Address by the President of Ukraine to the EU Foreign Affairs Council

31 March 2026 – 22:04

Andrii, Dear Minister!

Dear friends, Ministers!

Distinguished guests!

Ladies and gentlemen!

Thank you for coming. Thank you for your support. We are thankful to your people and your governments. Thank you that you stay with us from the very beginning of the full-scale war. Thank you for Europe being here in Ukraine in such a very important time.

Today, we remember how, 4 years ago, the Russian army was pushed back from Kyiv. And we freed the Kyiv region, and the whole world saw what the Russian army brought to us, to Ukraine – what and why. And what it could bring to other countries, between us. And in that moment, everything Russia had said about itself fell apart for hundreds of millions of people around the world. People saw that Ukraine was fighting a brutal and irrational, absolutely, aggressor, anti-European force – Russia, which rejects everything Europe learned and changed in the 20th century. And that Russia started this war not only against us, not only against Ukraine, but against the progress in human rights, morality, and peaceful life that came after World War 2. After Bucha, after Yahidne, during the battles for Kharkiv, our Mariupol, and the Black Sea – the world saw what Ukraine is and what Ukrainians are fighting for. Europe saw itself in us – in our people, in our resistance, and in our pain in this war, and in our determination to defend our independence. In Ukraine’s fight for life and for the right to choose our future, the national dreams of many European nations were echoed – nations that once fought for their own freedom. Europe’s own history was reflected here in Ukraine. We remembered the Miracle on the Vistula and the Prague Spring. We spoke about Finland’s fight for independence and the brutal crushing of Hungary’s freedom by Soviet tanks. We recalled the Nazi Blitz against Britain and the bombing of Rotterdam. This was not just history. It reminded us that the European way of life is not a gift. And that weakness and failure to stop enemies in time can lead to terrible consequences. And now we also need to act in time, and act, of course, strongly, and protect people.

Dear friends!

Recently, I visited countries in the Middle East and the Gulf, and everywhere our offer of assistance to protect lives was met with respect and gratitude. We act in time. And we also see that many Iranians around the world respect Ukraine and are grateful that we did not stay silent about their pain and their desire to end dictatorship and live freely. And we all should act to help them, of course. And we feel that, despite all the disinformation, American hearts have not grown cold – they support those who fight for freedom, and they support us in defending ourselves against Russian aggression. It’s very important.

After everything that has happened, Russia is clearly not a friend – even to those it still has relations with. And when some still try to trade with Russia, still want its oil and money, or say it will be very hard to achieve justice after this war – we see this as short-sighted and as a risk of repeating past mistakes. Russia must not win this war – in any way. It must not receive any reward from this war. And it must not get ahead of us – in new technologies shaped by this war. This is critical.

The future of Europe directly depends on how this war ends. And you can see how closely Russia’s war against Ukraine is linked to what is happening in the Middle East and the Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz is in a situation much like the Black Sea when Russia blocked our shipping, you remember, in 2022. Yes. Iranian drones and missiles hit neighboring countries just as Russian drones and ballistic missiles hit Ukraine. Modern war is impossible without drones, and most strikes on the front in Ukraine are carried out by drones of many types. We also see signs that the Iranian regime may be preparing for ground operations using FPV drones. It is also important to note that Russia is investing in prolonging conflicts in the Middle East. Wars there make it easier to intensify the war here. And this was the case after the Hamas attack on Israel. It is also true for the war the Iranian regime is waging to preserve itself. After that war, things must not be worse than before – and this is key. And the same applies here in Europe: Russia must not be left in any position that it could see as better than before – not in territory, not in technologies, not in politics. This is essential for peace and Europe. That is why, when talks to end this war are ongoing, we always do everything to ensure Europe is present and that Europe’s interests are taken into account. Ukraine is doing this. Absolutely. And in this way, Ukraine strengthens Europe. And I am grateful to everyone who understands this and supports our diplomacy. And we are doing everything to end this war through diplomacy. Of course. This is necessary. And Russia shows no intention to make a reliable deal, but it’s significantly a matter of pressure. And I hope the United States will remain decisive and help bring Russia to a trilateral meeting – and press it to make peace.

And I said this yesterday, and I repeat it today – we have proposed a ceasefire for the Easter holidays. We hope that the United States will support this proposition. And we are waiting for a response from Russia. Tomorrow, I will speak with the American team, including on this issue. And we hope for results. Results are needed for everyone.

Dear ladies and gentlemen!

It is symbolic that now, as we remember Bucha, we ask: what will war and threats look like tomorrow – for Europe, for all of us? And we must not let Europe’s enemies answer this question for us, or before us. This is very serious.

If we have programs like SAFE, we must make them truly modern and effective. Europe should produce not just what it knows, but what really works in today’s war and what is proven by today’s war. And countries already working with us on joint production understand this. Ukraine has this experience. Now, as our expert teams work in the Middle East and the Gulf, we see that our experience in protecting lives and critical infrastructure is, in many ways, unique. And I say this not just out of pride. This is about security. Ukraine’s experience in defense is a real security guarantee for Europe. So I propose that we work together to modernize our defense. We have started cooperation with Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan. We also have signals from Bahrain. They are interested in our experience in countering drones and building a layered system-wide defense against modern threats. And I am sure Europe needs this too, of course. And we have already started working with some countries in Europe – thanks to our partners. And I thank them for acting in time. But this is needed for all of Europe, I’m sure.

I thank everyone involved in the PURL program and other initiatives that protect our skies. Drones, cruise missiles, ballistic threats – all must get a clear response. In the short term, we need funding for this. But in the long term, Europe must be able to produce all types of missiles and defense systems on its own. Of course. Europe must not depend on others – and must be ready to help those who help us.

Next point.

European decisions must not be questioned or lost in chaos. If Europe makes a decision, it must be implemented. When Europe decided to provide Ukraine with a 90-billion-euro support program based on Russian assets, this must not be blocked. Because this is about Europe’s strength – the strength of its word and its ability to act. If common decisions can be blocked so easily in such critical times, what does that say about the rest? We must strengthen trust in Europe, not weaken it. And beyond trust in Europe, this is a basic security issue, by the way. We must already prepare for the next winter. We have a plan, but because the 90 billion support package is still blocked, we cannot use the 5 billion planned for protection and recovery to get ready – no matter what this winter will be like. This is about people’s lives. By the way, we’ve lost already one month – March. We had to begin to do it in March, but somebody blocked this money. As long as the blockage remains, the threat remains. And this is happening because one person in Europe is standing against all of Europe – simply to please Moscow, and everyone can already see the evidence – that this is nothing more than a deal with Moscow.

Next point.

I am grateful to all countries already working against Russian oil. Russian oil is what fuels this war. Without oil revenues, Russia cannot fight. So we must continue to block all Russian and related tankers. European laws must ensure that Europe’s seas do not finance this war. And the same applies to sanctions. They must be strengthened, and we are still expecting a new EU sanctions package.

And one more thing.

In the Middle East and the Gulf, when countries turn to Ukraine for support, they see Ukraine as Europe. They see it as working with Europe. No one there doubts that Ukraine is Europe. Ukraine’s contribution to global stability is seen as Europe’s contribution – by everyone in the world. So why, in some key issues, is Ukraine still limited as a part of Europe? Ukraine’s EU membership is a security guarantee – for us and for Europe. Our potential – human, technological, military – is Europe’s potential. Russia understands this, sometimes better than some in Europe. That is why Russia does everything to stop Ukraine from joining the EU. And that is why we are doing everything to make it happen. And I thank those in Europe who support us. Now, Ukraine is ready for opening clusters and continuing accession negotiations. The key to stopping Russia’s efforts is to set a clear date for Ukraine’s accession. A clear date is a guarantee that Russia will fail, and that we will succeed. Please, let us make this happen. Please, let us not lose time. Please, continue to support Ukraine and the European way of life. Thank you so much that you are here.

Glory to Ukraine!

