstances of the incident.

Other news:

• Iceland's Parliament approved a resolution recognizing the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
• The Kyiv Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the deceased activist and soldier Roman Ratushnyi and the NGO "Protect Protasiv Yar" in the case against businessman Hennadiy Korban, who sued for the protection of honor and dignity.
• The Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to launch a unified weapons registry in June 2023.
• The Air Assault Forces assure that the former commander of the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade's battalion "Kupol" was appointed to an equivalent position in the training center after a candid interview with The Washington Post.