Key developments on March 24:
- Russia, US finish 12-hour-long negotiations in Saudi Arabia
- Russian missile strike on Sumy injures 88, including 17 children
- 'Important but small operations' — Ukraine reclaims territory near Dvorichna in Kharkiv Oblast, military says
- Oil pumping station in Krasnodar Krai shut down due to damage caused by drones
- Russia stalling Ukraine peace talks to seize more land, strengthen position, media reports
The Russian and U.S. delegations concluded talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 24. The parties talked for 12 hours with three breaks.
The meeting, which came a day after talks between the U.S. and Ukraine, was expected to focus on Washington's push for a possible ceasefire in the Black Sea and a potential overall halt on military activity.
"The matter of the Black Sea Initiative and everything related to the initiative's renewal are on the agenda today," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. Moscow unilaterally withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in 2023, but Ukraine has managed to reopen a shipping corridor through sustained missile and drone strikes against Russian naval forces.
The U.S. delegation was led by Andrew Peek, a senior director at the U.S. National Security Council, and Michael Anton, a senior State Department official, an undisclosed source told Reuters.
Russian delegates are said to include Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, and Sergei Beseda, an advisor to Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov.
Kateryna Denisova
Russian missile strike on Sumy injures more than 90, including 23 children
Amid the Russia-U.S. talks in Riyadh, Moscow continued to bombard Ukraine with missiles and drones.
A Russian missile strike hit the northeastern regional capital of Sumy on March 24 injured 94 civilians, including 23 children, the Sumy City Council reported.
Russian forces launched the attack against residential areas and infrastructure facilities, including children's hospital, said acting Mayor Artem Kobzar.
Several high-rise buildings and a school were damaged, Governor Volodymyr Artiukh reported.
The full consequences of the attack are being determined as relevant services are working on the scene.
'Important but small operations' — Ukraine reclaims territory near Dvorichna in Kharkiv Oblast, military says
Ukrainian forces have reclaimed part of the territory near the village of Dvorichna in Kharkiv Oblast, Oles Maliarevych, the deputy commander of the Achilles unmanned systems regiment, told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne on March 24.
"Speaking of Dvorichna, you can see on DeepState (a crowd-sourced monitoring website) that there are blue zones where part of the territory has been liberated. These were very important but small operations," Maliarevych said.
Dvorichna, located on the western bank of the Oskil River, is 17 kilometers (10 miles) north of Kupiansk. Russian forces have been trying to establish a foothold on this bank for months, seeking to outflank Ukrainian defenses and pressure the strategically significant city.
The deputy commander noted that while Russian troops have not made territorial gains, they continue their heavy assaults in the Kupiansk sector.
Russia "is currently working with infantry units. Pontoon crossings are not new, but they are trying to do it," he said. "We find them when they approach the river (Oskil), but it is not always possible. But we destroy them on the crossing, we destroy them on the approaches, and we destroy them on the left (eastern) bank of the Oskil River."
According to Maliarevych, Russian forces have suffered "quite serious losses" on the western bank of the Oskil River. He acknowledged that some Russian troops who managed to cross had entrenched themselves in makeshift defenses.
"They dug holes, occupied houses, dugouts, and basements," he said, adding that in some cases, small groups of three or four Russian soldiers are present in certain areas, which does not necessarily mean full Russian control.
Russia intensified its assault on Kupiansk in September 2024, pushing toward the city's northeastern industrial outskirts. The Oskil River has played a big role in military operations in Kharkiv Oblast, with both sides using it as a natural defensive barrier.
The deputy commander noted that while Russian troops have not made territorial gains, they continue their heavy assaults in the Kupiansk sector.
Russia "is currently working with infantry units. Pontoon crossings are not new, but they are trying to do it," he said. "We find them when they approach the river (Oskil), but it is not always possible. But we destroy them on the crossing, we destroy them on the approaches, and we destroy them on the left (eastern) bank of the Oskil River."
