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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from one front-line sector in Donetsk Oblast to preserve troops and improve defensive operations, Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, the commander of a tactical group in the region, reported on March 18.
"This allowed us not only to save our soldiers but also to improve our defense. (Russia) is suffering losses, and we can act more effectively," Naiev wrote on Facebook. It remains unclear which section of the front line the commander was referring to.
Naiev, the former commander of Ukraine's Joint Forces, noted that his leadership of the tactical group in Donetsk Oblast has now entered its second month.
Trump boasts of saving Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk Oblast despite Kyiv denying encirclement claims
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on March 17 that he took an unspecified action to save Ukrainian soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, repeating an unsubstantiated claim of them being “surrounded.”
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek
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12:06 PM
Ukraine withdraws from one front-line sector in Donetsk Oblast, commander says.
"This allowed us not only to save our soldiers, but also to improve our defense. (Russia) is suffering losses, and we can act more effectively," Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev said.
11:57 AM
Poland, Baltics to withdraw from anti-personnel mine ban treaty.
The defense ministers of the four nations argued that the security situation in the region has "fundamentally deteriorated" and that military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have "significantly increased."
11:38 AM
Trump's aid cuts disrupt supply of HIV treatments to Ukraine, 7 more countries.
World Health Organization warned that Kenya, Haiti, Lesotho, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Ukraine could run out of critical antiretroviral drugs in the coming months.
11:03 AM
Italy, Spain hesitant on EU's $43 billion military aid to Ukraine plan.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the proposal needed further discussion and that Italy was awaiting the outcome of the upcoming call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
10:34 AM
Trump boasts of saving Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk Oblast despite Kyiv denying encirclement claims.
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on March 17 that he took an unspecified action to save Ukrainian soldiers in Russia's Kursk Oblast, repeating an unsubstantiated claim of them being "surrounded."
9:54 AM
Russian energy giant Gazprom suffers $13.1 billion loss in 2024.
Gazprom's losses averaged $251 million per week, $35 million per day, or $1.4 million per hour. While the company's total revenue increased by 11% and its gas revenue by 14%, it still ended the year with a sales loss of 192 billion rubles ($2.3 billion).
9:32 AM
2 killed, 13 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over past day.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 63 of the 137 Russian attack and decoy drones overnight over 12 oblasts, the Air Force said. Sixty-four decoy drones reportedly disappeared from radars without causing damage.
9:25 AM
Russia 'not losing hope' ahead of planned Putin-Trump call, top Putin aide says.
Russia is not "losing hope" ahead of a planned call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told pro-Kremlin news outlet Kommersant on March 18.
8:49 AM
UK, EU to discuss confiscating Russian assets ahead of Ukraine peace talks, Bloomberg reports.
Negotiations will focus on establishing the legal and financial framework to seize Russian assets, despite opposition from some EU member states, particularly Belgium and Germany.
8:45 AM
Telegram CEO Durov returns to Dubai amid French investigation.
Pavel Durov, Telegram's Russian-born founder and CEO, said that the investigating judges allowed him to depart even though the probe is ongoing.
8:10 AM
General Staff: Russia has lost 897,010 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.
The number includes 1,560 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
7:58 AM
Trump administration weighs recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, Semafor reports.
The potential move comes as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for a call with Vladimir Putin on March 18, with a proposed 30-day ceasefire on the table.
6:27 AM
European nations urge UN action against Russian satellite sabotage, media reports.
The disruptions have targeted Eutelsat and SES, Europe’s main satellite providers, which support television, radio, and aviation navigation systems.
5:42 AM
Updated: 'We had to get Ukraine to do the right thing,' Trump says.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 17 that his argument with President Volodymyr Zelensky during the Ukrainian leader's visit to the Oval Office was part of a strategy to pressure Ukraine.
3:54 AM
Belarus authorities sentence Japanese citizen to 7 years in prison on espionage charges.
Masatoshi Nakanishi has been in custody since July for allegedly spying for for a foreign intelligence agency between 2018 and 2024, local authorities said. Nakanishi's arrest was only publicly announced in September 2024, despite his arrest several months prior.
2:53 AM
Over 30 countries expected to contribute to UK-led 'coalition of the willing,' official says.
"The UK expects more than 30 countries to be involved in the coalition of the willing," U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson said on March 17.
12:28 AM
Putin should drop 'absurd demands' in peace talks with Trump, Polish Foreign Minister says.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on March 17 that it was his hope that U.S. President Donald Trump will get Russian President Vladimir Putin to abandon "some absurd demands" toward establishing a peace deal in Ukraine.
11:19 PM
'We’ve never been closer to a peace deal,' White House says ahead of Trump-Putin call.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on March 17 that the Trump administration believes they have "never been closer" to closing a ceasefire deal in Ukraine, ahead of a call scheduled between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin for March 18.
9:59 PM
Ukrainian long-range drone successfully completes 3,000-kilometer test, Zelensky says.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on March 17 in his evening address that a Ukrainian long-range drone has successfully completed testing, demonstrating its ability to fly 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles).
9:24 PM
New Canadian prime minister invites Zelensky to attend G7 summit in June.
Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has invited President Volodymyr Zelensky to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit in June, Le Journal de Quebec reported on March 17, citing a Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
8:50 PM
Ukraine's Supreme Court rules illegal mobilization not grounds for dismissal from military.
The conscription of a person liable for military service during mobilization is irreversible, Ukraine's Supreme Court ruled on March 17, following a lawsuit by a serviceman who claimed he had been drafted illegally.
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