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Poland has increased the number of troops on the border with Belarus to 11 thousand. After meeting with the command of the Polish army, border guard and police, Tusk stated he had received a report confirming that migrant smuggling across the border is being carried out with the support of the Lukashenko and Putin regimes.
Estonia will purchase 100 million euros worth of military aid for Ukraine from its defense industry, Estonia's Defense Ministry announced on March 21. Ukraine has officially submitted a list of required weapons to Estonia. The list includes air and ground drones, water transport, medical equipment, and other gear. Additional details about this aid package will be announced at a later time.
Lithuania's Ministry of Defense is considering placing anti-tank and anti-personnel mines along its border with Russia and Belarus. The plan is part of a larger strategy to strengthen the defense line from Finland to Poland, which could cost €10 billion for infrastructure and military equipment purchases.
President Gitanas Nauseda reported that Lithuania is prepared to send troops to Ukraine as part of a potential international peacekeeping mission following a ceasefire.
During Czech President Petr Pavel's visit to Ukraine, Ukrainian Minister of Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin demonstrated the country's weapons production on March 22. Smetanin shared that one of Ukraine's companies is assembling Bren-2 assault rifles under license from Czech manufacturer Česká Zbrojovka. Ukraine has also established the production of small arms ammunition under a Czech license. Smetanin demonstrated the assembly process and the first rifles produced. He stated that Ukraine's defense industry is ready to expand cooperation. During the visit, several key agreements were signed, including those related to supplying components for ammunition production and rifle assembly.
Russian prisoners of war who were returned to Russia on March 19 during a prisoner exchange, confirmed they had no complaints about their treatment in Ukrainian captivity. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets spoke with the Russian prisoners before the exchange and shared a video of their statements on March 22. The prisoners were visited by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross every three months and could exchange letters with their families. The soldiers confirmed they were provided with food and full medical care.
China is considering participation in potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine. Some European governments involving China in the "coalition of the willing" to be desirable as it could increase Russia's level of acceptance of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy visited the frontlines to receive a report on the defense of the Pokrovsk direction. He awarded soldiers with medals and honors for their service. Zelenskyy listened to commanders such as Madyar, Achilles, Khasan, Veres, and Zemlyak who briefed him on the progress of the operation in Kursk, Donetsk, and other regions of the front. The President also visited the 59th Separate Assault Brigade of Unmanned Systems. He was informed about the brigade's use of unmanned systems, electronic warfare equipment, and robotic systems, which it manufactures itself. Zelenskyy discussed the recruitment and training of new pilots, as well as the brigade's specific needs for weapons and equipment.
Since February 2022, Russia has destroyed 231,000 housing units in Ukraine, with significant damage across several regions, including Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Kherson. This destruction is tracked by the Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property. Over 170,000 compensation applications have been submitted for affected homeowners, totaling $864 million in payments. The total damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure has reached nearly $170 billion, with $60 billion worth of damage to the housing sector alone.
On March 21, 2025, the Ukrainian Air Force launched an airstrike on a Russian base in Nova Kakhovka, targeting the 205th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade. The strike destroyed boats, military equipment, and a utility room, significantly hindering Russia's combat capabilities in the region.
An Irish military patrol aircraft intercepted a Russian ship near critical undersea communication cables off Ireland's northeast coast. The ship is suspected of being linked to the Russian shadow fleet and had previously been investigated for suspicious activity in the Baltic Sea. After being tracked, the ship was ordered to leave the area.
Ukrainian forces from the 3rd Assault Brigade liberated the village of Nadiia in Luhansk, close to the Kharkiv border. The operation, which involved intense artillery and a mechanized assault, destroyed two Russian regiments. The village had been previously captured by Russia at the end of February. Footage of the combat shows Ukraine using a variety of Soviet and Western-made equipment. Almost every vehicle was equipped with its own personal EW system, with at least one vehicle carrying a significantly larger EW system which was likely meant to provide wider-ranging protection for the vehicle group as a whole.
The Ukrainian company Himera has provided 6,000 tactical radios to the military, with plans to scale production rapidly. The company currently produces up to 1,000 radios per month, with the capacity to scale up to 2,500 units. For significant orders, they believe they can produce 10,000 to 15,000 radios monthly. Himera considers its products to be a complement or supplement to higher-end systems produced by Harris or Motorola. Himera products are meant to integrate with existing military communication systems and situational awareness networks. The feature AES-256 encryption, mesh/MANET network configurations, and pseudo-random frequency hopping. The company relies on cheap, disposable low-power repeaters that last for 2 weeks on a single charge. This allows for the creation of decentralized communication systems, making detection difficult, and equipment losses insignificant.
The delivery of Australian M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine has been delayed due to disruptions at a logistics center in Poland, partly caused by the suspension of U.S. military aid. Discussions are ongoing to sort out the logistical challenges. Retired Army Major General Mick Ryan told ABC that the M1A1 tanks are urgently needed to help Ukraine defend against the Russian invasion. He stated, "If the US military system isn't able to move these things in a timely fashion, we should be looking at working with our Polish friends or even private contractors to get these things to Ukraine as soon as we possibly can."
A Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber made an emergency landing without its landing gear, resulting in severe damage, including the loss of the left engine. The aircraft's landing gear failed during the landing. Before the Ukraine war, Russia had 110 Su-34s. Approximately 25 are known to have been lost during the full-scale war.
Ukrainian and US delegations have commenced a series of meetings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, intending to come closer to a resolution to the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian delegation includes energy experts and military representatives. They plan to discuss proposals regarding the protection of energy facilities and critical infrastructure. The meeting is also expected to address various ceasefire proposals currently under consideration.
Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, expressed optimism regarding the negotiations. He suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for peace, stating that he does not view Russia as a threat to Europe. Witkoff believes that the discussions could lead to significant progress in negotiating a ceasefire in the Black Sea which will “naturally” lead to a ceasefire across the entirety of the conflict, in his opinion. He also dismissed concerns about Russia seeking further territorial expansion, stating that Putin's goals in Ukraine are distinct from the broader expansionist ambitions and that the war in Ukraine is significantly different than the type of war seen during WW2. He said he doesn’t think Putin wants to take “all of Europe.”
An explosion at a police building in Odesa Oblast on March 23 killed a woman and injured others. Ukrainian National Police and the Security Service are investigating the incident.
On the night of March 22-23, Russia launched a major drone attack on Kyiv, killing three and injuring dozens. Among the dead were a father, Oleksandr Haranskyi, and his 5-year-old daughter, Nikol, from the Holosiivskyi district. Oleksandra, the wife and mother, survived but is hospitalized. The family had moved to Kyiv from Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia Oblast after the war began. Their home, located on church grounds, was destroyed in the attack. Oleksandra worked at a church kindergarten and later ran a baking business. Oleksandra, who was thrown 20 meters from the house, has regained consciousness and is expected to recover. The Russian attack also claimed the life of an 80-year-old woman in the Dniprovskyi district, whose apartment was destroyed by fire. Emergency responders were delayed due to parked cars blocking access.
A Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia, killed a family of three, including a teenage girl, on March 21, 2025, The Zaporizhzhia attack left a father and daughter dead, while the mother succumbed to injuries after over 10 hours of medical treatment. In addition to the family, 12 others were injured, including a nine-month-old baby.
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