Four people killed, four wounded after Ukrainian army attack on Donetsk

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, March 21st

Israeli military announced it had begun a series of strikes on positions belonging to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

Israel carried out airstrikes on facilities allegedly belonging to the Hezbollah Shia militia in eastern and southern Lebanon

The launch proceeded smoothly, with the rocket being monitored by the ground automated control system of the German Titov Main Test Space Center.

Variability of weather characteristics is growing during the climate warming period, Research Director of the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia Roman Vilfand said

The Ukrainian troops used the facility as a secure logistics point while the station was under their control

Dmitry Peskov emphasized that such a statement "shows once again how much we can believe and trust the Kiev regime"

The European Union’s office in Ukraine informed that it would allocate further 10 billion euro to Kiev to finance "independent media

At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost up to 85 servicemen in the area of responsibility of Russia’s Dnepr battlegroup over the past 24 hours

This was the second series of strikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the day

A drone exploded near a private house in the village of Kaznacheyevka, shattering its windows

The Russian diplomat stressed that for most countries, Russia is becoming a "pioneer" that strives to defend vital things regardless of sanctions and restrictions, because they are universal

Seven Starlink terminals, 21 drone control points and a field ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army were destroyed, the Russian Battlegroup West spokesman Ivan Bigma added

Thus, according to the SVR, it is planned to "make public information that the 'president' personally and his team have misappropriated more than $1.5 billion only from funds meant to buy munitions"

"This is because recent years are becoming increasing warmer under influence of growing concentration of greenhouse gases," Research Director of the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia Roman Vilfand said

Following the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Ansar Allah movement said it would strike Israeli territory

In early February, the IIHF Council extended its sanctions against Russian and Belarusian teams through the 2025-2026 season, with a stipulation that the decision could be reconsidered should the global political situation change

Elvira Nabiullina still noted that the economy "follows a 'soft landing' path"

The Russian president also ordered to take measures providing for the use of solutions based on artificial intelligence in manufacturing and operation of drones

A supplement to the sanction carve-out issued in November 2022 enabled Chevron to remain within the framework of laws when paying taxes and royalty to Venezuela, the news agency said

"Therefore, until such sad situation remains, any progress in talks on Ukraine’s admission to the EU is out of the question," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted more than 1,670 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed 19 enemy armored fighting vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week, the Defense Ministry reported

Meanwhile, the US leader also effectively indicated that it is premature to discuss tightening Washington’s sanctions against Moscow

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin also noted that Serbia has not joined Western sanctions against Russia and will continue to adhere to this stance

According to him, 'that's the key issue in the conflict'

The newspaper earlier pointed out that during Trump's potential state visit to the United Kingdom, Charles III could propose that the United States become a member of the British Commonwealth

Abrau-Dyurso exported about 1.5 mln bottles in 2024

The situation had already been critical when he and his fellow soldiers heard that Russian forces had broken through Ukrainian lines, Ukrainian Senior Sergeant Zenon Dashak said

The 2025 World Cup in artistic gymnastics will be held in Doha from April 16 to 19

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted more than 240 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed five enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

According to the magazine, "the White House does, in fact, have many options, if it wishes to undermine the alliance"

Secretary of Russia’s Security Council also stressed that Moscow is deeply concerned about the situation in Belgrade, and Russia will continue to do everything possible to support the fraternal Serbian people

After talks with his US counterpart Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a halt to attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure

Witkoff said in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson that the two leaders had sent signals to each other of their readiness for dialogue

The Office for National Statistics noted that the main factor that led to the GDP decline was a 0.9% drop in the manufacturing sector after its growth of 0.5% in December 2024

Dmitry Peskov also stated that Moscow "proceeds from statements made by the Iranian leadership and Iranian representatives that Iran has no plans to acquire nuclear weapons"

According to a tank commander with the call sign Veter, the Battlegroup Dnepr continues to carry out combat missions in the Zaporozhye direction, showing high efficiency and professionalism

According to the LBCI television channel, Hezbollah conveyed this information to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam

Taiwan’s defense agency has regularly recorded the approach of Chinese warplanes and warships of late

According to the acting regional governor, doctors, psychologists, legal experts and social welfare workers are providing the necessary assistance to the evacuees

According to the documents obtained by TASS, the supervisory agency approved the indictment and sent the charges to the capital's court

The previous meeting between Shoigu and Vulin took place in February, during which they discussed "the advancement of bilateral security cooperation and the current situation in Serbia"

The destruction of the gas metering station in Sudzha by Ukrainian forces is a provocation designed to undermine the peace initiatives of US President Donald Trump, Sergey Mironov stated

American journalist Tucker Carlson recalled that 'the Russian position is he is not elected,' so one 'can't sign any kind of treaty with him'

ccording to the sources, the White House will spare no expense in order to fulfill one of US President Donald Trump’s top Pentagon priorities

According to the Hamas official, the movement "is ready to accept any form of government in the Gaza Strip that will be agreed on"

