What did 11 March 2022 reveal about the war?

What did the war look like on 11 March 2022, the sixteenth day of the full-scale invasion? Looking back, it was a day on which the fighting reached places that had so far been spared, while diplomacy and economic pressure moved on parallel tracks.

The war widens

Russia launched what it described as "high-precision" airstrikes on airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine. Four Ukrainian service members were killed and six injured. Russian Air Force jets also bombed the city of Dnipro for the first time, destroying a shoe factory and killing one person.

In the south, Russian troops captured Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, and took him to an unknown location after he refused to cooperate with the occupation forces. Anton Herashchenko, an official of Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry, confirmed the capture.

Near the capital, a large Russian convoy of vehicles, including tanks and self-propelled artillery, began "fanning out" into forests and towns around Kyiv as it prepared to advance on the city.

Ukraine had its own claims to make. Its Ground Forces launched a counter-offensive in Chernihiv Oblast, regaining control of five settlements and seizing two Russian armoured personnel carriers and ammunition. Ukrainian military officials also said that 31 Russian battalion tactical groups had been damaged or destroyed.

Talk of talks

The diplomatic signals were mixed but not empty. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Russian president Vladimir Putin was open to meeting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Igor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said Zelenskyy was ready to talk to Putin whenever Putin was ready.

Markets paid attention. Stock prices rose in the United States and other global markets after Putin said there had been progress in talks with Ukraine, and the Dow gained 300 points.

Sanctions deepen

The pressure on Moscow grew on both sides of the Atlantic. U.S. president Joe Biden announced that he would revoke Russia's most favoured nation trade status, in coordination with the European Union and the Group of Seven. The United States would also ban imports of Russian seafood, alcohol and diamonds, forbid new investment in Russia by American citizens, and criminalise the export of U.S. banknotes to Russia.

The European Union announced its own measures: a ban on all imports of iron and steel goods from Russia, a ban on exports of luxury goods to Russia, and a freeze on Russia's cryptocurrency assets.

Costs beyond the battlefield

The war's reach into global industry was also visible. Two Ukrainian producers of semiconductor-grade neon gas, together making about half of the world's supply, shut down operations because of the invasion. That was expected to worsen the semiconductor shortages that began with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inside Russia, opposition leader Alexei Navalny renewed calls for anti-war and anti-Putin protests in cities across the country.

A day in perspective

Taken together, the events of 11 March 2022 showed a conflict no longer confined to the front lines. Strikes hit the west and a central city for the first time. An elected mayor was seized. Ukrainian forces were counter-attacking in the north. Foreign capitals were tightening economic restrictions, and industrial supply chains were already feeling the strain. Meanwhile, both sides said publicly that a meeting between the two presidents was possible.