Update: Russian missile strike on Odesa Oblast kills at least 17, injures 31.

Russian troops launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 105 drones of various types, including about 60 Shahed drones, the Air Force said on Feb. 28. It reported downing 96 drones in the north, south, and east of the country.

"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime," Trump said in a video posted to his Truth Social, confirming U.S. invovlement in the strikes.

The number includes 770 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Flames engulfed one of the tanks at the Albashneft oil refinery in Novominskaya and burned an adjacent area of about 150 square meters, the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters said.

The FP-7 tactical ballistic missile has a range of up to 200 kilometers (124 miles) and carries a combat load of 150 kilograms (about 330 pounds), according to the Ukrainian defense firm Fire Point.

The United States has lifted sanctions on three senior Malian officials who were previously designated for their ties to Russia's Wagner Group, the Treasury Department announced Feb. 27.

President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to visit Ukraine in a phone call on Feb. 27, amid a row between Kyiv, Budapest, and Bratislava over a key oil pipeline.

As peace talks continue and the U.S. pushes for compromise, one proposal keeps returning: Ukraine should withdraw from the remainder of Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk Oblast to end the war. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell explains why the Battle of Donbas remains at the center of the peace process.

Zelensky added that diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran remain the preferred way forward, according to a Sky News interview.

Rishi Sunak took up an unpaid role as a member of Ukraine's International Advisory Council for the Economic Renewal of Ukraine, according to documents released on Feb. 27 by the U.K.'s independent advisor on ministerial standards.

The Kyiv Independent’s separate analytical unit, KI Insights, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast, Ukraine Insights — a show dedicated to unpacking Ukraine’s politics, security, economy, and international relations through in-depth, expert-driven conversations.