A meeting was held between delegations of the defense ministries of Iran and Belarus, during which the countries agreed to expand military cooperation. The negotiations were attended by Iranian Defense Minister General Amir Nasirzadeh and Chairman of the State Military-Industrial Committee of Belarus Dmitry Pantus. The Iranian delegation confirmed its readiness to deepen cooperation, particularly in the field of technology transfer. Belarus already uses weapons of Iranian origin, including Shaheds. 

Sweden has signed a contract to produce and supply 18 Archer self-propelled artillery systems and 5 ARTHUR counter-battery radars to Ukraine. The deal is worth about $300 million and is part of the 18th package of military assistance to Ukraine. Earlier, Sweden transferred 8 Archer systems to Ukraine. Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson also announced that Sweden joined the Artillery Coalition.

The Swedish government will finance the production of Ukrainian weapons based on the “Danish model” where European countries provide funding for Ukraine to domestically produce equipment. The funding could cover the production of Bohdan self-propelled artillery systems or 155 mm ammunition. 

Rheinmetall is planning to set up the Volkswagen automobile plant in Osnabrück to begin production of armored vehicles, including infantry fighting vehicles. The company's CEO Armin Papperger told Reuters that he expects a significant increase in defense procurement in 2025. If the deal is finalized, this will be the third German facility in recent months to be converted to produce defense equipment.

In Kursk, the Russians made an unsuccessful attempt to cross the Psel River and sank an armored personnel carrier. The Ravens unit of the 129th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade released a video showing drones destroying some equipment south of the city of Sudzha. The Russian command is trying to transfer more troops to the west side of the Psel River between the settlements of Kurylovka and Guevo.

Finland has announced its 28th military aid package for Ukraine, valued at around €200 million. The package is set to be approved by the Finnish government and president. "As with previous packages, the specific details of the aid are not being disclosed. However, it can be shared that this package includes, among other things, much-needed artillery ammunition," said Antti Häkkänen, Finland's Minister of Defence.

Ukraine has received the first tranche of ~US$1.7 billion from Canada under the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) loans initiative for Ukraine. The funds will be used for the needs of Ukraine's state budget. In total, Canada's contribution to the ERA initiative amounts to ~US$3.47 billion. 

Ukraine has begun modifying ground drones to enable them to install barbed wire at the front. The tension of the wire is monitored from the air using a Mavic drone. Using drones is “easier on the hands, easier on the feet, easier on everything. It's better to lose a robot than a human life," one soldier said. 

Ukraine is considering equipping its maritime drones with Stinger and Starstreak MANPADS. Vadym Sukharevskyi, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine, said this in his interview with Defence24. The use of man-portable air defense systems will reduce the effectiveness of Russian aircraft and increase the survivability and efficiency of naval drones.

Ukraine is developing a new system to counter the Shahed kamikaze drones. This system involves using a balloon as a platform for FPV interceptor drones. The system is being developed by the company Aerobavovna and its partners. The balloon is capable of reaching an altitude of up to 800 meters, carrying a payload of up to 10 kg, and operating regardless of weather conditions.

Ukrainian philanthropists and the companies Uklon and Ukrenergo have transferred tracking and guidance systems to Ukraine's Defense Forces as part of the "Enemy's Underworld" project. The Serhiy Prytula Foundation delivered 10 systems worth UAH 5,780,000 to various military units including the 540th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade, and 135th Guards Battalion. These systems include lasers, thermal imagers, high-performance searchlights, and have  automatic target acquisition capabilities. They help mobile fire teams quickly detect and destroy aerial targets. 

Russia has formed assault units from personnel of its Strategic Rocket Forces, according to OSINT analyst Unit Observer. These units have been deployed in the Toretsk sector. The 20th Regiment operating in this area belongs to military unit No. 43879, part of the 132nd Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. The earliest known mentions of this unit date back to July 2024.

