Reuters: Europe must have its own defense system against ballistic weapons, and Ukraine is already holding talks ​with several countries on its creation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr ‌Zelenskiy said on Sunday.

Ukrainska Pravda: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reported that Ukrainian long-range strikes caused losses of at least US$2.3 billion to Russia's oil industry in March.

Politico: Hungary's outgoing PM Orbán on Sunday signaled readiness to lift his veto over a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine before leaving office — if Kyiv restores the flow of oil to Hungary.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine is rapidly developing a defense technology market centered on artificial intelligence, with more than 200 companies involved in producing AI-powered drones, the Defense Ministry said on April 18.

Reuters: Eight people including a child remain hospitalised in Kyiv after being ‌wounded in a shooting that killed six people, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Sunday.

The Kyiv Independent: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will not let Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico use their airspace to travel to Moscow for Russia's Victory Day celebrations in May, officials said.

United24 Media: Ukraine has carried out the first recorded interception of a Shahed-type attack drone using an interceptor UAV launched from an unmanned surface vessel, marking a new development in maritime-based air defense.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian forces struck a Russian defense industry facility in the southern Russian city of Taganrog overnight on April 19, the General Staff confirmed. The targeted site was the Atlant-Aero plant, which develops and manufactures strike and reconnaissance drones for the Russian military.

ISW: Russian milbloggers criticized Russian air defense failures on the heels of the successful Ukrainian strike campaign against Russian oil and defense industrial infrastructure.

The Insider: Russia's doping program and its political assassination program not only share personnel — they also share a physical address and the same director. This is not by coincidence. For Putin's Kremlin, beating the "collective West" in the medals table and suppressing dissent at home are part of the same struggle for power.

Ukrainska Pravda: Ukraine has signed contracts worth UAH 11 billion (over $250 million) with manufacturers of ground drones as Ukraine's Defence Ministry steps up supplies of robotic systems to the armed forces.

The Kyiv Independent: Democratic U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin launched what he described as a "sweeping" investigation into Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, over a potential conflict of interest.

Reuters: Ukrainian drones struck a handful of Russia's oil facilities overnight, including two oil refineries in the ​Samara region, an oil depot in Crimea and a Baltic Sea port that exports ‌petroleum products, Russian local governors and a Ukrainian army official said on Saturday.

The Kyiv Independent: Senate Democrats condemned the U.S. Treasury Department's decision to issue a temporary license on April 17 allowing purchases of Russian oil stranded at sea, calling the move "shameful."

ISW: Ukrainian strikes are likely forcing Russia to deploy more resources to defend critical infrastructure in the Russian rear, which could restrain Russia from deploying those assets, including reservists, to the frontlines in Ukraine in the future.

Euronews: A Vilnius court began a trial on Friday into an allegedly Russia-linked case where parcels with exploding devices were sent to several Western countries from Lithuania through delivery networks.

The Kyiv Independent: New roads and artillery positions are being set up in Belarus alongside Ukraine's northern border, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 17, warning that Russia may again try to draw Minsk deeper into its war against Ukraine.

RFE/RL: A senior Republican lawmaker has raised concerns over continued US-origin components appearing in Russian weapon systems amid Ukrainian reports that recent drone strikes show evidence of Western microelectronics manufactured as recently as 2025.

Euronews: Hungary's incoming Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Friday that oil flows from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline could resume next week.

The Moscow Times: Authorities in northwestern Russia’s Leningrad region announced Friday a recruitment campaign for military reservists to bolster air defenses following a recent uptick in Ukrainian drone strikes on critical oil and export infrastructure.

Politico: The Pentagon’s top policy official is warning that future military support for Ukraine cannot depend on the United States, sharpening pressure on European allies to take the lead.

Reuters: Slovakia will file a lawsuit in the coming days challenging the European Union's decision ​to ban Russian gas imports, adopted by ‌a qualified majority, and will seek a preliminary injunction, PM Fico said on Friday.

Militarnyi: Only one-third of Russia’s Tu-160M strategic bombers are currently used for strikes against Ukraine. According to analysts at AviVector, the remaining two-thirds are occupied with testing, training, maintenance, modernization, or are still being built.

Reuters: Deutsche Bank has notified its supervisors of a ​possible breach of sanctions rules ‌that limit deposits of Russian individuals to less than 100,000 euros. The ⁠possible breach emerged after Deutsche ​Bank earlier this year formed ​a working group to study compliance with stricter sanctions laws.

The Kyiv Independent: A Ukrainian drone manufacturer "Wild Hornets" demonstrated on April 17 what it called a "record-breaking" launch of an interceptor drone over 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), with the operator based in northern Ukraine.

RBC-Ukraine: Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck the Podlet and Nebo-M radar systems, command posts, a boat storage depot, and other logistics facilities of Russian troops, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russa-Ukraine Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Do you think your friend or colleague should know about this newsletter? Forward it to them, please. They can also sign up here.

Here are my: Telegram & Socials

Please consider supporting my work