Ukraine-Russia conflict: Summary of major incidents, day 1,123 | Updates on the war between Ukraine and Russia
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Key updates from day 1,123 of Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine:
A summary of the key events on Sunday, March 23.
Combat Updates
Following a “massive enemy drone attack” on Kyiv, at least three people, including a five-year-old child, were killed, and several others were injured, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Fires were ignited in high-rise buildings, prompting the deployment of emergency services.
Russian shelling in the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk killed three individuals and wounded one in Kramatorsk, stated regional Governor Vadym Filashkin.
A drone strike on a vehicle in Russia’s Rostov region resulted in one fatality, reported acting Governor Yury Slyusar via Telegram.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claims its air defence units shot down 59 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 29 over Rostov, 20 over Astrakhan, and the remainder over Voronezh, Volgograd, Kursk, Saratov, and Crimea.
To combat a fire at an oil depot in Kavkazskaya following a Ukrainian drone attack, authorities in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region have deployed four water-filled firefighting trains.
Rescue workers and paramedics evacuate an elderly woman near a damaged building after a drone attack in Kyiv on March 23, 2025 [Genya Savilov/AFP]
Political and Diplomatic Developments
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy convened with senior military leaders in the country’s northeast, ahead of meetings with U.S officials in Saudi Arabia.
Advisers from the U.S National Security Council and State Department, including Andrew Peek and Michael Anton, will travel to Saudi Arabia for discussions with officials from Ukraine and Russia in the coming days.
The Russian delegation, led by Senator Grigory Karasin, hopes for “some progress” in the talks aimed at resolving the conflict.
Discussions will include measures to secure shipping safety in the Black Sea, as announced by the Kremlin.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Russia retains the right to a “symmetrical response” to attacks on its energy infrastructure by Ukraine, warning that these “provocations” are meant to disrupt negotiations.
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul emphasized that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia must cease, and that North Korea should not benefit from its actions in the pursuit of ending the conflict in Ukraine.
