06.04.2025

The Guardian: Britain is “behind the curve” in tracking Russia’s deep-sea operations, an ex-minister has said, after spy sensors targeting Royal Navy submarines were found in waters around the UK.

AP News: Ukraine will send a team to Washington this week to begin negotiations on a new draft of a deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s valuable mineral resources.

Ukrainska Pravda: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Russia is refusing to agree to an unconditional ceasefire because it wants to maintain its ability to launch strikes on Ukrainian cities and ports from the Black Sea.

FT: Trump risks making a “historical mistake” if his negotiations to end the war in Ukraine result in the US recognising Russia’s claims to Crimea and other occupied territory, says the Polish government’s adviser on Ukraine (archive).

The Insider: Russia’s aviation import substitution program — originally meant as a response to sanctions — has been a complete failure. Not a single plane has been fully assembled, let alone certified.

The Kyiv Independent: Intercepted calls released by Ukraine's military intelligence suggest a Russian commander losing his temper and ordering his soldiers to shoot at their own comrades in a neighbouring unit.

Reuters: A Russian missile attack on Kyiv killed one man and injured three other people overnight, causing damage and fires in several districts in the biggest such attack on Ukraine for weeks, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.

ISW: European and NATO officials emphasized that a strong Ukrainian military backed by European security guarantees remains the most effective deterrent against future Russian aggression to ensure long-term peace in Ukraine and Europe.

AP News: “While politicians discuss natural resources, possible territorial concessions, geopolitical interests and even Zelenskyy’s suit in the Oval Office, they’re not talking about people,” said Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties.

The Kyiv Independent: Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Hungary is on "Putin's team" in an interview with German outlet Rheinische Post, published on April 5. "To be divided, you would need two major parties. We have Hungary, a very weak country, that's on Putin's team. Not on our European team," Tsahkna said.

05.04.2025

The Kyiv Independent: Russia's missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on April 4 killed 20 people, including nine children, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rih's military administration.

The Insider: The Russian disinformation network “Matryoshka” is spreading fake videos on X, posing as Western media and quoting “relatives of Nikola Tesla” who glorify Elon Musk and criticize Ukrainians.

The Guardian: Trump’s administration has acknowledged and apologized after it says it accidentally informed some Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country’s invasion by Russia that they needed to leave the US because their legal status was being revoked.

Reuters: Fake cosmetics, massage pillows and sex toys. Crude homemade explosives. A Russian known as Warrior. A code word: Mary. These are among the key elements of a suspected Russian-run sabotage plot that led to three parcels being detonated at courier depots in Britain, Germany and Poland last summer.

The Kyiv Independent: French President Emmanual Macron is readying to become Europe's point person in negotiations with Putin, per the Telegraph.

The Guardian: A US neo-Nazi terrorist group with a Russia-based leader is calling for targeted assassinations and attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine in an effort to destabilize the country as it carries out ceasefire negotiations with the Kremlin.

Ukrainska Pravda: Ukrainian forces have begun using fibre-optic drones with a combat range of 20 km, as announced by Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian deep-strike drones hit Russian fiber-optic and explosives factories on the night of April 4. The strikes targeted factories in Samara and Mordovia oblasts.

04.04.2025

Reuters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that European military planners could be ready within a month with details of a foreign troop contingent in Ukraine seen as critical to ending the war with Russia.

The Moscow Times: Russia has started transferring North Korean long-range artillery systems to annexed Crimea, the German broadcaster ZDF reported Friday, in a potential indication that Pyongyang’s involvement in the war on Ukraine could soon be expanded.

The Kyiv Independent: The Norwegian government approved an increase in aid to Ukraine in 2025, raising total assistance to 85 billion Norwegian kroner ($7.8 billion), state broadcaster NRK reported on April 4.

Reuters: Berlin has been paying for Ukraine's access to a satellite-internet network operated by France's Eutelsat, as Europe seeks alternatives to Elon Musk’s Starlink.

CNN: Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas called out members of his party behind closed doors this week for parroting Russian disinformation and Putin’s talking points.

AP News: Thousands took to the streets Friday in the Central African Republic to protest President Faustin Archange Touadera’s plans to run for a third term with the backing of Russian-led mercenaries from the Wagner group.

Reuters: Russia has committed to helping military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger acquire arms and training for a planned 5,000-strong force to deploy in the central Sahel region, a statement said.

FT: Europe must agree a “road map” with the US to shift the burden of defending the continent away from Washington, Finland’s defence minister has said, and at the same time avoid a disjointed switch that Russia could exploit (archive).

Reuters: The United States will know in a matter of weeks if Russia is serious about peace with Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday, after European allies accused Moscow of stalling over the Trump administration's call for a ceasefire.

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