Iryna Voichuk

While Russian officials claim that the cause of the explosion was a technical malfunction, a Russian Telegram Mash channel has reported the alleged use of homemade explosives.

Jan Jires, the Czech Republic's director general for defense policy and strategy, told Bloomberg that the initiative is "demonstrating we are actually doing something, not waiting what is going to happen on the (Capitol) Hill."

To bridge the gap caused by the A-50 losses, Russia is likely exploring alternatives, including repurposing aircraft and reactivating mothballed A-50s.

Ukrainian air defense destroyed 14 Shahed drones over Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.

Overnight, Russian Shahed drone strikes killed five civilians in Odesa and one in Kharkiv Oblast.

Switzerland's latest sanctions include a ban on the export of drone components to Russia, as part of efforts to curb its military capabilities.

The Netherlands is set to supply Ukraine combat and patrol boats, alongside a €250 million contribution to a Czech initiative for artillery shells.

The move aims to address the concerns of protesting farmers across Europe and facilitate trade that benefits the entire bloc, the EU Transport Commissioner said.

Canada has announced additional import restrictions on Russian diamonds, targeting indirect imports of diamonds weighing 1 carat and above.

"This year, seven vocational schools in Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv oblasts will offer training for civil drone operators," Ukraine's Digital Minister announced.

The Netherlands pledges €2 billion in military aid to Ukraine for 2024 as part of a new security agreement signed in Kharkiv.

For the first time, an international mechanism is being used to address the issue of detained Ukrainian civilians by Russia.

As the EU's energy ministers are set to meet in Brussels on 4 March, Lithuania has prepared a document suggesting that the European Commission should introduce legislation to enforce the 2027 deadline for phasing out Russian gas and LNG.

Amid Ukraine's artillery shortage and a stalled $60 billion aid package in the US Congress, US President Joe Biden is urging G7 nations to make progress on plans to tap frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine by their June meeting, Bloomberg reported.