At least four people have died in Russian drone attacks on Saturday, while strikes on energy infrastructure knocked out power to most of the northern Ukrainian region of Chernihiv.
A drone attack in Zaporizhzhia struck and left a man and woman dead, while six people, including two children, were injured, regional head Ivan Fedorov said.
Officials said another two people died in attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and five people were injured.
In Russia, two women were killed and another wounded by Ukrainian shelling of the Belgorod border region.
The attacks came ahead of talks between the US and Ukraine in Miami on Saturday, as Volodymyr Zelensky pushes for an end to Russia’s invasion.
The Ukrainian president said on Thursday that an official delegation had been sent to the US in a bid to revive trilateral peace talks, which have been halted due to the war in Iran.
He told reporters that “clear dates – at least approximate ones” were needed for negotiations.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said a new round of US-mediated negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv will likely take place soon.
Read MoreKremlin tightens security for senior military officials following assassinations
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Key Points
- Four dead in Russian attacks on Ukraine on Saturday
- Two women dead in Russia after Ukrainian shelling
- Most of Ukraine's Chernihiv region remains without power after Russian attack
- Ukraine launches one of its largest barrages of drones
- Russia loses 1,700 troops in deadliest day of war this year
How Ukraine's front line became a laboratory for drone innovation
06:30 , Rituparna ChatterjeeIn recent years, Ukraine's domestic drone interceptor market has burgeoned, producing some key players who tout their products at international arms shows.
But it's on the front line where small teams have become laboratories of rapid military innovation – grassroots technology born of battlefield necessity that now draw international interest.
Read more here.
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who investigated Russia-Trump campaign ties, dies
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who investigated Russia-Trump campaign ties, dies
Russian drone attack on village in Donetsk Oblast kills 63-year-old resident
05:39 , Rituparna ChatterjeeA Russian drone attack on a village in the Donetsk Oblast killed one person and injured four others, including a 15-year-old boy, the Donetsk Oblast prosecutor's office said.
A Russian Lancet drone struck a residential area of the Maidan village, killing a 63-year-old resident, while simultaneously damaging 35 nearby homes and vehicles, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Four other civilians, including a 30-year-old man, two women aged 52 and 65, and a 15-year-old boy, also suffered injuries, officials said.
Power and water supplies cut in parts of Kyiv
05:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPower and water supplies were cut to parts of the capital Kyiv after what officials described as an incident on the power grid.
Russia has conducted a bombardment campaign against Ukrainian energy facilities throughout the war, causing regular, hours-long blackouts across the country.
Russian attack kills four in Zaporizhzhia
04:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarRussian attacks killed four people in southeastern Ukraine and left much of the northern region of Chernihiv without power, officials said.
Zaporizhzhia governor Ivan Fedorov said a morning strike on the city killed a man and a woman and injured six others, including two children.
In the adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said two people died in an area southeast of the regional centre, Dnipro.
Five others were injured in attacks at multiple locations. President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his nightly video address, noted Russian strikes in several regions across eastern and southern Ukraine.
Recap: US-Ukraine talks to continue on Sunday as Zelensky hopes to revive peace negotiations
04:00 , Harriette BoucherTalks between Ukraine and the US are set to continue on Sunday after the two sides met in Miami today.
Chief Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said the two countries spoke about the next steps within the negotiation track, as Kyiv pushes for trilateral negotiations with Russia to resume.
Following Saturday’s talks, he said: “Particular attention was paid to aligning approaches for further progress toward practical results.”
The US negotiating team included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law.
In his nightly video address, Volodymyr Zelensky said pursuing the talks was critical to clinching a deal.
“It is important for all of us in the world that diplomacy continues and that we are trying to end this war. ... No one wants this war.
“The most important thing is to understand how ready the Russian side is to move toward a real end to the war and whether they are prepared to do so honestly and decently.”
Ukrainian and US negotiators open latest round of talks in Florida
03:25 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkrainian and US negotiators seeking a settlement to the four-year war between Kyiv and Moscow opened their latest round of talks in Florida, with further discussions planned through the weekend.
Russian representatives were not present at the meeting.
“We continued discussing key issues and the next steps within the negotiation track,” chief Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov wrote on social media platform X.
“Particular attention was paid to aligning approaches for further progress toward practical results.”
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have met at two rounds of US-brokered talks in the United Arab Emirates this year and another round in Geneva last month. Moscow and Kyiv agreed on prisoner exchanges, but no breakthroughs were achieved.
