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What changed around Kyiv on 28 March 2022?
Summary
A look back at a day of Ukrainian gains near the capital, Russian strikes elsewhere and cautious signals on peace talks.
What did the war look like on 28 March 2022? Reports from that day pointed to Ukrainian forces regaining ground around Kyiv, while Russian shelling and missile strikes continued elsewhere and Moscow played down hopes for diplomacy.
Gains near the capital
Irpin's mayor, Oleksandr Markushyn, said on 28 March 2022 that the city had been recaptured by Ukrainian Ground Forces. The battle for Irpin had formed part of the Russian offensive on Kyiv. Ukrainian forces also regained control of Lukianivka, a village 60 kilometres east of Kyiv, as reported that day.
Further east, Ukrainian Armed Forces retook Trostyanets, according to reports from the same date.
Pressure in the east and strikes elsewhere
The US Department of Defense reported stronger Russian ground activity against Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region, assessing that Russia was prioritising the east. Ukrainian military officials said they were launching a counteroffensive in response.
Russian troops shelled Rubizhne in Luhansk Oblast, killing one person. In Kharkiv, Russian artillery damaged a school. A Russian missile attack also hit an oil depot in Rivne Oblast, according to the head of the regional military administration. It was the second attack on an oil facility in the region and the latest in a series of similar strikes over the preceding days.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that some mayors abducted by invading Russian forces had been found dead.
Talks under a cloud
Russia cautioned against expecting any significant breakthroughs ahead of the first round of in-person negotiations with Ukraine. Separately, it was reported that two Ukrainian negotiators and the sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich had fallen victim to suspected poisoning during talks on the Belarus–Ukraine border earlier in March. Their health had since improved.
Other developments
On 27 March 2022, Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Lyudmyla Denisova, warned that around 10,000 hectares of forest were burning near the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The same day, celebrities at the 94th Academy Awards wore blue and gold ribbons in solidarity with Ukraine and to pay tribute to refugees.
