27.04.2025

CNBC: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump hasn’t yet imposed penalties on Russia over its ongoing war with Ukraine because the White House is still hoping diplomacy can end the war.

AFP: Germany's defence minister on Sunday said Ukraine should not cede all territory occupied by Russia in a peace deal proposed by Trump, as the US president pressures Moscow and Kyiv to end fighting.

Reuters: Ukraine has agreed that the past U.S. aid provided to Kyiv will not be part of a minerals deal it aims to sign with Washington, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Sunday.

The Telegraph obtained classified Russian government documents showing Putin's top negotiator, Kirill Dmitriev, plotted to send expired Covid vaccines to Africa as part of a Russian influence operation in late 2022 (archive).

Times of Malta: FT claimed on Sunday that Russians hit with EU sanctions over the Ukraine invasion can partially circumvent the travel ban because of the controversial Maltese 'golden passport'.

The Kyiv Independent: Russian troops launched three airstrikes on Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast on the morning of April 27, killing three civilians and injuring four, Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported.

Radio Prague Int.: Czechia had delivered another 400,000 rounds of large-callibre ammunition to Ukraine by the end of April through its international initiative, Defence Minister Jana Černochová announced in Czech Television’s debate programme on Sunday.

AFP: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said Ukraine's army was still fighting in Russia's Kursk a day after Moscow claimed the "full liberation" of its western region.

The Kyiv Independent: Russia continues deploying small assault groups to infiltrate Ukrainian territory in Sumy Oblast to broaden the front line area, the State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko told Ukrinform on April 27.

ISW: Russia is likely preparing to systematically integrate motorcycle usage into offensive operations in Ukraine for Summer and Fall 2025, likely to offset adept Ukrainian drone capabilities.

26.04.2025

BBC: Royal Navy ships based in Plymouth and Portsmouth were deployed to track Russian warships through British waters this week, a navy spokesperson has said.

The Kyiv Independent: A Russian military helicopter of the Baltic Fleet violated Polish airspace on the evening of April 25, the Polish military command said.

CNN: US President Donald Trump questioned whether Putin wants a peace deal, shortly after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in the heart of the Vatican minutes before the start of the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.

NBC News: The CIA confirmed the death of Michael Gloss, 21, after a Russian news site reported that he had signed up to serve with Russian forces.

The Telegraph: The US has privately offered to provide security guarantees for Sir Keir Starmer’s “coalition of the willing”. US officials have opened the door to giving intelligence and logistical support for British and European soldiers to back up a Ukraine peace deal from land, air and sea (archive).

Reuters: Electronic payments systems in post offices, restaurants and the metro system were out of action in Ukraine early on Saturday, according to officials and Reuters witnesses.

The Kyiv Independent: Interpol in Botswana began investigating Alabuga Start, billed in Africa as a work-study program in Russia for "ambitious young women" but linked to the production of military drones, for possible involvement with human trafficking, Bloomberg reported on April 25.

The Kyiv Independent: Yevgeny Rytikov, a Russian engineer involved in modernizing electronic warfare systems used against Ukraine, was killed in a car bombing in western Russia overnight on April 18, Ukrainian and Russian media outlets reported on April 25.

25.04.2025

Politico: Sen. Chuck Grassley warned Trump that Russia was “playing America” on Friday, asking him to punish the country for attacking Ukraine amid ceasefire negotiations.

Reuters: The secretive Russian satellite in space that U.S. officials believe is connected to a nuclear anti-satellite weapon program has appeared to be spinning uncontrollably, suggesting it may no longer be functioning in what could be a setback for Moscow's space weapon efforts, according to U.S. analysts.

The Kyiv Independent: The North Korean ballistic missile that Russia fired at Kyiv during its April 24 mass strike contained at least 116 components sourced from multiple countries — most of them made by U.S. companies — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 25.

AFP: President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Crimea belongs to Ukraine and that his position had not changed after statements by Trump questioning the future status of the peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014.

Bloomberg: The Danish defense intelligence service said Russia sought to stir up tensions between the US and Denmark by spreading fake news about Greenland earlier this year (archive).

Reuters: Ukraine has detained a foreign vessel in its territorial waters which it alleges was involved in the illegal trade of stolen Ukrainian grain, the state security service SBU said on Friday.

The Kyiv Independent: Chairs of the foreign affairs committees of eight European parliaments on April 25 urged Trump to end "the policy of appeasement" towards Russia, and called for a "resolute stance" against Moscow. The statement was signed by chairs of the foreign affairs committees of the U.K., France, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine.

In his interview with TIME, Trump blamed Kyiv for initiating the war. “I think what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO,” the President says. The negotiated peace he is pursuing would hand Putin some 20% of Ukrainian territory. “Crimea will stay with Russia,” Trump says.

Reuters: Ukrainian and European officials pushed back this week against some U.S. proposals on how to end Russia's war in Ukraine, making counterproposals on issues from territory to sanctions, according to the full texts of the proposals seen by Reuters.

The Moscow Times: A senior general in the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff was killed in a car explosion east of Moscow on Friday, police investigators confirmed.

AFP: Dutch prosecutors said on Friday they had brought criminal charges against the country's largest shipbuilder, including in relation to breaking sanctions against Russia.

Reuters: Moscow and Tehran have reached a deal on 55 billion cubic metres of Russian gas supplies a year, though prices are yet to be agreed, while Russia also pledged to fund construction of a new nuclear power plant in Iran, officials said on Friday.

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