The White House described the latest meeting as “constructive,” with discussions “focused on narrowing and resolving remaining issues to move closer to a comprehensive peace agreement.”
Russia has lost nearly 1.3m troops since war began, report claims
03:00 , Harriette BoucherRussia has lost 1,286,940 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022, according to Ukraine’s military.
A report released on Saturday claimed that Russian forces had suffered 1,240 casualties over the past day.
Russia has also lost 11,790 tanks, 24,262 armoured combat vehicles, 84,518 vehicles and fuel tanks, 38,608 artillery systems, 1,691 multiple launch rocket systems, and 1,333 air defence systems, 435 aircraft, 350 helicopters, 188,985 drones, 33 ships and boats, and two submarines, the report said.
Moscow seeking to resettle 114,000 Russians in occupied Ukraine
02:00 , Harriette BoucherRussian authorities are reportedly aiming to relocate nearly 114,000 citizens to occupied Ukrainian territories by 2045.
According to theWashington-based Institute for the Study of War, Russia is already manipulating the demographics of occupied Ukraine by using financial incentives and work programs to draw Russians to the occupied areas.
At the end of 2025, Russia reportedly occupied 44,800 square miles of Ukrainian territory.
Russia thwarts protests over the blocking of a popular messaging app, but frustration persists
02:00 , Harriette Boucher Russia thwarts protests over the blocking of a popular messaging app, but frustration persists
‘I survived 471 days in an underground bunker fighting for Ukraine against the Russians. This is my story’
01:01 , Harriette BoucherWhen Serhiy Tyshchenko arrived at the tiny underground mud bunker near Bakhmut, on the front line in eastern Ukraine, Joe Biden was president.
By the time he left, a new US leader was in charge and had largely taken Vladimir Putin’s side. Not only that, Donald Trump was trying to persuade Ukraine to give up the land Serhi had defended for 471 days.
In an extraordinary feat of endurance, Tyshchenko spent more than 16 months underground, close to suffocation, under constant Russian bombardment, suffering hunger and extreme thirst.
He survived multiple underground mud collapses – yet he emerged and continues to serve close to the front line.
Now 46, he missed two birthdays and all the landmarks in the lives of his five children while, from 13 July 2023 to 28 October 2025, he and his diminishing team dug an underground well for water.
Read the full article from our world affairs editor Sam Kiley here:
‘I survived 471 days in an underground bunker fighting the Russians. This is how’
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who investigated Russia-Trump campaign ties, dies
00:00 , Harriette BoucherRobert S. Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nation's premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign, has died. He was 81.
“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night, his family said in a statement Saturday. “His family asks that their privacy be respected.”
At the FBI, Mueller set about almost immediately overhauling the bureau’s mission to meet the law enforcement needs of the 21st century, beginning his 12-year tenure just one week before the Sept. 11 attacks and serving across presidents of both political parties. He was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush.
The cataclysmic event instantaneously switched the bureau’s top priority from solving domestic crime to preventing terrorism, a shift that imposed an almost impossibly difficult standard on Mueller and the rest of the federal government: preventing 99 out of 100 terrorist plots wasn’t good enough.
Later, he was special counsel in the Justice Department’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign illegally coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential race. Mueller was a patrician Princeton graduate and Vietnam veteran who walked away from a lucrative midcareer job to stay in public service, and his old-school, buttoned-down style made him an anachronism during a social media-saturated era.
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who investigated Russia-Trump campaign ties, dies
Ukraine and US discuss moving closer to peace deal
Saturday 21 March 2026 23:00 , Harriette BoucherSpecial envoy Steve Witkoff said the US and Ukraine held “constructive” talks on Saturday, with discussions focused on “resolving remaining items to move closer to a comprehensive peace agreement.”
Talks between Kyiv and Washington are due to continue in Florida on Sunday.
Four dead in Russian attacks on Ukraine on Saturday
Saturday 21 March 2026 22:24 , Harriette BoucherRussian attacks killed four people in southeastern Ukraine on Saturday, officials have said.
Authorities confirmed earlier that a man and woman were killed after a house was killed in Zaporizhzhia.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said two people died in an area southeast of the main regional centre, and another five people were injured in attacks at multiple places.
Power was also cut to much of the northern region of Chernihiv.
Power and water cut off in parts of Ukrainian capital
Saturday 21 March 2026 21:59 , Harriette BoucherPower and water supplies were cut off in parts of Kyiv on Saturday night after an incident on the power grid, officials have said .
