Trump and Putin’s secret phone calls | Ukraine This Week

9:37 AM

4 killed, 36 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over past day.

Russia launched 172 attack and decoy drones against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 94 drones, while 69 disappeared from radars without causing damage, according to the statement.

9:09 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 912,490 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,740 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

11:56 PM  (Updated:  March 29, 2025 6:54 am)

Russia's attack on Dnipro kills 4, injures 21.

Over 20 drones targeted the city late on March 28, though most were shot down, according to regional Governor Serhii Lysak.

6:46 AM

100,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by media investigation.

Since the media outlets' last update in mid-March, the names of 2,007 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties. The most recent update marks a grim milestone for the project, which began with the start of the full-scale war in February 2022.

5:32 AM

IMF approves $400 million in funding for Ukraine.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the disbursement of $400 million in funds for Ukraine via the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), the IMF announced on March 28.

4:16 AM

Ukraine formalizing agreements on European military aid, intelligence sharing ahead of next Ramstein summit, Zelensky says.

Ukraine is working to finalize agreements with European nations for additional military aid shipments as well as expanded intelligence sharing ahead of the next Ramstein summit, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 28.

3:11 AM

Ukrainian forces push 3-4 km inside Belgorod region, Reuters reports.

The Ukrainian operation appears to be aimed at diverting Russian forces as Moscow intensifies efforts to push Kyiv’s troops out of Kursk.

1:59 AM

State Department officially informs Congress of plans to dissolve USAID, CNN reports.

The agency, which has been central to U.S. foreign aid efforts, will be disbanded by July 1.

12:33 AM

Politics

With peace talks underway, Ukrainian political veterans align with Trump

11:02 PM

Ukraine won't sign minerals deal with US if it threatens EU membership, Zelensky says.

The Financial Times reported on March 27 that the latest version of the agreement proposed by the U.S. includes terms that would grant Washington unprecedented control over Ukraine's natural resources through a joint investment fund.

10:49 PM

Russia's gas production plummets following Ukraine's transit halt, media reports.

The sharp decline is primarily attributed to Ukraine halting Russian gas transit through its territory on Jan. 1 after the expiration of a 2019 transit agreement.

10:15 PM

Ukrainian Railways

'89 hours of non-stop work' — Ukrainian Railways' battle against a cyberattack by 'the enemy'

10:11 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia intensifies assault in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, military says.

9:15 PM

UK, French military officials to meet in Ukraine to discuss troop deployment.

The news came a day after a Paris summit where a number of European countries moved forward with plans to send soldiers to Ukraine as part of a "reassurance force" in case of the ceasefire with Russia.

7:56 PM

EU preparing 17th package of Russia sanctions, EUobserver reports.

Work on a new round of EU sanctions against Russia has started and is “at a very early stage,” one of the sources told EUobserver. The European Commission is expected to present its proposals in early summer, another diplomat told the media outlet.

6:27 PM

Ukrainian politician shot dead in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, media report.

Multiple Ukrainian media outlets reported, citing law enforcement sources, that the deceased was Oleksandr Plakhotnik, a member of ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna (Fartherland) party and a former deputy mayor of Kamianske.

5:22 PM

Russia makes excuses to break ceasefire on energy infrastructure strikes.

"The Russian side reserves the right, in case the Kyiv regime does not comply with this moratorium, of course, not to comply with it either," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

5:09 PM

US no longer funds program tracking abducted Ukrainian children, Rubio says.

The U.S. has secured the data and ensured that it can be transferred "to any appropriate authorities," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

5:03 PM

Video

Azov ex-commander on the need to reform Ukraine's army.

The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell sits down with the former commander of Ukraine's Azov Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, to discuss the situation on the front line after three years of Russia's full-scale war, why he thinks Ukraine should change its culture of military leadership, why the U.S. army doctrine wouldn't work for Russia's war against Ukraine, and shares his takes on Russia's next steps after a potential ceasefire.

5:01 PM

Company news

Kyiv Independent launches consultancy program, funding for independent regional media hit by US aid freeze

3:44 PM

Ukraine retrieves bodies of 909 fallen soldiers.

These were soldiers who fought in the Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia directions.

3:05 PM

Norway allocates $285.6 million for humanitarian support to Ukraine

"Norway will continue to be a reliable donor to efforts to protect the civilian population and save lives," Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said.

2:21 PM

Russia offers Elon Musk a nuclear plant for Mars mission.

Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund praised Musk as a "great visionary."

1:06 PM

4 killed, 22 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over past day.

Russia launched 163 drones overnight, including Shahed-type attack drones, according to Ukraine's military.

12:56 PM

Russia's allies including North Korea could join Ukraine ceasefire talks, Putin says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also listed China, India, Brazil, and South Africa among those he sees as potential participants.