A blaze in Dnipro city in south-central Ukraine after a Russian drone strike, March 28, 2025

Friday’s Coverage: Europe to US — Don’t Lift Sanctions on Russia

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 0828 GMT:

At least four civilians have been killed and at least 47 injured by Russian attacks over the past day.

Air defenses downed 94 of 172 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 69 were lost to electronic counter-measures.

The fatalities and at least 24 of the injured were from drone strikes last night on Dnipro city (see Original Entry).

At least eight people were wounded by a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih, also in the Dnipropetrovsk region. High-rise buildings, houses, a school, and a car wash were damaged.

Other casualties were reported in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions.

UPDATE 0822 GMT:

BBC Russian and the independent Russian outlet Mediazona have identified 100,001 Russian soldiers who have been killed during Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The names of 2,007 Russian soldiers have been added since mid-March. The list includes more than 4,800 officers, 24,200 volunteers, 16,100 recruited prisoners, and 11,600 mobilized soldiers.

The outlets note that actual figures are likely to be higher, as their verified information comes from public sources such as obituaries, posts by relatives, regional media reports, and statements from local authorities.

UK analysts said last week that they estimate 200,000 to 250,000 slain Russian soldiers during the invasion, the highest figure for Moscow since World War II. Ukraine’s General Staff says 912,490 Russian troops have been killed or wounded.

UPDATE 0816 GMT:

Ukrainian forces have advanced 3 to 4 km (1.8 to 2.5 miles) into the Belgorod region in western Russia, according to Russian military observers and independent analysts.

The observers describe heavy fighting in the settlements of Popovka and Demidovka, with both sides deploying drones and artillery. Russian forces have reportedly moved reinforcements from the neighboring Kursk region, where Moscow is trying to regain all the territory taken by Ukraine since a cross-border incursion last August.

UPDATE 0806 GMT:

Staff of Ukrainian Railways have spoken about their response to an “unprecedented” cyberattack that affected online services for almost four days.

Spokesperson Anastasia Zolotaryova summarized on Thursday:

Everyone is working around the clock. This is no joke.

Our IT workers have slept only two hours in the past day. They step out to rest when they have no strength left and then return to continue restoration efforts.

The attack prevented any online purchases and stranded passengers with digital copies of tickets.

Some ticket clerks worked continuously for several days, spending nights at stations. Personnel were brought from less busy stations in cities up to 90 km (56 miles) away.

UPDATE 0800 GMT:

Ukraine has received the bodies of 909 slain soldiers, the largest repatriation during Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The troops were returned from the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said it was “grateful for the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross”.

UPDATE 0755 GMT:

UN human rights chief Volker Türk has noted that despite talks about a ceasefire, “Fighting in Ukraine has intensified, and is killing and injuring even more civilians. Casualty figures in the first three months of this year were 30% higher than the same period last year.”

Türk told the Human Rights Council on Friday:

Recent weeks have seen intense activity around a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, which would be very welcome. Limited ceasefires that protect shipping lanes and infrastructure are a welcome step forward.

What is most needed now is an end to the horrific suffering being inflicted daily in Ukraine.

UPDATE 0746 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv will not accept any mineral rights deal that threatens its integration with the European Union.

Earlier this week the Trump Administration sent a proposal demanding first rights to purchase resources, recouping all the aid given to Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion — plus 4% annual interest — before any access by Kyiv to profits.

The demand supersedes an agreement under which the US and Ukraine would have 50-50 control of mineral revenues. That was scuttled when US Vice President J.D. Vance ambushed Zelensky in a White House encounter on February 28.

Zelensky said Ukrainian lawyers need to review the draft, “entirely different” from the aborted agreement, before he can comment about the new US proposal. He made clear that Kyiv will not recognize billions of dollars of past US aid as loans to be repaid.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: In Russia’s latest mass murder of Ukraine’s civilians, four people were killed by a drone strike on Dnipro city on Friday night.

At least 21 civilians were injured in the attack on south-central Ukraine, with fires set in a hotel, restaurant complex, and 11 private residences.

Three of the wounded are in critical condition.

More than 20 drones targeted the city. Most were shot down, but several high-rises buildings were damaged.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted:

Dnipro has been recurrently attacked throughout Russia’s 37-month invasion. In January 2023, 46 civilians were slain and 80 injured in a missile strike on a residential building. Later deadly assaults included destruction of schools and hospitals.

See also Ukraine War, Day 327: Zelenskiy — Russians’ “Cowardly Silence” as Dnipro Death Toll Rises to 40

Ukraine War, Day 976: Russia Hits Dnipro Hospital, Kills 4 and Injures 20