Saturday, March 22
Russia’s war against Ukraine
A wounded dog receives medical treatment following a Russian shelling on a settlement in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 21, 2025. Rescue teams provided aid to injured civilians and animals affected by the attack involving a guided aerial bomb. (Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration / Anadolu via Getty Images)
Trump says ‘dividing up lands’ within negotiations between Russia, Ukraine ‘is being negotiated as we speak.’ “Pretty soon, we’ll have a full ceasefire, and then we’re going to have a contract,” U.S. President Donald Trump said during a press briefing, adding that the future deal includes “dividing up the lands.”
Ukraine won’t interact with Russia during talks in Saudi Arabia on March 24, Foreign Ministry says. Ukraine does not know what format the U.S. will use to negotiate with Russia in Riyadh, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said.
Ukraine has brought back over 4,000 POWs from Russian captivity since start of full-scale invasion, Zelensky says. “Now, when we talk to the American side and our other partners about how to end the war, we talk about the release of prisoners as one of the first steps,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky, Pavel meet in Kyiv to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the war with Russia and European efforts to provide security guarantees for Ukraine during the meeting with his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel in Kyiv on March 21.
Russia hits Odesa with drones during visit of Czech President Petr Pavel. “I arrived in Odesa, Ukraine, which has been resisting Russian aggression since the beginning of the war,” Czech President Petr Pavel said.
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Ukraine accuses Russia of false flag attack on Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Oblast. Russian media claimed that Ukrainian forces had struck the key gas transit facility, which plays a crucial role in Russian gas exports to Europe.
Trump’s envoy Witkoff claims Ukraine will hold presidential elections. Ukraine has not held elections during Russia’s full-scale war because they are prohibited under martial law, which was declared on Feb. 24, 2022.
Putin’s occupied territories deportation decree ‘part of genocide policy,’ Ukraine says. According to President Vladimir Putin’s decree, Ukrainian citizens residing in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories must leave by Sept. 10 or “regulate their legal status.”
Putin’s suspension of strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure still in effect, Kremlin says. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia has only suspended strikes on energy infrastructure while continuing to target other facilities.
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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine returns over 4,000 POWs from Russian captivity since 2022
Ukraine managed to return 1,358 people from Russian captivity in 2024. “When we talk to the American side and our other partners about how to end the war, we talk about the release of prisoners as one of the first steps,” Zelensky said.
Photo: Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
As Ukraine peace talks continue, pro-Russians in Europe are demonstrating to ‘stop Zelensky’
After the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a group of Dutch activists took to the streets in response to what they perceived as the establishment and media inciting warmongering and hatred toward Russia.
Photo: The Kyiv Independent
‘Match made in heaven’ — Why the US will fail to drive a wedge between Russia, China
For Russia and China, international law is “built in an unfair way, excluding China, Russia and other countries from decision-making on the international arena,” said Temur Umarov, a research fellow at the Berlin-based Carnegie Russia Eurasia Cente.
Photo: Sergei Guneyev / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia kills 3, injures 12. Russia attacked the city of Zaporizhzhia on the evening of March 21, killing three people, regional governor Ivan Fedorov reported. The rescue operation concluded at around 1:00 a.m. local time.
2 Russian officers allegedly killed in car bombing in occupied Skadovsk. A car with two Russian officers exploded on March 20 in the Russian-occupied town of Skadovsk in Kherson Oblast, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) said on March 21.
2 killed, 21 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over past day. Ukraine’s Air Force intercepted 114 of 214 Russian drones launched overnight, including Shahed-type attack drones.
We tried to buy US chips as a Russian company. Here’s what happened
International response
UK to host additional military planning sessions on Ukraine next week. The U.K. will host three more days of military planning sessions next week to prepare high-level plans on mobilizing a European-led “coalition of the willing” in the event of a ceasefire in Ukraine, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Office said on March 21.
Germany seizes Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker in Baltic Sea, Der Spiegel reports. The shadow fleet refers to aging and largely uninsured oil tankers that Russia uses to transport oil above the $60 per barrel price cap.
Lithuania ready to deploy troops as part of post-ceasefire mission to Ukraine, Nauseda says. “My country is ready to provide the necessary support,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told Bloomberg Television.
Macron considers UN peacekeeping mission for Ukraine in case of peace deal, Telegraph reports. The proposal follows ongoing efforts by a “coalition of the willing” led by the U.K. and France, which aims to provide security guarantees to Ukraine.
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