Key developments on April 22:
- Explosions rock what could be one of Russia's largest weapons arsenals in Vladimir Oblast
- Putin offers US to freeze Ukraine war along current front line, FT reports
- Zelensky rules out recognizing Crimea as Russian, warns against playing into Putin's 'game'
- Russia used Easter truce to regroup in Lyman sector, launched offensive after, military says
- Japan to provide Ukraine with geospatial intelligence, media reports
Explosions have erupted at a Russian weapons arsenal in Vladimir Oblast on April 22, causing a fire, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Telegram.
According to Ukrainian defense media outlet Militarnyi, the facility in question is Russia's 51st Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate – one of Russia's largest weapons arsenals, located about 530 kilometers (330 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the fire erupted at the site due to a violation of safety protocols when working with explosive materials. No casualties have been reported.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov has ordered the creation of a special commission to investigate the incident.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry reported that a military unit, seven settlements, and 12 holiday villages had been evacuated due to the incident.
Independent Russian media outlet ASTRA reported, citing local residents, a powerful blast at the base, followed by continued secondary detonations.
Following the incident, roads leading to the nearby town of Kirzhach from Moscow were closed. According to Russian state-controlled media outlet Kommersant, Russian authorities ordered evacuations from the settlements of Barsovo and Mirny.
Explosions reported near military base in Kirzhachsky district, Vladimir region — local media
— ASTRA (@ASTRA_PRESS) April 22, 2025
A road leading from Moscow to Kirzhach has reportedly been blocked.
Residents say smoke from the explosions can be seen above the village of Barsovo. The area houses the Arsenal of the… pic.twitter.com/H1soMmk1R4
Vladimir Oblast Governor Alexander Avdeev confirmed the explosions but warned journalists and residents against spreading information about the incident before "verified official data" is released, threatening fines for violations.
Analysis of imagery from the facility suggests that the arsenal stored a wide range of weapons, including medium-caliber artillery shells and missiles for anti-aircraft systems, Militarnyi reported.
According to Militarnyi, the facility also housed a laboratory for monitoring the condition of artillery propellants and explosives, as well as workshops equipped to test high-tech weapons systems.
In addition to specialized equipment, the 51st Arsenal and similar bases under the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate are believed to store large stockpiles of heavy artillery shells, munitions for multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), and small arms ammunition.
The facility has a history of similar incidents. On June 22, 2022, a detonation of ammunition occurred during unloading operations, killing three servicemen and a civilian specialist and seriously injuring another.
Kateryna Hodunova
Putin offers US to freeze Ukraine war along current front line, FT reports
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered the U.S. to halt his full-scale invasion of Ukraine along the current front line, the Financial Times (FT) reported on April 22, citing unnamed sources familiar with the talks.
Putin reportedly conveyed the offer during a recent meeting with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg. This could be the first formal indication from Putin since the full-scale war began in 2022 that Russia may consider scaling back its territorial demands.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, responding to the report, cast doubt on its accuracy. "A lot of fakes are being published now, including those published by respected publications, so one should only listen to primary sources," he told the Russian state-controlled media outlet RIA Novosti.
Russia illegally declared ownership over Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 and over Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts in 2022, in violation of international law. Russia only partially occupies the four oblasts.
Moscow has repeatedly demanded international recognition of the regions as Russian and that Ukrainian troops completely withdraw from them as part of any peace negotiations.
Putin's message reportedly prompted Washington to propose a "peace settlement," elements of which have since been revealed in media reports, according to the FT.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. proposal — presented in a confidential April 17 meeting in Paris — involves potentially recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and barring Ukraine from NATO membership.
Ukraine has been asked to respond this week, with a follow-up meeting scheduled in London on April 23 involving delegations from Ukraine, the U.S., the U.K., and France. If the parties reach a consensus, the proposal may be formally introduced to Moscow.
European officials cited by the FT expressed concern that Putin's offer is designed to push U.S. President Donald Trump toward accepting broader Kremlin demands.
Witkoff, who conveyed Putin's position and is expected to visit Moscow this week, has drawn criticism for backing proposals perceived as aligning with Russian interests.
Washington has signaled that if no progress is made in the coming days, it may abandon its ceasefire mediation efforts.
Andrea Januta
Zelensky rules out recognizing Crimea as Russian, warns against playing into Putin's 'game'
Ukraine will not legally recognize Russia's occupation of Crimea under any circumstances, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a briefing in Kyiv on April 22.