Rate reduction can only be expected "after we will be confident that inflation is declining consistently, steadily, and with the pace enabling us to return inflation to 4% in 2026"

According to the paper, military facilities and officers’ barracks in the settlement of Nadzha came under attack

Mikhail Pavliv explained that in Jeddah, the Americans got everything they wanted in the military aspect from Ukraine very quickly

Grigory Karasin added that Russian delegation members would return home on March 25

"We have repeatedly said that introduction of so-called peacekeepers into Ukraine in practice would mean a foreign military intervention that further escalates the conflict," Maria Zakharova stated

The execution deadline is June 1, 2025

Back in 2021, the minister said that he had visited about 150 states, but Russia was always the most attractive country for him

At the same time, Russia’s air defense systems have shot down a MiG-29 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry reported

Russian companies quickly reacted to the withdrawal of Western brands, taking free niches, well done to them, the politician added

Rallies and marches in support for detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu are also held in Ankara and several other Turksih cities

American banks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are among those brokering deals on acquiring assets related to Russia, the agency said

The US president did not specify which specific regions he was referring to, but the White House has already made it clear that Russia is expected to maintain control over territories "that its troops already command," the newspaper said

The purchaser has not been named

The Al Jazeera channel reported that the Israeli military struck an ambulance near the city of Rafah in the south of the enclave

"If Berlin makes such claims, it means that Germany may have such plans itself; but in that case, Berlin needs to call things by their proper name," Maria Zakharova stated

The representative of the Investigative Committee did not specify which country it was

President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin said that any settlement option is unlikely to satisfy Europe

However, according to prime minister of the German state of Saxony Michael Kretschmer, Russia poses a threat at the moment

US Presidential Special Envoy noted he finds the claims that 'the Russians are going to march across Europe' odd

The Ukrainian top diplomat added that he expects Zelensky to hold talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

According to Halk TV, a court decision on pre-trial restrictions for Imamoglu is expected on Sunday morning

According to the Russian president, the CIA alert was enough to expose and arrest the criminals

Al Hadath added that Houthi Naval Forces Chief of Staff Mansur al-Sa'adi had suffered injuries in the attack

On March 3, Donald Trump described Vladimir Zelensky’s remark about the conflict being far from over as "the worst statement that could have been made"

Earlier, it was reported that, on Monday morning, Kiev attempted to strike the two airstrips with Soviet-made jet drones in order to disable Russian long-range aviation planes

There were four people onboard the plane

The European Union, Canada, the United States and Japan froze $300 billion worth of Russia's assets after the start of the special military operation

The Russian Defense Ministry said that air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 29 drones over the territory of the Rostov Region, 20 drones over the Astrakhan Region, three drones over the Voronezh Region, three drones over the territory of the Volgograd Region, two drones over the territory of the Republic of Crimea, and one drone in each of the Kursk and Saratov Regions

"Life has proved that those were true words. We did not chase anyone off, they left themselves, someone under pressure from their governments, someone out of fear, someone in solidarity with the neo-Nazis," the politician said

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stressed that "Western countries are ready to abandon their international legal obligations at literally any moment - whenever they feel like it, whenever it suits them"

Vulin expressed his gratitude to Shoigu and to Russian President Vladimir Putin for their "attitude and position" amid the ongoing events

Hamas is in discussion with mediators on the plan to resolve the conflict in Gaza proposed by US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff, Hamas spokesperson Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said earlier

Since the start of Israel’s military operation in October 2023, the total number of fatalities in the enclave has reached 49,747, while 113,213 people have sustained injuries

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that despite the agreement initiated by the US on not striking energy infrastructure facilities, Kiev continues treacherous attacks on Russian territory

They have been charged in absentia and placed on the wanted list

According to the People’s Front, UDK drones have destroyed over 50 US-made Bradley vehicles and over 30 M777 artillery guns

Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council opined that those companies would most probably want to get back

Clashes between protesters and police also took place in front of the Istanbul mayor’s office where a major opposition rally is taking place

As Dmitry Polyansky underlined, he is convinced that "the Security Council can and must play a role in the negotiating process and make sure that its results are observed by all parties"

At the same time, the Ukrainian president denied saying that he was ready "to discuss the question of Ukraine’s neutral status"

The US leader also reiterated that the Ukrainian conflict would have never happened if he had been president in 2022

Key facts about Russia's population since the year 1897

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have also lost more than 500 servicemen per day as a result of the actions of Russia’s Center battlegroup

The Ukrainian Armed Forces also lost up to 165 servicemen in the area of responsibility of Russia’s East battlegroup over the past 24 hours

Sergey Shoigu noted that representatives from over 100 countries had already confirmed their participation in the upcoming meeting

A report on the implementation of the order must be submitted to the head of state by June 15

Putin and Trump held a phone call on March 18, discussing the idea of a 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict

It is planned that Shoigu will meet with the leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Un and other leaders of the country

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, March 18th