Kyiv's municipal administration said emergency crews were working to restore electricity and water to areas east of the Dnipro River.
US-Ukraine talks to continue on Sunday as Zelensky hopes to revive peace negotiations
Saturday 21 March 2026 21:51 , Harriette BoucherTalks between Ukraine and the US are set to continue on Sunday after the two sides met in Miami today.
Chief Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said the two countries spoke about the next steps within the negotiation track, as Kyiv pushes for trilateral negotiations with Russia to resume.
Following Saturday’s talks, he said: “Particular attention was paid to aligning approaches for further progress toward practical results.”
The US negotiating team included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law.
In his nightly video address, Volodymyr Zelensky said pursuing the talks was critical to clinching a deal.
“It is important for all of us in the world that diplomacy continues and that we are trying to end this war. ... No one wants this war.
“The most important thing is to understand how ready the Russian side is to move toward a real end to the war and whether they are prepared to do so honestly and decently.”
Russia offers to curb Iran support if US halts Ukraine aid - report
Saturday 21 March 2026 21:00 , Harriette BoucherRussia has reportedly offered to stop intelligence-sharing with Iran if the US agreed to do the same with Ukraine.
Moscow has stepped up intelligence sharing and military coordination with Tehran since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began three weeks ago, including reportedly supplying coordinates of American military assets in the region.
Washington, however, rejected the quid pro quo last week, two people familiar with the matter, told the Financial Times.
In pictures: Aftermath of a Russian drone attack in Zaporizhzhia
Saturday 21 March 2026 20:00 , Harriette Boucher Comment: Netanyahu’s energy strikes on Iran are a possible war crime – and straight out of Putin’s playbook
Saturday 21 March 2026 19:00 , Harriette BoucherThe Israeli bombing of the South Pars gas field has chilling parallels to Russia’s bombing of Ukrainian infrastructure, which has been condemned as a possible war crime.
World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes that such a strategy will cause needless pain and do nothing to bring the regime to its knees:
Netanyahu’s energy strikes on Iran may be a war crime - inspired by Putin
Zelensky pays tribute to soldiers killed in village of Moshchun
Saturday 21 March 2026 18:00 , Harriette BoucherKremlin says Ukraine peace talks on 'situational pause'
Saturday 21 March 2026 17:00 , Harriette BoucherTwo women dead in Russia after Ukrainian shelling
Saturday 21 March 2026 16:15 , Harriette BoucherRussia and Ukraine have traded attacks that killed at least four people, after two women were killed in the Ukrainian shelling of the Belgorod border region.
Another person was wounded in the attack, according to governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
In Ukraine, a man and a woman were killed and six people wounded, including two children, when a Russian drone hit a house in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.
When are US-Ukraine talks set to take place?
Saturday 21 March 2026 16:00 , Harriette BoucherA Ukrainian delegation arrived this week in the US for talks set to take place over the weekend in Miami.
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday he had sent an official delegation in a bid to move forward suspended US-brokered talks on ending Russia's invasion.
The White House is yet to confirm any meeting with the Ukrainian delegation.
It comes as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that a new round of trilateral negotiations will likely take place soon.
Peace talks between Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington have been on hold as the war in Iran continues.
President Zelensky told reporters on Friday that “clear dates – at least approximate ones” were needed for negotiations.
The war in Iran raises pressure on Ukraine
Saturday 21 March 2026 15:00 , Holly EvansWith U.S.-brokered Ukraine peace talks on hold due to the war in the Middle Eas t, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to try to expand his military gains via new offensives against his southern neighbor that could put even more pressure on Kyiv.
Windfall revenues from surging global oil prices are filling Moscow’s war coffers and U.S. air defense assets are being drained quickly by Iranian attacks across the Gulf, raising concerns that little will be left available for Ukraine in the fifth year of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Ukraine's European allies have promised to maintain their steadfast support, but bickering over a major 90 billion euro ($106 billion) European Union loan to cover Kyiv's military and economic needs for two years has reflected the mounting challenges.
Read the full article here:
The war in Iran raises pressure on Ukraine while Russia prepares new offensives
‘I survived 471 days in an underground bunker fighting for Ukraine against the Russians. This is my story’
Saturday 21 March 2026 14:00 , Holly EvansWhen Serhiy Tyshchenko arrived at the tiny underground mud bunker near Bakhmut, on the front line in eastern Ukraine, Joe Biden was president.
