Monday | March 3, 2025
When emergency responders arrived at the home of Tetyana Kulyk and her husband, Pavlo Ivanchov, shortly after a Russian drone strike on Wednesday, there was nothing they could do but recover their charred remains.
Kulyk, a respected Ukrainian journalist, and Ivanchov, a surgeon and university professor, were killed when the drone struck their home just north of Kyiv. Neighbors told Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne, that they heard screams and rushed to help. However, when they tried to enter through the garage, they found the house engulfed in an impenetrable blaze.
As U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for “a deal” to end the war in Ukraine—and publicly rebukes Ukraine’s president at the White House—Moscow continues its relentless attacks. Kulyk and Ivanchov are among more than 75 Ukrainian civilians killed by Russian strikes since Trump’s “highly productive” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin less than three weeks ago.
Following that call, Trump expressed confidence that Putin wanted to end the war. “I think he wants to stop fighting. I see that. We spoke long and hard,” he said. Yet, while Trump pressures Zelensky to negotiate, Putin continues his aggression—violating previous agreements, waging an unprovoked invasion, and ordering attacks on Ukrainian civilians daily.
Speaking before cameras on Friday, Trump criticized Zelensky for “the hatred he’s got for Putin” and accused him of refusing to seek peace—an accusation Zelensky swiftly rejected. On Monday, he reiterated his position, emphasizing that Russia had continued striking civilian targets throughout the past week.
“Those who seek negotiations do not deliberately target civilians with ballistic missiles. To stop Russia’s attacks, we need greater collective strength from the world,” Zelensky said in a statement.
“Ukraine is fighting for the normal and safe life it deserves—for a just and lasting peace. We want this war to end. But Russia does not, and it continues its aerial terror,” he added.
Since Trump’s conversation with Putin, Russia has launched more than 3,000 drones and at least 35 missiles at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The toll continues to rise, with over 75 civilians already dead.
Nearly 300 others, including many children, have been injured, according to a CNN count based on statements from Ukrainian officials.
Despite overwhelming evidence, Russia continues to deny targeting civilian infrastructure, instead pointing to casualties on its own territory from Ukrainian attacks.
Among those killed in recent weeks was Olga Moroz, a baker born in 1968, who died when a Russian rocket struck the yard of her home in Kramatorsk. Friends described her as a hardworking and cheerful woman who was caring for her elderly mother.
In Kryvyi Rih, a Russian missile hit a building, crushing 21-year-old Vladimir Pimenov. Local media reported that Pimenov, a talented dancer, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. His girlfriend was critically wounded in the attack and remains hospitalized.
In the town of Bilytske, in the Donetsk region, a Russian strike on a residential building killed Yevhen and Olga Buryane, young parents of two children. Local volunteers have since organized a fundraiser to support the orphaned children.
Several Ukrainian civilians lost their lives on Friday as Trump and Zelensky prepared for—and then held—their tense meeting at the White House.
A Russian drone strike on a minibus in Kherson killed a civilian passenger, according to Ukrainian prosecutors. In the eastern town of Lyman, two men in their early sixties were killed by Russian drones while cycling through the area.
Over the weekend, at least seven more Ukrainian civilians, including a teenager, were killed in Russian attacks.
Putin demands more of Ukraine’s territory
Earlier this month, Trump sent a delegation of American diplomats to Saudi Arabia for peace talks with Russian officials—without inviting Ukraine to participate.
The meeting lasted over four hours and was described by a member of Moscow’s negotiating team as “positive.” While Trump suggested that Putin is ready to negotiate, the Russian leader has instead been doubling down on demands that Kyiv has long deemed unacceptable.
Putin’s objectives remain unchanged: He seeks full control over Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, in addition to holding onto Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.
According to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War, Russia currently occupies about 99% of the Luhansk region, 70% of Donetsk, and roughly 75% of both Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Trump and his officials have repeatedly stated that Ukraine is unlikely to reclaim much of its pre-war territory. The former president even suggested that Ukraine “may be Russian someday.”
According to Ukrainian officials, approximately 6 million people— including 1 million children—are currently living under Russian occupation, a situation the United Nations has described as a “bleak human rights situation.”
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to make slow but steady advances along the frontlines, capturing more Ukrainian territory. The eastern cities of Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk have come under heavy attack in recent days, with nine people killed in Kostyantynivka and three in Pokrovsk over the past week, Ukrainian officials reported.
While many of these assaults have targeted Ukraine’s eastern regions, the past three weeks have proven that nowhere in the country is truly safe.
On the same day that Trump and Putin spoke, Russia launched missiles at Kyiv, killing one person and injuring a child. The Russian military has also continued deadly strikes on civilians in Kryvyi Rih, a central Ukrainian city, as well as in Kherson, in the south.
As news of their deaths spread on Wednesday, Kulyk and Ivanchov were remembered by friends and colleagues, who paid tribute to their achievements and dedication.
Serhiy Cherevaty, director general of Ukrinform—the Ukrainian National News Agency where Kulyk worked—praised her commitment to reporting on Ukraine’s soldiers.
“She will forever remain in our hearts and in our memory,” he said in a statement.
Serhiy Tomilenko, president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, described Kulyk as “not just a professional in her field, but a voice that told the world about the resilience of the Ukrainian people.”
The Bogomolets National Medical University, where Ivanchov worked, highlighted his lasting contributions to the institution.
“He didn’t just operate—he organized the entire healing process, from admission to discharge. He passed his knowledge on to students and colleagues and was a role model for aspiring doctors and responsible citizens,” the university stated.
“Ivanchov,” it added, “was the person who made the university into what it is today.”