Zelensky: Repair works ‘ongoing’ as latest Russian drone attacks leave thousands without power
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of missile shortage as he says Putin will benefit from a “long war” in Iran.
Appearing on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said the US produces around 60 to 65 Patriot missiles a month, which equates to roughly 600 to 700 a year. In the first day of the Middle East war, 103 missiles were used, he warned.
He said there will be “definitely” be a deficit and the question is now “when will all the stockpiles in the Middle East be exhausted”.
“For Putin, a long war in Iran is a plus,” as resources deplete, added.
“So it is beneficial for Putin that the resources do not go to Ukraine, against whom he has directed his army, and he’s fighting with he needs to weaken us. And this is a long process. The Middle East is one of the ways to do that.”
His comments come after at least four people were killed in Russian drone attacks on Saturday, while strikes on energy infrastructure knocked out power to most of the northern Ukrainian region of Chernihiv.
A drone attack in Zaporizhzhia struck and left a man and woman dead, while six people, including two children, were injured, regional head Ivan Fedorov said.
Officials said another two people died in attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and five people were injured.
In Russia, two women were killed and another wounded by Ukrainian shelling of the Belgorod border region.
Following Russia’s invasion on Ukraine four years ago, the demand for civilian firearms training in Finland has risen sharply, with much of the interest being female.
The Independent’s Annabel Grossman meets the women who are learning shooting and survival skills in the face of a hostile neighbour:
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The women ready to take up arms to defend Finland
Following Russia’s invasion on Ukraine four years ago, the demand for civilian firearms training in Finland has risen sharply, with much of the interest being female – Annabel Grossman meets the women who are learning shooting and survival skills in the face on a hostile neighbour
Amy-Clare Martin22 March 2026 12:10
Russian attacks killed four people in southeastern Ukraine on Saturday, officials have said.
Authorities confirmed that a man and woman were killed after a house was killed in Zaporizhzhia.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, officials said two people died in an area southeast of the main regional centre, and another five people were injured in attacks at multiple places.
Power was also cut to much of the northern region of Chernihiv.
The aftermath of a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhzhia (REUTERS)
Amy-Clare Martin22 March 2026 11:40
US-UK tensions are weakening NATO, President Zelensky has suggested.
The Ukraine president urged Donald Trump to meet with Keir Starmer to ensure a strong NATO is “ready to defend”.
In an interview on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, she asked: “Do you believe that President Trump and his actions have made the world more dangerous?”
Zelensky replied: “I believe that any split in NATO will weaken both sides. I would really like President Trump to meet with Starmer, with the main countries so that they have a common position. We want to be allies with that kind of NATO, a strong NATO where everyone respects one another and is ready to defend.
“I can’t tell Trump what to do. Keir is a smart and very cool partner. Absolutely, we know there are emotions in everyone at different times. I think that Keir, he’s in touch with President Trump. He can meet with him and reload the relationship again. It happens. I don’t see a big problem. To be honest. I do not see a big challenge.
“Your history is stronger than the emotions of two or three people. Your history is simply stronger.”
Amy-Clare Martin22 March 2026 11:09
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of missile shortage as he says Putin will benefit from a “long war” in Iran.
“For Putin, a long war in Iran is a plus,” as resources deplete, he told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
”In addition to energy prices, it means the depletion of US reserves and the depletion of air defence manufacturers. So we have a depletion of resources.
“So it is beneficial for Putin that the resources do not go to Ukraine, against whom he has directed his army, and he’s fighting with he needs to weaken us. And this is a long process. The Middle East is one of the ways to do that.”
He said the US produces around 60 to 65 Patriot missiles a month, which equates to roughly 600 to 700 a year. In the first day of the Middle East war, 103 missiles were used, he warned.
He said there will be “definitely” be a deficit and the question is now “when will all the stockpiles in the Middle East be exhausted”.
Amy-Clare Martin22 March 2026 10:35
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said trilateral talks over the war in Ukraine are “constantly postponed” due to the war in Iran.
Appearing on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said: “I have a very bad feeling about the impact of this war on the situation in Ukraine, and the focus on America is more on the Middle East than on Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, therefore, you see that our diplomatic meetings, trilateral meetings are constantly postponed. There is one reason, war in Iran.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (PA Wire)
Amy-Clare Martin22 March 2026 10:17
Russia has captured a village in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, according to unverified reports.
Russian forces have taken control of the village Potapivka, state-run RIA news agency claimed on Sunday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.
Reuters news agency said they could not independently verify the battlefield report.
Amy-Clare Martin22 March 2026 09:32
Russian air defences thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Ufa in Bashkortostan region, regional governor Radiy Khabirov said.
Ukrainian drones were shot down near the city’s oil refineries, Khabirov said, without naming the facilities.
Debris triggered a brief fire at a building under construction in one of the city’s districts.
Bashkortostan, located in the Ural Mountains, has been repeatedly targeted by Ukraine. Its capital, Ufa, lies about 1,400km (870 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border.
Amy-Clare Martin22 March 2026 08:48
Reuters pieced together that a David Jones travelled to Ukraine with a well-known associate of Banksy’s in late 2022 — just before the artist’s work began appearing on buildings that had been bombed by Russia.
Banksy later confirmed that he’d created seven murals in the war zone, including one of a child flipping over a grown man who is wearing a black belt.
File. A painting by British street artist Banksy is seen on a building destroyed by fighting in Borodyanka, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Sunday, 13 Nov 2022 (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Rituparna Chatterjee22 March 2026 08:10
In recent years, Ukraine’s domestic drone interceptor market has burgeoned, producing some key players who tout their products at international arms shows.
But it’s on the front line where small teams have become laboratories of rapid military innovation – grassroots technology born of battlefield necessity that now draw international interest.
A soldier of the 127th Separate Territorial Brigade launches a drone to search for Russian attack drones at the front line in the Kharkiv region Saturday, 14 March 2026 (Copyright 2026. The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Rituparna Chatterjee22 March 2026 06:30