Here are the key developments in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war on days 1,116 and 1,117:
(Saturday and Sunday, March 16th and 17th)
Military Updates
- A Russian missile strike hit a residential area in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, injuring 11 people, including two children. Several homes, apartment buildings, and businesses were damaged, according to Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak.
- A Finnish court sentenced Russian far-right paramilitary operative Yan Petrovsky to life in prison for war crimes in Ukraine, including killing a soldier and sharing degrading images of the victim.
- Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, reported major damage to its Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa energy facilities following Russian strikes, leaving residents without power.
- Russia launched 178 drones overnight, with Ukraine’s air force shooting down 130, while 38 drones went missing.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it intercepted 126 Ukrainian drones over the Volgograd and Voronezh regions. The attack followed Moscow’s rejection of a U.S.-proposed ceasefire.
- Ukraine’s Air Force reported shooting down 47 of 90 Russian drones, while another 33 were lost due to electronic warfare.
- Russia announced the capture of the villages of Rubanshchina and Zaoleshenka in the Kursk region, evacuating 371 civilians, including 14 children.
- Kyiv’s air defense intercepted a Russian drone attack on the capital early Monday, with additional details yet to be disclosed.
Political and Diplomatic Updates
- U.S. President Donald Trump revealed plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war.
- Putin urged Ukrainian troops in Kursk to surrender, promising “life and dignified treatment” after Trump called on him to spare Ukrainian soldiers.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that territorial integrity remains non-negotiable, emphasizing Ukraine will never recognize Russian-occupied regions.
- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Putin’s commitment to peace, saying, “If Putin wants peace, he must end his attacks and agree to a ceasefire.”
- Zelenskyy appointed a delegation for future peace talks, led by Andriy Yermak, including Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and Deputy Pavlo Palisa.
- Major-General Andrii Hnatov was named Ukraine’s new Chief of General Staff, as confirmed by Umerov.
- Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov met with leaders in the Czech Republic and Italy to discuss military aid and battlefield cooperation.
- French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that Russia has no say over foreign troop deployments in Ukraine.
- Trump reassigned Keith Kellogg’s role, making him an envoy only for Ukraine, following speculation that Russia opposed his involvement in peace talks.
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed restoring U.S.-Russia communications amid ongoing negotiations.
- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko reaffirmed Moscow’s demand for Ukraine’s exclusion from NATO, calling for “ironclad security guarantees.”
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/17/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-days-1116-and-1117