Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The phone call comes as Moscow once again rejected a 30-day ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claiming that a ceasefire would give "Kyiv a break to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia."
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies.
According to the Verkhovna Rada's website, Ukraine completed the ratification of the U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement on May 12. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the deal.
"I myself have heard relatives talking: our village is being attacked, let's roll the car out of the garage, maybe they will shell it — at least we will get money. The car is old, we can't sell it," Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The new tranche brings total recent EU defense support for Ukraine to 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion), marking a significant expansion of European efforts to boost Kyiv's defense industry.
The aftermath of a Russian missile attack in Kyiv on March 21, 2024. (State Emergency Service/Telegram)
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed nine people and injured 37 others over the past day, regional authorities reported early on March 21.
Civilian casualties were reported in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kherson oblasts.
Russian forces launched a missile attack on Kyiv early in the morning of March 21, injuring at least 13 people and causing damage to homes and infrastructure throughout the city.
The Air Force reported that Russian forces launched two ballistic missiles, as well as 29 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles. All 31 projectiles were reportedly downed by Ukraine's air defense.
Russian missile attack targeting Ukraine's capital also injured at least four people in Kyiv Oblast, the local military administration reported.
Russia struck Kharkiv on March 20 at around 1:00 p.m. local time using a Kh-35 anti-ship missile. The attackkilled at least five people and injured 10 as of the morning of March 21, according to the regional prosecutor's office. The city's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, also said that five people were still missing as of the evening of March 20.
The attack damaged an eight-story building and set fire to a factory. The emergency services are continuing the rescue operation at the scene of impact.
The aftermath of a Russian missile attack against Kyiv on March 21, 2024. (State Emergency Service/Telegram)
The aftermath of a Russian missile attack against Kyiv on March 21, 2024. (State Emergency Service/Telegram)
The aftermath of a Russian missile attack against Kyiv on March 21, 2024. (State Emergency Service/Telegram)
Apart from a missile attack against Kharkiv, Russia launched a missile at the town of Barvinkove in the Izium district at 10:40 p.m. local time on March 20, injuring a 42-year-old man and damaging an administrative building, according to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Over the past day, Russian troops attacked Donetsk Oblast settlements 20 times, the local military administration said. Two people were reportedly killed in the Volnovakha district, and two other civilians were injured in the Pokrovsk district.
The Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported that Russia attacked the settlements 478 times in 68 separate attacks throughout the day, injuring two people in the Yunakivka and Billopillia districts.
In Kherson Oblast, four people were injured due to Russian attacks over the past day. Russian troops struck 12 cities and villages, including the regional center of Kherson, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudinsaid on March 21.
Earlier, Prokudin reported on two men who were killed in a Russian strike against a civilian car on the road between the villages of Antonivka and Sadove in Kherson Oblast.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, one person was wounded as Russia attacked the Nikopol district, damaging a shop, and industrial and municipal enterprises, the local military administration said on March 20.
Explosions and damages were also reported in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. According to Governor Ivan Fedorov, Russia attacked nine settlements, causing damage to 35 residential buildings and infrastructure facilities. No casualties among civilians were recorded.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
