Last news • War in Ukraine
Evening airstrike by KABs on the Zaporizhzhia area: there are injured and destruction
Russian occupiers attacked the village of Blakytnye within the Zaporizhzhia district with guided bombs. Because of the strike, two males aged 65 and 67 had been injured, and two homes had been partially destroyed.
U.S. tech billionaire Elon Musk claimed on March 9 that the complete entrance line in Ukraine would collapse if he shut off Starlink satellite tv for pc web companies.
Starlink web terminals have performed an important function in securing communications within the conflict in Ukraine. Final 12 months, Ukraine mentioned that roughly 42,000 terminals have been in operation throughout the navy, hospitals, companies, and help organizations.
The U.S. has threatened to chop off Ukraine’s entry to Starlink if Kyiv doesn’t conform to a vital minerals deal, Reuters wrote in late February, citing sources. Musk denied these studies again then.
The deliberate signing of the settlement was disrupted after a conflict between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky within the Oval Workplace. In early March, Washington halted U.S. navy help and intelligence sharing for Ukraine in an try to push Kyiv to peace talks with Moscow.
In a submit on X, Musk, an in depth ally of Trump, proposed to impose sanctions "on the highest 10 Ukrainian oligarchs, particularly those with mansions in Monaco." This was in response to a submit by Republican Senator Mike Lee, who referred to as for chopping funding for Ukraine.
One social media consumer wrote that Musk ignores the truth that Russia is an aggressor and Ukraine is a sufferer within the all-out conflict.
"I actually challenged (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to 1 on one bodily fight over Ukraine, and my Starlink system is the spine of the Ukrainian military. Their complete entrance line would collapse if I turned it off," Musk replied.
Musk described Russia's full-scale conflict as "years of slaughter in a stalemate," including that Ukraine would "inevitably lose."
"Anybody who actually cares, actually thinks, and actually understands, desires the meat grinder to cease. Peace now!" he wrote.
As issues about Starlink's availability escalated, Ukrainian officers mentioned the nation was engaged on options to the U.S. service. French satellite tv for pc operator Eutelsat Communications is in talks with the European Union to presumably substitute Starlink in Ukraine.
Musk, who Trump has tasked with eliminating "fraud" and "waste" from the federal government finances, has referred to as for shutting down the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth (USAID), a company that gives important humanitarian help to Ukraine. He has additionally amplified Russiandisinformation and mocked Zelensky for calling Ukraine an impartial nation.
The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak
Russia continues to show a deepening of relations with US adversaries – ISW
Three international locations are organizing naval workouts close to the Iranian port of Chabahar. This demonstrates the deepening of Russia's relations with international locations hostile to the US.
Starlink won’t ever shut off its satellite tv for pc web terminals in Ukraine, U.S. billionaire Elon Musk mentioned in a publish to social media on March 9.
Beforehand, European officers voiced concern Starlink might minimize off Ukraine's entry to its web service, which is essential to the conflict effort. Musk and prime White Home officers clashed with Polish International Minister Radoslaw Sikorski over the legitimacy of such considerations earlier on March 9.
"To be extraordinarily clear, regardless of how a lot I disagree with the Ukraine coverage, Starlink won’t ever flip off its terminals," Musk mentioned in a publish to his social media platform, X.
Ukraine's entrance line would collapse if it weren’t for Starlink web entry, Musk claimed, saying that the Russian military can "jam" all different types of communication.
"We might by no means do such a factor or use it as a bargaining chip," the tech billionaire mentioned.
Poland will search for various suppliers if SpaceX seems to be an unreliable provider of Starlink satellite tv for pc web for Ukraine, Sikorski mentioned earlier within the day. His remarks drew swift criticism from Musk and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Sikorski ought to "say thanks as a result of with out Starlink, Ukraine would have misplaced this conflict way back and Russians could be on the border with Poland proper now," Rubio mentioned.
"Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the price," Musk added to Rubio's remarks.
Poland supplies half of Ukraine's whole 42,000 Starlinkk terminals, at a value of about $50 million per 12 months, in keeping with Sikorski.
Fears that Ukraine might lose Starlink entry arose after Reuters reported on Feb. 21 that the U.S. had threatened to cut off service if Kyiv didn’t signal a deal on important pure assets. Musk has denied these claims.
The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova
Kyiv will suggest to the USA a partial ceasefire in alternate for the restoration of help and the supply of intelligence – FT
Kyiv plans to suggest restrictions on long-range strikes and fight operations within the Black Sea to revive US help. The Ukrainian delegation will arrive in Saudi Arabia from March 10 to 12 for negotiations with the American facet.
