Key developments on March 20:
- Russia's Engels air base ablaze after Ukrainian drone strike, Kyiv says
- Ukraine, US to hold talks in Saudi Arabia on March 24
- Putin orders Ukrainians 'without legal status' to leave Russia, occupied territories by Sept. 10
- $5.4 billion on ammunition for Ukraine 'realistic' goal, EU's top diplomat says
- Ukraine 'destroys' Russian command post in Belgorod Oblast, military claims
Russia's Engels-2 air base in Saratov Oblast was successfully hit by Ukrainian drones overnight on March 20, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed for the Kyiv Independent.
The statement comes after Governor Roman Busargin reported the heaviest drone strike against Saratov Oblast throughout the entire full-scale war.
A fire, explosions, and secondary detonations of ammunition were recorded at the air base following the attack carried out by the SBU and the Special Operations Forces, the source said.
The Engels-2 military air base hosts strategic bomber planes regularly used for aerial strikes on Ukraine. The independent news channel Astra reported explosions near the air base. According to Busargin, residents living near the airfield were being evacuated.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces also reported on the attack.
"This military facility is used by Russian aviation to launch missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine and terrorist attacks against the civilian population," the statement read.
Residents reported an air raid alert followed by a series of explosions in Saratov and Engels, according to Russian Telegram channels. At least four blasts could be heard at around 4 a.m. local time, according to Mash.
Russian air defenses were "ineffective" and launched missiles toward civilian buildings and infrastructure in Engels and Saratov, according to the SBU source.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Dmytro Basmat
Ukraine, US to hold talks in Saudi Arabia on March 24
Ukrainian and American delegations are planning to hold a new round of talks in Saudi Arabia on March 24 to discuss steps toward a ceasefire with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 20.
A U.S. delegation is also expected to meet with Russian representatives in Riyadh on the same day, March 24. These will be two separate meetings that will either happen simultaneously or one after another, Zelensky clarified during a press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
According to Zelensky, Kyiv was ready for a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire — in the sky, at sea, and on the ground — but is ready "to take a step back" and talk about a partial ceasefire given Moscow's rejection of the complete ceasefire.
A ceasefire to ensure the security of the energy system of both countries means no attacks on energy infrastructure and civilian infrastructure, according to Zelensky.
The Ukrainian leader told Trump that Kyiv would prepare a list of civilian infrastructure facilities that should be part of the agreement.
"I don't want there to be a different understanding of what the parties will agree on," he said.
Chris York
Putin orders Ukrainians 'without legal status' to leave Russia, occupied territories by Sept. 10
Ukrainian citizens residing in Russia and Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine must leave by Sept. 10 or "regulate their legal status," according to an official decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and published on March 20.
"Citizens of Ukraine who are in the Russian Federation and do not have legal grounds for staying (residing) in the Russian Federation are required to leave the Russian Federation on their own or regulate their legal status in the Russian Federation by Sept. 10, 2025," the decree reads.
Russia illegally declared annexation of fully occupied Crimea and invaded the east of Ukraine in 2014. In 2022, Moscow partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, de facto treating Ukrainian sovereign territory as its own regions.
The decree comes amid Moscow's efforts to Russify the conquered territories by pressuring Ukrainian citizens into accepting Russian passports or forcing them out while trying to attract Russian citizens to move in.
The document says the order will not concern Ukrainian citizens who will register their status with the Russian Interior Ministry by Sept. 10.
The decree further ordered all "foreign citizens and stateless persons" residing in the occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts to undergo medical checks on drug use and infectious diseases by June 10.
Chris York $5.4 billion on ammunition for Ukraine 'realistic' goal, EU's top diplomat says
The EU is working on providing Ukraine with 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) for ammunition, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said on March 20, as a much larger 40-billion-euro ($43 billion) package still lacks consensus.
Speaking to journalists ahead of an EU summit in Brussels, Kallas called the 5-billion-euro tranche a "realistic plan" that is currently under discussion.
Despite Kallas saying earlier this week that the tranche of 40 billion euros has "broad political support" among EU members, some countries, such as Italy, France, or Spain, remain hesitant.
Additional European assistance is ever more crucial for Kyiv now as future support from the U.S., the leading military donor, grows increasingly uncertain under President Donald Trump.
The sum of 5 billion euros for purchasing 2 million large-caliber ammunition rounds is seen as a first step that could be achieved before a possible consensus on the more significant tranche.
EU officials have been discussing ways to move the bigger package forward, including basing contributions on consent to avoid a likely veto by Hungary, the bloc's most Russian-friendly country.
The contributions are to be based on each member state's gross national income (GNI), which has also become a key sticking point in the discussions.
"Some countries have done more, and some countries are bigger economies," Kallas said.
Dominic Culverwell
Ukraine 'destroys' Russian command post in Belgorod Oblast, military claims
Ukrainian troops "destroyed" a command post of the Third Motor Rifle Division of the 20th Army of the Russian Armed Forces near the village of Demidovka in Russia's Belgorod Oblast on March 18, Ukraine's General Staff reported on March 20.
The news comes days after Moscow claimed that Ukrainian troops allegedly launched an offensive on Belgorod Oblast. Russian reports emerged on March 18 ahead of the phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, rejected Russia's claims, while President Volodymyr Zelensky neither confirmed nor denied Ukrainian operations in Belgorod Oblast.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russia used the command post to plan and conduct combat operations against Ukrainian soldiers in Sumy Oblast.
Sumy Oblast borders Russia's Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts. Amid Russia's breakthrough in embattled Kursk Oblast, Zelensky said on March 15 that Russian soldiers were amassing at the border to prepare to launch an attack on Ukraine's northeastern region.
Demidovka lies around five kilometers (three miles) east of the Ukrainian border.
"Its (command post's) elimination significantly reduces the ability of the units of the Third Motor Rifle Division of the Russian Federation to operate effectively on the battlefield," the statement read.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
"We have seen a new concentration of troops on the border with Sumy Oblast. We can see what they want to do — they want to strike Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts," Zelensky said on March 18 when asked about alleged Ukraine's offensive on Belgorod Oblast. "We will not let them do it so easily."
Belgorod Oblast is regularly used by Russia to launch strikes against Ukrainian territory. At the same time, Belgorod Oblast authorities have repeatedly accused Ukraine of launching attacks against the region and Belgorod city throughout the full-scale war.
Recently, multiple clashes have been reported in the region amid Ukraine's ongoing cross-border incursion focused on neighboring Kursk Oblast.
Note from the author:
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