Ukraine war live ticker: +++ 20:58 Kallas calls for "strongest international pressure" on Russia +++

Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, condemns Russia's violent attack, which has resulted in numerous civilian casualties in Ukraine. "Last night's attacks demonstrate once again that Russia seeks further suffering and destruction in Ukraine," she writes on X. "It is shocking to see how children are injured and killed among the innocent victims. My thoughts are with the families today." She now calls for "the strongest international pressure on Russia" to ensure that the Kremlin stops its war efforts.

+++ 8:35 PM Medvedev puts forward stubborn proposal for buffer zone +++ Former Russian president and current deputy chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has put forward a concrete and stubborn proposal for what the "buffer zone" between Ukraine and Russia could look like. "If military aid to the Banderite regime continues, the buffer zone could look like this," he writes on X and Telegram, accompanying a visualization of the area where no one is supposed to live after the war. Medvedev's "buffer zone" encompasses almost the entirety of Ukraine. The former Russian president repeatedly attracts attention with proposals that are offensive or express an extreme desire for power.

+++ 8:05 PM Trump's spiritual advisor calls for decisive response to major Russian attack +++ Pastor Mark Burns, who is also the spiritual advisor to US President Donald Trump, condemns Russia's major attack on Ukraine in recent nights. "The ongoing attacks by Russian forces on Kyiv constitute a blatant violation of international law and war crimes, as they deliberately target civilian areas and infrastructure," he writes on X. These attacks on civilians undermine basic principles of humanity and are prohibited by law. "The international community must respond decisively to hold those responsible in Russia accountable and protect the lives and rights of civilians caught in the crossfire."

+++ 7:35 PM Intelligence: China supplies chemicals, gunpowder, and machinery to Russian military +++ Ukrainian intelligence has evidence that China is supplying 20 military facilities in Russia with special chemicals, gunpowder, and machinery. This was stated by Oleh Ivashchenko, head of the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service, in an interview with Ukrinform . "There is information that China is supplying machine tools, special chemicals, gunpowder, and components specifically to military companies. We have confirmed data on 20 Russian factories," he said. According to intelligence investigations, by the beginning of the year, around 80 percent of the "critical electronics" for Russian drones were of Chinese origin. Some parts are apparently transported by air, while for others, there are indications of name fraud and shell companies.

+++ 7:10 p.m. Wadephul: Putin must expect a "strong response from the West" +++ Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul sees the recent massive airstrikes on Ukraine as a sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace. "Putin is trampling on human rights. This is an affront, also against US President Donald Trump," the CDU politician said on ARD. The US head of state had made great efforts to bring the Russian president to the negotiating table: "And now this reaction. You can see: Putin does not want peace. He wants to continue the war, and we cannot allow him to do that," said Wadephul. Therefore, further sanctions are being prepared within the European framework: "There will be a strong reaction from the West, and I think also from the United States of America." It will be financially painful for Russia.

+++ 6:45 p.m. Bundeswehr to invest heavily in air defense +++ The Bundeswehr is to become more effective in air defense by the end of the decade. This is stated in a document signed by Inspector General Carsten Breuer. A top priority is strengthening protection against air threats. Also at the top of the list: integrated missile defense, short- and medium-range air defense, and air defense, especially to counter flying drones and drone swarms.

+++ 6:18 PM "Shame for the country" - No Azov fighter exchanged +++ The joy in Ukraine over the return of 1,000 prisoners from Russia is also mixed with criticism. Azov commander Denys Prokopenko criticizes on Facebook that there is no soldier from the 12th Azov Brigade among the returnees. He calls it a "shame for the country." The Azov fighters had defended the steel plant in Mariupol until May 2022 and were then taken prisoner on orders. After more than three years, they have "the absolute right to be exchanged with priority," argues the influential commander. He criticizes Ukraine's negotiating tactics. If Moscow does not release the Azov troops in exchange for ordinary Russian soldiers, Kyiv will need other exchange objects, the colonel writes. He mentions Russian intelligence agents or priests of the formerly pro-Moscow Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

+++ 5:50 PM EU Ambassador: "Russians laugh at the world, mock every peace effort" +++ The EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, condemns the Russian attack on her country. "The Russians are relentlessly increasing the pressure. They are intensifying the terror against civilians. The attacks are becoming more violent and frequent," the Ukrainian writes on Facebook. She sees the Kremlin chief mocking the world. "The Russians are laughing at the world!!! They mock the US and every diplomatic attempt to create peace." Mathernova wonders how the world will react to the intense violence against civilians. "Putin is clearly pursuing his stated goal: the killing of Ukrainians and the subjugation of Ukraine. Unfortunately, he only understands the language of violence." It is time to show "that we have the strength to resist together with Ukraine."