Key developments on March 8-9:
U.S. President Donald Trump has privately made it clear to his aides that he is not going to resume offering navy help and intelligence to Ukraine even when Kyiv and Washington signal a minerals deal, NBC Information reported on March 9, citing an unnamed Trump administration official and one other American official.
U.S. and Ukrainian delegations are planning to fulfill in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11 to debate the framework for a possible peace settlement between Ukraine and Russia.
Trump needs to see a change in President Volodymyr Zelensky's stance towards peace talks with Russia and a willingness to make concessions corresponding to giving up occupied territories to Russia, the sources told NBC News.
The U.S. president additionally reportedly needs Zelensky to make some steps towards elections in Ukraine and probably step down.
The information comes amid rising tensions between Ukraine and the U.S., as Trump escalates strain on Zelensky to expedite a peace course of.
The tensions culminated in a confrontation during a meeting within the White Home Oval Workplace on Feb. 28 after Zelensky had flown to the U.S. to signal a minerals settlement with the U.S. After being insulted by Trump and his Vice President JD Vance, Zelensky returned to Ukraine with out signing the deal.
Since that assembly, Washington has halted its navy help and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Beforehand, Trump known as Zelensky a "dictator," echoing Russian narratives in regards to the democratically elected Ukrainian chief's legitimacy.
Elections are banned in Ukraine throughout martial regulation, which has been in pressure because the starting of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
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Politico reported that Trump's crew has been main secret talks with former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and one other opposition chief, Yuliia Tymoshenko. The 2 opposition leaders reportedly tried to place themselves as extra versatile companions for the U.S. than Zelensky.
Following the Oval Workplace conflict, Zelensky's approval score has risen to 68%, in accordance with a ballot by the Kyiv Worldwide Institute of Sociology revealed on March 7.
The Kyiv IndependentSonya Bandouil
Ukraine releases video of Russian assault by way of fuel pipeline in Kursk Oblast Ukrainian troops had repelled an assault by Russian sabotage and assault teams that used a fuel pipeline to achieve a foothold on the outskirts of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's Common Employees reported on March 8, releasing footage of the engagement.
The announcement got here amid experiences that Russian forces had made a breakthrough south of the Ukrainian-held city of Sudzha and tried to breach the Russia-Ukraine border in Sumy Oblast earlier this week. Ukrainian troops preventing in Kursk Oblast told the Kyiv Independent on March 7 that Russia had destroyed their provide chains for ammunition and meals, and so they confronted encirclement.
After Ukrainian airborne assault troops noticed the Russian forces, they launched missile, artillery, and drones to cease the assault, the Common Employees said.
"In the mean time, Russian particular forces are being detected, blocked and destroyed. Enemy losses within the Sudzha space are very heavy," the navy claimed on the night of March 8.
0:00/1:301×The footage shared on March 8, 2025, purporting to indicate Ukrainian forces repelling a Russian assault in Russia's Kursk Oblast (Ukraine's Air Assault Forces/Telegram)
Ukrainian troops repelled 44 Russian assaults in Kursk Oblast over the previous day, the Common Employees said in its newest replace on March 9.
The Kyiv Impartial couldn’t confirm these claims.
The press service for Kursk navy command told the Kyiv Independent on March 8 that "probably the most large-scale" Russian assault operations have occurred within the route from the settlement of Korenevo towards Sudzha, in addition to within the areas of Novoivanovka, Malaya Loknya, and south of Sudzha.
The Ukrainian navy described the state of affairs as "troublesome" however underneath management, saying that Russia concerned North Korean troopers within the assault.
Ukraine launched a shock cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August 2024. After six months of preventing within the area, Russian troops have regained control of about 64% of the territory within the area, the Russian navy claimed.
Kyiv has sought to keep up its place within the Russian border area as leverage for doable peace talks.
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news deskUkraine drone reportedly assaults oil depot in Russia's Chuvashia for first time A Ukrainian drone attacked an oil depot in Cheboksary in Russia's Chuvashia Republic on the morning of March 9, Governor Oleg Nikolaev reported.
Russian Telegram channels claimed that that is the primary drone assault on Chuvashia because the starting of Russia's full-scale war towards Ukraine.
The Burevestnik oil depot lies over 900 kilometers (559 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Nikolaev mentioned that the oil depot was underneath reconstruction. No casualties had been reported.