President Zelenskyy also held a press conference during the Bucha Summit. Here’s the video:

Georgia:

Today’s the day. The 35th anniversary.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 12:12 PM

JUST IN: Opposition Alliance announces a “national mobilization campaign” in Georgia which is to symbolically culminate on May 26, Georgia’s independence day, in Tbilisi.

#GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 3:28 AM

Megi Diasamidze, a student who faces criminal prosecution over writing “Russian Dream” on the Georgian Dream’s campaign banner will now be imprisoned for 2 days for standing on a sidewalk.

1/2

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 5:29 AM

It was precisely in solidarity with Megi that democratic leader Elene Khoshtaria made the same graffiti, for which the mother-of-4 was sentenced to 1.5 years.

The repeated “offense” of standing on a sidewalk is up to 1 year of criminal imprisonment.

#TerrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests

2/2.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 5:29 AM

“If you don’t undress here, you’ll have to go to Gurjaani and undress in front of men there,” unlawfully detained Georgian protester Mariam Melikishvili recalls.

The practice of stripping arbitrarily detained protesters fully naked is very common in Georgia.

#TerrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 3:46 AM

Update: Saakashvili’s lawyers and other sources confirm he’s had a health-related accident but the severity of it seems to be managed and Saakashvili is said to be relatively okay now.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 4:48 AM

After having written the warning-threatening post, the personal Facebook profile of Ali Moujani, the Iranian Ambassador in Georgia, is no longer available.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:40 AM

So, it’s not me who’s blocked.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:41 AM

Oh. My. GOD!

It’s not just Sputnik, it’s RUSSIA’s MFA that posts about Constantinople taking over the Church of Georgia, based on Russia’s FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE.

…

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:29 AM

Four years ago today the Bucha massacre revealed the true face of russia and its aggression to the whole world!

Children, women, elderer – executed, tortured, killed with tied hands.

Sadly, Georgia knew it all, as did russia’s every neighbouring country❤️‍🩹

We remember every single victim!

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— Tata Chemia (@tatach.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 12:12 PM

Poland:

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the head of the Ministry of Defense, stated that Poland does not plan to move its Patriot batteries to the Middle East, as its own security remains the priority.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:31 AM

Hungary:

At what point do Orban’s voters finally realise that he’s the Kremlin’s puppet?

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 1:41 PM

Lavrov reminded him that Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov wanted his sister, Gulbahor Ismailova, removed from the EU sanctions list, and Szijjártó promised to help. 🔺Seven months later, she was removed from the EU sanctions list.

— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:13 AM

▪️ In 2025, Szijjártó discussed efforts to derail a new EU sanctions package with Russia’s Deputy Energy Minister Sorokin.

Hungary managed to remove 72 out of 128 proposed items from the sanctions list.

— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:13 AM

▪️In other conversations, Szijjártó reportedly shared details of closed-door EU discussions with Lavrov. One European diplomat stated:
“Hungary is clearly acting on Russia’s political instructions.”

— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:13 AM

▪️According to Szijjártó, the Slovak government is also assisting in these coordinated Russian-Hungarian efforts.

vsquare.org/kremlin-hotl…

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:13 AM

The US:

TRUMP: “Kamikaze boats don’t exist. They’re fake.”

60 MINUTES: “Meet the Ukrainian sea drone ‘Sea Baby’. It’s small, hard to destroy, and carries 2,000 kilos of explosives. It costs around $300,000, yet Ukrainian sea drones have destroyed warships worth tens of millions of $.”

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 9:42 AM

U.S. Continues lifting sanctions on Russia 🤨

The U.S. Treasury Department announced the removal of restrictions on several container ships sailing under the Russian flag. Sanctions have been lifted from the vessels Fesco Moneron, Fesco Magadan, and Sv Nikolay.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:53 AM

The russians tell Americans they will capture Donbas within 2 months, Zelenskyi said today.

Not surprising that russia spreads this bs.

What is surprising though is that people in the US Administration seriously believe russia can get in 2 months what it failed to occupy in 12 years. What a joke.

— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 2:34 PM

Back to Ukraine.

“Ukraine has proposed a ceasefire for the duration of the Easter holidays. We hope that the US will support this proposal. And we await Russia’s response.” – said Zelenskyy.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 1:39 PM

BBC: Trump says you are the obstacle to peace.

ZELENSKYY: Ukraine is not an obstacle to peace. Russia attacked us. We need clear conditions to end the war and reliable security guarantees so that the war does not start again. We do not want to live through this hell again.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 9:12 AM

ZELENSKYY to BBC: We are ready to take steps toward compromise, especially if America is engaged. But America is not pushing for major concessions from Russia. It claims Russia is compromising, but in my view, Russia is making none.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:07 AM

Putin has not achieved his main goals. He wanted to capture Donbas and secure recognition of the occupied territories as Russian. That was his core objective: the total occupation of eastern Ukraine.

I am sure Putin does not want to simply stop, but that does not mean he cannot be stopped.

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:07 AM

60 MINUTES: When it comes to drones, how quickly is the technology changing?

🇺🇦 KAMYSHIN: The innovation cycle is roughly one week. From the moment you send drone to frontline, get feedback, make changes, and produce new version, the whole process can be as short as one week.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:36 AM

Here’s the full 60 Minutes segment:

Russian z-bloggers report the loss of a Su-34 fighter jet and the death of its pilot. 👀🍿

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 1:49 PM

The 475th separate assault regiment “CODE 9.2” discovered and struck the launcher of the Russian Buk-M2 air defence system

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 6:41 AM

The 210th Assault Regiment successfully carried out the evacuation of a wounded soldier from the front line using a ground-based robotic system.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 4:51 PM

Zaporizhzhia Oblast:

Drones from Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Regiment rescued two Ukrainian POWs from a Russian occupier.

When the first FPV drone approached, the Russian guard didn’t manage to hide behind the UA PoWs.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:27 AM

Here’s the full video:

Poltava Oblast:

In Poltava russian night attack killed one, and Injured several others

A multi-story residential building was struck, causing severe damage – the top floor’s structure was destroyed. Four people were injured, including two children. Tragically, one person was killed.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 7:37 AM

The strike on Poltava was captured on surveillance cameras. Residential buildings and private business premises in the city were damaged. There are reports that one person has been killed. The number of injured has risen to four, including an 8-year-old girl.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 9:28 AM

Russian occupied Crimea:

According to the Russian aviation-linked channel Fighterbomber, the An-26 that crashed over Crimea was carrying 30 personnel on board at the time of the incident.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 4:42 PM

Russian occupied Luhansk Oblast:

FP-2 drone strike on the Russian Buk-M3 air defence system in Luhansk region

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 6:08 AM

The Republic of Tatarstan, Russia:

Wow what a torch! 🔥🔥🔥
Nizhnekamsk oil refinery.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 8:01 AM

It’s one of largest producers of synthetic rubber and plastics, the facility is a key part of Russia’s petrochemical industry. It also supports Russia’s military industry by providing materials used in tires, equipment, and various defense-related products.

— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 6:58 AM

Close-up of the russian Nizhnekamsk oil refinery after the attack 👀

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:12 AM

More videos of the epicenter of the explosion were on the territory of Nizhnekamskneftekhim in Nizhnekamsk

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 7:06 AM

Leningrad Oblast:

Port of Ust-Luga this morning, after the 5th night of drone attacks 🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 8:15 AM

🔥Port of Ust-Luga, Leningrad Region, Russia.🔥

🚨Volume of Russian seaborne oil exports sharply dropped from 4.1 million to 2.3 million barrels per day. In Primorsk, only 4 tankers were loaded instead of usual 10, while in Ust-Luga just 2 tankers were loaded instead of 8.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 12:15 PM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today.

Here is some adjacent material.

Stepan the lynx from Kyiv Zoo just reminded me that one more cheesecake won’t hurt 🐆

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:39 AM

Video at the lynx.

Wut?

Open thread!

