The U.S. has run through over half of its stockpiles of key air defense missiles during the nearly two-month war on Iran.

Kyiv faces a defense gap of 19.6 billion euros ($23.1 billion) this year, even after accounting for funds already committed and the 90-billion-euro Ukraine Support Loan that's on its way.

"(President Volodymyr Zelensky's) position is clear: no 'ersatz membership' — we will not accept any of them. This is a firm position," Sybiha said at a closed-door meeting with journalists attended by the Kyiv Independent.

Photos and videos posted on social media purport to show several damaged residential buildings in the city amid reports of falling drones debris.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 21 that he was extending Washington's ceasefire with Iran until Tehran "can come up with a unified proposal" to bring an end to the war.

Ukrainian officials involved in recent peace talks reportedly suggested that part of the Donbas could be renamed "Donnyland" in honor of U.S. President Donald Trump, the New York Times reported April 21.

Italy summoned Russia's ambassador on April 21 to protest "extremely serious and offensive" remarks about Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by pro-Kremlin TV host Vladimir Solovyov.

"Ukraine has completed repair work on the section of the Druzhba oil pipeline that was damaged by a Russian strike," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Ukrainian billionaire and oligarch Rinat Akhmetov purchased a luxury apartment in Monaco valued at $550 million in one of the most expensive residential property deals in history, Bloomberg reported April 21.

Dombrovskis reminded that the EU’s Ukraine Support Loan is structured so that Ukraine only repays if Russia pays Ukraine reparations. “(This), of course, invites a question: what happens if Russia does not pay reparations?” he said.

The site was used to bury residents who died during the Russian siege of the city in 2022, according to Ukraine’s Center for the Study of Occupation.

Key developments on April 20: * Druzhba pipeline ready to resume, Zelensky says, raising hopes of unblocking EU loan * Ukrainian drones hit key Russian oil hub in Samara Oblast, SBU says * Fearing Ukrainian troops landing in Crimea, Russia intensifies coastal mining * Draft officers arrested for kidnapping a man, demanding $30,000 bribe in Odesa; office chief suspended * Teen recruited by Russia caught while preparing terror attack in Ukraine, SBU says Oil flows through the Druzhba pipeli

"We are more concerned that money is increasing more rapidly than (weapons) production. It creates some kind of inflationary pressure," EU's Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius explained.

The SBU said it detained the suspect while he was planting the explosives.

"Where we (Europeans) have a problem, which is Ukraine, we are alone," Kaja Kallas said.

"The beaches will now become minefields," Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces, told the Kyiv Independent.

Editor's note: The names of the people with relatives left in the Russian-occupied territories have been changed for security reasons. Communication between residents of Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine and their relatives in Ukrainian-controlled territory is becoming increasingly difficult as Moscow tightens control over internet access and restricts messaging platforms. For many, Telegram remains the primary way to stay in touch. But connections have grown unreliable, with users reporting f

"Our Ukrainian friends need to understand that repeatedly portraying the Baltic states as Russia's possible next victim... does not create or reinforce a narrative that would help Ukraine itself or others in pushing back against Russian war-driven imperialism," Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the Estonian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Kyiv Independent.

The question of NATO's future arises again and again whenever Donald Trump makes a statement about his European allies. Can NATO survive the disillusionment of the Trump administration or the progressive withdrawal of American military support for European security? And yet each time that question pops up, America's European allies insist that NATO will endure. They highlight the continuous close cooperation between military leadership across the Atlantic,  pointing to the obvious reality that

On April 21, the Kyiv Independent launches a new merchandise collection, "No News is Bad News," dedicated to protecting journalists covering Russia’s war against Ukraine. th

According to the Transport Ministry, the new bridge for cars and trucks will be the first of its kind linking Russia and North Korea by land.

Four draft officers were detained in Odesa after allegedly abducting a man, beating him, and demanding $30,000, as military authorities suspended two recruitment office chiefs.

The landslide victory of ex-President Rumen Radev's party in Bulgaria's April 19 parliamentary election is seen by many as a boost to Russia-friendly, Ukraine-skeptic voices within the European Union. Running on an anti-corruption platform, Radev's Progressive Bulgaria (PB) secured 44.6% of the vote, winning a majority and a chance to govern without a coalition partner. The result could strain Ukraine's relations with Bulgaria, a 6-million-strong NATO and EU member that has backed Kyiv since R

"Our far-reaching sanctions... ensure that (Russia) receives the necessary response," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Ukraine says drones struck a key oil distribution hub in Russia's Samara Oblast overnight, sparking a fire.

Russian attacks killed six people and injured 59 others across Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on April 21.

Russia’s book market finds itself under mounting strain as the government steadily expands its censorship regime.

At least six people were injured in a Russian drone attack on the city of Sumy overnight on April 21, local authorities reported.

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

Explosions were reported overnight in the Russian city of Novocherkassk in Rostov Oblast, according to Russian media and Telegram channels.

Two police officers in Kyiv have been formally notified of suspicion over their actions during the mass shooting in the city on April 18, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation and Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced doubts about peace talks in an April 20 interview, as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to meet with Ukrainian officials amid stalled negotiations with Russia.