In keeping with the Russian Protection Ministry, in a single day, Russian air protection shot down 52 drones over Belgorod Oblast, 13 over Lipetsk Oblast, 9 over Rostov Oblast, eight over Voronezh Oblast, three over Astrakhan Oblast, one over Ryazan Oblast, one over Kursk Oblast and one over Krashodar Krai.
The Russian Telegram channel Astra reported that Ukrainian drones additionally focused oil refineries in Lipetsk and Ryazan oblasts.
The Kyiv Impartial couldn’t confirm these claims. The Ukrainian navy has not commented on Russian experiences.
Ukraine considers Russian oil facilities to be legitimate navy targets, as fossil gasoline earnings provide Moscow's struggle machine. The Ukrainian navy has launched repeated assaults towards Russian refineries with long-range drones since 2022.
The Kyiv IndependentDmytro Basmat
France to offer $211 million in navy help to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian property France will present Ukraine with 195 million euros ($211 million) in navy help utilizing the curiosity accrued from frozen Russian property, French Protection Minister Sebastien Lecornu informed La Tribune in an interview revealed March 8.
The extra help "will allow the supply of 155-mm shells in addition to AASM gliding bombs which arm the Ukrainian Mirage 2000s ," Lecornu said.
Lecornu added that France is accelerating the switch of older tools to Ukraine, together with tanks and armoured automobiles.
In October 2024, Group of Seven (G7) international locations got here to an settlement that pledged to offer Ukraine with nearly $50 billion mortgage backed by the income from international Russian property.
The announcement from France comes simply days after the UK signed an settlement with Kyiv on March 1 to offer Ukraine with a mortgage price 2.26 billion kilos ($2.84 billion) backed by frozen Russian property.
The mortgage will go in the direction of "buying protection tools in accordance with Ukraine's wants," the U.Ok. Finance Ministry mentioned.
Whereas Western international locations have frozen $300 billion in Russian assets, they will solely entry the annual revenue generated by these funds, roughly $3.2 billion. These earnings will again the $50-billion mortgage to Kyiv, whereas the overwhelming majority of the property are frozen in European countries.
France, one in all Ukraine's staunchest supporters, has taken steps alongside the U.Ok. in current months to offer European management in supporting Ukraine, amid Kyiv's tumultuous relationship with the Trump administration.
Trump has repeatedly known as for European international locations to step as much as help Ukraine, together with offering further help funding, lambasting the earlier Biden administration for sending an excessive amount of help funding to the embattled nation. On March 4, Trump halted navy help shipments to Ukraine following a heated alternate with President Volodymyr Zelensky within the White Home.
U.Ok. Prime Minister Keir Starmer mentioned on March 2 that plenty of European nations, together with the U.Ok. and France, are developing a 'coalition of the keen' that can embrace "planes within the air and boots on the bottom" in an effort to barter a profitable ceasefire in Ukraine.
Reuters reported on March 6, citing diplomatic sources, that France and the U.Ok. intention to finalize a peace plan with Ukraine "in days" to current to the US.
The Kyiv IndependentDmytro Basmat
Zelensky names delegation for assembly with US in Saudi Arabia President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced his delegation to symbolize Ukraine in upcoming talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia on March 8.
Together with Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of workers, Zelensky wrote on X that Ukraine will even be sending International Minister Andrii Sybiha, Protection Minister Rustem Umerov, and Deputy Head of the Presidential Workplace Pavlo Palisa.
Zelensky wrote that he would journey to Saudi Arabia on March 10 and would meet with the Crown Prince, whereas the Ukrainian navy and political delegation would keep for a gathering with the American crew the next day.
The U.S. delegation will reportedly embrace U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy to the Center East, Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Nationwide Safety Advisor Mike Waltz.
The scheduled talks come amid rising tensions between Ukraine and the US, as U.S. President Donald Trump escalates strain on Zelensky to expedite a peace course of.
The tensions culminated in a confrontation during a meeting within the White Home Oval Workplace on Feb. 28 after Zelensky had flown to the U.S. to signal a mineral and pure assets settlement with the U.S. After being insulted by Trump and his Vice President JD Vance, Zelensky returned to Ukraine with out signing the deal.
Since that assembly, the US has ended its navy help and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, leading to vital troop losses on the frontlines. The losses have been significantly sharp within the Kursk area that Ukraine has occupied since August 2024, the place ten thousand troops at the moment are dealing with encirclement.
U.S. Nationwide Safety Advisor Mike Waltz instructed on March 5 that Trump could elevate the pause on navy help as soon as peace negotiations are organized and confidence-building measures are taken, Reuters reported.
