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Morning Headlines
The Kyiv Independent: The Pentagon has released a $400 million military aid package for Ukraine after months of delays and mounting pressure from U.S. lawmakers, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on April 29.
Politico: EU countries are preparing a package of short-term benefits for Ukraine to bring it closer to the bloc after capitals rejected plans to fast-track full membership. The emerging offer would include greater market access and deeper participation in EU programs and institutions.
Reuters: Russian drones attacked Ukraine's southern city of Odesa overnight, for the second time this week, wounding at least 18 people and damaging residential buildings, officials said on Thursday.
The Kyiv Independent: At least two fuel storage tanks caught fire at an oil pumping station in Russia’s Perm Krai following a drone attack on April 30, according to Russian Telegram channels and local media.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian drones struck an explosives plant in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, and explosions were heard overnight on April 30, social media channels reported.
ISW has observed geolocated evidence that Ukrainian forces conducted at least 18 strikes against Russian oil infrastructure and at least 41 strikes against Russian military assets in at least 19 Russian federal subjects in April 2026.
AP News: Trump on Wednesday leveled a new threat against NATO ally Germany, suggesting he could soon reduce the U.S. military presence there as he continues to feud with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S-Israel war against Iran.
More News
The Kyiv Independent: Putin held a phone call with Trump to discuss the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov and the U.S. leader separately confirmed on April 29. According to Ushakov, the Russian leader voiced readiness to declare a temporary truce in Ukraine for the Victory Day celebrations, which Russia holds on May 9. Trump backed the initiative, the Russian official claimed.
United24 Media: Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko is scheduled to perform at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on June 18, 2026, according to the venue’s official website.
The Kyiv Independent: The EU's culture commissioner, Glenn Micallef, told members of the European Parliament that he will not attend the May 9 opening of the Venice Biennale due to its decision to invite Russian participation, in a speech on April 29.
The Moscow Times: Tuareg rebels in Mali want Russian forces to leave the country, a spokesman for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition told AFP on Wednesday, coming after Al-Qaeda-linked militants and armed separatists launched a major offensive over the weekend.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian drones struck two Russian helicopters in Russia's Voronezh Oblast, more than 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the front line, Ukraine's 414th Separate Unmanned Strike Aviation Systems Brigade reported on April 29.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian drones struck a Russian air defense system and oil depot in occupied Crimea overnight on April 29, the General Staff reported.
Reuters: The U.S. will give $100 million towards repairs of the vast radiation containment dome at the Chornobyl plant in northern Ukraine, site of the world's worst atomic accident in 1986, after the dome was damaged by a Russian drone, Kyiv's energy minister said on Wednesday.
The Kyiv Independent: Ambassadors of the EU 27 countries agreed in a meeting on April 29 that the EU should sign up to a Council of Europe special tribunal dedicated to prosecuting Russia's leadership for the international crime of aggression against Ukraine.
United24 Media: Ukrainian military intelligence units, in coordination with Territorial Defense forces, carried out an operation that resulted in the heaviest reported personnel losses for Russia’s Rosgvardia-affiliated “Akhmat” unit since the start of the full-scale invasion.
The Kyiv Independent: Oil facilities in Russian cities of Perm and Orsk were struck by Ukrainian drones overnight on April 29, local authorities and Telegram channels reported.
United24 Media: Ukrainian naval drones struck the sanctioned oil tanker MARQUISE in the Black Sea, approximately 210 kilometers southeast of the Russian port city of Tuapse.
Euronews: Ukraine is tracking multiple vessels carrying grain it says Russia stole from the occupied territories and shipped to at least four countries, as the diplomatic row over Ukraine and Israel over another stolen grain purchase rumbles on.
Reuters: Russian and Belarusian boxers will be allowed to compete as neutral athletes, World Boxing said on Tuesday, aligning with the International Olympic Committee's stance adopted after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Reuters: German police have arrested a Kazakh national on suspicion of spying for a foreign intelligence service, including sending information to Russia about military support for Ukraine and the German defence industry, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Reuters: Russia has attacked port infrastructure in Ukraine's southern Odesa region with drones in overnight strikes that also damaged residential buildings and a hospital and left two people wounded, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.
worth mentioning
Russia’s sports comeback fuels anger in Ukraine
Abramovich tied to Russian payment platform created to evade sanctions, serving drone makers
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