Russians attacked Zaporizhzhia with glide bombs, injuring 6, including 4-year-old child

Russia launched a guided aerial bomb attack on the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia on the evening of March 20, injuring six people, including a four-year-old boy, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov reported.

The attack, which occurred around 6:30 p.m. local time, also caused severe damage to residential areas. Two homes were destroyed, three others were damaged, and multiple cars caught fire. Emergency services responded swiftly, providing medical aid to the injured and extinguishing the fires.

Zaporizhzhia, a city that had a pre-war population of around 710,000, has been a frequent target of Russian strikes. The region is also home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, currently under Russian occupation, which has been a key topic in recent U.S.-Ukraine peace discussions.

Odessa suffered from a massive drone strike overnight, with 3 injured

Russia launched a mass drone attack on Odesa overnight on March 20-21, injuring three people, including a minor, and damaging civilian infrastructure, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported.

The attack caused multiple fires and triggered emergency blackouts across three districts. A residential high-rise, a shopping center, and several shops were among the damaged structures.

This large-scale strike comes just two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 30-day partial "ceasefire" that was supposed to halt attacks on Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure.

Odesa, a strategic port city on the Black Sea, has been a frequent target of Russian drone and missile strikes throughout the full-scale invasion.

Putin advised Russian oligarchs not to wait for the end of the war

Before his phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a closed-door meeting with owners and executives of Russia’s largest companies, where he indicated that a rapid peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine was unlikely.

According to sources cited by Faridaily, Putin told business leaders that the negotiation process would be difficult and prolonged despite Washington’s optimism. One participant recalled Putin advising them “not to be naive” about the complex interests involved. Another source noted that Putin was “positive but objective,” emphasizing that ending the war and lifting sanctions would not be quick or straightforward.

Publicly, Putin urged Russian businesses to temper their expectations, warning that even if sanctions were lifted, the West would find other ways to exert pressure on Russia.

The US seeks to renew the terms of the mineral agreement with Ukraine, adding ZNPP

According to the Financial Times report on March 20, 2025, the Trump administration is pushing to renegotiate the terms of a minerals deal with Ukraine, expanding U.S. economic demands as part of its efforts to broker a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow. Initially agreed in February, the deal aimed to grant the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical minerals and energy assets, establishing a reconstruction fund fueled by 50% of Ukraine’s state-owned resource revenues. Now, the U.S. seeks to include control over the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, in a broader economic package, according to two Ukrainian officials. This move has raised concerns in Kyiv about sovereignty and the lack of firm security guarantees, especially as Trump’s team ties the deal to a potential ceasefire, despite earlier Ukrainian concessions and the exclusion of a prior $500 billion repayment demand.

Putin prepares his people for a long war, ISW reported how he wants to use the negotiations

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin is conditioning the Russian public for a prolonged war in Ukraine, aiming to use future ceasefire talks to extract preventive concessions from Ukraine and the U.S.

Recent statements from Putin and Kremlin officials have emphasized the complexity of negotiations, the alleged illegitimacy of Ukraine’s leadership, and divisions between the U.S. and Europe. These narratives suggest that Russia remains committed to its goal of conquering Ukraine and seeks peace only on its own terms.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reiterated that Ukraine's leadership is illegitimate and demanded that Kyiv revoke its 2022 decree banning negotiations with Moscow. He also suggested that Ukraine amend its constitution to allow recognition of Russia’s illegal annexations—an apparent attempt to pressure Ukraine into territorial concessions.

The ISW further notes that the Kremlin is working to exacerbate tensions between the U.S. and Europe to weaken NATO and disrupt Western support for Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov recently claimed that European military initiatives contradict Putin and Trump’s supposed peace efforts, portraying Europe as a direct party to the war.

Trump has not raised the issue of Crimea in our conversation - Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy clarified that U.S. President Donald Trump has not raised the issue of Russian-occupied Crimea in their recent discussions.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Zelenskyy addressed media reports suggesting that Trump might consider recognizing Crimea as Russian territory in a potential peace deal.

"Trump has not raised this issue [Crimea] in talks with me," Zelenskyy said, adding that their last discussion about Crimea took place in September in New York. According to Zelenskyy, Trump was curious about why Ukrainians hold Crimea in such high regard, to which Zelenskyy responded by emphasizing that Crimea is an inseparable part of Ukraine.

Russians advance in Donetsk Oblast and Russia's Kursk Oblast

Analysts from the DeepState project reported that Russian forces have advanced in both Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast and Russia's Kursk Oblast during the night of March 20-21.

According to DeepState, Russian troops made gains in the village of Zaporizhzhia in Donetsk Oblast. Additionally, analysts noted Russian advancements within their own territory in Kursk Oblast.

Earlier, Ukraine's General Staff stated that 156 combat clashes had taken place on March 20, with 51 of them occurring on the Pokrovsk front, indicating ongoing intense fighting.