March 30, 171 combat engagements took place on the frontline. The largest number of Russian attacks was repelled by the Defense Forces of Ukraine in the Pokrovsk sector, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In an interview with state-run broadcaster Rossiya 24, Mr Karasin said a ceasefire may not arrive “this year or at the end of this year”. His comments came after Ukraine and Russia agreed to a ceasefire on energy infrastructure and the Black Sea.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Monday for Russia to be punished for more than 183,000 alleged war crimes documented by Ukraine since Moscow's 2022 invasion, saying justice was needed to prevent "evil from proliferating.