Key developments on March 21:
- Zelensky, Pavel meet in Kyiv to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine
- Ukraine has brought back over 4,000 prisoners of war from Russian captivity since start of full-scale invasion, Zelensky says
- Russia's Kavkazskaya oil facility still burning after two days, more explosions reported
- Ukraine accuses Russia of false flag attack on Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Oblast
- Trump says 'dividing up lands' within negotiations between Russia, Ukraine 'is being negotiated as we speak'
- UK discussing deploying fighter jets to Ukraine under potential peace deal, Telegraph reports
President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the war with Russia and European efforts to provide security guarantees for Ukraine during the meeting with his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel in Kyiv on March 21.
Pavel arrived in Kyiv earlier in the day. The day prior, the Czech president met with Ukrainian officials in Odesa.
During Pavel's visit to Odesa, Russia launched Shahed-type drones at the city. Three people were injured during the attack, and civilian infrastructure was damaged.
Pavel and Zelensky discussed the situation on the front line, European efforts to gain security guarantees for Ukraine, and cooperation in defense production.
The Ukrainian president also thanked Pavel for the Czech contribution to the UK-led "coalition of the willing."
The parties also agreed to open a Unity Center for Ukrainians in Prague.
"Thank you for your visit and cooperation. Today, we signed a joint statement on strategic partnership between our countries. This reflects the real level of our relations. Thank you for this. Thank you for the Czech initiative and for all the help you have given to our people," Zelensky said.
The Czech Republic has been one of the most committed supporters of Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
In July 2024, Ukraine and Czechia signed a 10-year bilateral security deal.
According to the agreement, Czechia and Ukraine are expected to boost cooperation in the military tech sphere, including the production of ammunition, small arms, drones, electronic warfare, and heavy equipment.
The two countries also plan to set up joint enterprises and continue annual training of up to 4,000 Ukrainian military personnel.
Ukraine has brought back over 4,000 prisoners of war from Russian captivity since start of full-scale invasion, Zelensky says
Ukraine has returned 4,306 prisoners of war (POWs) from Russian captivity since the start of the full-scale invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on March 21.
The Ukrainian government has been engaging with foreign partners and international organizations to return Ukrainian citizens home. In 2024, Ukraine managed to return 1,358 people from Russian captivity.
"Now, when we talk to the American side and our other partners about how to end the war, we talk about the release of prisoners as one of the first steps," Zelensky said.
The president emphasized that all the necessary services are working to bring Ukrainians back from Russian captivity.
Zelensky's statement came shortly after Ukraine brought home 197 Ukrainian soldiers. One hundred seventy-five of them were returned as part of the one-for-one exchange with Russia, and another 22 Ukrainian service members were returned through negotiations outside of the swap.
The swap was negotiated by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 18.
Following a call with Trump, the Kremlin announced that it would conduct a one-for-one prisoner exchange with Ukraine. Moscow also claimed that it would release 23 severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers, but only transferred 22.
Olena Yermakova
Russia's Kavkazskaya oil facility still burning after two days, more explosions reported
A Russian oil pumping station Krasnodar Krai is still on fire after reportedly being struck by Ukrainian drones on March 19, with further explosions reported overnight.
"During the extinguishing process, due to depressurisation of the burning tank, there was an explosion of oil products and release of burning oil," regional officials said in a post on Telegram on March 21.
Ukrainian drones attacked the Kavkazskaya oil pumping station, damaging infrastructure and causing a fire, pro-Kremlin news outlet Shot and regional authorities previously claimed.
The attack reportedly damaged a pipeline connecting storage tanks, initially sparking a fire that covered an area of about 20 square meters.
The fire now covers an area of 10,000 square meters and two firefighters have been injured while tackling the blaze.
The regional operational headquarters said on March 19 that 30 on-duty personnel were evacuated and that the facility had suspended operations.
The Kavkazskaya oil transshipment point is crucial in Russia's energy exports, connecting a railroad oil terminal and the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station. It is part of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium system, which pumps up to 6 million metric tons of oil annually.
The Ukrainian military has not commented on the reported attacks. Russia has attempted to use the attack as evidence that Ukraine has already broken a partial ceasefire agreed upon by Russian President Vladimit Putin in a call with U.S. President Donald Trump on March 18.
"We believe that the Kyiv regime has already broken the ceasefire proposed by the U.S. president," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on March 20, in comments reported by Reuters.
Despite Zakharova's comments, Russia has not relented in its attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, and continues to launch hundreds of kamikaze drones at cities across the country each night.
