Russia promotes forced adoption of Ukrainian children

5:50 PM

Chinese officials separately met with US, Russian counterparts at Western Pacific Naval Symposium.

Senior Chinese military officials separately met U.S. and Russian naval counterparts at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said during a press briefing on April 25.

5:35 PM

Russian attack on city in Kharkiv Oblast injures at least 7.

Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said that Russia struck the area near the railway station in Balakliia.

5:28 PM

European Parliament condemns Putin's election as illegitimate.

The European Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a resolution condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin's March presidential election as illegitimate, Ukrinform reported on April 25.

4:02 PM

European Parliament adopts resolution condemning Georgia's foreign agents law.

EU officials have previously strongly suggested that the law's passage would hurt Georgia's chances of becoming a member of the EU.

3:58 PM

Russia uses KAB guided bomb to strike infrastructure in Sumy.

In the previous 24 hours, Russian forces struck four communities in Sumy Oblast in six separate attacks throughout the day, the regional administration reported on April 24.

3:43 PM

Russian shelling of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast injures 2.

A Russian artillery attack against Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on April 25 injured a 74-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man, Governor Serhii Lysak said.

3:24 PM

Media: Number of Russian drones on front lines has doubled in 3 months.

The sources in the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces told the outlet that Ukrainian efforts to counter drones by electronic means were becoming less effective as Moscow's forces adapted to changes in technology.

3:21 PM

Lithuania ridicules Belarusian claim of thwarted drone attack.

Major Gintautas Ciunis, a representative of the Strategic Communications Department of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, promptly denied the unsupported allegations soon after.

3:11 PM

Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast kill 3, injure 1.

Udachne, a village in the western part of the Pokrovsk district, was most likely hit by a Russian missile. Two people were killed and one injured, the governor reported.

2:39 PM

Minister: Lithuania may assist Ukraine in returning military-aged men.

Lithuania's Defense Minister, Laurynas Kasciunas, said he was closely watching his Polish counterparts who announced a similar stance on April 24, though did not specify exactly what measures would be taken.

1:39 PM

Russian governor claims Russians tricked into donating to Ukraine's military.

Residents of Russia's Kemerovo Oblast were "made" by "cyber swindlers" to send millions of rubles to accounts connected to Ukraine's Armed Forces, the regional governor, Sergey Tsivilyov, claimed on April 24.

1:37 PM

Russian media: Russian deputy defense minister detained for bribery stripped of his position, assets.

Law enforcement agencies told TASS that "Everything that is registered to (Ivanov) and his wife, as well as to his ex-wives and five children, including adopted ones, (and) all this property has already been seized" for the purpose of interim measures should Ivanov be convicted.

1:15 PM

German defense minister: Russia already produces surplus military equipment.

Russia is already producing more arms and military equipment than it needs for its war against Ukraine, and is filling its weapons warehouses, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said, as reported by the German television channel n-tv on April 25.

12:23 PM

Reuters: Satellite imagery shows ship likely used to transfer North Korean arms to Russia docked in Chinese port.

The U.K.'s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank said the cargo ship the Angara, currently docked at a shipyard in China's eastern Zhejiang province, has been involved in carrying North Korean military cargo to Russia overseas.

12:10 PM

Bloomberg: Qatar to host meeting on Ukrainian peace plan.

The final list of countries attending the Qatar meeting has not been finalized but Russia has not been invited and China's participation remains unclear, Bloomberg said.

11:34 AM

Italy to cooperate with UNESCO in rebuilding Odesa, cathedral damaged by Russian attacks.

The historic cathedral was partially destroyed by Russian missile strikes on the city in July 2023, which also killed one person and injured at least 18 others.

11:27 AM

NYT: US secretly sent Ukraine over 100 ATACMS last week.

The U.S. secretly shipped over 100 long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine last week, some of which were immediately deployed and used to strike a Russian military airfield in Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea, the New York Times (NYT) reported on April 25.

10:58 AM

Russian media reports fire at oil production facility in Omsk.

The press service of Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement that three 200-liter containers of petroleum products were on fire at an undisclosed location.

10:31 AM

Ukraine's Mariia Sulialina wins 2024 Civil Rights Defender award.

Ukraine's human rights activist Mariia Sulialina has won the 2024 Civil Rights Defender of the Year Award, the organization announced on April 25. Sulialina, who heads the Ukrainian human rights organization Almenda, has been documenting Russia's war crimes against children.

9:42 AM

UPDATED: Russia strikes critical infrastructure in Cherkasy Oblast, injures 6.

Ihor Taburets, Governor of Cherkasy Oblast, said that a critical infrastructure facility had been struck and damaged but did not specify what it was.

9:41 AM

Russia vetoes UN vote on nuclear weapons in space.

Speaking on April 24, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., described Russia's veto as "baffling."

9:10 AM

Reuters: Next round of EU sanctions on Russia to target shadow fleet, ships transporting North Korean equipment.

EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said earlier in April that the bloc is preparing its 14th round of sanctions against Russia, which should be adopted in spring.

9:07 AM

ISW: Effectiveness of new ATACMS may be blunted by delays in US aid.

The months-long delay in U.S. military aid for Ukraine may have given Russian forces time to mitigate the effectiveness of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) long-range missile strikes, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on April 24.

8:11 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 462,980 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,040 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

7:51 AM

FT: UK defense chief says Ukraine to increase long-range strikes in Russia.

Ukrainian troops will be able to boost the effectiveness of their long-range attacks inside Russia as an influx of Western military aid aims to help Kyiv shape the war "in much stronger ways," according to the head of the U.K. military, Tony Radakin.