By the time he left, a new US leader was in charge and had largely taken Vladimir Putin’s side. Not only that, Donald Trump was trying to persuade Ukraine to give up the land Serhi had defended for 471 days.
In an extraordinary feat of endurance, Tyshchenko spent more than 16 months underground, close to suffocation, under constant Russian bombardment, suffering hunger and extreme thirst.
Read the full article from our world affairs editor Sam Kiley here:
‘I survived 471 days in an underground bunker fighting the Russians. This is how’
Most of Ukraine's Chernihiv region remains without power after Russian attack
Saturday 21 March 2026 13:00 , Holly EvansMost of Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region was left without power on Saturday after a Russian drone attack, local governor Viacheslav Chaus said.
He said repair works were underway to fix the damage. The region, which borders Russia and Belarus, had a pre-war population of nearly a million.
The regional capital, also called Chernihiv, was fully without power, the city administration there said.
Russia has conducted a vast bombardment campaign against Ukrainian energy facilities throughout the war, causing regular, hours-long blackouts across the country.
Watch: Putin’s forces suffer deadliest day of year
Saturday 21 March 2026 12:00 , Holly EvansPutin tells Tehran: Russia stands by Iran
Saturday 21 March 2026 11:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarRussian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Iranian leaders on Nowruz and said Moscow remained a loyal friend and reliable partner to Tehran, the Kremlin said this morning.
The extent of Moscow’s support for Iran, however, is disputed. Some Iranian sources say they have received little meaningful help from Russia during what is seen as Iran’s most serious crisis since the U.S.-backed Shah was toppled in the 1979 revolution.
Putin sent greetings to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to mark the Iranian new year, the Kremlin said.
“Vladimir Putin wished the Iranian people to overcome the harsh trials with dignity and stressed that in this difficult time Moscow remains a loyal friend and reliable partner of Tehran,” the Kremlin said.
Russia says U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have pushed the Middle East towards a wider crisis and triggered a global energy shock, while condemning the killing of Iranian leaders as “cynical”.
Russia thwarts protests over the blocking of a popular messaging app
Saturday 21 March 2026 10:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIn one Russian city, officials blocked a rally due to a “tree inspection.” Elsewhere, they blamed snow removal problems or still-existing COVID-19 restrictions. And in one location, administrators argued that the reason for the protest didn’t exist.
Authorities in nearly a dozen Russian regions in recent weeks cited various excuses to prevent demonstrations against internet censorship and the blocking of the popular messaging app Telegram.
In most cases, they succeeded. Mindful of a crackdown on dissent since the 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine, activists decided not to risk holding unauthorized rallies, even if they weren't about the war. Some went to court to challenge government refusals to authorize pickets, while others scaled them back to smaller indoor gatherings.
More here.
Russia thwarts protests over the blocking of a popular messaging app, but frustration persists
Third round of US mediated talks 'soon'
Saturday 21 March 2026 10:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA senior Kremlin official indicated this week that a new round of US-mediated negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv will likely take place soon.
"The pause is temporary, we hope it's temporary regarding the continuation of the trilateral format," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Trilateral talks involving Russia, which have yet to produce any breakthrough on key issues, have been on ice while the Iran war has dominated international attention.
Two killed in Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia
Saturday 21 March 2026 09:20 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA Russian drone attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least two people, a Ukrainian official said, ahead of expected US-Ukraine talks.
Zaporizhzhia regional head Ivan Fedorov said a man and a woman were killed and two children wounded when a Russian drone hit a private house on Saturday morning.
The attack came ahead of expected U.S.-Ukraine talks, which Ukrainian state media reported would take place later in the day in Miami.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Thursday he had sent an official delegation to the United States in a bid to move forward suspended US-brokered talks on ending Russia's invasion.
Putin tells Tehran: Russia stands by Iran
Saturday 21 March 2026 09:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarRussian president Vladimir Putin congratulated Iranian leaders on Nowruz and said Moscow remained a loyal friend and reliable partner to Tehran, the Kremlin said this morning.
Ukraine's Chernihiv region without power after Russian attack
Saturday 21 March 2026 08:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarMost residents in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region were left without power on Saturday after a Russian drone attack, local governor Viacheslav Chaus said.
He said repairs were underway to address the damage. The region, which borders Russia and Belarus, had a pre-war population of nearly one million.
