Russian Ka-27 helicopter destroyed over Black Sea, Ukraine's Navy says

The latest report brings up the number of Russian helicopters Ukraine says it has destroyed to 349 since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed releasing 200 Ukrainian POWs in exchange for the same number of Russian soldiers captured by Ukraine, in a swap brokered by the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates.

Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, said on Feb. 28 that Russia would accept U.S.-backed security guarantees for Ukraine.

"There are no 'protected areas' for Russian military facilities," a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on March 4 claimed he has satellite imagery proving that the Druzhba oil pipeline is not damaged.

The Ukrainian citizens are among the 147 foreigners wanted by Polish law enforcement who were detained during the raid carried out on March 2 and 3, "primarily aimed at verifying the legality of foreigners' stay."

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said one drone hit the terminal building at Nakhchivan International Airport, while another landed near a school in Shakarabad, a village near the airport, at around midday local time.

Russian forces launched 155 different types of drones against Ukraine overnight, of which roughly 100 were Shahed, the Air Force said on March 5. It reported downing 136 of them.

The number includes 900 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. are on hold due to the war between Washington and Tehran, President Volodymyr Zelensky said March 4.

Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear corporation, operates 21 entities that are directly involved in weapons production but face no EU sanctions, according to a report published March 4 by the Kyiv-based think tank DiXi Group.

As the U.S.-Iran war disrupts global energy markets, the Russian president is brainstorming ways to strong-arm the EU into rethinking its ban on Russian LNG and pipeline gas.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has called the move a "cynical" PR stunt and summoned Hungary's charge d'affaires for more information on the released prisoners.