+++ 5:22 PM Several Russian airports closed due to drone threat +++ After Kaluga Airport was closed on Saturday, the scenario is repeating itself. At 3:08 PM Moscow time (2:08 PM CEST), Kaluga International Airport was closed, followed shortly thereafter by the airports in Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky. The Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia cited measures "to ensure flight safety." Takeoffs and landings were not possible. It has now been confirmed that Ukraine sent several drones toward Moscow. "The Defense Ministry's air defense forces destroyed drones flying toward Moscow," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced on Telegram . In total, he spoke of five drones within 13 minutes.

+++ 4:58 PM Lithuania sees "permission to continue the war" and calls for tougher responses +++ Lithuania's Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys calls for a decisive response to last night's Russian attacks. "298 Shahed drones, 69 missiles, and the loss of innocent lives. This was not just an attack. It was a sign of impunity," Budrys writes on X. "Our response must be stronger than Russian aggression: more military support and weapons for Ukraine, tougher sanctions, and the isolation of Russia." The Baltic state's foreign minister concludes: "Appeasement is not a path to peace—it is permission to continue the aggression."

+++ 4:37 PM EU Commissioner: "Ukraine's accession is not a distant goal, but a strategic necessity" +++ EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos believes that Ukraine's path to the European Union is not a distant goal, but a strategic necessity. "As Russia escalates its brutality, we must intensify our support," the commissioner writes on X, referring to the previous night in which a dozen people died. "Ukraine's path to the EU is not a distant goal: It is a strategic necessity. We must act accordingly."

+++ 4:03 PM Intelligence blows up Russian fuel train with drones +++ A drone unit of the Ukrainian military intelligence service GUR detects and destroys a Russian train carrying a large fuel shipment in the Zaporizhzhia region. "Targeted attacks were carried out on an occupation logistics facility directly while it was moving along the Verkhniy Tokmak-Molochansk-Fedorivka railway line," the intelligence agency reported, releasing a video of the attack, which reportedly occurred on Saturday. "At least three fuel tanks were destroyed." As a result of the explosions, the railway connection in Zaporizhzhia and on the Crimean peninsula was disrupted.

+++ 3:34 p.m. Russians use water as a weapon against Mykolaiv +++ The pipes in Mykolaiv are rusting. Russia is waging a brutal war against the city's water supply. In an emergency, authorities had to divert seawater through the system, with serious consequences. The ntv foreign report shows how the city is tackling the water shortage despite the difficult situation.

+++ 3:00 PM Kretschmer wants to import Russian gas again and talk to Putin +++ Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer advocates using the two Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea to reopen talks with Russia. "Nord Stream is a possible opening for talks with Russia," the deputy CDU chairman said in an interview with "Zeit Online." He advocates for once again meeting 20 percent of Germany's gas needs through imports from Russia.

+++ 2:33 PM Netherlands hands over more F-16 fighter jets +++ Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced that more F-16s will be handed over to Ukraine on Monday. These are the last fighter jets from the promised delivery of 24 aircraft, Brekelmans reported on X. The first jets were delivered in October 2024.

+++ 2:14 PM Nearly 6,300 Ukrainians repatriated in three years +++ Since March 2022, the Ukrainian Coordination Center for Prisoners of War has organized the release of a total of 5,757 Ukrainian citizens. The agency announced this on Telegram. A further 536 Ukrainians were repatriated outside of official exchanges. The Coordination Center is taking stock following the completion of the "1,000 for 1,000" format, in which 1,000 Ukrainians were exchanged for 1,000 Russians.

+++ 1:47 p.m. Russia claims to have captured a village in Donetsk +++ The Russian army says it is continuing its slow but steady territorial gains in eastern Ukraine. The village of Romanivka in Donetsk has been captured, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced. The Donetsk region was annexed by Russia in 2022 following a sham referendum. Russian troops have not yet fully conquered the oblast. On Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the capture of two more villages in the region. Ukraine has so far denied having captured Romanivka.

+++ 1:16 PM Analysis: Russia's losses too great for sustained success +++ Citing "more than a dozen" government officials from the US and Europe, the Washington Post writes that Russia could experience serious shortages of soldiers and weapons next year. This makes it all the more problematic that Trump is taking the pressure off Putin.

