Finland raises defense readiness level due to threat of Russia's war on Ukraine.

Brent futures, the global benchmark for oil prices, increased 16% on March 8, near to $108 a barrel. Prices last reached this level in 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces have liberated up to 435 kilometers of Russian-occupied territory in the country's south, thwarting Moscow's efforts to mount a southern offensive, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on March 8.

"The main message will be that Slovakia is ready to take over the baton from Hungary if necessary," Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on March 8.

Hard-line cleric Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been chosen as Iran's next Supreme Leader, the country's state media announced on March 8.

Zelensky said that he and the Dutch leader had discussed investments in arms production, its possible scope, and the licensing of weapons.

A drone that struck a U.K. air base in Akrotiri on the island of Cyprus on March 1 contained Russian technology, the Times reported March 7.

Ukrainian company Sky Fall’s Shrike Fiber drone reportedly took first place in the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance selection in partnership with U.K.-based Skycutter, Defender Media reported March 7.

Russia launched 117 drones, including Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles, and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles overnight, the Air Force reported.

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, Anna Belokur examines how Russia and its allies have rapidly expanded the use of long-range attack drones — and why much of the world remains unprepared to defend against them.

Local authorities reported no injuries at the time, and passengers were redirected to their final stations.

"Adherence to the values of freedom, human dignity, and international law must be defining for the global artistic community, as must solidarity with the Ukrainian people whose culture is being targeted for destruction."