Polish authorities have arrested a Belarusian citizen, Stepan K., charging him with setting fire to a Warsaw construction supermarket in April 2024, causing damages exceeding PLN 3.5 million. Stepan acted on instructions from Russian intelligence services. He faces charges of sabotage and terrorism, with potential sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment.

Nearly 60% of French citizens support using France's nuclear weapons to protect European allies, according to a survey by the Elabe Institute. President Macron recently proposed to create a "nuclear umbrella" for Europe as a deterrence against Russia. Support is strongest among left-wing voters (76%), Macron supporters (84%), and right-wing voters (65%), but weaker among far-right voters (39%).

The United States has fully resumed supplying weapons and intelligence to Ukraine, including artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, and HIMARS ammunition. American contractors responsible for maintenance and training have also returned to Ukraine. The supply of weapons includes shipments of upgraded Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs that have been modified to better survive Russian jamming and the intense EW environment in Ukraine.

Ukrainian military medics from the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade provided medical assistance to an 11-year-old Russian boy injured in a Russian attack on Kursk Oblast. The child suffered limb amputation and an open-head injury.

Ukraine has shipped 3,850 tonnes of flour to Syria as part of President Zelenskyy's "Grain from Ukraine" program. Working with the UN World Food Programme, the flour will be distributed to local bakeries and is expected to feed almost 60,000 people for six months.

Russia attacked Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast on March 13, injuring eight civilians including a 15-year-old boy. The attacks damaged residential buildings and a shop.

The Defence Council of Sumy Oblast has ordered the mandatory evacuation of 543 residents from eight settlements in the Yunakivka and Myropillia hromadas due to increased Russian military activity along the border.

The Trump administration has not extended General License 8L, which previously allowed transactions related to energy payments to be made with sanctioned Russian banks. The exemption expired on March 12, 2025.

According to Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, the mineral agreement between Ukraine and the US does not involve the transfer of subsoil rights or property rights. The agreement concerns the revenues of the state budget.

President Zelenskyy described Putin's statements about a potential 30-day ceasefire as "manipulative," saying Russia is deliberately creating preconditions to ensure the ceasefire proposal fails or is delayed. President Trump stated that if Russia refuses to agree to a 30-day ceasefire, it would be "a disappointing moment for the world." He mentioned that many details of a final agreement between Ukraine and the US have already been discussed, including land issues and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

A large fire broke out at the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai on March 14, covering over 1,000 square meters. Several explosions were heard around 5 a.m. local time. Governor Veniamin Kondratyev claimed the explosions were caused by an attack from Ukraine, though this has not been verified by Ukraine. At the time of writing a gasoline storage tank is burning, and over 100 emergency personnel are at the scene. There is no immediate information about casualties.  

A Reuters/Ipsos poll from March 13 found that 56% of Americans believe President Donald Trump is "too closely aligned" with Russia, while 40% disagreed. 89% of Democrats and only 27% of Republicans agreed with the statement. Additionally, 44% of Americans support Trump’s proposal to provide US military aid to Ukraine in exchange for mineral resources. The poll surveyed 1,422 US adults with a margin of error of 3%.

On March 13, a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv's Osnovianskyi district injured at least seven people, including four children and three adults. The strike also affected the Nemyshlianskyi and Novobavarskyi districts. The victims suffered from acute stress. The attack caused multiple explosions and a fire at an industrial building. At the time of writing, emergency services and volunteers were still at the scene. 

McDonald's Ukraine announced the return of its breakfast menu in Lviv, Lutsk, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Yaremche, and Kovel. The breakfast menu was suspended following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Customer demand is driving this change. Around 60% of McDonald's goods in Ukraine come from local suppliers. McDonald's plans to expand the breakfast menu to more cities, but it will remain unavailable in eastern regions. Currently, 109 McDonald's restaurants are operating in Ukraine, with around 10,000 employees.

Quote of the Day:

“The way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of hedgehogs.” 

– Miyamoto Musashi