It Has Been a Very Fruitful Visit to the Middle East and the Gulf Region: We Have Agreed on Opportunities to Strengthen Air Defense, on the Joint Development of Defense Production, and on Energy Cooperation – Address by the President

30 March 2026 – 20:00

I wish you health!

Today I am already back home – in Ukraine. It has been a very fruitful visit to the Middle East and the Gulf region. You can really feel the positive attitude toward Ukraine – toward our warriors and our expertise. There is great respect for Ukraine, and I am grateful to the leaders for that. There is a shared vision among the countries of the region to work together with our state, with our defense, and with our experts. Security and restoring stability are the top priorities for everyone. And every nation deserves to live in peace. There are already agreements in place – landmark agreements: Ukraine and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. We are also working with Jordan and Kuwait. Rustem Umerov is currently in the region, continuing political-level negotiations – he reported to me today – and there are already additional requests from Bahrain and Oman. For Ukraine, this is not only a matter of prestige and respect for our people; it is a very concrete and practical matter. We are exporting our system of protection, the skills of our warriors, the knowledge that our state possesses. And from these countries – from our partners – we expect reciprocal security engagement. We have already agreed on opportunities to strengthen air defense, on the joint development of defense production, and on energy cooperation, including diesel and other critical supplies that we need right now.

I also held a Staff meeting today – focused primarily on air defense. We thoroughly reviewed the situation regarding contract implementation and the procurement of all necessary items. This is not only about countering ballistic threats – it also concerns frontline air defense, missiles against drones, and interceptors. Everything will be provided. We are working to ensure that Ukraine’s domestic production reaches a level where we have all the necessary components of the air defense system – including anti-ballistic ones. We are working on this with several countries – it is still too early to disclose details. But what matters most is licenses for us, localization, and results here in Ukraine. This is a global goal, and we continue working toward it.

One more thing. There will be a lot of work this week – a lot of international work with our partners. This concerns security guarantees for Ukraine – and we are working on this primarily with the United States. We will also be speaking with Europe – about Ukraine’s potential and the agreements reached in the Middle East and the Gulf, as well as about our shared European defense and production. There will be good results. I thank everyone who is helping us! I thank all our people! It is important to remember that Ukraine has such a defense system not because of any single factor – our strength is not just in interceptors or any other weapons. Our strength lies in the fact that Ukrainians defend their country every single day, test in practice what truly works every single day, and achieve results for themselves and for their country every single day – and therefore can strengthen others as well, those who support Ukraine and help Ukraine.

Glory to Ukraine!

While in Bulgaria he held a joint press conference with Prime Minister Gyurov. President Zelenskyy made a statement at the beginning of the joint presser.

Statement by the President of Ukraine During a Joint Press Conference with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria

30 March 2026 – 21:15

Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. Thank you for your visit. Thank you for all the meetings and for the important agreements.

Today, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria and I signed a security agreement between our countries. In fact, our teams have been working on this for quite a long time. I am very pleased that we now have this ten-year agreement between our states. The key points I would personally highlight are the continuation of military support from Bulgaria to Ukraine. Another important issue we discussed today is the joint production of various types of weapons, including drones, on the territory of our countries. And here I would like to thank you for what we discussed – that Bulgaria will use the SAFE instrument for such co-production. I am grateful for this. I believe it strengthens both our countries, both our nations.

Energy is also extremely important. We are working to ensure that an energy corridor becomes operational. I am grateful for today’s discussion, as well as for the productive work of our ministers – first and foremost, the ministers of energy, who have been working on this. Technically, we hope this corridor will be set up by the end of the year. For us today, this is very important. At the very least, it can serve as an alternative if there are certain blockages by some representatives of Europe – you know what I mean – regarding gas. This corridor could allow Ukraine to receive around 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year. For us, these are also energy security guarantees. I am grateful for this. I am also grateful for the positive signal that Bulgaria is making contributions to the PURL initiative. The signal itself is important first of all. Second, it is an opportunity to strengthen our air defense strategy, especially ahead of the next heating season. We have gone through a difficult winter, and I am grateful for this.

We discussed various issues. Of course, our good neighborly relations and constructive cooperation – we all see this. I am grateful for the very direct, transparent, and clear support from Bulgaria for Ukraine’s future accession to the European Union. Thank you for such a consistent policy. Thank you for this visit, for all the meetings – including with our parliament and with our Prime Minister. Thank you.

You are very welcome.

Here’s the video:

First Lady Zelenska sat for an interview with Fox News.

Olena Zelenska Spoke to Fox News About Ukrainian Children Living Under Russian Aggression

30 March 2026 – 15:59

The first step in rescuing Ukrainian children abducted by Russia is finding information about them; the second is strong international pressure on the aggressor state. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska stated this in an interview with Fox News.

The President’s wife noted that Ukraine is seeking every possible way to influence Russia and thanked the United States and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump for their advocacy and involvement in returning Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

“Right now, with tremendous effort, we are bringing children back in small groups, while thousands of others are effectively spending their childhood in isolation, without the possibility of returning home. That is why it is important for more countries and public figures to get involved,” the First Lady emphasized.

Olena Zelenska noted that returning children is not only about crossing the border, but also about ensuring family-based care, housing, education, and access to medical and psychological assistance.

“We hope for the support of our international partners in this as well. Because we have so much to return to our children. First and foremost – their stolen childhood,” she said.

The President’s wife also spoke about her participation in the Fostering the Future Together summit of Melania Trump’s initiative, which took place at the White House.

“It is encouraging that we – people from all over the world who gathered at this event – share the view that we must protect children in an era of rapid technological development. Children must know how to use technology safely, have digital hygiene skills, and make AI their assistant, not a substitute for learning. This is a very important initiative by Ms. Trump,” Olena Zelenska stressed.

She noted that digitalization is precisely what helped Ukraine maintain public services and education for children during the full-scale Russian invasion.

“Due to the fact that Ukraine is a developed digital state, we were able to establish distance learning for a third of our schoolchildren who cannot study in person. I therefore hope that the development of digital solutions will give our children additional opportunities in life – and that it is these opportunities, not war, that will shape their future,” Olena Zelenska concluded.

President Zelenskyy sat for an interview with the BBC a few days ago. Here’s the video:

Georgia:

Day 488 of daily, uninterrupted, nationwide protests in Georgia.

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— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 1:54 PM

GD propagandists here call this “strengthening sovereignty.”

Can’t wait for a Turkmen model of entry policy, except for all the oil money.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 7:40 AM

1/ The administration of Donald Trump has extended the sanctions against Russia originally imposed under the administration of Joe Biden, under which Bidzina Ivanishvili is also sanctioned.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 2:41 PM

2/ The Trump administration extended for another year the national emergency first declared under Executive Order 14024 on 15 April 2021, targeting harmful foreign activities of Russia, which has since been expanded multiple times.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 2:41 PM

3/ It was under Executive Order 14024 that financial sanctions were imposed on Bidzina Ivanishvili on 27 December 2024.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 2:41 PM

4/ The US President’s notice, along with the relevant report, has been submitted to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 2:41 PM

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 10:04 AM

The Baltic States:

According to Delfi, Ukraine has officially apologized to the residents of the Baltic states in connection with incidents last week, when Ukrainian drones entered the territory of three countries.
www.delfi.lt/ru/news/poli…

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 1:35 PM

Spain:

PM Sánchez: The war in Ukraine is not only about Ukraine, it’s also about Putin’s attempt to undermine the European Union.

We must scale up our defense industry, strengthen the single market, and adopt economic policies that make Europe more resilient to such challenges.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 10:23 AM

The southeastern Mediterranean Sea:

A close-up of a massive breach in the hull of the russian gas tanker Arctic Metagaz after an explosion caused by a Ukrainian naval drone near the coast of Libya 👁👁

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 6:37 PM

Back to Ukraine.

Sea Baby and Magura are heading south🏝️

Ukrainian naval drones will be sent to help open the Strait of Hormuz as part of the defence partnerships with Mideast countries.

