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Stay on top of Russia-Ukraine war 03-16-2025 developments on the ground with KyivPost fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated war maps.
“Everything that our brigades have learned from the war should be implemented one hundred percent at the planning level,” Zelensky said while introducing Andriy Hnatov.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has replaced the chief of general staff of the armed forces, according to a decree issued Sunday, as Kyiv’s frontline troops continue to struggle.
According to a communique, Anatoliy Barhylevych has been replaced by Andriy Hnatov, who “has been tasked with increasing the efficiency of the management.”
Putin and Lukashenko signed reciprocal measures allowing Russians in Belarus and Belarusians in Russia to participate in local “elections” as Moscow slowly absorbs its neighbor.
In a sign of growing integration between Russia and its tightly controlled Belarus neighbor, Kremlin strongman Vladimir Putin announced over the weekend that Belarusians living in the Russian Federation and his own citizens living in Belarus can now participate in their local elections.
At a press conference with his autocratic counterpart in Minsk, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said that the move will “expand the possibilities for more active involvement of citizens in public and political life.”
Russia’s heinous war crimes must not be forgotten despite whatever rotten peace deal is clobbered together.
We are likely being prepared for the restoration of relations with Russia. NATO Secretary General Mark Ruttle said as much but indicated that this would not likely be in the near future. That said, the number of prominent people in the West saying that relations with Russia must be restored is growing.
Whatever peace plan is being clobbered together, it is going to be more akin to an excuse to let Russian businesses back into the West en masse. Business as usual, Russian war crimes be damned, in effect.
Speaking anonymously to Kyiv Post, a Voice of America employee described being ordered to take ‘sudden administrative leave’ by the Trump administration.
Just minutes after receiving a letter placing them on “administrative leave,” Voice of America (VOA) employees found themselves locked out of everything, according to one individual speaking anonymously to Kyiv Post.
“I checked my work email around 2 p.m. and saw the subject: “Notice of Administrative Leave.” I had been checking my email since early morning because my colleagues had started receiving the same email around 9.30 a.m.,” the employee said.
Steve Witkoff, who met for several hours with Putin days ago, told CNN that he thinks “the two presidents are going to have a really good and positive discussion this week.”
US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are expected to speak this week, officials said on Sunday, as Washington and Kyiv’s European allies press Moscow to accept a ceasefire in the three-year war.
The United States this week proposed a halt in fighting in the war after talks in Saudi Arabia, with Kyiv accepting the proposal.
Trump issued an executive order on Friday, listing the USAGM as among “elements of the federal bureaucracy that the president has determined are unnecessary.”
More than 1,300 journalists, producers, and staff at Voice of America (VOA) have been placed on administrative leave after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). This agency oversees VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia.
VOA Director Michael Abramowitz called the move unprecedented in the organization’s 83-year history.
A map released by the Ukrainian military on March 16 confirmed that Sudzha is no longer under Kyiv’s control.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has confirmed that Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the city of Sudzha in the Kursk region.
A map published on the morning of March 16 showed Sudzha as no longer under Ukrainian control. However, the official statement from the General Staff did not mention Sudzha in its summary of the combat situation.
When it comes to Ukraine, 55% of people surveyed said they do not support the way Trump managed the situation, while 44% approve of his handling of the war-torn country.
A new CNN survey shows that most Americans are unhappy with how President Donald Trump handled relations with Russia and the war in Ukraine. The poll, conducted by SSRS and released on Friday, March 14, found that 59% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s approach to dealing with Russia, while 41% approve.
The poll comes as Washington works with Ukrainian and Russian officials to agree on a 30-day ceasefire.
The world in focus, as seen by Canadian leading global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw in a quick review of the biggest news in international media today.
The Trump administration revealed it had informed Russia about the deadly strike against Houthi rebels in Yemen, in an effort to bolster diplomatic communications, according to a report. The State Department revealed that earlier Saturday, Secretary Marco Rubio called Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to inform him of the US on Yemeni targets, according to a release. The release issued by the State Department said Rubio’s outreach was in furtherance of a previous agreement “to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia.” On Saturday afternoon, President Trump ordered the bombing of dozens of Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the Iran-backed terror groups attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
It’s worth mentioning that the Russians have colluded with the Houthi rebels in Yemen, providing them with targeting information to strike commercial vessels in the Red Sea. So it seems counterintuitive to tip them off ahead of a strike. Amateur hour at the White House?
Who are the self-styled Tarzan in the White House and his sycophantic team working for? Is this what believers in MAGA voted for? Surely not?
From bad to worse.
Trump continues his devastation of America’s heritage and pride. On Saturday, March 15, he signed an Executive Order for major cuts to seven agencies, affecting the Voice of America and RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty).
Kellogg, a former acting national security advisor in Trump’s first term, previously served as a special envoy for both Ukraine and Russia.
The US President, Donald Trump, has reappointed retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg as special envoy to Ukraine.
