As the war enters its 746th day, these are the main developments.
Here is the situation on Sunday, March 10, 2024.
Fighting
- A drone launched by Ukraine fell and caught fire at an oil depot in Russia’s Kursk region bordering Ukraine, the regional governor said.
- Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed 35 of 39 attack drones that Russia launched overnight, Ukraine’s air force said.
- Russian air defences downed a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet over the Donetsk region, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russia’s Ministry of Defence as saying.
- Ukrainian authorities said two people, including a teenage boy, were killed in Russian artillery attacks in the towns of Chervonohryhorivka and Chasiv Yar.
- Russian troops have increased pressure on Ukrainian defensive positions in eastern Ukraine, with battles centring west of Bakhmut, Serhiy Sidorinon, Ukrainian commander of the region told Ukrainian TV.
- A woman died due to Ukrainian shelling of the village of Kulbaki in Kursk and her husband was seriously injured when a residential building caught fire, the governor said.
Politics and diplomacy
- Pope Francis said in an interview with Swiss broadcaster RSI that Ukraine should have what he called the courage of the “white flag” and negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
- Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine “is not unthinkable” and that he appreciates French President Emmanuel Macron for not ruling out the idea. Last month Macron said the possibility of Western troops being sent to Ukraine could not be ruled out, a comment that prompted an outcry from other leaders.