Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk Oblast, said on March 15 that Russian forces destroyed three school buildings along with a boarding school for visually impaired children and a hospital in Rubizhne, a city in Luhansk Oblast.
Toma Istomina is the deputy chief editor of the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked for the Kyiv Post from 2017-2021, first as a staff writer, later taking editor roles. For co-founding the Kyiv Independent, Toma was selected as one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in 2022. She holds a master’s in international broadcasting from Taras Shevchenko University.Read more
"Thirty hours is enough for headlines, but not for real confidence-building measures," President Volodymyr Zelensky said. "Thirty days can give peace a chance."
A senior Ukrainian military officer said his unit and others received orders to cease fire on Russian positions minutes after the truce was set to begin. The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
"In Belgorod Oblast, our military advanced and increased our zone of control," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 19, citing reports from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
"The Verkhovna Rada, as it adopted (martial law), can cancel it, even if there are some decisions that require it," Defense Committee Secretary Roman Kostenko said in an interview with New Voice.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary ceasefire on the Easter weekend, ordering a halt to all military action from 6 p.m. Moscow time on April 19 until midnight on April 21.
Another 277 Ukrainian soldiers returned home in a major prisoner swap with Russia mediated by the United Arab Emirates, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on April 19.
Iran filed a case at the International Court of Justice on April 17, seeking to overturn a ruling by the International Civil Aviation Organization that held Tehran responsible for the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia deployed eight missiles of different types, and 87 long-range drones – 33 of which were shot down and 36 turned out to be decoy, on April 19.
"I encourage all my colleagues in Congress to come here," U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a pro-Ukraine Republican representing Pennsylvania, said during his visit to the front line.
Russian troops are solidifying their presence in the village of Kalynove in Donetsk Oblast as they prepare for an advance toward Stara Mykolaivka and the road to Kostiantynivka, Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState reported on April 18.
Moldova's parliament voted on April 17 to hold elections on Sept. 28 – a vote that could potentially threaten the majority currently held by pro-Western President Maia Sandu's party.
The U.S. indicated during recent talks in Paris that it has developed a draft concept for how a comprehensive ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia might be monitored if one can be achieved, a Western official said.
The attacks come shortly after Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that the 30-day partial ceasefire on energy infrastructure strikes had expired.
Lithuania will upgrade and fortify a second route through the Suwałki Gap, a strategically critical stretch of land along the Polish border viewed as one of the most likely targets for a future Russian attack on NATO.
A court in St. Petersburg sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to two years and eight months in a penal colony for allegedly "discrediting" the Russian army.
Recognizing Russia’s control of Crimea would mark a significant win for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long pushed for international legitimacy over the territory.
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