Ukraine’s military continues southern counteroffensive

5:55 PM

War analysis

Ukraine's obsolete S-200 missile systems reportedly back on track to hit Russian targets

5:52 PM

Russian attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast kills man.

Russian troops attacked the Dnipro district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on April 20, killing a 54-year-old man, local governor Serhii Lysak reported.

5:37 PM

Slovak citizens raise $2.8 million for Czech ammunition initiative after government refuses to contribute.

Nearly 40,000 Slovaks contributed to the initiative, with an average donation worth 64 euros ($68), according to the "Ammunition for Ukraine" website.

5:28 PM

Human story

Who was Pavlo Petrychenko, the prominent activist recently killed in combat?

3:41 PM

Prosecutor's Office: At least 545 children have been killed since beginning of full-scale invasion.

At least 1,843 children have been killed or injured since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office reported on April 20.

3:01 PM

Danish commander-in-chief meets Syrskyi, Umerov to discuss further assistance for Ukraine.

Commander-in-Chief of the Danish Armed Forces Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard visited Kyiv and met his counterpart Oleksandr Syrskyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on April 20, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief wrote on Facebook.

12:58 PM

UPDATE: 2 killed, 2 injured in Russian attack on border city of Vovchansk.

Russia attacked the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast on April 20, killing two men, injuring another man and a woman, the regional Prosecutor's Office reported.

12:49 PM

Source: Ukrainian drones strike Russian energy facilities overnight.

Ukrainian special services, together with the military, orchestrated a large-scale drone attack on Russia's energy infrastructure overnight on April 20, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.

11:42 AM

Zelensky signs decree to restrict online gambling.

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed on April 20 a decree on counteracting the negative effects of online gambling, which proposes to ban it for the military until the end of martial law.

11:21 AM

Air Force: Ukraine downs 2 Russian missiles, 3 drones overnight.

Ukrainian air defenses downed two missiles and three reconnaissance drones during a Russian attack overnight on April 20, reported Air Force commander Mykola Oleschuk.

10:05 AM

Rescue operations end in Dnipro with 3 killed, 24 injured after Russian missile attack.

Search and rescue operations at the sites of a Russian missile attack on Dnipro have concluded at around 8:40 a.m. local time on April 20, the State Emergency Service said.

9:24 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 458,580 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 750 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

6:01 AM

Russian forces attack 5 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring 4.

Russian forces attacked five communities in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast, injuring four people, the regional administration reported on April 19. At least 33 explosions were recorded.

4:13 AM

UN rep condemns Russian attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

The UN's humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, issued a statement condemning the Russian military's April 19 attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

2:43 AM

Russia claims 2 killed in attack on Belgorod.

A Ukrainian attack on Russia's Belgorod Oblast overnight on April 20 killed two people, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on Telegram.

2:25 AM

Drone strikes allegedly target energy facilities in Smolensk, Bryansk, Kaluga Oblasts.

Air defenses in Russia's Bryansk, Kaluga, and Smolensk Oblasts intercepted several drones overnight on April 20, which fell and started a fire at three separate energy facilities, according to regional officials.

1:50 AM

Guardian: Half of British military defense fund for Ukraine remains unused.

More than half of the U.K.'s 900 million pound (over $1 billion) military fund for Ukraine remains unused due to bureaucratic delays in handing out contracts, the Guardian reports.

11:54 PM

Zelensky visits Dnipro after Russian strike, calls for air defenses from partners.

"When Ukraine appeals to partners for air defense systems that they have - in warehouses, in storage bases, but that are needed here, right here, to protect lives - we are talking about a true alliance," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

11:36 PM

Republican lawmaker hits out at colleagues: 'They would like to see Russia win'.

In an interview with C-SPAN, Don Bacon laid out the dire situation Ukraine finds itself in on the battlefield, saying if the bills don’t pass “the Russians will be in Kyiv.”

11:12 PM

Ukraine's ambassador 'cautiously optimistic' about upcoming US aid vote.

"From our intense work with both parties and committee approval of voting procedures today, I am cautiously optimistic this time," Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, told the Kyiv Independent on April 19.

10:26 PM

Senate Democrats back Johnson's foreign aid bills.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on April 19 that Senate Democrats will support House Speaker Mike Johnson's series of bills that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other priorities if they pass the House.

10:15 PM

Russian finance minister says GDP expected to grow 3.6% in 2024, matching 2023's rate.

The announcement followed comments earlier in the week from finance ministry official Lev Denisov, who said that the initial 2.3% estimate would be revised upwards due to the "strong growth of the economy" at the beginning of 2024.

10:01 PM

Russian attack on Kherson kills 80-year-old woman.

In a post on Telegram, the head of the city's military administration, Roman Mrochko, said the victim was walking the streets when she was hit in an attack launched from the occupied east bank of Kherson.

9:20 PM

War analysis

Ukraine’s Bohdana howitzer is rolling off production lines – here’s what it can do

9:18 PM

Media: Pentagon ready to quickly send Ukraine arms if Congress approves aid bill.

According to one of the unnamed U.S. defense officials, some of the proposed military equipment is located in Europe and could reach Ukraine within days after a successful vote, while other material would likely take a few weeks.