Ukrainian innovation and ingenuity continues to defend against threats few others can handle at the moment.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 1:12 PM

Watch an awesome video of a small Ukrainian drone intercepting a russian Shahed in the sky ❤️‍🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 9:55 AM

Ukrainians, in good humor, turn Rheinmetall CEO’s insult into uplifting memes. On the serious side, there are worries here that Armin Papperger’s gaff could be used by the Russians as an excuse for their regular attacks on civilian residential buildings in Ukraine.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 3:46 AM

www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202…

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 3:51 AM

From Ukrainska Pravda:

German defence concern Rheinmetall has said it has “the utmost respect” for Ukrainian weapons manufacturers after its CEO Armin Papperger compared Ukrainian drones to “Lego bricks” made by “housewives with 3D printers”.

Source: Rheinmetall on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: The company stated that it respects the Ukrainian people’s efforts in defending themselves against the Russian invasion, particularly given their limited resources.

“The innovative strength and the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people are an inspiration to us. We are grateful to be able to support Ukraine with the resources at our disposal,” Rheinmetall tweeted.

The comments followed a backlash against remarks made by Papperger in a recent interview with The Atlantic. When the journalist mentioned Ukrainian-made drones, Papperger dismissed the idea of any innovation and compared them to playing with Lego bricks.

“This is how to play with Legos. What is the innovation of Ukraine? They don’t have some technological breakthrough,” he claimed, adding that this technology is not at the same level as companies like Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics or Rheinmetall.

When the journalist replied that Ukraine is the world’s largest democratic drone-producing country, the Rheinmetall CEO asked which companies he was referring to.

The discussion then turned to the Ukrainian defence companies Fire Point and Skyfall, which Papperger described as “housewives with 3D printers”.

“It’s Ukrainian housewives. They have 3D printers in the kitchen and they produce parts for drones. This is not innovation,” he said.

Background:

• Last year, Papperger said he was willing to participate in arming a possible international peacekeeping mission after the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
• Rheinmetall has supplied Ukraine with weaponry of its own manufacture on multiple occasions. In October 2025, for example, it announced that additional Skyranger 35 air defence systems, funded out of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets, would be sent to Ukraine.

Dnipro:

In Dnipro region 1 person was killed and 12 injured as a result of the russian attacks‼️

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 3:18 PM

Russian occupied Donetsk Oblast:

You are looking at the famous Donbas Arena – an elite football stadium in Donetsk with a capacity of over 50,000. Back in 2009, at its opening, Beyoncé entertained the crowd. Now it stands in ruins, being consumed by the woods.

Russia ruins everything everywhere it goes.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 7:11 PM

What won’t make it into Russian news: a military “Ural” truck drove into people at a bus station in occupied Donetsk. Two people are reported injured.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 9:41 AM

Odesa:

🔥 Russia sent a dozen “Shaheds.” Odesa sent them to the bottom of the Black Sea!
The soldiers of the Odesa Border Guard Detachment know how to welcome guests! 🎯

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 1:14 PM

Oleshky, Kherson Oblast:

Oleshky of Kherson region under the russian occupation is enduring horrendous conditions.

The city faces a catastrophic shortage of drinking water, unstable electricity and gas supply, and limited medical care. Attempts to deliver supplies often result in drivers being killed.

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 12:46 PM

This is deliberate terrorism russia applies against civilians.

Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Lubinets, NGOs ring an alarm bell.

There must be a humanitarian corridor established to enable the safe evacuation of civilians from Oleshky and surrounding villages.

— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 12:46 PM

Meanwhile, the US Administration offers Ukraine to voluntarily abandon even more people to the horrors of the russian occupation. This is despicable.

— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 12:46 PM

Kharkiv:

Ukrainian Sky Sentinel air defence system protecting the skies over Kharkiv region from Russian Shahed drones.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 9:49 AM

/2. Sky Sentinel is Ukrainian-developed autonomous anti-aircraft turret designed to cost-effectively neutralize drones (like Shaheds) and potentially cruise missiles. Costing roughly $150 000per unit, it uses a heavy machine gun and sensors to identify, track, and destroy targets.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 9:50 AM

Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast:

It has already been confirmed that, as early as the summer of 2022, during the occupation of Kupiansk, more than 200 Ukrainian children were taken to Russia.
suspilne.media/kharkiv/1273…

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 7:54 AM

Russian occupied Luhansk Oblast:

Bulava loitering munition strike on the Russian Tor air defence system in the Luhansk region.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 6:37 AM

The General Staff of Ukraine has confirmed a strike on a metallurgical plant in the temporarily occupied city of Alchevsk. The facility produces large-caliber ammunition. A massive fire has been reported on its premises.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 8:43 AM

Russian occupied Crimea:

🔥Ukrainian General Staff reports a strike on a Russian S-400 “Triumf” air defense launcher near Hvardiiske in Crimea.

In a separate hit, a Russian military train was struck near Novosvitlivka in the Luhansk region, with confirmed impacts.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 4:51 AM

Russia:

Bloomberg reports that, with Ust-Luga and Primorsk both being offline, 45% of Russia’s oil export capacity is gone.

And with fires so large that the smoke is visible from Finland and Estonia, don’t expect either to be fixed quickly.

We don’t need no water, let the MFs burn.🔥

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 2:05 AM

Samara Oblast, Russia:

Morning in russian Tolyatti, where KuibyshevAzot chemical plant got smoked.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 11:15 PM

In Tolyatti, in the Samara region of Russia, Ukrainian drones paid a visit during the night. Specifically, they targeted the “KuibyshevAzot” chemical plant, which is among the largest producers of nitrogen fertilizers in Russia. This is already the second attack on this facility within a month.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 4:41 AM

The Dnipro OSINT channel, which studies the results of the attack on the Promsyntez chemical plant in Chapaevsk using Ukrainian FP-5 “Flamingo” missiles, reports the following:

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 5:41 PM

Three missiles were launched; Russian air defense shot down one. One hit a pole and detonated before reaching the target, while another struck near the workshop, likely causing minor damage.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 5:41 PM

Leningrad Oblast, Russia:

As a result of Ukraine’s fourth strike on the Ust-Luga port in Russia’s Leningrad Region on March 29, three fuel tanks, a pier, and Novatek’s pumping stations were damaged.

The port’s operations have been suspended.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 10:08 AM

In russia’s Primorsk and Ust-Luga oil and gas terminals, large-scale fires continue 🔥

Satellite imagery, published by the ‘Schemes’ show the aftermath.

After new Ukrainian strikes on March 29, storage tanks at the Novatek-Ust-Luga plant, previously undamaged, are now burning.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 3:26 PM

In Primorsk, Transneft’s tanks are still ablaze, with at least 8 out of 18 reported damaged.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 3:26 PM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today.

Here is some adjacent material.

💙😻 There are things that keep your heart from closing—little fluffy things that fall asleep in your hands and breathe so trustingly that you yourself begin to breathe more calmly. Kittens heal what cannot be seen on the outside. And this fighter knows it.
#StandWithUkraine #UkraineWar #caturday

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 10:02 AM

Open thread!

Georgia:

#GeorgiaProtests from Kutaisi, over 3,000 years old city from western Georgia

Day 4️⃣8️⃣7️⃣🇬🇪🇪🇺

📸 Netgazeti

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— Tata Chemia (@tatach.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 2:08 PM

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 1:00 PM

From one of the previous days of #GeorgiaProtests

“We do not recognize you!”

Not recognizing the legitimacy of “constitutional bodies” (read: regime) is now 3 years’ jail.

📷 Levan Zazadze

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 6:24 PM

“Fuck Russia”—a phrase you see everywhere in Tbilisi, Georgia. This time on a Glovo courier’s bag.

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— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 1:16 PM

Another child and the only daughter of jailed democratic leader Elene Khoshtatia has a birthday today. 3 of her 4 children celebrated birthdays just days after the 1.5-year-long unlawful sentence of their mom.

