Overview
- During a visit to command posts near Drushkivka, Zelensky said Russian forces are preparing a spring push and ordered stronger defensive positions.
- Ukrainian troops hold roughly one-fifth of Donetsk, including a fortified zone around the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk area.
- Moscow and Kyiv have restarted talks on ending the war, but Ukraine rejects Russia’s demand to withdraw its forces from the region.
- Over the past two days, the sides exchanged about 1,000 prisoners, with a further 300 freed on each side yesterday, in an operation mediated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
- Tensions with Hungary persisted after the release of detained Ukrainians, as Budapest kept seized cash and gold valued at about €69 million and nine one‑kilogram bars, according to Ukraine’s central bank chief.