Ukraine expects start of 90bn EU loan despite Hungary veto
Saturday 21 March 2026 08:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkraine is still expecting the first tranche of a €90bn loan from the European Union next month, despite a failure to break Hungary's veto of the funding at a summit this week, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
EU leaders were unable to convince Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban on Thursday to lift his blockade of the loan, which is crucial for Ukraine to maintain its fight against Russia following its February 2022 invasion.
Mr Zelensky said he had discussed the matter with the EU leaders and trusted they would find a solution."We are more optimistic. They will find ways to provide us with funding partially," Mr Zelensky told reporters in the WhatsApp media chat.
"We are expecting in April the first tranche of the amount we agreed for 2026.
"With the war now in its fifth year, Ukraine faces a persistent budget deficit. Funding from the EU, Kyiv's main backer, is critical to Ukraine's stability and its ability to maintain its defence.This year, Ukraine needs between $45bn and $52bn in external financing to cover its budget gap.
Ukraine launches one of its largest barrages of drones
Saturday 21 March 2026 07:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkraine launched more than 280 drones at Russia overnight, Russia's State news agency reported.
Around 90 drones were shot down in the southern Rostov region, its governor Yuri Slyusar said.
At least 27 drones launched towards the capital were intercepted, Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
US removes sanctions on Russian citizens
Saturday 21 March 2026 07:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe US Treasury Department has removed two Russian citizens from its sanctions.
Russian citizens Yurii Korzhavin and Lidiya Korzhavina have been removed from the US sanctions list, the Treasury Department said in an update yesterday.
The move comes as the Trump administration temporarily eased curbs on Russian oil transit and purchases to ease supply pressures, after the US-Israeli war with Iran drove a surge in global crude prices.
Russia offers to curb Iran support if US halts Ukraine aid - report
Saturday 21 March 2026 06:25 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarRussia has reportedly offered to stop intelligence-sharing with Iran if the US agreed to do the same with Ukraine.
Moscow has stepped up intelligence sharing and military coordination with Tehran since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began three weeks ago, including reportedly supplying coordinates of American military assets in the region.
Washington, however, rejected the quid pro quo last week, two people familiar with the matter, told the Financial Times.
Ukrainian drones target Moscow
Saturday 21 March 2026 06:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarNearly 30 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Russian capital and the surrounding region overnight, Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said.
Throughout the latter part of yesterday and during the early hours of today, swarms of Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow, the mayor said, adding that the artillery units were intercepted by Russia's defence units.
Emergency services responded to the crash sites, and no casualties were reported, he said.
Czech authorities probe suspected arson at a drone technology company
Saturday 21 March 2026 05:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarCzech authorities said Friday they were investigating a fire at a warehouse of a company that makes drone technology as a suspected arson linked to terrorism.
The fire broke out in an industrial zone in the city of Pardubice, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Prague, causing no injuries, police said.
LPP Holding confirmed a fire in one of its buildings. It said it was cooperating with the investigation and declined further comment.
More here.
Czech authorities probe suspected arson at a drone technology company
French navy boards a tanker suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet
Saturday 21 March 2026 05:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe French navy on Friday intercepted and boarded a tanker in the Mediterranean Sea that President Emmanuel Macron said is linked to Russia’s sanctioned shadow fleet shipping oil in violation of international sanctions over Moscow's war on Ukraine.
According to the French maritime authorities for the Mediterranean, the tanker Deyna is suspected of operating under a false flag designation. The interception took place in the Western Mediterranean and was carried out in cooperation with allies, including the United Kingdom, which monitored the ship, the authorities said.
“This operation aimed to verify the nationality of the vessel,” which was flying the flag of Mozambique and was coming from the Russian port of Murmansk, the maritime authorities said in a statement. The documents found onboard “confirmed doubts about the validity of the flag,” they said.
More here.
French navy boards a tanker in the Mediterranean suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet
Patriarch Filaret, who fought for an independent Ukrainian Orthodox church, dies
Saturday 21 March 2026 04:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPatriarch Filaret of Kyiv — who worked for decades to establish an independent Ukrainian Orthodox church that was free from Moscow's religious authority, a schism that foreshadowed the Russia-Ukraine war — died Friday. He was 97.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine announced his death, citing the “exacerbation of chronic diseases.”
Filaret had a more limited role in recent years as the cultural and religious divide between Ukraine and Russia widened into full-scale warfare. But his legacy includes a long and partially successful effort to gain recognition of an independent Ukrainian Orthodox jurisdiction.