Just like the cake for the twins, hers also says “from mother.”

📷 Shushana Matsaberidze

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 5:56 PM

Current Political Madness & High-Profile Cases
Discussion of Elena Khoshtaria’s 18-month sentence, imprisonment of other political leaders, the death and funeral of Patriarch Ilia II, the Moscow Mechanism report, and sanctions on propaganda TV channels. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y32q…

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— Talk Georgia (@talkgeorgia.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 9:48 AM

Here’s the full video:

Hungary:

‼️A documentary was just released online about vote-buying, vote-rigging, threats, intimidation, and corruption which targets poor, rural Hungarian communities to enforce votes for Orban’s party.

14 days until these assholes and their corrupt, exploitative system are gone.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 12:25 PM

See the whole story here, with all of the shocking details, in Hungarian with English subtitles:

youtu.be/ZCwQR5HRWR8

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 12:25 PM

Here’s the full video:

Slovakia:

Russia’s lapdog, Fico, has the audacity to claim that everyone is “mad” for refusing to buy russian oil and financing the daily murder of Ukrainians.

The only person who is truly mad here is Fico himself. Only a madman would agree to fund constant bombing of civilians just across his own border.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 12:14 PM

The Gulf States:

Gulf states are finding that US security guarantees aren’t as reliable as hoped.

Question: if US security guarantees against a smaller power are proving hollow for Gulf states, major US allies for decades, what does that mean for US guarantees to Ukraine against Russia? 🤔

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 3:22 AM

Germany:

Gen. Breuer: We’re facing a threat from Russia. I’ve never experienced situation as dangerous and urgent as today.

Russia is building up its military to nearly double the size it had before the war against Ukraine, with new structures all directing West. It’s a clear threat.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 9:29 AM

Gen. Breuer: The culmination point is 2029. There’s a possibility for Russia to conduct a major war against a NATO country in 2029. As military officer, I have to say: we have to be prepared for this. We have to plan and think in a worst-case scenario — and this is one of mine.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 11:05 AM

Finland:

Finland’s President Stubb says drones entered Finnish territory this morning and one was confirmed to be of Ukrainian origin. He says there’s no military threat to Finland, authorities reacted immediately, and an investigation is ongoing.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 1:48 PM

The US:

Debra Cagan: Everyone knows the stories of firing 26 Patriot PAC-3 at a $30,000 drone — missing most and scoring just one hit. We’d be foolish to ignore those lessons from Ukraine. As our Gulf colleagues have said, no one else in the world knows how to do this like Ukraine does.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 9:52 AM

That should be Deborah Kagan.

Luke Coffey: You’d have to be hopelessly naive to think Russia isn’t assisting Iran. Since 1999, Putin and Russia have taken every opportunity to undermine U.S. national interests — both abroad and at home through hybrid warfare and election meddling. Iran is no different.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 12:33 PM

Back to Ukraine:

Yes.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 6:44 PM

Four years between Kyiv falling in 72h and Ukraine sharing security know-how and modern warfare experience with partners far beyond Europe.

If the U.S. administration indeed believed in peace through strength, it would see Ukraine as its natural ally.

— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 3:06 AM

Rheinmetall CEO: dismisses drones as “playing with Legos”, made by “housewives” compared to tanks.

Madyar: “No matter how advanced a tank is, Ukrainian-made drones will stop it… 4 Ukrainian drone teams would take 15 minutes to make another Pearl Harbor.”

Yes, really. Prepare for drone wars, NOW.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 2:05 AM

Speaking of Pearl Harbor, in the 1920s Mitchell predicted airpower would sink battleships and that Pearl Harbor would be attacked. He was ignored too, with devastating results.

Cheap and plentiful will beat expensive and rare 99 times out of 100. Ignore this lesson at your peril.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 2:05 AM

This week alone, Russia used more than 3,000 strike drones against our cities and communities – a significant portion of them “shaheds” – as well as over 1,450 guided aerial bombs and 40 missiles of various types.- Zelenskyy

Just how tired I am of this…

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 8:34 AM

⚡ The size of the “Shahed” compared to cars!
In just one week, Russia deployed over 3,000 attack drones against Ukraine, and a significant portion of them were “Shaheds.”
#StandWithUkraine #UkraineWar #Ukraine

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 1:37 PM

“The rules-based order didn’t collapse on Feb. 28, 2026, when America bombed Iran. It fractured in 2008, when Russia invaded Georgia, and Europe responded with thoughts and prayers.”
@ChakhoyanAndrew on why Europe’s future is still tied to the outcome in Ukraine.
kyivindependent.com/war-in-iran-…

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 2:34 PM

From The Kyiv Independent:

“Flying balalaika” or a “death moped with wings” is how Ukrainians refer to the Iranian-Russian Shahed drone. On March first, one of these crude, cheap, but devastatingly effective killing machines struck a US military operations center in Kuwait, killing six American soldiers. The youngest was twenty years old.

In the first week of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, more than 1,000 of these murderous balalaikas were launched by the Revolutionary Guards and regime-aligned forces, targeting everything and everyone around the Persian Gulf.

Tehran can produce about 10,000 a month. For comparison, since Iran licensed the technology in 2022, the Kremlin has scaled up domestic production to an estimated 12,000 a month.

In September last year, 19 unarmed Russian-made versions of the Shahed breached NATO airspace over Poland, and several more entered Romania.

Nearly 58,000 death mopeds have rained on Ukrainian cities since 2022. Russia launched nearly a thousand of them on Wednesday, the largest such attack in a single day, striking a 16th-century UNESCO World Heritage site in Lviv and a maternity hospital in Ivano-Frankivsk.

The Shahed is the red thread that connects Iran to Ukraine, via Russia. It is also a lesson that unpunished aggression does not fizzle out. It spreads.

Europe started neither of these wars, but will have to reckon with both.

The Iranian regime was decapitated three weeks ago, and European nightmares are compounding.

The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, oil prices are through the roof, and more Patriot interceptors are used up in the Middle East in one week than Ukraine received in four years. The US-brokered parody of peace talks is on ice, and the White House is easing sanctions on Russia to stabilize energy markets. And to top it all off, Washington is now tying security guarantees to Ukraine ceding territory to Russia.

Describing the situation in the Middle East, the EU Council President, Antonio Costa, put it bluntly: “So ​far, there is only one winner ​in this war — Russia.”

Moscow shares intelligence with Tehran. Ukraine is sending its cutting-edge drone-intercept technology to protect America and its Gulf allies. Over 200 Ukrainian military experts are already deployed across the region.

To compare the two wars is tempting, even necessary. But superficial parallels won’t help with questions that matter: where Europe can intervene, where it should, and where it has the duty and the means to change the outcome.

Should European NATO members be preparing to send troops and patrol Ukrainian skies, as Gabrielius Landsbergis and his co-authors have argued? Should they send long-range missiles like Taurus, a step debated for three years? Should they stop discussing frozen Russian assets and start transferring them? Yes, yes, and yes. What stands in the way is the corrosive weakness of “with Ukraine, as long as it takes.”

If Europe allows Moscow to get its way in Ukraine through hesitation, half-measures, and failure to recognize the existential imperative of Ukrainian victory, the vacuum of appeasement will pull Russian aggression westward. And should the guns fall silent without Ukraine fully inside Europe’s collective defense, Russia will regroup and re-invade.

The war with Iran is a macabre labyrinth.

Russia’s war on Ukraine is, as Anders Aslund wrote, “the most black-and-white issue of good versus evil in modern history.” Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, whose country borders Russia and who understands the stakes better than most, put it plainly: “Iran is not my war, Ukraine is my war.” Europe should invest its economic heft, political capital, military resources, and diplomatic clout where outcomes are achievable.

When the German President calls the strikes on Iran illegal under international law, he is invoking something sacred. But for that language to carry weight, we have to rewind the tape.

