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Since the Ukrainian military is yet to achieve any strategic success on the Donbass front lines, Kiev forces continue indiscriminate shelling of civilians in the DPR and LPR, Crimea as well as in the Russian border regions. On the evening of March 20, Russian air defense forces shot down several Ukrainian UAVs which simultaneously targeted the town of Dzhankoy in the north of Crimea. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced the “destruction” of Russian Kalibr-NK cruise missiles during their transportation by the rail. However, no evidence has been provided so far. While any damage to any military facility is yet to be confirmed, the wreckage of the intercepted UAVs damaged one civilian house and the local shop. One civilian was wounded. Crimea was targeted with the Chinese Mugin-5 commercial drones, but they were upgraded with US-made propeller blades. The UAVs were filled with shrapnel and their targets were civilian facilities. Kiev attempted to harm as many civilians as possible. Regular shelling of the border regions of Russia does not stop. Peaceful villages of the Bryansk and Kursk regions came under Ukrainian mortar fire again. Daily strikes continued in the city of Donetsk, where several houses were destroyed. Fortunately, civilian casualties were avoided over the past day. Meanwhile, on the front lines, Russian forces are coming closer to the encirclement of the Ukrainian grouping in Avdeevka, from where Ukrainian forces are shelling the residential quarters in Donetsk. North of the town, Russian units broke through Ukrainian defenses and gained a stronghold in the eastern part of the village of Stepovoe. The strategically important railway used for military supplies of the Ukrainian garrison was cut off. On the north-eastern outskirts of Avdeevka, Russian forces entered Kamenka and launched the mop up operation on the streets. Russian advance was also reported to the south of Avdeevka. They broke through Ukrainian defenses north of Opytne and approached the southern districts of the town. In the north-west of Bakhmut, the Wagner units are still storming Ukrainian positions in Orekhovo-Vasilevka despite heavy mortar and artillery fire. Fierce battles for control of the Konstantinovka-Bakhmut highway continue on the outskirts of Krasnoe. In the southern Sobachevka district in Bakhmut, Wagner fighters advanced and straightened the front line along Mariupol Street. At the same time, in the Budenovka district, Russian forces approached the outskirts of the stadium, forcing the Ukrainian units to retreat. In the north of Bakhmut, the plant nursery and the Fantasia construction site came under Russian control. In other regions, the front lines did not change. Ukrainian forces attempted several counterattacks in the Zaporozhie and Krasny Liman regions, but failed to achieve any success.