“The person and numerous good deeds of the late Patriarch Filaret rightfully occupy a special place in the modern history of both the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Ukraine as a whole,” said Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv, who leads the OCU.
Ukraine begins compulsory evacuation for children in Donbas
Saturday 21 March 2026 03:45 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUkraine has begun the compulsory evacuation of children from the city of Sloviansk, in a sign that the security situation is deteriorating in one of the country's main remaining strongholds in the Donbas area.
"I signed an order for the compulsory evacuation of children from certain areas of Sloviansk that are most vulnerable to enemy strikes," Governor Vadym Filashkin wrote on Telegram
.Russian forces have been slowly advancing to the north and east of Sloviansk, and are about 20 km (12 miles) from the edge of the city at various points of the front line of Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Sloviansk is one of several towns and cities which remain under Ukrainian control in an urban "fortress belt" in the eastern region of Donetsk, which comprises part of the Donbas. Russia sees control of the entire Donbas, known for its coal mines and heavy industry, as its key military goal.
Ukraine deploys targets to intercept Middle East units
Saturday 21 March 2026 03:00 , Alex CroftUkraine has deployed interceptor units to protect critical and civil infrastructure in five Middle Eastern countries, Ukraine's security council secretary Rustem Umerov said after a visit to the region.
"Work is also underway to expand coverage areas," Mr Umerov wrote on X.
Kremlin tightens security for senior military officials following assassinations
Saturday 21 March 2026 01:29 , Alex CroftRussia's security services are set to bolster protection for senior military figures following a spate of series of assassinations and attempted killings, which Moscow attributes to Ukraine.
The announcement from the head of the FSB security service comes after Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of the GRU military intelligence, was shot three times in his Moscow apartment building on 6 February.
Ukraine has denied any involvement in the incident.
State media quoted FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov confirming Alexeyev's recovery and stating that security for such high-ranking officials would "of course" be tightened.
Read the full report here:
Russia tightens security for military figures following assassinations
Russia loses 1,700 troops in Ukraine on deadliest day of the year so far
Saturday 21 March 2026 00:00 , Alex CroftArpan Rai reports:
Russia reportedly experienced its deadliest day of the year in the war against Ukraine on 17 March, with military officials claiming over 1,700 troops lost.
Ukraine's general staff stated that 1,710 Russian troops were killed or wounded, alongside the destruction of 29 artillery systems and 230 vehicles and fuel tankers.
This significant increase in casualties, compared to Russia's recent average of 700-900 daily losses, could indicate Moscow's planned spring offensive.
Ukraine's unmanned systems force, which oversees drone strikes, claimed responsibility for killing or wounding 900 Russian soldiers in a day and a half.
These losses occurred as Russian forces attempted to advance on the Zaporizhzhia front using infantry, motorcycles, and horses under the cover of fog.
Germany eases restrictions for arms exports to Ukraine
Friday 20 March 2026 23:00 , Alex CroftGermany has simplified the export of certain air and naval defence equipment to Ukraine and the Gulf states to ensure deliveries arrive rapidly, the economy ministry has said.
"Iran's indiscriminate attacks on the Gulf states have resulted in an urgent need for military equipment, particularly for air defence," said Economy Minister Katherina Reiche.
"With the new, temporary licence, we are adapting our arms export control procedures for the export of urgently needed arms to these countries to meet these new requirements," she added.
As well as Ukraine, the new general export licence, valid for six months, applies to exports to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
Under the new regulation, exporters are permitted to export goods without first having to submit an individual application to the BAFA office for export control, said the ministry.
Cuba readies for first Russian oil shipment of the year as energy crisis deepens
Friday 20 March 2026 22:02 , Alex CroftCuba is preparing to receive its first shipment of Russian oil this year, just days after the government announced it was operating on natural gas, solar power and thermoelectric plants as severe power outages continue to hit an island whose power grid is crumbling.
The Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin is some 3,000 nautical miles from Cuba in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to reach the island in 10 days, Jorge Piñón, an expert at the University of Texas Energy Institute, told The Associated Press.
If so, that would mark the first time any oil shipment from any country reaches Cuba in the past three months given a U.S. energy blockade.
Read more here:
Cuba readies for first Russian oil shipment of the year as energy crisis deepens
In pictures: Ukrainian troops undergo drone training
Friday 20 March 2026 21:00 , Alex Croft 
