Russia launches drones at Ukraine, air defense at work in Kyiv Oblast

Hungary has taken seven employees of a state-owned Ukrainian bank "hostage" while they were transiting the country on March 5 as part of their duties, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, demanding their immediate release.

The long-range drones hit the production workshops of the Yevpatoria Aircraft Repair Plant, located in western Crimea, as well as two Pantsir-S2 systems near a Russian military airfield in Dzhankoi, which sits in the peninsula's northeast, according to the SBU source.

Ukrenergo told the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine resumed electricity exports on March 5 for the first time since November 2025.

Russian forces launched 141 different types of drones against Ukraine overnight.

The number includes 950 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Sergei Kiriyenko, a powerful Kremlin aide, has reportedly been tasked with overseeing the Russian operation in Hungary, applying the same set of methods deployed during Moscow-backed meddling in Moldova.

The Kyiv Independent’s separate analytical unit, KI Insights, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast, Ukraine Insights — a show dedicated to unpacking Ukraine’s politics, security, economy, and international relations through in-depth, expert-driven conversations.

"To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on March 5.

EU ambassadors on March 5 pushed back against a proposal to fast-track Ukraine's entry into the European Union, rejecting a European Commission idea known as "reverse enlargement," Politico reported.

U.S. media outlet Fox News aired footage of a Ukrainian interceptor drone destroying a Shahed-type drone but presented the video as showing American drones countering Iranian drones in the Middle East, Ukrainian drone manufacturer Wild Hornets said.

The U.S. voted against a resolution condemning attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on March 5, joining Russia, China, and Niger in opposing the measure.

Zelensky's statement comes after the Financial Times reported on March 5, citing Ukrainain industry figures, that the Pentagon and at least one Gulf state are holding talks to purchase Ukrainian-made interceptors to counter Iranian drones.

Kyiv said it was an attempt to worsen Ukraine's relations with Hungary as part of Russia's hybrid aggression against Europe.