The Telegraph reported that French President Emmanuel Macron is considering creating a UN-led mission to prevent another Russian attack if a peace agreement is reached. The plan is being developed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. At a press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel on March 21, Zelenskyy stated the UN cannot protect Ukraine from occupation or Putin's desire to attack again. He suggested that the UN lacks a mandate to defend Ukraine. The Ukrainian president added that having clear troops, air defense, ships, planes, and a serious army with real intelligence from partners in Ukraine would be a significantly more effective deterrent. On March 13, reports indicated that Starmer and Macron were negotiating with 37 countries to create a "coalition of the willing" to send peacekeepers to Ukraine.


The summit of the "coalition of the willing" aimed at resolving the situation in Ukraine will take place in Paris on March 27. Zelenskyy will also participate in the meeting. European countries will discuss their stance on Ukraine and formulate demands for a potential peace agreement. The talks will include representatives from Germany, Italy, Poland, and other EU countries, as well as non-EU states such as the United Kingdom and Canada. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the "coalition of the willing" plan is moving into an "operational phase." According to the joint plan by Starmer and Macron, the first stage of the settlement involves a month-long ceasefire in the air, at sea, and across energy infrastructure. The second stage envisions the deployment of a peacekeeping force on Ukrainian territory.


The United Kingdom is set to play a leading role in providing air protection for the peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, as reported by The Telegraph on March 20. During a meeting at the Permanent Joint Headquarters of the British Armed Forces, deployment of either Eurofighter Typhoon jets or F-35s was discussed. A high-ranking Royal Air Force source stated that the British Army and Royal Air Force will be part of the first wave in Ukraine. Several countries would provide aircraft on a rotational basis, though no commitments have been confirmed. The peacekeeping mission’s priorities include ensuring Ukraine's airspace security and "returning the Black Sea to international waters."


Ukraine's Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported on March 21 that rights violations during mobilization activities by territorial recruitment center staff have increased in 2025. The Ombudsman's Office received 40 individual complaints regarding violations in Kharkiv Oblast in less than three months of 2025. Violations include blocking access to lawyers, use of force, firearms and other special equipment, refusal to accept documents, and other issues. Lubinets noted at least three recent media reports showed videos of bicyclists being hit by cars before uniformed men placed them into vehicles. He reiterated that such actions are unacceptable and immediate actions are taken to ensure human rights are upheld.


Ukraine's SBU Security Service uncovered a scheme within the Kyiv City State Administration that embezzled almost €1.4 million intended for palliative care of terminally ill residents. The investigation identified four key figures: two deputy heads of the KCSA's Department of Social and Veterans Policy, a former senior KCSA official now running a private psychiatric hospital, and the commercial director of the company that operates the hospital. The SBU detained the director as he attempted to flee the country. The group secured a $3.6 million contract, supposedly for daily treatment of patients, including medical services, medicine, and food. Nearly a third of the budget was being spent on luxury cars and property. One of the cars was a new Porsche Cayenne, supposedly being used to transport ill patients. The company owner also fraudulently obtained a Group II disability status, which comes with a military draft exemption, international travel rights, and a state pension. All four suspects face charges that could result in up to 12 years in prison.

On the night of March 21, Russian forces launched 214 Shahed-131/136 attack drones and various types of decoy UAVs against Ukraine. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 114 drones, while 81 others were lost on radar, according to Ukraine's Air Force. 27/47 Russian drones targeting Kyiv and its outskirts overnight were shot down, with the remaining suppressed by electronic warfare, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported on March 21. No casualties were reported in Kyiv. The overnight air-raid alert lasted for 2 hours and 32 minutes.

Odesa Oblast, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Sumy Oblast, and Kyiv Oblast suffered damage. The attack on Odesa injured three teenagers and set fire to numerous civilian buildings. A high-rise apartment building was damaged. There are power outages in the Prymorsky, Peresypsky and Kyivsky districts of the city. The attack damaged civilian infrastructure, including a residential apartment building, a shopping mall, and several stores. This was one of the largest drone attacks since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Czech President Petr Pavel was visiting Odesa during the drone attack on the city. During their meeting, Russia launched three groups of Shahed attack drones towards Odesa.

Russian forces has intensified its airstrikes on densely populated areas of Ukrainian cities in recent days. On March 20, nearly 200 drones were launched toward civilian, residential and critical infrastructure across Ukraine. On  March 20, Russia launched strikes using guided bombs on populated areas in the Zaporizhzhya district. Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that the attack caused fires that engulfed cars and residential buildings across a total area of 700 square meters.

Six people, including a 4-year-old boy, were injured as a result of a Russian strike using guided aerial bombs on the Zaporizhzhya district, local governor Ivan Fedorov reported on March 21. The bombs destroyed two private houses and damaged three more, as well as buildings on the grounds of a summer cottage community. Fires broke out at the impact sites. All the injured received medical assistance. A 60-year-old man remains hospitalized, with doctors assessing his condition as moderately serious. The other five victims, including the 4-year-old boy, are being treated on an outpatient basis. 


Russia has lost a total of 900,800 soldiers killed or wounded, with 1,330 troops eliminated in the past day alone, according to the Ukrainian General Staff on March 21.


