What did 4 March 2022 reveal about the war?

What did the diplomacy and rhetoric of 4 March 2022 say about where the war in Ukraine was heading? Looking back, the day combined an offer of talks, a bitter rebuke to NATO and a sharp tightening of the law in Russia.

Talks offered, demands attached

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 4 March 2022 that Russia was open to peace talks with Ukraine. In the same breath, he urged Ukraine to meet Russian demands. The statement followed a run of contacts: on 3 March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a second round of talks between Ukraine and Russia had begun. He also called that day for a personal meeting with Putin in an effort to end the war.

The tone from Moscow on 3 March had been harder. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the war on Ukraine would continue "until the end" and accused Zelenskyy of allowing "a society where Nazism is flourishing". He also said Russia was not planning a nuclear war.

Kyiv's anger at NATO

On 4 March 2022, Zelenskyy condemned NATO for rejecting his appeal for a no-fly zone over Ukraine. He said that all the people who died from that day on would also die because of the alliance's weakness and disconnection.

Zelenskyy also addressed anti-war protesters in cities across Europe that day. Earlier, on 2 March, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had called for more anti-war protests in Russia and around the world, as well as protests against Putin.

Pressure from Chechnya

The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, called on Putin on 4 March to let his forces seize Ukraine's major cities. He described this as the only way to save the Russian people and the Russian state.

Criminal penalties for "falsehoods"

Also on 4 March, Putin signed amendments to the Criminal Code of Russia. They criminalised spreading falsehoods about Russian soldiers and the Russian Armed Forces, as well as calling for anti-Russian sanctions. Spreading falsehoods about the army became punishable by 10 to 15 years in prison, with a possible additional fine of 700,000 to 1.5 million rubles (US$6,400–13,700) and up to three years of forced labour. The other two activities carried lesser punishments, but all of them included possible imprisonment. The State Duma had previously accepted the bill unanimously.

A loss at sea

On 3 March, the Estonian cargo ship MV Helt sank in the Black Sea near the Port of Odesa after an explosion. According to authorities, all six crew members were rescued. Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said an investigation into the incident would take place.

Taken together, the reports from 3 and 4 March 2022 show a war in which talks and fighting ran in parallel, and in which Russia moved to restrict public statements about its army while Ukraine pressed its allies for more help.