"There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine," the president told reporters.
Zelensky warned that any discussion of Crimea risks shifting negotiations into a framework dictated by the Kremlin. He said such proposals play directly into Russian President Vladimir Putin's "game."
"As soon as talks about Crimea and our sovereign territories begin, the talks enter the format that Russia wants — prolonging the war – because it will not be possible to agree on everything quickly," he added.
While acknowledging that signals about Crimea have surfaced in different channels, Zelensky said Ukraine would reject immediately any official proposal.
"We know where these signals are sounding and will continue to sound," he said, adding that he was unsure whether they originated from Russia or certain U.S. representatives engaged in dialogue with Putin.
On April 14, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News that a potential peace deal could center on the status of five territories.
While he did not name them explicitly, he is believed to be referring to Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, along with the partially occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Zelensky said the Ukrainian delegation going to London will have a mandate to discuss terms for a full or partial ceasefire with Russia. Ukraine is ready to negotiate with Russia in any format but only after an unconditional halt to hostilities, he added.
Zelensky also stressed that sustained international pressure — especially from the United States — is necessary to reach a meaningful settlement.
"We've been at war for over 11 years," Zelensky said. "Is it possible to reach an agreement with Russia quickly? No, it is not. It is impossible without pressure."
Despite expressing frustration over Russia's refusal to de-escalate the war, U.S. President Donald Trump has so far avoided imposing any major sanctions or taking punitive action against Moscow.
Asami Terajima
Russia used Easter truce to regroup in Lyman sector, launched offensive after, military says
Russian forces in the Lyman sector of Donetsk Oblast violated the one-day Easter ceasefire, used it to regroup, and launched a large-scale infantry assault shortly after its end, Anastasiia Blyshchyk, spokesperson for Ukraine's 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade, told Suspilne media on April 22.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a symbolic one-day ceasefire on April 19, which President Volodymyr Zelensky said was violated around 3,000 times.
"This so-called truce did more damage to us," Blyshchyk said. "A few hours after Putin announced the ceasefire, our positions came under massive artillery fire."
According to the spokesperson, Russian forces exploited the lull to reposition units and prepare for renewed assaults.
"We saw them pulling up their infantry to the front line along with weapons, including rocket-propelled grenade launchers and machine guns," she said.
"Our aerial reconnaissance recorded more than 120 Russian occupiers dispersing in plantations, forest belts, destroyed buildings, and dugouts during the so-called Easter truce."
Blyshchyk added that once the truce ended, Russian forces launched a large-scale infantry offensive.
The Lyman sector in northern Donetsk Oblast remains one of the most fiercely contested areas along the front line. Its strategic importance lies in its proximity to key transport routes and logistics corridors.
The assault follows statements from Ukrainian military leadership that Russia's anticipated spring offensive is already underway.
On April 9, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed that Moscow had begun its spring campaign, with intensified attacks across multiple sectors of the front line.
The Kyiv Independent
Japan to provide Ukraine with geospatial intelligence, media reports
Japan's Kyushu University Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS) has agreed to provide Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, Intelligence Online magazine reported on April 21.
Japanese and Ukrainian authorities reportedly began discussing possible support in February, with the talks gaining urgency after the U.S. temporarily paused intelligence assistance for Kyiv in early March.
iQPS, which plans to launch its seventh SAR observation satellite by late 2026, agreed with Kyiv on a timeline of two to three months to install relevant software onto Ukrainian intelligence's platforms, the magazine wrote.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claims.
SAR technology, which can recreate two-dimensional or three-dimensional images of landscapes or objects, has broad military applications. It can help track enemy movement and installations regardless of weather conditions.
Ukraine receives intelligence support from other partners, including France and the U.K. Nevertheless, the U.S.-imposed pause underscored its critical role in military planning, namely in launching long-range strikes and intercepting Russian aerial attacks.
Washington claimed its halt on intelligence support, which coincided with the freezing of arms supplies, extended only to offensive operations. While the U.S. resumed the assistance after progress in ceasefire talks, the move ramped up concerns about further cuts in the future.
Ukraine's military heavily relies on Starlink, a communications system owned by Elon Musk, U.S. President Donald Trump's close ally and critic of military aid to Kyiv. French satellite operator Eutelsat pledged to scale up its operations in Ukraine but said it could not currently replace the 50,000 Starlink terminals operating in the country.
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