Series of explosions reported at air base in occupied Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast

5:31 AM

Ukraine's PM urges EU to extend trade liberalization mechanism for Ukraine.

The Autonomous Trade Measures were introduced by the European Union on June 4, 2022, to provide temporary tariff-free and quota-free access for Ukrainian goods.

3:08 AM

Russia expels 2 Romanian diplomats in response to removal of Russian diplomats.

Two Romanian diplomats were ordered to leave Russia on April 9 in response to the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Romania in March.

1:35 AM

Zelensky: Russia attempts to advance in Kharkiv, Sumy oblasts in new spring offensive.

"There are a lot of attempts there, daily. They (Russia) are bearing losses... There will be more attempts in the Kharkiv and Sumy directions," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

11:44 PM

Temporary ceasefire will pressure Russia, more talks on the way, Zelensky says.

"I believe that certain time limits will provide opportunities to put pressure on Russia. If you have a ceasefire for an unclear period — it is a frozen conflict," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

10:45 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia's spring offensive 'already begun;' over 160 Chinese nationals fight against Ukraine.

10:09 PM

Trump halts tariffs for 90 days on most countries, raises them for China.

According to U.S. President Donald Trump, more than 75 countries have approached the U.S. to discuss trade, trade barriers and tariffs and have not retaliated against Washington.

10:01 PM

Zelensky: Ukraine ready for minerals deal with US, but only on equal terms.

The president stressed that Ukraine is ready to contribute its land and resources, but expects the U.S. to bring in technologies and capital.

9:28 PM

Ukraine open to buy US military aid package for $50 billion, Zelensky says.

"We handed over to the American side a large package that we want to buy. To buy in one form or another," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

8:06 PM

Ukraine fulfills over 80% of EU Association Agreement commitments, PM Shmyhal says.

Shmyhal highlighted progress made in areas including customs, intellectual property rights, education, information exchange, humanitarian policy, justice, public procurement, and national security.

7:42 PM

Over 160 Chinese nationals fight for Russia in Ukraine, obtained documents show.

The documents, obtained by the Kyiv Independent, list the names, personal data, brigades, and ranks of Chinese nationals fighting for Russia.

7:29 PM

EU set to greenlight first response to US tariffs.

"The EU considers U.S. tariffs unjustified and damaging, causing economic harm to both sides, as well as the global economy," the statement read.

6:54 PM

Revolut halts new customers in Ukraine after banking license dispute.

Revolut, the London-based digital bank, has suspended registration of new customers in Ukraine, a company press office told The Kyiv Independent on April 9.

5:57 PM

Ukrainian long-range strikes cut Russia's shell fire rate by nearly half, Syrskyi says.

Russian soldiers used to fire around 40,000 rounds of ammunition daily, but a series of long-range attacks reduced this number to around 23,000, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

5:08 PM

Video

Yuri Andrukhovych on Ukraine’s 1980's dissident art.

Ukrainian author Yuri Andrukhovych spoke with Kate Tsurkan about the 40 year anniversary of his co-founding of Bu-Ba-Bu, a literary counter-culture phenomenon, and the dangers faced by pro-Ukrainian artists in the Soviet times.

1:07 PM  (Updated:  April 9, 2025 5:00 pm)

Trump & Russia

Trump spares Russia from tariffs, but oil price plunge could wreck war economy regardless

4:00 PM

Ukraine ready to negotiate 'abolition of duties' on all US goods amid Trump's tariffs.

"Our priority is the abolition of duties, not escalation," Deputy Economy Minister and Trade Representative Taras Kachka said.

3:48 PM

Russian general suspected of fraud to reportedly lead Storm-Z penal unit in Ukraine.

Popov is expected to lead one of the Storm-Z detachments, a front-line assault group largely composed of convicts and known for high casualty rates, Kommerstant's source in security services claimed.

3:29 PM

Chinese national captured fighting for Russia reportedly paid $3,500 to recruiter, sought citizenship.

The man was among two Chinese nationals taken prisoner near the villages of Tarasivka and Bilohorivka during a clash between Ukrainian troops and a Russian assault group on April 8.

2:50 PM

Europe warns US that sudden troop reduction may destabilize NATO's defenses, Bloomberg reports.

The appeal comes amid growing expectations that the Trump administration will proceed with plans to scale back American troop deployments in Eastern Europe.

2:33 PM

EU transferring new $1-billion tranche for Ukraine covered by frozen Russian assets.

"We are grateful to our partners for supporting the economy and the rapid recovery of our country," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said after meeting EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis in Brussels.

2:09 PM

Ukraine unveils new drone designed to intercept Russian-used Shaheds.

According to its designers, the drone has already been deployed in combat and has successfully destroyed more than 20 Shahed-type drones over the past two months.

1:53 PM

US aid has dropped, main support comes from Europe, Syrskyi says.

U.S. military assistance to Kyiv has decreased, with European countries now providing the main portion of aid, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with the LB.UA outlet published on April 9.

1:12 PM

Ukrainian drone destroys Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bomber, Syrskyi claims.

"A few days ago, our successful operations destroyed a Tu-22M3 bomber plane. Just as it landed, it was hit by our drone," Syrskyi said in the interview when discussing the impact of Ukraine's long-range drone strikes.

12:42 PM

Russian offensive operations reportedly intensify across Ukraine's front line.

Combat data analyzed by CNN confirms a surge in Russian activity across the front line over the past two weeks.

12:16 PM

Russia has capacity to mobilize 5 million trained troops, Syrskyi says.

Russia has increased its force in Ukraine "fivefold since the beginning of the aggression," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said, putting the number of Russian troops currently deployed in the country at 623,000.