The Ukrainian industry can double production of the Bohdana self-propelled artillery system by launching production on several chassis simultaneously, according to Ihor Fedirko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry, in an interview with Radio NV. Fedirko revealed that production already exceeds the previously announced record of 18 systems per month. Production could increase to at least 40 units monthly with additional financing and chassis supply.


The Come Back Alive Foundation provided 150 FN Minimi light machine guns to Ukrainian troops. 102 machine guns were provided to the Ukrainian Ground Forces, 36 went to the Ukrainian Navy, 10 went to the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, and 2 went to a Special Forces Unit. The total cost of the delivered weapons was UAH 103,120,200.

The French company ELWAVE will provide Ukraine with Tetrapulse electromagnetic sensors to detect unexploded ammunition and mines in Ukrainian waters. This technology enables the detection of both metallic and non-metallic mines in low visibility conditions or when the objects are buried in the seabed.


Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of Ukraine's parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, addressed the preparation of a list of Ukrainian infrastructure sites that Russia would be prevented from targeting during a potential temporary ceasefire. He dismissed concerns about sharing such a list, saying that Russia already knows about these locations. Venislavskyi said that the list is about ensuring ceasefire compliance. Vague language confuses people and he pointed to confusion stemming from differing interpretations of a Putin-Trump agreement as an example. He said that Russian statements focus only on energy facilities, while Trump mentions infrastructure facilities, including transport, gas, energy infrastructure, and healthcare.  Without total specificity as to what should be protected, Russia may claim that some facilities were not included in the list and therefore could be attacked.

A Nissan carrying two Russian officers exploded in occupied Skadovsk, in the Kherson region, on March 20, according to Ukraine's Defense Intelligence. Photos from the scene suggest an explosive device was placed under the car, destroying the vehicle when it detonated. The GUR said that "for every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people, there will be fair retribution."


Ukraine destroyed a  Russian 9A310 Buk-M1 air defense system using precision-guided weapons, according to a video from the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Group. Drone operators from the 15th "Black Forest" Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade spotted the BUK while it was moving and tracked it until it stopped in a forested area, where it was struck. The blast triggered the detonation of the BUK’s missiles. The Buk-M1 had an anti-drone cage that failed to protect it from this attack. In recent months, precision-guided weapon strikes against air defense systems have declined and the use of heavy drone bombers has increased. 

 Local authorities in Krasnodar Krai reported on March 21 that during firefighting efforts, a burning tank lost pressure, leading to an explosion and a release of burning oil. The fire spread to a second tank, it burn along with oil products inside and outside the containment area. The fire expanded to 10,000 square meters. Two firefighters were injured. The fire at the oil depot near the village of Kavkazskaya broke out on March 19, with officials claiming it was caused by falling debris from downed drones. The oil depot is involved in handling the transfer of oil from railway tank cars to the pipeline system of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, and is capable of processing up to 6 million tons of oil per year.

Satellite images from Maxar show the aftermath of a Ukrainian strike on Russian ammunition depots at the Engels-2 airfield in Saratov Oblast, Russia. The strike, which took place on March 19-20, 2025, caused explosions and fires, damaging the depots. The airfield is used for launching missile strikes on Ukraine. Experts believe the depots contained Kh-101 and Kh-555 missiles. Local authorities evacuated nearby areas, confirming the fire and damage at the site.

An image of Engels Airbase in December of 2024


Engels Airbase March 21 2025

From Ukrainian Osint group Kiber Boroshno:

“Results of the strike on the Engels airfield on March 20, 2025

Satellite image analysis revealed that the strike hit the aviation weapon storage base, including cruise missiles for aviation platforms (Kh-101, Kh-55/Kh-555) and their warheads.

The Russians applied a strategy used at airfields in Crimea. Aware of the threat of an attack on the Engels airfield, they began dispersing explosive materials across the base's territory and digging trenches starting in the first month of 2025, which can be seen in the initial images (marked in red). In a more recent image after the strike, new engineering structures covering the entire base area are visible (marked in yellow). This approach proved ineffective due to the high power of the munitions, resulting in the complete destruction of the base. Shrapnel spread over a large area, including the Metalist-1 dacha settlement.

The base also housed a building (marked in purple), which likely serviced the cruise missiles. Transport containers with missiles were located next to this building.”

Videos posted on March 21 show a fireball rising from a gas pumping station in Sudzha, Russia's Kursk Oblast. The Baza Telegram channel reported that the pipeline was damaged. This station was previously a crucial location for Russian gas transit to Europe until a transit agreement expired on January 1, after which the Sohranivka gas interconnector was also closed in 2022. The Russians blamed Ukraine for the strike on this facility that caused the fireball. But the Ukrainian General Staff refuted these claims saying Russian artillery is what damaged the facility. This facility was in territory controlled by Ukraine at the time of the explosion, raising doubts as to whether Ukraine would waste time and resources targeting it. 

Quote of the Day:

“The hedgehog represents the very acme of serpentine sophistication. It has superlative sensing organs that exploit infra-red and chemo-sensory stimuli to enable it to locate its prey. It is armed with one of the most powerful of all venoms with which it can inject its victims with surgical precision.”

-David Attenborough