The president said that at least 67 Ukrainian priests, pastors, and monks have been killed or tortured by Russian forces, and that 640 religious sites—most of them Christian—have been destroyed since the start of the full-scale invasion.
"Thirty hours is enough for headlines, but not for real confidence-building measures," President Volodymyr Zelensky said. "Thirty days can give peace a chance."
A senior Ukrainian military officer said his unit and others received orders to cease fire on Russian positions minutes after the truce was set to begin. The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
"The Verkhovna Rada, as it adopted (martial law), can cancel it, even if there are some decisions that require it," Defense Committee Secretary Roman Kostenko said in an interview with New Voice.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary ceasefire on the Easter weekend, ordering a halt to all military action from 6 p.m. Moscow time on April 19 until midnight on April 21.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia deployed eight missiles of different types, and 87 long-range drones – 33 of which were shot down and 36 turned out to be decoy, on April 19.
"I encourage all my colleagues in Congress to come here," U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a pro-Ukraine Republican representing Pennsylvania, said during his visit to the front line.
Russian troops are solidifying their presence in the village of Kalynove in Donetsk Oblast as they prepare for an advance toward Stara Mykolaivka and the road to Kostiantynivka, Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState reported on April 18.
The number includes 1,180 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
A court in St. Petersburg sentenced 19-year-old Darya Kozyreva to two years and eight months in a penal colony for allegedly "discrediting" the Russian army.
Recognizing Russia’s control of Crimea would mark a significant win for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long pushed for international legitimacy over the territory.
Speaking to France's National Assembly on April 11, Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza did not petition Europe for the Kremlin's total military defeat. Yet, while answering one of the many questions posed to him, he talked about how a colleague supposedly learned that ethnic Russians find it "psychologically difficult" to
The swap will reportedly involve 246 POWs from each side, as well as 46 injured soldiers, an undisclosed source told Sky News.
With the start of Donald Trump's second term in office, NATO finds itself on shaky ground — reports that the U.S. president might cut the alliance's funding do little to ease fears. A leaked White House memo revealed plans to slash the U.S. State Department funding for the next
Key developments on April 18: * U.S. proposes leaving occupied areas under Russian control, easing sanctions, Bloomberg reports * 'You're fools' — US may 'take a pass' on Ukraine-Russia talks if either side stalls, Trump says * "Not our war" — US may drop Russia-Ukraine ceasefire efforts unless progress is made, Rubio says * Kremlin
"If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say: 'you're foolish, you're fools, you're horrible people,' and we're just going to take a pass. But hopefully we won't have to do that," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
"There are already some developments, but, of course, there are still many complicated discussions ahead," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Following the start of Russia's full-scale war in 2022, Hrishenkov defended Mariupol, where he was injured. After 86 days of defending the encircled city under heavy Russian bombardment, he and about 2,500 other fighters left the Azovstal steel plant after Ukrainian commanders ordered the defending garrison to lay down their arms.
One of the officials told Bloomberg that the U.S. plans, which require further discussion with Kyiv, would not be a final settlement and that European allies would not recognize the occupied territories as Russian.
The aerial war between Russia and Ukraine is explosive in every sense. But beyond the physical dimension, it is also a battle of morale and information. Both sides are locked in a continuous back-and-forth of public statements and dramatic videos claiming hits and damage to the other side. There’s
"I want to update the prime minister (Giorgia Meloni) on some of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine... even in the past 24 hours, we think we have some interesting things to report on," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said.
These included service members killed in the Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kharkiv sectors of the front, as well as those in Russian morgues.
U.S. officials said they expect tangible progress soon, while European participants pushed Washington to prepare a harsher response if Moscow fails to engage, Bloomberg reported.
The closures include Mission Support Site Green Village, MSS Euphrates, and a smaller unnamed facility. U.S. commanders will reportedly decide within 60 days whether to further reduce the troop presence.
Moscow's forces launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile, five Iskander-K cruise missiles, and 37 attack and decoy drones against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force reported.
The number includes 1,530 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
“According to preliminary information, the strikes on Kharkiv were carried out with ballistic missiles equipped with cluster munitions. That is why the affected areas are so extensive," Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote.
Key developments on April 17: * China provides weapons to Russia, Zelensky says * Ukraine repels Russian offensive near Pokrovsk, killing 200 Russian soldiers, Zelensky says * Ukrainian forces liberate 16 square kilometers near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, Syrskyi says * Ukrainian drones attack Russian brigade linked to Sumy strike for second day in
“Excuse me, but this is a murder. This strike went to the (city) center, it did not go to the front line,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Jonathan Shrier, acting U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, said Washington opposed the resolution because of repeated statements about the war in Ukraine that the U.S. considers “unhelpful in advancing the cause of peace.”
According to Zelensky, Ukrainian forces killed around 200 Russian soldiers and injured 30 others, as well as destroyed 115 units of Russian military equipment.
Zaporizhzhia — During what would usually be evening rush hour in Zaporizhzhia, cars move easily through main streets that were once choked with traffic. As the shadows grow longer, soldiers calmly remove camouflage netting from the air defense weapons they’ll man against Russia’s deadly attacks until the sun rises
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, eight years after it annexed the Crimean Peninsula and led an armed aggression in Ukraine’s east.
In February 2014, almost immediately following the end of the EuroMaidan Revolution in Ukraine, Russia swiftly moved to annex and occupy Crimea. Within months, Russian proxy forces took control of parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
By the start of 2022, Russia had amassed nearly 200,000 troops on Ukraine’s border. At 4:50 a.m. on Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a speech that Russia was to carry out “a special military operation.” Within minutes, missile strikes were launched on Ukrainian cities and the full-scale invasion had begun.
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