• The ETC has secured a new frequency license to enable the Very High Frequency (VHF) network expansion in Shostka, Barvinkove, Kryviy Rig, and Velyka Oleksandrivka. Further, the cluster assessed the site for VHF repeater installation in Shotska.

• In March, the cluster installed and integrated a NonGovernmental Organization (NGO) radio communications channel into the existing ETC VHF infrastructure at the Kramatorsk remote sites, enabling a secure, dedicated, and reliable Security Communications System (SCS) for humanitarian responders.

• The cluster established the Ukraine transition phase and exit strategy task force committee to outline and discuss the process flow and timeline of strategies, including service transition, cost-sharing, equipment maintenance, and technical support.

The ongoing conflict continues with intensified conflict that has severely damaged the critical infrastructure, residential buildings, and other facilities in the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Sumy, Odesa,
Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia. These incidents highlight the widespread and ongoing nature of the conflict affecting multiple urban centers in Ukraine.

On 07 March, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the Odesa, Poltava, Chernihiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Ternopil regions was targeted in one of the largest attacks to date, including the central areas of Cherkasy and Kirovohrad.

On 11 March, Ukrainian and U.S. officials convened in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine agreed to a United States of America (USA)-proposed 30-day ceasefire with Russia.

The United Nations (UN) humanitarian community, led by Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale, is preparing an operational readiness plan for a potential 30-day ceasefire, prioritizing aid delivery to inaccessible areas, support for displaced individuals, and addressing protection concerns, with field inputs consolidated into a one-month action plan for humanitarian coordinator review and coordination with partners.

On 23 March, just before scheduled ceasefire discussions, massive drone attacks across the Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa, and Donetsk regions of Ukraine resulted the damages to civilian multi apartment houses. On 27 March, Dnipro in the southeast and Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine were attacked by drones and missiles, striking key urban centers.