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk
US shares intelligence with Ukraine for protection, not for assaults on Russian troops, CNN experiencesThe U.S. continues to share some intelligence with Ukraine to help with protection operations, however not for assaults on Russian troops, CNN reported on March 7, citing two nameless protection officers.
In keeping with the sources, Washington goals to keep away from being seen as instantly supporting strikes on Russia. Nonetheless, the U.S. shouldn’t be withholding data that would improve Ukraine's defensive capabilities.
The numerous reducing again on U.S. intelligence sharing to Ukraine is a part of the Trump administration’s place to strain Kyiv into fast negotiations with Russia.
The sources additionally confirmed that Starlink, which the Ukrainian navy depends on, remains to be working in Ukraine as earlier than.
Starlink is owned by SpaceX, an organization belonging to billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk, a key ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has drawn scrutiny at house and overseas over his repeated inflammatory feedback concerning Ukraine.
The Kyiv IndependentDmytro Basmat
The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed over 100 occupiers and gear within the Pokrovsk route – the Common Workers reported on the most popular factors on the entrance line
In someday, there have been 140 fight clashes, the enemy carried out 55 airstrikes and 1239 drone assaults. Within the Pokrovsk route, 104 occupiers have been eradicated and a big quantity of navy gear was broken.
Russian forces launched almost 1,200 aerial bombs, almost 870 assault drones, and greater than 80 missiles of varied sorts in opposition to Ukraine this week, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on March 9.
The weapons that Russia used in opposition to Ukraine this week contained greater than 82,000 overseas parts, Zelensky stated.
"Day-after-day, we work with our companions to make sure that selections are made to offer life-saving help: air protection techniques, investments in our protection manufacturing, and the strengthening of sanctions in opposition to Russia," he added.
Russia carried out a large-scale aerial assault in a single day on March 7, launching 67 missiles of varied sorts and 194 drones in opposition to gasoline and vitality infrastructure throughout Ukraine.
Additionally this week, Russia struck a lodge in Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, killing six individuals and injuring over 30 others, together with kids. A number of assaults on Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast late on March 7 killed 11 individuals and injured nearly 50, in accordance with Governor Vadym Filashkin.
The assaults passed off shortly after the U.S. halted its navy help and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Consultants who spoke to The Kyiv Unbiased earlier this week stated that the principle burden of the U.S. intelligence cutoff will probably be felt by Ukrainian civilians, because it threatens Ukraine's potential to detect on time Russian aerial strikes in opposition to Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Ukrainian officers stated they’re engaged on alternate options with overseas companions.
The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak
The provision of missiles and air protection programs will triple: Ukraine signed a memorandum with the German producer IRIS-T
The Ministry of Protection of Ukraine signed a memorandum with Diehl Defence to broaden cooperation. The doc offers for a threefold improve within the provide of missiles and air protection programs and the implementation of joint industrial initiatives.
U.S. President Donald Trump has privately made it clear to his aides that he is not going to resume offering army assist and intelligence to Ukraine even when Kyiv and Washington signal a minerals deal, NBC Information reported on March 9, citing an unnamed Trump administration official and one other American official.
U.S. and Ukrainian delegations are planning to satisfy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11 to debate the framework for a possible peace settlement between Ukraine and Russia.
Trump desires to see a change in President Volodymyr Zelensky's stance towards peace talks with Russia and a willingness to make concessions resembling giving up occupied territories to Russia, the sources instructed NBC Information.
The U.S. president additionally reportedly desires Zelensky to make some steps towards elections in Ukraine and presumably step down.
The information comes amid rising tensions between Ukraine and the U.S., as Trump escalates stress on Zelensky to expedite a peace course of.
The tensions culminated in a confrontation throughout a gathering within the White Home Oval Workplace on Feb. 28 after Zelensky had flown to the U.S. to signal a minerals settlement with the U.S. After being insulted by Trump and his Vice President JD Vance, Zelensky returned to Ukraine with out signing the deal.
Since that assembly, Washington has halted its army assist and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Beforehand, Trump known as Zelensky a "dictator," echoing Russian narratives in regards to the democratically elected Ukrainian chief's legitimacy.
Elections are banned in Ukraine throughout martial regulation, which has been in drive for the reason that starting of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Politico reported that Trump's group has been main secret talks with former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and one other opposition chief, Yuliia Tymoshenko. The 2 opposition leaders reportedly tried to place themselves as extra versatile companions for the U.S. than Zelensky.
Following the Oval Workplace conflict, Zelensky's approval ranking has risen to 68%, in response to a ballot by the Kyiv Worldwide Institute of Sociology revealed on March 7.