The rules-based order did not collapse on Feb. 28, 2026, when America bombed Iran. It fractured in 2008, when Russia invaded Georgia, and Europe responded with thoughts and prayers.

It eroded further when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014. And it evaporated when Europe went ahead with Nord Stream 2 – effectively rewarding the Kremlin’s aggression with a redundant pipeline that stripped Ukraine of its most powerful deterrent: energy transit on which both Europe and Russia depended.

A bloc of middle powers that looked away for 18 years has no standing to pontificate and point fingers. Europe’s future will not be decided in the Middle East, but in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea.

The energy shock will pass. What will not pass is the realization that “never again” was a slogan, not a promise.

Europe does not need permission to help Ukraine restore its borders. It needs the will. There is a basic discipline that applies to nations as much as to people: pour your energy into the things you can affect. Stop posturing, stop making proclamations about a rules-based order the West collectively failed to uphold, and start defending it where you actually can.

Strength does not precede decisive action in Ukraine. It follows from it.

More at the link.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov says he gets daily frontline videos of Russian infantry “self-destructing.” He said March could be a record month for Russian losses, topping 30,000 killed and seriously wounded.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 11:02 AM

Three were murdered, including a 13yo boy, in russia’s routine Sunday bombing of Kramatorsk. Another teenage girl died after russian drones targeted a recreational area crowded with youngsters in the Mykolayiv region yesterday.

Unpunished evil will keep growing.

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 11:14 AM

Kramatorsk:

Today, three people were killed in a russian attack on Kramatorsk, including a 12-year-old boy.

For the fifth year in a row, russia has been waging a ruthless war against civilians, yet some still choose to shake its bloodstained hand.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 10:20 AM

Kramatorsk today 💔

3 people killed in russian strike, including a 13-year-old boy. 13 others are injured.

Bloody bastards. Terrorists.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 2:57 PM

Krivyi Rih:

💢Kyiv-Kryvyi Rih train evacuated three times.

A Shahed drone flew over people during one of them.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 10:31 AM

Sumy Oblast:

More on that fatal strike on a civilian home yesterday:

Yesterday, russian terrorists killed 20‑year‑old Dasha Serhiyenko, who shielded her 6‑year‑old sister with her own body, saving the child’s life🕯💔

The little girl is now in the hospital in critical condition. Their parents were also wounded.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 2:51 PM

A russian shell struck directly at the Serhiyenko family home in the village of Ochkine, Sumy region.

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 2:51 PM

Russian occupied Crimea:

🔥Three BM-30 Smerch/Tornado-S systems and a transport-loader vehicle were destroyed by in a series of strikes on a Russian MLRS base in Crimea overnight on March 29.

In a separate attack, fuel tankers were burned near Novosvitlivka in the Luhansk region.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 4:10 AM

Alarm sirens are sounding right now at Russian military units in Sevastopol, Crimean Wind reports. They’re also reporting a threat of Neptune strikes.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 1:46 PM

Russian occupied Luhansk Oblast:

🔥 Another video from Alchevsk, where the Alchevsk plant was hit.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 5:52 PM

Alchevsk, substation 🔥🔥🔥

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 5:59 PM

💥🔥 The Alchevsk Metallurgical Plant in the Luhansk region is on fire.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 6:19 PM

🎉 Footage from Alchevsk shows that after suppressing the Russian air defenses in the city, they don’t even try to shoot down the UAVs.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 6:37 PM

🤩🤩🤩 Alchevsk, the moment of strikes!

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 6:48 PM

The Slobozhansky Front:

Forpost Brigade border guard drone operators surgically destroyed Russian equipment on the Northern Slobozhansky front.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 5:19 AM

Zaporizhzia:

WARNING!! WARNING!! GRAPHIC IMAGERY!! WARNING!! WARNING!!

Today, Russia struck the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia. A 75‑year‑old woman was killed, and a 72‑year‑old man was injured. The injured man has been hospitalized.

Killing people in their homes is russian culture.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 8:51 AM

ALL CLEAR!!!!

Huliaipole, Zaporizhzhia Oblast:

A Ukrainian tank fires direct rounds into concrete fortifications held by Russian assault troops at a strongpoint near Huliaipole.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 11:37 AM

Leningrad Oblast, Russia:

🛰️The Russian port of Primorsk after several waves of Ukrainian attacks this week

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 1:06 PM

OSINT analysts at Oko Gora say the Primorsk port attack destroyed 8 tanks and damaged 5, leaving 72% of storage offline. Primorsk handles about 30% of Russia’s oil exports, they note.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 3:18 PM

Satellite images of Ust‑Luga show new fires after last night’s attack🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 12:42 PM

🔥More footage from today’s rather “lit” party at Ust-Luga oil port in Russia

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 10:47 AM

🔥The process of burning all Russian oil export capacity to the ground continues.

A Novatek facility which acts as a mini-refinery in Ust-Luga is burning brightly, and will not be processing any oil for a while.

When economic sanctions fail, drone sanctions will plug the gap.🛑

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 1:17 PM

The Russian port of Ust Luga, which has been burning continuously since the night of March 25, can be seen from Finland across the entire Baltic Sea.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 5:36 AM

Russian Ust-Luga view from above. 5th day on fire 🔥 🤩

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 9:03 AM

Three more days and the Ukrainians get a new holiday!

Rostov Oblast, Russia:

💥 Consequences of the work of electronic warfare in Taganrog.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 4:15 PM

More footage coming in from the drone and missile attack on Taganrog, Russia, right now.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 2:44 PM

Monitoring channels report a hit and fire in Taganrog near Parkovyy Lane.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 3:02 PM

Belgorod Oblast, Russia:

Exilenova+ reports Belgorod is taking several missile hits right now. Update says multiple MLRS salvos are also hitting Belgorod region.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 1:28 PM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

A new Patron video!

@patron__dsns

🙂‍↔️🥏

♬ original sound – hair_inspo⭐️🪩

Open thread!

Georgia:

People in Georgia continue to protest against the Georgian Dream government.

Day 487

#GeorgiaProtests

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 1:37 PM

Day 486 of #GeorgiaProtests

Today’s march was dedicated to freedom of Elene Khoshtaria and all political prisoners in Georgia. You see their names on the white banners.

📷 MOSE

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:39 PM

Marina Terishvili, a heroine Georgian mother.

Her son was killed by the military junta in the 1990s for carrying a flag of Georgia, and her other son is a political prisoner of the current Russian regime in Georgia.

“Freedom to Giorgi Terishvili,” her banner says.

📷 MOSE

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:46 PM

Day 486 of #GeorgiaProtests

“Freedom to the regime prisoners! Freedom to Elene Khoshtaria!”

Saturday march in Tbilisi.

📷 MOSE

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:53 PM

Tbilisi tonight.

📷 Shermazana

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 12:30 PM

Qatar:

Ukraine and Qatar sign a long-term defence deal (at least 10 years).

Joint projects, production cooperation, and technology partnerships ahead.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:19 PM

The UAE:

🇺🇦🇦🇪 Zelensky: United Arab Emirates. For several weeks now, Ukrainians have been working here to help in protecting lives. I met with members of our team here and discussed the initial results, the key conclusions from their work in the Emirates, as well as several proposals.

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— The Ukrainian Review (@theukrainianreview.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 5:08 AM

During this time, our experts have held meetings with representatives of the UAE’s Security and Defense Forces.

There is already a clear understanding of how the protection of airspace and critical infrastructure in the Emirates can be strengthened by integrating Ukrainian experience.

— The Ukrainian Review (@theukrainianreview.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 5:08 AM

🇶🇦🇺🇦 Zelensky: A team of Ukrainian experts works in Qatar, where they share our experience and expertise. I met with our team here today and heard a report.

Our experts have already conducted a general assessment of the security situation. Qatar is ready for long-term cooperation in various areas.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 12:03 PM

🇺🇦❗️As of April, Ukraine is almost 100% supplied with diesel fuel — companies were able to contract almost the entire required supply volume, — Deputy Director of Energy Regulatory Commission

Despite the ongoing global crisis, diesel fuel, as well as gasoline, will be more than enough in Ukraine.

— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 11:55 AM

Hungary:

Orban was booed at his own campaign rally in Győr. He snapped back, accusing the crowd of pushing Ukrainian interests and wanting a pro-Ukraine government that would send Hungarians’ money to Ukraine.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 9:57 AM

‼️Orban’s buddies built a taxpayer-funded palace for themselves inside the Central Bank.

Cigar rooms, palm trees in the courtyard, Italian marble washrooms, custom high-end doors, lavish meeting rooms, no wonder the budget spiked 2x from $150m to $290m🤯

15 days. Tick tock, MF.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 4:21 AM

🇭🇺👀 Orban is massively buying votes in Hungary’s poorest regions.

This is revealed in a large-scale investigation, “The Price of a Vote,” jointly conducted by six independent Hungarian projects.

Party representatives are traveling to villages and offering local residents $150-$170 per vote.

1/2

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:31 PM

Local mayors are promising firewood, medicine, part-time jobs, and transportation to the polls for the “right” vote, and threatening those who refuse.

The campaign is reaching 600,000 voters. Journalists collected info from 60 people from 14 different communities.

2/2

— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:31 PM

Slovakia:

🇸🇰❗️🇺🇦 Slovakian Prime Minister Fico said the country will not support the 20th EU sanctions package against Russia due to Ukraine’s blocking of the Druzhba oil pipeline.

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— Savchenko Volodymyr (@savchenkoua.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 4:05 PM

Finland:

STUBB: For 1% of Ukrainian land, Russia lost 500,000 soldiers. Ukrainians are killing over 30,000 Russians per month, and Russia can’t recruit enough replacements. This may force a problematic general mobilization on Russian side. Plus, the Russian economy continues to suffer.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 11:42 AM

🇫🇮 🇺🇸🇺🇦 Finnish Defense Minister said his country would check whether Washington is complying with contracts signed with European NATO member states that purchased weapons for Ukraine from American military contractors.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 8:14 AM

“What is promised to Ukraine must reach Ukraine. We are constantly evaluating how the funds are spent and believe that the mechanism is working. Of course, if problems arise, we will have to review it,” he stressed.

— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 8:14 AM

The Baltic States:

🇱🇻🇪🇪🇱🇹 Joint statement by the Ministers of Defence of the Baltic countries on drone incidents!

This week several UAVs have crossed NATO airspace in the Baltic states.

We remain steadfast in our support to Ukraine’s defensive operations against Russia and Ukraine’s legitimate right to self-defence.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 5:31 PM

These incidents highlight urgent need to continue enhancing our preparedness and investing in defence capabilities. Baltic states are investing at least 5% of GDP in defence.

We prioritize procurement of air defence capabilities and development of drone and counter-drone systems, acoustic sensors.

— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 5:31 PM

We stress the need to significantly scale up and earmark EU defence funding in the long-term, including for strengthening its eastern border through initiatives such as Eastern Flank Watch and a European Drone Detence Initiative.

— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 5:31 PM

We’re very lucky to have our Baltic friends 💙💛

— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:16 PM

Apparently one or more Ukrainian drones targeting Ust-Luga may have gone awry.

Germany:

🇺🇦🇩🇪🤔 When I brought up the drones that Ukraine has used so effectively against Russian tanks, the company’s chairman and CEO, Armin Papperger, was withering in his dismissal. “This is how to play with Legos,” he told me, – The Atlantic

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 8:21 AM

“What is the innovation of Ukraine?” Papperger asked. “They don’t have some technological breakthrough. They make innovations with their small drones, and they say, ‘Wow!’ And that’s great. Whatever. But this is not the technology of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, or Rheinmetall.”

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 8:21 AM

I can’t speak to Rheinmetall, but the technology of Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, as well as Raytheon don’t look so impressive right now.

Skyfall clapped back at Rheinmetall CEO Papperger’s “housewives” line. A company rep told Simon Shuster that if drones made by Ukrainian “housewives” can wipe out tanks and artillery, then the “housewives era” is officially here.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 12:53 PM

Turkey:

🇹🇷🇺🇦 Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar:

“Amid the full-scale war, Ukraine has demonstrated extraordinary innovation: from fiber-optic and AI-enhanced FPVs that evade EW jamming, to interceptor drones, deep-strike operations, and scaled up to millions of units annually.”

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 10:01 AM

The UK:

🇬🇧🇺🇸 Starmer: A lot of what Trump said is designed to put pressure on me to change my mind and to get dragged into this war.

I am the British Prime Minister, and I act in the British national interest.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 9:48 AM

Sweden:

GEN. CLAESSON: After traveling 3,000 kilometers through Ukraine and meeting with dozens of military leaders, my main conclusion is that it is not a broken country. They are tired, for obvious reasons, but not broken. We must maintain our focus on Ukraine.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 1:27 PM

The EU:

🇺🇸🇪🇺 During the G7 ministerial meeting on Friday, Kallas and Rubio argued over the war in Ukraine and the U.S. stance toward Russia. Kallas criticized Washington for failing to increase pressure on Moscow.

Read more 👀
theukrainianreview.info/kallas-and-r…

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— The Ukrainian Review (@theukrainianreview.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 8:10 AM

The US:

LT. GEN. WHITNEY: The biggest thing we’ve seen coming out of Ukraine is the rapid pace of innovation and how quickly they turn new concepts into reality. They fly things, test them, then iterate and constantly improve them. Their level of innovation is “out of this world”.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 9:13 AM

GEN. CAVOLI: Our Patriot systems in Ukraine have been a real success story. It’s a complicated system. We train our guys for a long time to operate it. Ukrainians put their best people on it and took to it like “fish to water”. We actually learned from some of their employment.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 11:15 AM

🇺🇸❗️Trump is considering a major change to how NATO works, proposing a “pay-to-play” system where countries that don’t spend 5% of their GDP on defence could lose their say in key decisions, – The Telegraph

🇩🇪 Trump is considering withdrawing US troops from Germany.

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— The Ukrainian Review (@theukrainianreview.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 7:42 AM

At this point I guarantee the troop withdrawal would be a rotation to cover for the forces they’re building up in the Middle East.

This is interesting:

Sarah Makin: For the past year, I’ve investigated Russia’s actions in occupied Ukraine. They allow only one church and ban the rest. You can be arrested just for that.

Russia has bombed, shelled, and looted 650 Christian churches.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 2:39 PM

They’ve murdered 49 pastors, priests, evangelical leaders, and other faith leaders in occupied Ukraine. They tortured these men before killing them.

This is not new, this is what Russia does, and now they’re doing it in Ukraine.

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 2:39 PM

Makin is a professional Christians are being persecuted everywhere advocate who served in Trump’s first term faith office in the White House. What’s interesting is that she’s saying this at CPAC. Also, from the reporting, CPAC was basically a ghost town this year.

I see my congresswoman is at it again:

🇺🇸🇺🇦 POLITICO: Russian delegation’s tour of the U.S. Capitol, organized by the office of Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), is drawing fierce criticism from pro-Ukraine lawmakers, as the conflict with Iran threatens to pull more attention away from Moscow’s four-year war against Kyiv.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 4:30 PM

“As self-declared enemies of the American way of life and perpetrators of heinous mass murder, members of the war criminal Putin regime must not be welcomed in any way,” Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) said in a statement. “I compare this meeting on Capitol Hill as having a visit by the Third Reich.”

— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 4:30 PM

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) slammed Luna for giving a “private Capitol tour to the members of the Putin-loving Duma,” and cast the Russian leader as President Donald Trump’s “mentor and good friend,” in a statement.

— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 4:30 PM

Back to Ukraine.

🇺🇦 Zelensky: This morning, I was briefed that U.S. military facilities in the Middle East and the Gulf region were photographed by Russian satellites in the interests of Iran.

