A Russian-flagged liquified natural gas (LNG) tanker, the Arctic Metagaz, has reportedly caught fire in the Mediterranean sea, multiple media outlets reported on March 3.

No regime invokes international law more fervently than when it sees its power being challenged. The moment American and Israeli forces struck Iranian targets, officials in Moscow and Tehran rushed to rediscover the UN Charter, denouncing the operation as unlawful. Their sudden reverence for the "rule-book" is politically convenient — but it also forces a serious question: on what legal grounds can the use of force against Iran be justified? One of U.S. President Donald Trump's principal argum

A feeling familiar to millions of Ukrainians was suddenly experienced across the Middle East over the weekend — the terror caused by Shahed drones flying overhead and smashing into buildings. Footage flooded social media as Iran launched drones and missiles in retaliatory strikes in response to the U.S.-Israeli bombardment that began on Feb. 28. "Welcome to the club, guys," Vladislav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president's representative on sanctions policy, told the Kyiv Independent when asked wha

* Ukrainian forces liberate 9 eastern settlements as Russian troops face Starlink disruptions, Ukraine's military says * As Ukrainian regions start preparing for next winter, Kyiv lags behind * Zelensky floats swapping Patriot missiles for interceptor drones amid increased Iranian Shahed threat * At least 337 Ukrainian POWs 'brutally' executed by Russia, Ukraine's ombudsman says Ukraine has liberated nine settlements in the Oleksandrivka sector along the southeastern front line, Ukraine's A

Former Head of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, Serhii Deineko, has been mobilized and will lead the Luhansk Border Guard Detachment, Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske reported on March 3. Serhiy Deineko, who headed the State Border Guard from 2019 to Jan. 4, 2026, was charged last month in relation to a 204,000 euro bribery scheme. He was dismissed from the military last month. In 2023 border guards received at least 204,000 euros for facilitating the smuggling of cigarettes through the b

Facing a real chance of defeat in the April parliamentary elections, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban can’t stop talking about President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine. Just in the past few weeks, the Hungarian strongman called the war-torn country an "enemy" and accused its leadership of blackmail, deception, and election interference. Orban even deployed troops to defend Hungary's energy infrastructure against a claimed Ukrainian threat. Hungary's leader is "desperately losing" his pre-

A Ukrainian lawmaker has urged Donald Trump to recognise that Russia and Iran "represent the same evil," after the U.S. president once again criticized Ukraine whilst commenting on the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Kyiv was among the first to publicly back the U.S.-Israeli war, arguing that Iran is a key Kremlin ally that has supported Russia's war against Ukraine, including by supplying Shahed drones used in attacks on Ukrainian cities. But in a post on Truth Social on March 2, Trum

Russia lost more territory than it gained in February for the first time since Ukraine's failed counteroffensive in 2023, according to independent Finnish open-source intelligence collective Black Bird Group. Russia lost 37 km² on balance last month, causing the total area of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia to modestly drop to 118,917 km², according to the group’s analysis. The independent assessment comes after Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi also claimed on March 2 that

Regional leaders and mayors met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on March 3 to approve plans for the upcoming winter. The National Security and Defense Council soon approved all plans, except the one meant for Kyiv. Each regional plan includes protections for energy infrastructure, additional cogeneration, and decentralized heating and water supply. Local officials were required to submit their plans by March 1. Kyiv's plan was not good enough, the government said "We still need to w

The Ukrainian Institute of America (UIA) will convene technology innovators, defense experts, investors, policymakers, and scholars for a conference examining Ukraine’s emergence as a global driver of technological innovation under wartime conditions.

"If they give them to us, we will give them interceptors. It is an equal exchange," he said.

"Russia has turned torture into state policy and uses it as a weapon," Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said.

Orban held a phone call with Putin amid an escalating spat between Kyiv and Budapest.

The committee was created by order of Lidia Izovitova, head of the association. Izovitova has faced criticism for allegedly being a protégé of pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk. Izovitova's tenure as head of the association ended in 2022, and she has been accused of holding her position illegally.

"Three additional settlements in the area have been fully cleared of Russian troops, while fighting continues for several more," the statement read.

Ukraine received its first payment of $1.5 billion under a new International Monetary Fund program, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on March 3.

The case was brought before the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

The International Paralympic Committee barred Ukraine’s Paralympic team from wearing their ceremonial uniform for the upcoming Winter Games, saying the design featuring a map of Ukraine was political, according to National Paralympic Committee President Valerii Sushkevych.

Russia launched 136 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said, reporting that Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 127 unmanned aircraft. At least five drones evaded defenses and struck three locations. Fallen debris was recorded in three locations.

The number includes 790 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 2 that U.S. munitions stockpiles are stronger than ever, stating in a post on Truth Social that supplies at the medium and upper-medium levels have “never been higher or better” and that the country has a “virtually unlimited supply of these weapons.”

Speaking at the L’Île Longue naval base in northwestern France — home to the country’s ballistic missile submarines — Macron argued that Europe must assume a more autonomous role in its own defense amid Russia’s war against Ukraine and shifting U.S. strategic priorities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was one of the first world leaders to back the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which started on Feb. 28. For Ukraine, the choice was logical: Iran is a Kremlin ally that has backed Russia's aggression against Ukraine and supplied drones to Moscow. Moreover, Zelensky is seeking to curry favor with U.S. President Donald Trump and show that Ukraine is a reliable ally, analysts say. "We support the United States in this operation in order to demonstra

Key Developments on March 2: * Ukraine captured more territory than it lost to Russia over February 2026, Syrskyi says * US deploys LUCAS kamikaze drones against Iran 'for first time in combat' * 70% of Ukrainians skeptical US-Ukraine-Russia talks will bring lasting peace, poll shows * Russian drone hits passenger train in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, 1 killed, 10 injured Ukrainian forces captured more territory in February 2026 than Russian forces were able to occupy in the same period, Ukraini

Ukrainians in Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE said Middle East airspace closures and security fears have revived the anxieties they fled at home, leaving some stranded as Kyiv seeks assurances for their protection. Pol

As markets opened on March 2, Russian officials were quick to frame the escalating Middle East crisis as an economic opportunity for the Kremlin. Within hours of the first U.S. and Israeli strikes, Russian Envoy Kirill Dmitriev quickly posted on X about crude potentially hitting "$100+" per barrel. Brent crude futures on the London ICE exchange initially had risen 13.04%, peaking at $82.37 per barrel — the highest level in over a year. Prices later eased to $79.38. The spike followed Iran's M

Zelensky said Ukraine has seen no signs of a PAC-3 interceptor shortage so far, but warned that a prolonged Middle East war and intense fighting could strain air defense supplies.

"I would suggest the following: leaders of the Middle East have great relations with Russians. They can ask Russians to implement a month-long ceasefire," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

As President Donald Trump ordered U.S. forces to begin their assault on Iran, David Hearst, the editor-in-chief of the Middle East Eye, a Qatari-funded, Al Jazeera offshoot, declared, "There is a chilling but uncanny resemblance in the way Donald Trump is preparing to attack Iran, and the way Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine." It is an ignorant statement infused with moral confusion. On July 12, 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin published "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians"

A new Helvetas and State Employment Service assessment says Ukraine can ease wartime labor shortages by retraining women and veterans, modernizing workplaces, and recognizing military skills as qualifications.

The new board comes amid a renewed push to reform Ukraine’s state-owned enterprises, which dominate the energy, banking, and infrastructure sectors.

The U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund narrowed down the candidates after sifting through 138 submissions, Ukraine’s Economy Ministry announced on March 2.