According to an analysis by the US military intelligence agency DIA, the war this year (absent a negotiated settlement or "robust" Western support) is "likely to continue to develop slowly in Russia's favor." However, Russian gains are "slowing down and continue to be accompanied by heavy losses of personnel and equipment." Since the invasion in February 2022, according to the DIA assessment, Russia has "lost at least 10,000 ground combat vehicles, including more than 3,000 tanks, as well as nearly 250 aircraft and helicopters, and more than ten naval vessels." At the same time, Russia was only able to capture 0.6 percent of additional Ukrainian territory last year, with 1,500 soldiers killed or wounded per day. "It is currently highly unlikely that the Russian military has the equipment, personnel, training, and logistics to launch an offensive capable of breaking through Ukrainian lines and—even if it were to do so—to immediately exploit it."

+++ 12:39 Russian state media speaks of second round of negotiations with Ukraine +++ The Russian news agency Tass reports that Istanbul is currently the most likely location for the second round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The state agency cites an unnamed source, who said the Vatican will "definitely not" be the venue for the meeting "for various reasons, including logistical ones." "The most likely option at the moment is Istanbul." This is not surprising; Russia has already rejected the mediation by the Vatican proposed by Trump. What is more surprising is that Russia is even seeking a second round of negotiations. During the initial talks, the Ukrainian delegation, according to its own statements, had to listen to lectures from Russian representatives about how they are not Ukrainians, but Russians. So far, there are no indications that Russia has any interest in a negotiated outcome.

+++ 12:00 Russia says it has intercepted 110 drones +++ According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russian air defenses intercepted 110 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday. The drones were intercepted over several regions of Russia, including Moscow and Kursk. Drones were also shot down over the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.

+++ 11:28 "1,000 for 1,000" exchange completed +++ Ukraine and Russia have each released another 303 people. On Friday, the number was 390, and on Saturday, 307. This completes the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each, agreed upon in Istanbul. The "1,000 for 1,000" project was the largest prisoner exchange between the two countries since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

+++ 11:13 Work on "security zones" reportedly progressing +++ Russia once again announces that it is in the process of establishing a "security zone" in Ukraine along the Russian border. "Following the liberation of the Kursk region," Russian troops are now conducting "a combat mission" to create such a security zone, a Russian army spokesperson said, according to the state agency Ria Novosti. Last week, two villages in the Sumy region were "liberated," and progress is also being made near Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region. The Kursk region is Russian, but even according to Russian understanding, Sumy and Kharkiv belong to Ukrainian territory.

+++ 10:30 Zelensky calls on the US and Europe to put more pressure on Russia +++ Ukrainian President Zelensky hopes for new sanctions against Russia following the massive Russian airstrikes on civilian targets in Ukraine. "Every such Russian terrorist attack is sufficient grounds for new sanctions against Russia," Zelensky writes on X. "Russia is dragging out this war and continues to kill daily. The world may be on a weekend break, but the war continues, regardless of weekends and weekdays. This cannot be ignored. Silence from America, silence from other [countries] around the world only encourages Putin."

"Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will definitely help. Now what matters is determination—the determination of the United States, the European countries, and all those around the world who seek peace."

+++ 10:05 Russia loses more than 1,000 soldiers, according to Ukrainian sources +++ Russia lost 1,020 soldiers on Saturday, according to the Ukrainian Army General Staff. The General Staff estimates Russian losses since the start of the full-scale invasion at 980,850 soldiers – including dead and wounded.

The information is not verifiable; neither Russia nor Ukraine publishes figures on their respective losses. British intelligence stated on March 5 that Russia had likely lost around 90,000 soldiers killed and wounded in the war against Ukraine since the beginning of 2025. This would be an average daily loss of 1,255 soldiers. At the beginning of March, British intelligence estimated Russian losses at a total of 875,000 soldiers killed and wounded.

+++ 9:22 a.m. Ukraine reports Russian attacks with 69 missiles and nearly 300 drones +++ According to Ukrainian sources, Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 69 missiles and 298 combat drones. The Air Force reported on Telegram that 45 missiles and 266 drones were intercepted. Most Ukrainian regions were affected by the attacks, which killed at least twelve people. "Enemy airstrikes were reported in 22 locations, and debris from launched missiles and drones fell in 15 locations," the Air Force reported.

+++ 08:51 Russia intensifies attacks, especially near Pokrovsk +++ According to Ukrainian sources, the Russians are intensifying attacks at key points along the front. On Saturday, the Ukrainian army counted 204 combat operations, the Ukrainian General Staff reported on Telegram, according to the RBC news agency. Most of the attacks occurred in the area around Pokrovsk, where the Russian army is attempting to form a pocket.