They imaged the U.S.–UK joint military facility on Diego Garcia located in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 2:19 PM

⚡️Zelensky responds to Rubio’s accusation of lying.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 28 clarified his understanding of Washington’s position on security guarantees for Ukraine, in response to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling his previous statement on the issue “a lie.”

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— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) March 28, 2026 at 12:09 PM

From The Kyiv Independent:

President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 28 clarified his understanding of Washington’s position on security guarantees for Ukraine, in response to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling his previous statement on the issue “a lie.”

Zelensky said on March 26 that U.S. security guarantees for Kyiv were conditional on Ukraine’s full withdrawal from the Donbas region, including territory it still controls.

“The Americans are prepared to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” Zelensky said.

Rubio dismissed the president’s claim in comments to reporters the following day: “That’s a lie. And I saw him say that, and it’s unfortunate he would say that, because he knows that’s not true and that’s not what he was told,” he said.

“What he was told is the obvious: Security guarantees are not going to kick in until there’s an end to the war, because otherwise you’re in — you’re getting yourself involved in the war.”

Zelensky had the opportunity to respond to Rubio and clarify his remarks during a press conference on March 28. While he did not contradict Rubio’s statements, Zelensky made it clear that as he understands it, an “end to the war” is synonymous with Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbas under the current framework of the peace negotiations.

Moscow has issued Kyiv an “ultimatum,” Zelensky said. Russia “will end the war only after the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the entire territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.”

The U.S., in turn, will only provide security guarantees once the war ends.

“We will be able to get security guarantees from the United States not until the ceasefire, not until the end of the war. And after our troops leave Donbas, that these are conditions for the end of the war,” Zelensky said.

More at the link.

Footage shows the support battalion of the 1st Assault Regiment working on an Australian-supplied M1A1 AIM Abrams tank.

The vehicle was upgraded with Kontakt-1 explosive reactive armor blocks and a large frame structure for future anti-drone protection.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 11:08 AM

❗️The 1st Separate USF Center struck Russian military with guided mid-strike drones at the exact moment they were launching Shahed kamikaze UAVs toward Ukraine.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:15 AM

Magyar says recent strikes on Ust-Luga, Primorsk, Kirishi and Yaroslavl created a 2.5M bpd bottleneck for Russia’s oil export and refining. He breaks it down as 1.9M bpd of stopped transshipment at Ust-Luga and Primorsk plus 650k to 700k bpd from Kirishi and Yaroslavl.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 1:42 PM

Zelensky denied reports that Ukrainians were hit in the Middle East. He said Iran and Russia are pushing disinfo about strikes on Ukrainians and “interceptors,” and that nothing happened.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 10:35 AM

Magyar says Ukraine’s USF hit Shahed Gerbera launchers at Donetsk airport and destroyed two Tor systems in occupied Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. He also reports strikes on EW facilities, supply and fuel depots, plus comms towers across occupied Donetsk and Kherson.

full video: t.me/wartranslate…

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 7:53 AM

Odesa:

Overnight, russia launched a massive drone attack on Odesa.

21 strikes hit 18 locations, while debris from downed drones caused damage at nine more. One of the drones hit the roof of a maternity hospital.

Two people were killed and 12 injured, including a 9-year-old boy.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 4:55 AM

Overnight, russia launched a massive drone attack on Odesa.

21 strikes hit 18 locations, while debris from downed drones caused damage at nine more. One of the drones hit the roof of a maternity hospital.

Two people were killed and 12 injured, including a 9-year-old boy.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 4:55 AM

Odesa after a Russian attack last night ‼️

2 people were killed, and 12 others were injured, including a child. Bastards.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 8:55 AM

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 8:55 AM

🙏🇺🇦 There were 19 newborns in the Odesa maternity hospital attacked by a Russian drone at the time of the strike.

At the time of the strike, 33 patients, including 22 women in labor and 19 newborns, were in Odesa Maternity Hospital No. 5.

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— Savchenko Volodymyr (@savchenkoua.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 11:48 AM

According to the Odesa Special Operations Command, there were 80 people in the maternity hospital at the time of the attack, including 33 medical workers. Everyone was sheltering at the time of the attack.

Russian shelling in Odesa killed two people and injured 12.

— Savchenko Volodymyr (@savchenkoua.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 11:48 AM

💔 Residential building in Odesa

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— The Ukrainian Review (@theukrainianreview.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 11:38 AM

Kharkiv:

Horrific moment of a russian drone strike on Kharkiv on the evening of March 25.

The strike killed a woman.

There is nothing military anywhere nearby. As usual, russia just randomly strikes our city in an attempt to break us.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 12:03 PM

Explosions in Kharkiv‼️ reportedly, air defense shooting down Russian drones.

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 4:12 PM

Kharkiv Oblast:

Today in the Kharkiv region, russians attacked a minivan, seriously injuring its 63‑year‑old driver.

This attack, as well as many others, has no military reasons whatsoever. It’s pure terrorism.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 11:55 AM

Krivyih Rih:

Kryvyi Rih endured seven russian drone attacks within a single day. Air raid alerts have been almost constant, and there are casualties in the city.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 2:10 PM

Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russia:

Russians pushed a mechanized assault on the Novopokrovka-Mala Tokmachka line with BMP-3s, an Ulan, and a cage-armored tank. Ukraine’s 118th and 108th Brigades stopped them, burned the vehicles, and took out 10 with 10 more wounded.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 2:27 PM

Dobropillia, Donetsk Oblast:

Azov Brigade scouts captured Russian occupiers near Dobropillia while clearing a position

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 11:47 AM

Russia:

OSINT group Oko Gora lists 13 strikes on Russia’s chemical industry in 40 days under “NITRO-STRIKE 2026,” including Metafrax, UralHim, Akron, KuibyshevAzot, Nevinnomyssky Azot, TolyattiAzot, Apatit and Promsintez.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 5:07 AM

Leningrad Oblast, Russia:

Artist: Ukrainian Defence Forces

Title: Ust-Luga at Night, 2026
Medium: Oil on ̶c̶a̶n̶v̶a̶s̶ ̶ fire
Size: 1km x 6km

“In the darkness of night, the buzz of drone sanctions brings friendly light and pleasant heat to the swamps beside the Baltic Sea”

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:09 AM

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says air strikes badly hit key Russian Baltic oil export facilities during a spike in oil prices. The fires in Primorsk and Ust-Luga still aren’t out. Put them out and “we can repeat,” it adds.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 5:45 AM

Russian Ust-Luga continues to burn for the 4th day 🔥🔥🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 10:06 AM

Four more days and the Ukrainians get a new holiday.

I do NOT make the rules.

Estonians observe a massive fire at Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga, one of its key maritime hubs, visible across the border from Sinimägi at a distance of around 50 km.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 6:35 AM

St. Petersburg is blanketed by smog from burning oil depots in Ust-Luga and Primorsk.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 11:06 AM

Yaroslav Oblast, Russia:

Yaroslavl Oil Refinery this morning

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:19 AM

Samara Oblast, Russia:

🔥Footage shows tonight’s launch of FP-5 “Flamingo” missiles targeting the Promsintez plant in Chapayevsk, a critical site linked to explosive production and supply chains for the Russian military.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:18 AM

/2. FP-5 Flamingo over Chapaevsk, Russia. 800km from the frontline.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 3:18 AM

Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles struck Promsintez explosives production in Chapaevsk, Exilenova+ reports. That’s over 1,000 km from the frontline.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 4:14 AM

Bryansk Oblast, Russia:

Air defense is active over Bryansk right now, with what sounds like an aircraft overhead.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 4:08 PM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today.

Here is some adjacent material.

🇺🇦 Sergeant marmot reports: everything is under control in the defense zone 🫡

In the South-Slobozhansk direction, marmots have woken up along with spring. While the aerial reconnaissance of the “Hart” brigade monitors positions, furry “neighbors” are equipping their burrows.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 5:22 AM

Open thread!