Key developments on April 12-13:
- Russian strike kills at least 34, injures 117 in Sumy on Palm Sunday
- 'There’s a point at which you have to either put up or shut up' — Trump says on Russia-Ukraine talks
- Chinese military officers have been present behind Russian lines with Beijing's approval, Reuters reports
- Russians preparing for assault in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainian military warns
- Domestic missile production increases eightfold in 2024
A Russian ballistic missile strike killed dozens of people in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on the morning of Palm Sunday, Sumy Mayor Artem Kobzar reported on April 13.
At the time of publication, 34 people were killed in the attack, including two children, and at least 117 were injured, including 15 children, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported.
Ukraine’s Air Force warned of a ballistic missile threat in Sumy Oblast at 10:17 am. By 10:52 am, Kobzar announced that the city had been hit with “many dead” as a result of a missile strike.
"Enemy missiles hit an ordinary city street, ordinary life: houses, educational institutions, cars on the street... And this is on a day when people go to church: Palm Sunday," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel after the attack.
"Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible. Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and air bombs. We need the kind of attitude towards Russia that a terrorist deserves," he added.
Videos circulating on social media after the attack show bodies strewn across the street, and several vehicles, including a bus, having suffered heavy damage from the attack, with one car engulfed in flames.
Palm Sunday is celebrated by Christians on the Sunday before Easter. Many people in Ukraine attend church on the holiday.
The attack comes as Washington attempts to orchestrate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Kyiv agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire a month ago, but Moscow has so far refused and has continued to launch attacks on Ukraine's civilian centers.
Dominic Culverwell
'There’s a point at which you have to either put up or shut up' — Trump says on Russia-Ukraine talks
U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 12 that negotiations for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine were "going fine," but emphasized that a resolution must come soon.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump added that "there’s a point at which you have to either put up or shut up. We'll see what happens, but I think it's going fine."
Trump's comments followed a high-level meeting in Russia, where his envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 11. The visit was part of ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to broker a ceasefire between the two countries.
"I think Ukraine-Russia (talks) might be going OK. And you're going to be finding out pretty soon," Trump said.
One month ago, Ukraine agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire in the U.S.-mediated talks in Jeddah. In the meantime, Russia has not only refused a full ceasefire, but has also continued to barrage Ukrainian cities with attacks and repeatedly violated the partial truce established in mid-March.
Some critics say Moscow is stalling and has no real interest in halting the fighting, especially as it continues advancing on the battlefield. The Kremlin has not publicly committed to the terms agreed to by Ukraine.
While Trump has at times criticized Zelensky and Ukrainian leadership, he has also recently expressed frustration with Russia.
In a social media post on April 11, Trump said Russia "has to get moving."
"Too many people are dying thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!"
On April 10, Trump extended the national emergency and the associated sanctions against the Russian government for another year, according to a document from the U.S. Federal Register.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
Reuters: Chinese military officers have been present behind Russian lines with Beijing’s approval
More than 100 Chinese nationals fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine are acting as mercenaries and do not appear to have direct ties to Beijing, according to two U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports and a former Western intelligence official, Reuters reported on April 11.
The U.S. officials, speaking anonymously, described the fighters as poorly trained and having little impact on the battlefield. They do not believe the Chinese government has officially deployed them.
However, the former intelligence official told Reuters that Chinese military officers have been present behind Russian lines with Beijing’s approval to observe and draw tactical lessons from the war.
On April 11, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that at least "several hundred" Chinese citizens are fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine. Two Chinese fighters were captured by Ukrainian forces in Donetsk Oblast.
One captured soldier reportedly paid 300,000 rubles (roughly $3,500) to a middleman in China in exchange for the promise of Russian citizenship, according to Ukrainian military sources cited by Ukrainian Pravda.
Beijing has denied direct involvement in the war and says it has urged its citizens to avoid armed conflicts.
Although China claims neutrality, it remains Russia’s leading supplier of dual-use components vital for weapons production and a key economic ally. Russia has also recruited foreign fighters from countries including India, Nepal, and Syria. Additionally, some 12,000 North Korean troops have reportedly been deployed by Pyongyang to assist Russia in defending its territory in Kursk Oblast.
Kollen Post
Russians preparing for assault in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainian military warns
Russian forces are regrouping and preparing for renewed assault in Kharkiv Oblast, according to Ukraine's Operational-Strategic Group of Forces "Khortytsia."
In an official statement from April 12, "Khortytsia" reported that although no offensive actions were carried out by Russian troops in the Kharkiv direction over the last day, Russians are actively replenishing their units and getting ready to resume offensive operations in the region.
In the Kupiansk area, Ukrainian troops thwarted Russian assault attempts near Kindrashivka, Kamianka and Zahryzove. A mechanized assault involving five armored vehicles near Lozova and Nova Kruhliakivka was stopped.
Russian forces also launched attacks in the Lyman sector on the border of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, targeting areas around Novoyehorivka, Hrekivka, Olhivka, Ridkodub, Hlushchenkove, Novomykhailivka, Yampolivka, Torske and Nove. All Russian advances were repelled. Russian units also failed to gain ground in the Serebryansky forest.
In the Kramatorsk and Toretsk directions in Donetsk Oblast, assault actions of varying intensity took place near Predtechyne, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Chasiv Yar, Druzhba, Dyliivka and Toretsk, with no loss of Ukrainian positions.
The Russian forces continued attempts to breach Ukrainian defenses in the Pokrovsk direction, attacking toward Yelyzavetivka, Zvirove, Preobrazhenka, Kotliarivka, Oleksiivka, Pishchane, Udachne, Lysivka, Novosergiivka and Andriivka.
According to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, Russian personnel losses have exceeded 140,000 troops (140,650), since the beginning of the war.
The Kyiv Independent couldn't independently verify Syrskyi's statement.
Daria Shulzhenko
Domestic missile production increases eightfold in 2024, Ukrainian minister says
Ukraine has significantly ramped up weapons manufacturing over the past year and is using domestically produced ballistic and cruise missiles every month, the country’s Minister for Strategic Industries said.
At a briefing marking Ukraine's Gunsmith Day, Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin said the country increased cruise missile production eightfold in 2024 compared to the previous year. He highlighted the progress since 2022, when Ukraine was only able to manufacture a single type of cruise missile, the Neptune.
"Last year, we introduced many new models, allowing us to grow production eightfold compared to 2023," Smetanin said.
Ukraine has also more than doubled its production of long-range drones in 2024 compared to the previous year, which is a 22-fold increase compared to 2022. In total, 324 new types of weapons were developed in Ukraine by the end of 2024.
Smetanin said Ukraine produced $9 billion worth of arms in 2024, and the defense industry is on track to nearly quadruple that amount by the end of 2025.
"We already foresee growth this year," he said. "By the end of 2025, we will have the capacity to produce $35 billion worth of military equipment domestically."
Presidential Advisor Oleksandr Kamyshin added that Ukraine can now supply its armed forces with nearly the full range of necessary military goods.
"Today, according to various estimates, 30% to 40% of what our troops use on the front lines is made in Ukraine," Kamyshin said. "It’s not only about war — it's about our economy. As of last year, defense manufacturing made up a significant share of our GDP. After our victory, I’m confident we'll be exporting Ukrainian-made weapons to the world."
Andrea Januta
Note from the author:
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