+++ 08:05 Europeans consider buying weapons for Ukraine from the USA +++ European countries are considering buying weapons for Ukraine from the USA. This is reported by the Bloomberg news agency. This is intended to continue aid to the country invaded by Russia, even though the USA is no longer providing support. The Europeans would thus implement the plan originally developed for Trump by former US special envoy Keith Kellogg . Even before Trump took office, Kellogg had proposed forcing Ukraine and Russia into a ceasefire. His threat was intended to be as follows: If Ukraine refuses, there will be no further support from the USA. If Russia refuses, the USA will provide maximum support to Ukraine.

+++ 07:11 Four more dead in the Khmelnytskyi region +++ At least seven people were killed in the Russian attacks during the night. Four people were killed in the western Ukrainian region of Khmelnytskyi, according to the deputy army chief there. Three people died in the Kyiv region as a result of the Russian attacks. Nighttime attacks were also reported in other regions.

+++ 06:35 Three dead and eleven injured after another Russian terrorist attack +++ At least three people died in the Ukrainian region of Kyiv overnight in another major Russian attack using drones and missiles. According to the "Kyiv Independent," at least eleven people, including three children, were injured. Attacks continued throughout Ukraine until the morning. For Kyiv, it was one of the most serious attacks since the start of the major Russian invasion. Russia had already launched a massive attack on the Ukrainian capital the night before.

+++ 06:13 Report: Savings Bank won't transfer money from Russia to Schröder +++ Gerhard Schröder is having trouble with the savings bank: According to information from the "Bild" newspaper, the bank is no longer crediting his account with transfers allegedly originating from Russia. The 81-year-old has thus far lost nearly half a million euros.

+++ 05:38 Drones kill three people in Kyiv +++ At least three people have died in drone strikes in Kyiv, according to the military administration. At least ten people were injured. The capital was already the target of heavy Russian airstrikes yesterday.

+++ 04:32 Drone strikes student dormitory in Ukraine +++ Four people were injured in a student dormitory in Kyiv when a drone struck, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on the Telegram platform. Russian drone attacks were also reported from Kharkiv in the east, Mykolaiv in the south, and the port city of Odessa. The Russian combat drones attacked the port city in several waves from different directions, the Unian news agency reported. Russian cruise missiles also headed for Ukraine. The "Kalibr" guided missiles were fired from ships in the Black Sea and from Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers, Ukrainian media reported, citing air defense sources.

+++ 03:46 Ukraine attacks Russia with drones +++ According to Moscow's mayor, the number of intercepted and destroyed Ukrainian drones over Moscow has risen to eleven. Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.

+++ 02:59 Actor dies on the front lines +++ Nazar Malik, a celebrated Ukrainian actor, was wounded and killed on the front lines. This was announced by the creative association "Night at the University." The organization commemorated the numerous roles Malik played in a Facebook post. "As a warrior, he fell on May 22, 2025, with a weapon in his hand." He served as an officer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "We will miss him and remember him."

+++ 01:08 Ukraine: Russian drones over Kyiv +++ According to a high-ranking Ukrainian official, Russian drones are attacking Kyiv. "More than ten enemy drones are in the airspace around the capital. More will follow," Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv military administration, wrote on Telegram. "We are facing a difficult night. There is a danger of a large number of enemy drones and missiles on board strategic aircraft."

+++ 11:14 PM Zelensky honors more war dead and a living soldier +++ President Zelensky is awarding seven soldiers the title of "Hero of Ukraine." The awards are presented for personal courage and heroism demonstrated in defending Ukraine's state sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for selfless service to the Ukrainian people, according to the presidential decree. In addition to six war dead who will be honored posthumously, one living soldier will receive the "Order of the Golden Star."

+++ 9:48 PM Attacks on Russian airport? +++ Grabtsevo Airport in Kaluga is "temporarily restricted to ensure flight safety," reports the Russian news agency Tass, citing information from the Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia. There are currently no departures or landings. The closure has been in place since 9:45 PM local time (8:45 PM CEST). Rosaviatsia did not give a reason for the security concerns, but attacks may have occurred. Recently, Ukraine has repeatedly attacked targets in the Moscow region. The Kaluga Oblast lies roughly halfway between the front lines and the Russian capital. The Kremlin has remained silent in the past when it has been the victim of Ukrainian strikes.

+++ 9:30 p.m. Next prisoner exchange this weekend +++ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces a third prisoner exchange for this weekend. After 390 prisoners of war were exchanged between the Kremlin and Kyiv on Friday and another 307 on Saturday , the remaining 303 hostages are to follow on Sunday. "Tomorrow is the third stage," Zelenskyy said in his evening video address . "We should free thousands of our people in these days."

All previous developments can be found here .