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Global oil prices rose sharply on 19 March after Iran attacked energy facilities in the Middle East in response to a strike on the South Pars gas field. At its peak, Brent rose by more than $5 a barrel, with the market pricing in the risk of prolonged disruptions to energy supplies.
From 19 to 22 March, traffic will be partially restricted on a number of bridges and flyovers in Kyiv due to repairs to sections of the road surface in poor condition. The work will be carried out in stages, with the most restrictions scheduled for the weekend.
Following the Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia’s infrastructure, over 38,000 domestic customers and around 2,000 business customers were left without power. According to Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration, one person was seriously injured, and power engineers have already restored electricity to most customers.
The Seventh Administrative Court of Appeal upheld the first-instance ruling in the case of an OnlyFans model who had sought to overturn additional tax assessments issued by the State Tax Service in Chernivtsi Oblast. The court confirmed the assessment of personal income tax, military levy and fines totalling 428,411.52 UAH.
According to the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, Vitaliy Ukraintsev, the head of the Solomyanskyi District Court in Kyiv, failed to declare an unfinished construction project in Stari Bezradychi, Kyiv Oblast, for four years. The Anti-Corruption Centre claims that the judge only included this cottage in his declaration after journalists raised the issue, and that the construction itself could have cost at least $100,000.
From 28 March, Egypt is introducing strict energy-saving measures due to a sharp rise in the cost of imported fuel against the backdrop of the conflict surrounding Iran. The authorities are reducing the opening hours of shops and restaurants, will switch off advertising lights, reduce street lighting and are considering a partial shift to remote working.
On 19 March, the Earth may be hit by a moderate G2-level magnetic storm. The NOAA explains that this is due to coronal mass ejections released by the Sun on 16 March, and the updated forecast suggests geomagnetic disturbances may also occur on 20–21 March.
The National Bank of Ukraine has set the official exchange rates for 19 March 2026. Compared with the previous day, the hryvnia has strengthened against the US dollar, the euro and the Polish zloty. According to the NBU, the official exchange rate for the dollar is 43.8960 UAH, for the euro – 50.5243 UAH, and for the zloty – 11.8353 UAH.
Following a night-time attack by Russian drones on Odesa, strikes were recorded on residential areas, causing damage to high-rise buildings, a house in the historic centre and properties in the private sector. Three people are known to have been injured, two of whom have been hospitalised.
On Thursday, 19 March, the world commemorates a number of historical events and marks international initiatives, whilst the church calendar honours the martyrs Chrysanthus and Darius. According to the calendar calculations for 2026, this day also marks Eid al-Fitr, or Uraza Bayram.
The Office of the Prosecutor General has announced that it has charged an employee of a Russian correctional facility in the Tula region, whom investigators believe to be involved in the systematic abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war. According to law enforcement officials, between 2022 and 2023, he regularly beat the prisoners, humiliated them and subjected them to psychological pressure.
During President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Madrid, Ukraine and Spain signed nine documents on cooperation in the fields of defence, infrastructure, diplomatic education and technology. These include an intergovernmental agreement on technical and financial cooperation, agreements on the joint production of defence systems, and projects to modernise the railway network.
