Russia and Ukraine traded heavy aerial blows overnight, with either side on Saturday (March 15, 2025) reporting greater than 100 enemy drones over their respective territories.
The attacks come lower than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to debate particulars of the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire within the conflict with Ukraine.
Mr. Putin informed a press convention on Thursday (March 13, 2025) that he supported a truce in precept however set out a number of particulars that must be clarified earlier than it’s agreed. Kyiv has already endorsed the truce proposal, though Ukrainian officers have publicly raised doubts as as to if Moscow will decide to such a deal.
Speaking to reporters in Kyiv on Saturday (March 15, 2025), after digital talks between Western allies hosted by U.Ok. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced his nation’s help for the 30-day full ceasefire proposal to debate a longer-term peace plan, however mentioned Russia would try and derail talks with conditions and “buts”.
Mr. Starmer has informed allies to “keep the pressure” on Mr. Putin to again a ceasefire in Ukraine, hailing Ukraine because the “party of peace”. Mr. Starmer mentioned Mr. Putin will “sooner or later” must “come to the table”.
In a press release earlier on Saturday (March 15, 2025), Mr. Zelenskyy had accused Moscow of increase forces alongside the border.
“The build up of Russian forces indicates that Moscow intends to keep ignoring diplomacy. It is clear that Russia is prolonging the war,” he mentioned.
However, Mr. Zelenskyy burdened that if Russia didn’t agree with the U.S. proposal, there could be “specific, harsh and straightforward” response from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
He additionally mentioned that Kyiv’s troops have been sustaining their presence in Russia’s Kursk area after Mr. Trump mentioned on Friday (March 14, 2025) that “thousands” of Ukrainian troops had been surrounded by the Russian navy.
“The operation of our forces in the designated areas of the Kursk region continues,” Mr. Zelenskyy mentioned. “Our troops continue to hold back Russian and North Korean groupings in the Kursk region. There is no encirclement of our troops.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Saturday (March 15, 2025) with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
In the decision, they mentioned subsequent steps to comply with up on current conferences in Saudi Arabia and agreed to proceed working in direction of restoring communication between the United States and Russia, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce mentioned in a press release.
Ukraine’s air drive mentioned on Saturday (March 15, 2025) that Russia had launched a barrage of 178 drones and two ballistic missiles over the nation overnight. The assault was a combination of Shahed-type drones and imitation drones designed to confuse air defences. Some 130 drones have been shot down, whereas 38 extra failed to succeed in their targets.
Russia attacked power services, inflicting important injury, putting power infrastructure within the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, Ukraine’s personal power firm DTEK mentioned in a press release on Saturday (March 15, 2025). Some residents have been left with out electrical energy.
“The damage is significant. Energy workers are already working on the ground. We are doing everything possible to restore power to homes as soon as possible,” the power agency mentioned.
Falling drone particles in Russia’s Volgograd area sparked a fireplace within the Krasnoarmeysky district of the town, near a Lukoil oil refinery, in response to Governor Andrei Bocharov, who supplied no additional particulars. Nearby airports briefly halted flights, native media retailers reported. No casualties have been reported.
The Volgograd refinery has been focused by Kyiv’s forces on a number of events since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine greater than three years in the past, most just lately in a drone assault on February 15, 2025.
Published – March 16, 2025 08:48 am IST
