Tens of thousands of people gathered in Prague on March 21 for the largest anti government protest in the Czech Republic since 2019, Czech media reported.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that Slovakia could consider blocking a 90-billion-euro EU loan for Ukraine in the future, while defending Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s opposition to the measure.

This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the tight control of information imposed by the Kremlin. Key news as of March 21: * Russia unveils plans to resettle occupied Ukrainian territories * Russian occupation court jails 69-year-old woman for donating to Ukrainian army * From street detentions to car seizures, Russia intensifies conscription of Ukrainians in occupied territories * Russia uses fai

Ukrainian-American drone AI startup Swarmer made a blockbuster debut on the NASDAQ on March 17, offering a first major test of whether Wall Street is ready to buy into Ukraine's wartime defense tech boom. Initially priced at $5, Swarmer shares closed at $31 on March 17, a 520% first-day jump far above the norm for U.S. IPOs and one of the most dramatic market debuts in recent years. The debut is a major milestone for Ukraine's defense tech sector, which has grown rapidly since Russia's full-sc

The attacks targeted the cities of Saratov and Engels in Saratov Oblast and Tolyatti in Samara Oblast. The towns host key Russian military and industrial assets, including the Saratov oil refinery and Engels-2 military airfield.

Russia has intensified internet censorship in recent weeks as the U.S.-Israeli efforts to kill top Iranian officials prompted concerns that the security of its own leaders could also be compromised. The official reason for the ongoing internet shutdowns is Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia. Experts, however, believe that the intensifying internet censorship is part of the Kremlin's efforts to take full control of the online space, something the regime has been preparing for since the start of

Hackers linked to Russian intelligence have been targeting messaging app accounts of high-profile U.S. users, FBI Director Kash Patel said on March 20.

In a Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia on the morning of March 21, a father and mother of two girls were killed, and 6 people injured, including two girls aged 11 and 15, Fedorov said. The girls are daughters of the parents killed in the strike, Ukraine's State Emergency Service later said.

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on March 21 that by releasing the 140 million barrels of sanctioned Iranian oil that China is hoarding at low prices, the U.S. could quickly ease temporary supply pressures in global markets.

The number includes 1,240 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Russian citizens Yurii Korzhavin and Lidiya Korzhavina were removed from the U.S. sanctions list on March 20, along with other individuals and entities linked to Russia. The Korzhavins were sanctioned in 2024 for their ties to the Russian transport and logistics company Elfor TL.

Nearly 30 drones were shot down over Moscow and the surrounding region on March 20-21, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed. Hundreds of Ukrainian drones have reportedly targeted Moscow in the past week.

The facility belongs to Czech defense firm LPP Holding, which manufactures AI drones used on the battlefield in Ukraine. The investigation follows reports that a group protesting Israeli weapons claimed responsibility.

Volodymyr Balukh, a political activist and former political prisoner, was reportedly beaten at a military recruitment center in Kyiv.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said the Alchevsk Metallurgical Plant in Russian-occupied Luhansk oblast was hit during overnight operations on March 20.

Key developments on March 20: * Russian Ka-52 helicopter shot down by FPV drone in Donetsk Oblast * Russia reportedly offers to halt intel sharing with Iran if US stops with Ukraine * Ukraine heads to US with drone proposal Trump dismissed before war with Iran * Russia uses failed exams to funnel students into army in occupied territories Ukrainian drone operators destroyed a Russian Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopter using an FPV (first-person view) drone in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's Unm

The U.S. has rejected the proposal, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the U.S.-Russia negotiations.

Editor's note: This article is a shortened on-site version of KI Insights' public newsletter, The Week Ahead, covering events from March 23-29. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events delivered directly to your inbox every week. Audio version of The Week Ahead is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Ukraine's delegation is set to take part in talks in the United States this weekend, March 21–22. Meanwhile, the Russian side has announced a paus

The latest strike brings the total number of Russian helicopters shot down by Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion to 350, according to the General Staff.

Russia is extensively militarizing Ukrainian children and youth in the occupied territories to "raise future soldiers" and involve them in the fight against their own people, Taya Avram, a lawyer within the Donbas SOS NGO, told the Kyiv Independent on March 20.

Russia’s takeover of Crimea did not begin in 2014. In the second part of "Crimea: The War Before the War," the Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit examines how Moscow moved from early pressure to direct attempts to seize Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian negotiators traveling to the U.S. on March 20 will present the Trump administration with a proposal for expanded drone cooperation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in response to a question from the Kyiv Independent. The initiative centers on sharing Ukraine's battle-tested drone technology — particularly systems designed to counter Iranian-made Shahed-type attack drones — at a time when the U.S. faces similar threats in the Middle East. The push reflects Kyiv's broader strategy to

The proceeds from director Chloe Zhao's fundraiser will benefit Animal Rescue Kharkiv, a nonprofit organization (NGO).

"The war involving Iran will not deflect France from its support for Ukraine, where Russia’s war of aggression continues unabated," French President Emmanuel Macron said on March 20.

Yaroslav Lysenko allegedly ordered at least seven service members to leave their units beginning in September 2024 and assigned them to renovation and construction work, according to the State Investigation Bureau (DBR).

Filaret Denysenko co-founded the unrecognized Kyiv Patriarchate in 1992 and was the patriarch of Ukraine from 1995 to 2018.

Russian forces launched 156 drones against Ukraine overnight, of which over 90 were Shahed-type, the Air Force said, reporting that Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 133.

The authoritarian regimes of China, Iran, and North Korea are actively engaged in reshaping the economy within Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, a new report has revealed. The Eastern Human Rights Group and the Institute for Strategic Research and Security published an analytical report last week that features the role of Russia's allies in the economic reorientation of all Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia since 2014 and during the full-scale invasion. The report indicates that

The number includes 1,610 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Russia is considering escorting its shadow fleet vessels with naval warships, a senior Kremlin aide said March 19, amid increased Western scrutiny of Moscow's clandestine network of ships used to bypass sanctions.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said Slovakia may take further measures against Ukraine after a halt in Russian oil supplies, which he said has triggered a “state of emergency” in the country’s oil sector.

The unnamed project, lacking a defined team or political platform, seeks to offer an alternative to the Kremlin at a time when Russia's opposition operates largely from abroad and remains fractured, with its ability to influence domestic politics remaining low.