A majority of Hungarians want a shift in their country's foreign policy, and nearly half say they do not trust Prime Minister Viktor Orban, according to a new poll published April 9.

An oil pumping station in Krymsk, Krasnodar Krai, was struck by Ukrainian drones overnight on April 9, independent Telegram channel Astra reported.

Key developments on April 9: * Ukrainian drones strike oil pumping station in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, General Staff says * Russia plans to increase its Unmanned Systems Forces to 165,500 by the end of 2026, Syrskyi says * US ignores Iran-Russia cooperation because it 'trusts Putin,' Zelensky says * UK says it foiled undersea operation as Russian sub, frigate enter British waters * Ukraine repatriates 1,000 fallen soldiers in latest exchange An oil pumping station in Krymsk, Krasnodar Kra

According to Novaya Gazeta, masked special services officers arrived at 12 p.m. local time and as of 7 p.m. local time, the search was still ongoing.

In the days before Orthodox Easter in Soviet times, one Ukrainian historical researcher recalls children being lined up, their hands inspected for signs of forbidden dye. Teachers were searching for any sign that the children’s families had secretly celebrated the Christian holiday by decorating traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs, or pysanky as they're known in Ukrainian. "Making pysanky was banned… Anyone caught with dye stains was punished," recalled Yaroslava Muzychenko, a researcher at the

A party at a swanky downtown Kyiv restaurant feels a world away from the front lines of Russia's war against Ukraine. Yet its guests — defense analysts, consultants, and arms producers — are nonetheless shaping how the war is fought. The event's host was Skadi Law, a new firm focusing exclusively on Ukraine's fast-growing defense tech sector. Its arrival is not an isolated story, but part of a broader trend: an expanding network of venture capital funds, accelerators, consultancies, and media c

In a separate incident, a Russian frigate has escorted two sanctioned tankers through the English Channel, defying British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s pledge to detain vessels linked to Moscow’s shadow fleet.

The move is part of Moldova's efforts to drift away from Russia's orbit and join the European Union.

"I said this publicly. Did we hear a reaction from the U.S. to Russia that they have to stop it?" President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview. "The problem is they trust Putin."

Ukraine has returned the bodies of 41 fallen Russian soldiers in exchange, the Kremlin-controlled TASS news agency reported on April 9, citing its source.

Russia's Unmanned Systems Forces currently stand at 101,000, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said, citing Ukraine's intelligence data.

Russian forces launched 119 drones against Ukraine overnight, of which almost 70 were Shahed-type drones, the Air Force said.

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

"This was a meeting between friends," Rutte said after the meeting, praising Trump's leadership. The administration is reportedly weighing a proposal to pull U.S. troops out of NATO member countries that did not support the war in Iran.

Decarlos Brown, the North Carolina man charged with the murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska last summer, has been found incompetent to stand trial, according to court documents filed April 7. A key hearing in his case has been delayed to allow additional competency proceedings.

Moscow views Japanese firm Terra Drone's investment in the Ukrainian drone industry as "hostile," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on April 8.

"Sometimes good-willed direct blackmailing is the best option," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov tells his Hungarian counterpart in one call as the EU convened to open accession negotiations for Ukraine.

For years, an idea has percolated among certain Western officials that the best way to break the burgeoning partnership between Russia and China is to appease Moscow, including to the point of choking off all support for Ukraine. Known colloquially as the "reverse Kissinger," it is an idea that builds on U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's efforts in the early 1970s to peel Beijing away from Moscow. As the theory goes, it is only in offering Moscow what it wants — sanctions relief, new i

Even before Russia launched its full-scale war in 2022, it set the groundwork by establishing distorted narratives about its “rightful” claim to Ukraine. Misunderstandings about empire, identity, and the legacies of both the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union still shape Western views of Russia — and Ukraine — today. While these narratives aren’t as instantly lethal as Russian drones and missiles, they’re designed to serve the same purpose — hurting Ukraine, often in ways that reach far beyond

As Hungary heads into a high-stakes election, Moscow has deployed its propaganda and disinformation machine to bolster its preferred candidate. Viktor Orban, Hungary's Kremlin-friendly strongman, faces a real chance of defeat on April 12 that could end his 16-year grip on power. For weeks, Russian propagandists and bot networks have pushed falsehoods about alleged attempts by Brussels and Kyiv to sway the vote, or even steal it in a "Maidan-style coup." The methods deployed by Kremlin disinfo

Key developments on April 8: * Hungary claims new ‘evidence’ in seized Ukrainian bank convoy case, Oschadbank calls it fabricated * Russia hits Kharkiv Oblast oil refinery, causing 'significant' damage * Ukraine welcomes US–Iran ceasefire, says time to push Russia too * Attacks, threats against journalists in Ukraine surge in 2025 Hungary claimed on April 8 that it had new "evidence" that the Ukrainian bank convoy it seized earlier in March was part of a money laundering operation. Hungar

During sunny days, Ukraine’s solar farms produce over 3 GW of energy. But a return of cloudy weather and rain in recent days has limited the sun’s ability to power Ukrainian homes.

In 2025 alone, the union documented 160 attacks and threats against journalists, including 70 cases involving the destruction of media property or journalists' personal equipment.

Ukraine's SBU says Russia's GRU used hacked Wi-Fi routers to spy on users in Ukraine, Europe, and the U.S.

Ukraine is racing to build its battle-tested drones in Europe, but a flagship initiative meant to make that happen still lacks a clear roadmap, slowing more deals even as demand surges.

Editor's note: this article was updated to include comments from the European Commission. Ukraine's parliament made scant progress on several reforms tied to funding from international partners during a highly anticipated parliamentary session on April 7–8. Ukraine has missed deadlines on a range of reforms tied to international financing over the past year. Lawmakers attempted to gain momentum during this week's plenary session, yet were only able to pass one of four new taxes required by th

The Kyiv Independent’s Kate Tsurkan speaks with historian Serhii Plokhy about how Russia has shaped global perceptions of its past — and why those misunderstandings continue to shape today’s war.

“Who is silencing political voices? It's online platforms. Who is manipulating algorithms? Again, online platforms. Who is boosting the visibility of the preferred choice? Online platforms,” said Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier.

In addition to the Feodosia oil terminal, Ukraine targeted an oil depot in the village of Hvardiiske in Crimea, the General Staff said, without specifying the extent of the damage.

The Ukrainian drone strike overnight on April 6 put a ferry out of service that had previously been attacked in March but had remained afloat until then.

The new "evidence" reportedly includes a video of a Ukrainian official "falsifying documents in a gas station restroom" and his associates discussing "corruption-related payments."

Russia has targeted the facility for the fifth time since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, the refinery's legal director, Anastasiia Cherednykova, told Suspilne.