According to Maliarevych, Russian forces have suffered "quite serious losses" on the western bank of the Oskil River. He acknowledged that some Russian troops who managed to cross had entrenched themselves in makeshift defenses.
"They dug holes, occupied houses, dugouts, and basements," he said, adding that in some cases, small groups of three or four Russian soldiers are present in certain areas, which does not necessarily mean full Russian control.
Russia intensified its assault on Kupiansk in September 2024, pushing toward the city's northeastern industrial outskirts. The Oskil River has played a big role in military operations in Kharkiv Oblast, with both sides using it as a natural defensive barrier.
Kateryna Hodunova
Oil pumping station in Krasnodar Krai shut down due to damage caused by drones
The Kavkazskaya oil pumping station, located in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, is no longer suitable for oil transportation due to damage from a drone attack, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) said on March 24.
Ukrainian drones struck the Kavkazskaya oil pumping station overnight on March 19, damaging infrastructure and igniting a fire, Moscow claimed earlier.
Firefighters continue battling a fire at the oil depot for the fifth day after the strike. The fire has spread to 2,000 square meters (21,500 square feet), with one of the storage tanks and the oil products inside still burning, according to the region's administration.
Prior to that, Ukrainian drones also hit the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station on Feb. 17, the largest in Russia's Caspian Pipeline Consortium. As a result of the attack, the station was taken out of operation, an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent.
Following the shutdown of the Kropotkinskaya station, the volume of annual anticipated transportation was reduced, and following the destruction of the Kavkazskaya station, "it will not be possible in the foreseeable future," the consortium's statement read.
The consortium is continuing restoration work at the Kropotkinskaya station, according to the CPC.
The Kyiv Independent cannot verify these claims.
The facilities are part of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium system, which pumps up to 6 million metric tons of oil annually.
The reported attack came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed to have ordered a pause on strikes against energy infrastructure after a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kyiv said it agreed to the energy ceasefire in principle but accused Russia of continuing its aerial strikes.
Ukraine has carried out attacks on Russian refineries, oil depots, and defense industry facilities to disrupt Moscow's ability to sustain its full-scale invasion.
Martin Fornusek
Russia stalling Ukraine peace talks to seize more land, strengthen position, media reports
Russia is deliberately prolonging peace talks on Ukraine to seize more territory and strengthen its negotiating position with the U.S., the Moscow Times reported on March 24, citing undisclosed sources.
A Russian diplomatic source told the Moscow Times that time is now playing in Russia's favor, and the Kremlin wants to "make the most of it."
The article follows U.S. President Donald Trump's recent calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky. After his talk with Trump, Putin claimed he had ordered a 30-day pause on strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Kyiv supported a mutual halt on strikes but accused Russia of continuing attacks against civilian targets.
Washington and Kyiv previously backed a broader 30-day ceasefire that would also halt ground operations, but Moscow rejected the proposal unless it included a suspension of foreign military support for Ukraine and other conditions that would weaken Kyiv's defenses.
A Russian official told the Moscow Times that the Kremlin hopes Washington will either tolerate further Russian offensives or pressure Ukraine into withdrawing from partially occupied regions, including Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
Russia illegally declared the annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts in 2022 despite occupying them only partially. Moscow also occupied Crimea in 2014. A Kremlin-affiliated source said Putin "cannot afford to lose" these regions politically, making their control a top priority.
Zelensky said on March 12 that Kyiv will not recognize any occupied regions as part of Russia in a potential future peace agreement with Moscow.
A new round of U.S.-Russian talks on a ceasefire in Ukraine began in Riyadh on March 24. The meeting, held a day after the U.S.-Ukraine talks, is expected to focus on a ceasefire in the Black Sea and broader truce negotiations, Reuters wrote.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, the talks "should not be expected to produce a breakthrough," and work is going on in "several directions," the pro-government media outlet Kommersant quoted her as saying.
The U.S. and Ukraine are expected to hold another round of talks following the U.S.-Russia discussions. The negotiations come amid Trump's ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire and a broader peace agreement in Ukraine.
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