Russia reports attacking Ukraine's military airport, Ukraine says shooting down Russian drones

Russia claimed strikes on Ukrainian military targets, while Ukraine reported intercepting multiple Russian drones on Monday.

Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday said that over the past 24 hours, Russian troops had struck a Ukrainian military airfield's infrastructure, along with energy and transportation facilities, as well as temporary deployment points of the Ukrainian army and foreign mercenaries.

Russian air defense units intercepted three guided bombs and 72 fixed-wing drones launched by Ukrainian forces.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on the same day that as of Monday afternoon, 74 combat engagements had taken place along the front lines, with most of the fighting concentrated in the Pokrovsk direction.

In addition, Ukraine's Air Force reported having shot down or otherwise intercepted a total of 116 Russian drones between 17:30 on Sunday and 09:30 on Monday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Monday that Russia will not permit the deployment of any weapons on Ukrainian territory which threaten its security interests. He emphasized, in an interview with Russian media, that Russia must ensure its security in a context where some European nations are threatening war against it.

Regarding diplomacy, Lavrov noted the importance of the United States' position on the Ukraine issue. He said that while Russia had accepted a U.S. proposal for discussions on the issue, the United States was not prepared to accept the relevant suggestions put forward by the Russian side.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) stated on Monday that Ukraine and Poland were involved in the attempted assassination of Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev. Alekseyev, a deputy chief of Russia's military intelligence agency, was shot several times inside a residential building in northwest Moscow on Friday.

This followed an earlier announcement by the Russian Investigative Committee's spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko that the two suspects detained for the attack - Lyubomir Korba and Viktor Vasin - had admitted their involvement.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Friday stated that the Ukrainian government was not involved in the attack.

Russia reports attacking Ukraine's military airport, Ukraine says shooting down Russian drones

Global food commodity prices climbed for a second consecutive month in March, driven mainly by higher energy costs linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in report released on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4 percent from February and 1.0 percent above its level a year ago.

According to the report, the FAO Vegetable Oil Index and Sugar Price Index showed the largest increases, up 5.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.

The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 1.5 percent from the previous month, driven primarily by higher world wheat prices, which rose 4.3 percent.

The FAO Meat Price Index rose by 1.0 percent from the previous month, and the FAO All-Rice Price Index declined by 3.0 percent in March, according to the report.

FAO stated that rising energy and fertilizer prices have been driving up agricultural input costs.

If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days, farmers will have to choose to farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops, according to FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero.

These choices will hit future yields and shape food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and beyond, Torero said.

Global food prices rise for 2nd consecutive month in March amid Middle East conflict: FAO