ISW: Ukraine increasingly pressuring Russian positions as counteroffensive continues

U.S. senators from both parties met with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko in Washington on April 16, according to a press release published by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Despite initially making good progress on a lengthy list of reforms required by the EU since 2024, Kyiv slowed down last year and has now missed deadlines on almost 20 required changes.

Grinex, a sanctioned cryptocurrency exchange with ties to Russia, said it has suspended operations after a cyberattack resulted in the theft of more than 1 billion rubles (13.1 million dollars).

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said April 16 that the bloc is preparing to advance its 20th package of sanctions against Russia, even as Slovakia has indicated it may block the measure.

The United Kingdom has transferred 752 million pounds (about 1 billion dollars) in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, Ukraine's Finance Ministry said April 15.

"A new model of warfare is being introduced — drone assault units, which combine aerial and ground drones with infantry into a single system," the Defense Ministry said.

The Tuapse Oil Refinery, a Rosneft facility, is one of the 10 largest refineries in Russia.

The Baltic states have rejected similar accusations, calling Moscow's claims false and denying that Ukraine used their airspace for attacks.

Nestor Shufrych was arrested in 2023 on treason charges and later accused of financing Russia's National Guard in occupied Crimea to protect his real estate on the peninsula.

Yermak and Timur Mindich, a close Zelensky associate and a major suspect in the Energoatom case, have received summonses to attend hearings at the High Anti-Corruption Court but did not show up, according to the source. Mindich was not available for comment.

The statement follows the arrival of the Russian bulk carrier Abinsk in Haifa carrying nearly 44,000 tons of wheat that Kyiv says originated from occupied areas.