The strike on the Kavkazskaya oil pumping station follows Ukraine's Feb. 17 drone attack on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station, also in Krasnodar Krai, where seven drones reportedly hit key infrastructure.
Kyiv has intensified its campaign against Russia's energy and military infrastructure to disrupt Moscow's war effort. On March 17, Ukrainian drones struck a fuel and energy facility in Russia's Astrakhan Oblast, igniting a fire, regional Governor Igor Babushkin claimed.
Karol Luczka
Ukraine accuses Russia of false flag attack on Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Oblast
Ukraine on March 21 accused Russia of deliberately attacking the Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Oblast in an attempt to pin the blame on Kyiv.
Russian media earlier claimed Ukrainian forces had struck the key gas transit facility, which plays a crucial role in Russian gas exports to Europe.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine allegedly planned to blow up the station, accusing Kyiv of orchestrating a "provocation."
In a post on Facebook, the General Staff said the accusations were "baseless," and part of a "discrediting campaign against Ukraine."
"The mentioned station was repeatedly shelled by the Russians themselves," it added.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russia had previously struck the same station with guided aerial bombs, including an attack three days ago.
The General Staff also claimed that Russian forces had used the main gas pipeline near the facility to conceal troop movements.
"The Russians continue to produce numerous fakes and seek to mislead the international community. We ask you to trust only official sources, verify the information, and not succumb to manipulation," the statement added.
Earlier this month Ukraine released video of what it said were Russian sabotage and assault groups using a gas pipeline to gain a foothold on the outskirts of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
The latest incident comes as Ukraine confirmed its retreat from the town of Sudzha following a rapid Russian advance.
Kyiv initially launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024 but has reportedly lost much of the territory in recent weeks.
Trump says 'dividing up lands' within negotiations between Russia, Ukraine 'is being negotiated as we speak'
U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 21 that as part of the negotiations to end the war, the parties will have an agreement on territorial division.
Trump's statement comes ahead of the U.S. separate talks with Russia and Ukraine scheduled for March 24 in Saudi Arabia.
"Pretty soon, we'll have a full ceasefire, and then we're going to have a contract," Trump said during a press briefing, adding that the future deal includes "dividing up the lands."
"It's being negotiated as we speak," Trump said without specifying the format of the talks.
During the briefing, Trump also dodged a question about imposing new sanctions on Russia as it continues to attack Ukraine.
"Well, they're fighting against each other," Trump said.
Russia occupied and illegally annexed Crimea at the start of its war against Ukraine in 2014. After the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Moscow also illegally declared annexation of partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected recognizing Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories in any peace talks, calling it a "red line" that Kyiv will not cross. Ukraine's Constitution states that the "territory of Ukraine within its present border is indivisible and inviolable."
The Semafor outlet reported earlier this week that the Trump administration is considering recognizing Crimea as part of a peace deal. Washington has not confirmed this claim.
Oleg Sukhov
UK discussing deploying fighter jets to Ukraine under potential peace deal, Telegraph reports
British military leaders have discussed deploying Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter jets to Ukraine as part of a potential peace agreement, the Telegraph reported on March 20, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, the discussion took place at the Permanent Joint Headquarters, which oversees all of Britain's overseas military operations.
The plan is part of a broader "coalition of the willing" initiative led by the U.K. and France, aimed at providing security guarantees to Kyiv.
The peacekeeping initiative was first introduced by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a March 2 summit in London, where leaders from European nations and Canada discussed military support for Ukraine.
Starmer participated in additional talks at Northwood Headquarters, hosted by Lt. Gen. Nick Perry, the chief of joint operations, alongside representatives from over 30 countries.
A senior RAF source told the Telegraph that providing "overhead cover" was a key topic of discussion, particularly in scenarios where British troops might enter Ukraine.
The RAF could reportedly deploy either Typhoon or U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets to conduct air patrols, given their advanced air-to-air capabilities.
Starmer has pledged that British forces would be involved in securing a peace deal if U.S. President Donald Trump successfully negotiates one with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Washington has backed the idea of European-led peacekeeping forces monitoring a potential ceasefire but has not offered concrete security guarantees to Ukraine.
More than 30 countries have expressed willingness to contribute to a peacekeeping force, with the U.K. and France leading the initiative.
Canada and Australia have also indicated their openness to participating, according to Starmer's office. Trump previously claimed on Feb. 24 that Putin would allow European peacekeepers to operate in Ukraine as part of a settlement, though Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov publicly rejected the idea.
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