Key developments on March 12: * 'Fuel tanks are burning' — Major Russian oil hub hit in Ukrainian drone strike in Krasnodar Krai, SBU source says * World’s largest oil producer Aramco in talks to buy Ukrainian interceptor drones, WSJ reports * Hungary's unrecognized Druzhba delegation arrives in Kyiv amid 'absurd' standoff * Ukraine, Romania sign strategic partnership declaration, set to co-produce drones Ukrainian forces struck infrastructure at the Tikhoretsk oil pumping station in Russi

The Kyiv Independent has launched a fundraiser to support the recovery of George Ivanchenko, a 25-year-old Ukrainian photojournalist who lost his leg in a targeted Russian drone attack while reporting on the front line.

Saudi state oil giant Aramco is in talks with two Ukrainian drone makers about buying interceptor drones to protect oil infrastructure from Iranian attacks, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Presidents Zelensky and Dan agreed to expand cooperation in the energy and defense sectors, signaling closer ties between the neighboring countries.

Officials in the U.K. dismissed accusations from Russia that London was responsible for what Moscow described as a "terrorist attack" after Ukraine struck a military-linked plant in Russia's Bryansk region with Storm Shadow cruise missiles. British officials told the Kyiv Independent that the Kremlin's accusations are unfounded. The comments follow threats from Moscow warning of a "new level of destruction and human casualties" after the Ukrainian strike on the facility. Russian authorities c

Russian-controlled authorities in occupied Ukraine are increasing restrictions on women's reproductive rights, effectively preventing them from accessing abortions, according to the NGO East Human Rights Group. "The (Russian) regime needs children to be born, even if the child is unwanted, without proper conditions to grow up in," Vera Iastrebova, the head of the East Human Rights Group, told the Kyiv Independent. "These children are then being raised to become future soldiers, as evidenced by

Vladimir Putin is feeling generous. With tankers stalled in the Strait of Hormuz and European energy prices spiking, the Russian president has offered to resume long-term gas supplies to the continent his missiles are helping to destabilize. Before anyone in Brussels or Berlin reaches for the phone, they might pause to recall what energy dependence on Russia actually costs. While Ukrainian cities are shelled and soldiers die, Western governments are looking nervously at the price of oil, wonder

Zelensky also said that the economy and energy ministries are expected to draft a program to provide financial assistance to Ukrainians due to increases in fuel prices caused by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Zelensky also said that the duration of Russia's war against Ukraine will depend on the strength of Western pressure on Moscow.

"We must try politely to establish contact with (the Ukrainian side)," Viktor Orban told the delegation. "If that doesn't work, we should request permission to go there ourselves and conduct an on-site inspection" of the Druzhba pipeline.

Videos circulating online appear to show multiple fires at the site, likely involving fuel storage tanks.

Russia launched 94 attack drones at Ukraine over the past day, the Air Force reported.

"This group of persons does not have an official status or scheduled official meetings on the territory of Ukraine, so it is definitely incorrect to call them a 'delegation'," the Foreign Ministry said.

The number includes 780 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Russia has earned an additional 6 billion euros ($6.9 billion) in two weeks of fighting between the U.S. and Iran, a March 12 analysis by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found.

Ukraine received crucial PAC-3 missiles used by Patriot air defense systems from Germany, President Volodymyr Zelensky said March 11, according to Ukrinform.

The bomb strikes targeted Zaporizhzhia and the village of Rozumivka, damaging apartment buildings, homes, and critical infrastructure facilities. An 11-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl were injured.

Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev held talks with representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on March 11, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced. "The teams discussed a variety of topics and agreed to stay in touch," he said.

Over 40 officers were injured when a Russian drone struck the district police department in Shostka, destroying the building, the Interior Ministry said.

Flames engulfed the Kosogorsk Metallurgical Plant in Russia's Tula Oblast the night of March 11, according to videos and photographs from local residents published on social media.

Key developments on March 11: * Russia blames UK for Storm Shadow strike on military plant, threatens 'new level' escalation, destruction * Ukraine hits Russian depots, air defenses in occupied territories, military says * Russia's Sochi under 'unprecedented' 24-hour mass Ukrainian drone attack, mayor says * Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking facilities linked to Black Sea gas pipelines Moscow threatened "a fundamentally new level of destruction and human casualties" after Ukrainian force

Ukrainian forces struck oil and fuel depots, Buk air defense system and other military targets in Russian-occupied territories on March 10-11, Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff and Special Operations Forces (SOF) said.

Ukraine says Russian occupation authorities in Mariupol are cutting off utilities to apartments as part of a process to identify and seize homes.

Speculations about coups and rebellions in Russia have been constant throughout the full-scale war. All of them, except one, were wishful thinking. The latest rumor shared by British tabloids suggests that recent internet outages in Moscow were triggered by fears of an "imminent" coup by figures close to Sergei Shoigu, a senior security official and former defense minister. The claim originates with the VChK-OGPU channel, known for sharing stories it says are leaked from Russian security servi

The Kyiv Independent’s Oleksiy Sorokin speaks with Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center, about the state of Ukraine’s anti-corruption reforms and their impact on the country’s bid to join the European Union.

The statement comes after Ukraine's National Paralympic Committee reported on March 11 that the Ukrainian national Paralympic team, its athletes, and coaches have been subjected to "systematic pressure" from representatives of the IPC and the Games' organizing committee.

The United States has granted New Delhi a temporary waiver allowing it to purchase fuel from Moscow, pausing prior attempts to cut India off Russian energy. "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 in a social media post on March 5. Bessent said other exemptions may follow, as oil prices briefly climbed over the $100 mark 10 da

The accusations come after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Feb. 24 that any sabotage of Black Sea pipelines could derail peace talks.

The Iran war could be a boon for Russia, experts say, as turmoil in global energy markets changes the calculus for the world's largest petrostate. January and February this year were bleak on the fiscal front for Russia, as low oil prices, a looming global oil glut, and compounding sanctions tightened the screws on Russia's energy sector. The country relies in large part on its colossal oil and gas revenues to fund its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — now in its fifth year. But energy prices h

"Britain is ready… to take the conflict to a fundamentally new level," Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

A video taken shortly after the attack shows emergency workers tending to the wounded.

The air raids have also closed down Sochi's airport.