What did 24 March 2022 show about the war's reach?

What did the war in Ukraine look like on 24 March 2022, beyond the front lines themselves? Reports from that day and the days just before it pointed to pressure on people who kept nuclear sites safe, to widening sanctions and to a separate flare-up in the South Caucasus.

Chornobyl staff under threat

On 24 March 2022, the IAEA said workers at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant were at risk because of Russian shelling of a neighbouring town. According to the agency, this endangered the homes and families of the operational staff who maintain nuclear and radiation safety.

Sanctions widen

Also on 24 March 2022, Australia imposed sanctions on Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and his family for supporting the Russian invasion. Canberra also targeted 22 Russian propagandists and disinformation operatives, among them managing editors at Russia Today, the Strategic Culture Foundation, InfoRos and NewsFront.

Two days earlier, on 22 March 2022, Joe Biden had announced plans to sanction hundreds of members of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.

Fighting on the ground

On 23 March 2022, troops in Chernihiv managed to push back part of the Russian forces that had encircled the city for weeks. The same day, an official said Russia had begun to prioritise its operations in the Donbas region, including around Luhansk.

A separate flare-up

Away from Ukraine, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict produced fresh news on 24 March 2022. The government of Artsakh said Azerbaijani soldiers had crossed the Line of Contact and taken control of the village of Farukh. Women and children were reported to be evacuated from the nearby village of Khramort, and Russian peacekeepers were reported to be negotiating with Azerbaijan.

A rumour laid to rest

On 22 March 2022, a former Canadian air force sniper known as Wali, rumoured to have been killed by Russia, appeared on a video call and said he was alive.

Taken together, the reports from those days showed a conflict whose effects reached power plant workers and their families, sanctions policy in Australia and the United States, and the wider region.