Kellogg “will deal directly with President Zelensky and Ukrainian leadership,” Trump announced on Truth Social on Saturday, March 15, adding, “He knows them well, and they have a very good working relationship.”
More than 100,000 anti-corruption protesters descended on Serbia’s capital in one of the largest rallies in decades.
More than 100,000 anti-corruption protesters descended on Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Saturday in one of the largest rallies in decades.
Protesters, riot police, and supporters of President Aleksandar Vučić faced off in the center of the city following a night of sporadic clashes.
Russia has agreed in principle to the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. Putin added that the continued presence of the Ukrainian army in the Kursk region was a key obstacle.
Russia has agreed in principle to the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. “The idea itself is correct and we certainly support it, but there are issues that we need to discuss,” Putin said, stressing the need to “eliminate the original causes of the crisis”. He added that the continued presence of the Ukrainian army in the Kursk region was a key obstacle.
This won’t be a fast process
The British PM told some 26 fellow leaders in a group call he hosted that they should accelerate identifying ways to strengthen Ukraine, protect any ceasefire and keep up the pressure on Moscow.
Leaders from 26 countries have agreed to take the next steps in planning a multinational force to guarantee a ceasefire in Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced after hosting a video call with the leaders on Saturday. “Let the guns fall silent,” he said, speaking from Downing Street.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky had, he said, “shown once again, and beyond any doubt, that Ukraine is the party of peace” by accepting a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.
Many European countries are discussing military service as concerns grow over NATO’s strength, especially after Donald Trump’s insistence that Europe should handle its own security.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he will not bring back mandatory military service but is looking for ways to involve civilians in national defense. He plans to announce new measures in the coming weeks, AFP reported, citing French regional newspapers.
In comments recorded Friday and published Saturday, Macron said that reinstating compulsory military service, which ended in 2001, is “not a realistic option” because France no longer has the necessary “logistics” to support it.
Both military analysts and European governments acknowledge that the threat of Russian aggression is real, today even more so than three years ago.
Frightened by the prospect of US security disengagement and three years of Moscow’s war against Ukraine, European countries are debating reinstating compulsory military service to boost their defences in the face of Russian aggression.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 caught Europe off guard, and fears about the strength of NATO surged further after US President Donald Trump upended the transatlantic alliance, saying Europe must take care of its own security.
US-Russian contact updated in a phone call between Rubio and Lavrov.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on the phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the US State Department reported on Saturday, March 15. During the call, Rubio updated Lavrov on a new U.S. military operation in Yemen targeting Houthi rebels from the Ansar Allah movement.
The phone call came shortly after US President Donald Trump announced on March 15 that he had ordered “decisive, powerful” attacks against the Houthis.
Around 50,000 protesters descended on the capital on Hungary’s national day to support Peter Magyar, a former government insider turned leader of the anti-Orbán camp.
Massive crowds rallied in Budapest on Saturday as Hungarian opposition activists came out in force to call for an end to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s 15-year rule.
Around 50,000 protesters descended on the capital on Hungary’s national day to support Peter Magyar, a former government insider turned leader of the anti-Orbán camp.
With Russia bogged down in Ukraine, Washington is fearful of Moscow becoming China’s “junior partner” – if not outright vassal. Giving Russia an off-ramp could put pressure on Beijing.
The Russian bear is mortally wounded, thanks to the bravery, resilience, and professionalism of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Up to 1 million troops from Russia and North Korea have been killed, injured, or captured. Thousands of Russian tanks, artillery pieces, air defense systems, armored personnel carriers, and infantry fighting vehicles have been destroyed.
Sanctions are working. Military spending now accounts for 40 per cent of Russia’s budget. Inflation is at 10 per cent. The Russian Central Bank’s key interest rate is at 21 per cent. Moscow can’t use public funds to manufacture weapon systems then have those weapon systems destroyed on the battlefield and call it “economic growth.”
The Ukrainian government is offering priority opportunities for local drone manufacturers, as the technology continues to yield successes.
Ukrainian drone manufacturers with at least 50 percent of total production in Ukraine are preferred for three, five, or ten-year contracts with the state, Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries wrote.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense wants “the localization percentage” to be “as high as possible,” according to its procurement policy department.
The move could be part of a broader deal as Donald Trump pushes to end the war in Ukraine.
The US, Russia, and Germany are holding closed-door negotiations on resuming Russian energy supplies to Europe, including through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, The Bell reported.
Previously, discussions focused only on the possible relaunch of Nord Stream 2, a pipeline designed to transport Russian natural gas to Europe via the Baltic Sea. It ceased operations following US sanctions and Germany’s decision to halt its certification in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.
Key Takeaways from the ISW:
Trump Administration silences the US-funded broadcasters promoting freedom externally.
President Donald Trump’s administration on Saturday put journalists at Voice of America and other US-funded broadcasters on leave, abruptly freezing outlets long seen as critical to countering a Russian and Chinese information offensive.
Hundreds of reporters and other staff at VOA, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other outlets received a weekend email saying they will be barred from their offices and should surrender press passes, office-issued telephones and other equipment.
