April 1

Sweden announced its 19th military aid package for Ukraine worth $1.6 billion. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration studied its domestic industry capabilities to identify equipment that can be deliverable within 24 months and allocated $912 million for ammunition, air defense systems, naval equipment, satellite communications, infantry gear, and armored vehicles from Sweden and other Scandinavian countries. An additional $465 million will finance international military assistance and direct contracts with the Ukrainian defense industry. The package includes about 100 airfield service vehicles and equipment for operating air bases, possibly in preparation for deploying Swedish Saab 340 AEW&C reconnaissance aircraft. Sweden allocated $50 million for spare parts and maintenance, $46 million for export guarantees enabling more companies to support Ukraine, and $1.1 million for CBRN defense and drone-based vehicle detection projects. Sweden will also launch the Dragons' Den initiative to fund promising technical innovations that might provide a boost to Ukraine's defenses.

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced €500 million in support for Ukraine's "Drone Line" project during his visit to Kyiv. The funding will help Ukraine ensure the continued production of various drone types. The Netherlands has provided Ukraine with over €1 billion worth of investments in drone development, procurement, and production.

According to NBC News, Trump told anchor Kristen Welker he's "very angry" with Putin and prepared to impose 25% "secondary tariffs" on Russian oil if Russia fails to negotiate a ceasefire with Ukraine. Trump plans to speak with Putin this week. Trump claimed he was specifically angered by Putin's claims about Zelenskyy's illegitimacy and suggestion that Ukraine needs new leadership. Putin previously suggested the idea of a UN-backed interim administration in Ukraine to oversee "elections."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that Russia "cannot accept" President Trump's Ukraine peace proposals. Despite Trump securing partial ceasefires in the Black Sea and against energy infrastructure, Ryabkov told International Affairs magazine that American ceasefire deals fail to provide solutions to what Russia considers "the root causes of this conflict."

According to Finnish President Alexander Stubb, the US is developing sanctions against Russia if it refuses a ceasefire or violates an agreement. Stubb proposes April 20 as the ceasefire deadline, as that date coincides with Easter and Trump's first three months in office. Senator Lindsey Graham is reportedly creating a sanctions package with the support of fifty senators. Stubb said that he and Trump discussed Russia when they met in Florida and played golf. Stubb stated that Trump's patience with Russia is "wearing thin" and warned him that Russia "understands only strength."

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that President Trump is "beginning to understand what kind of partner he is dealing with" regarding Putin. Sikorski pointed out Ukraine's unconditional ceasefire agreement hasn't been reciprocated by Russia. He suggested European allies could help the White House understand "the Russian way of thinking" and called Trump's approach of negotiating without Europe "probably a mistake," and reiterated the importance of European unifying in its opposition to Putin.

Republican Representative Don Bacon has urged the Trump administration to maintain support for Ukraine. Bacon criticized other Republicans for "treating Russia with velvet gloves" and emphasized America's moral obligation to aid Ukraine until Russia commits to fair peace negotiations. He argued that supporting Ukraine serves US national interests, as Russian victory would threaten European stability and encourage other autocracies. Bacon added that abandoning Ukraine would lead to greater economic losses through refugee flows, trade disruption, and increased energy prices.


The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology survey results of surveys about Ukrainian perceptions of Western allies. While 64% of Ukrainians view Europe as an ally seeking peace on acceptable terms, 67% believe America is pressuring Ukraine to make concessions to Russia. Faith in Western support has declined from 73% in September 2022 to 49% by February 2024, before rising to 62% by February-March 2025. Researchers reported that Ukrainians now primarily associate Europe, instead of America, with the concept of "the West."

The Russians are exporting grain from the occupied portions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhya to Russia before the new sowing season. Grain stored after the 2024 harvest is now being transported to storage in Russia. Russia hopes to destroy regional agricultural potential. In 2023, at least 22 vessels left Mariupol port carrying 112,000 tons of grain, mostly to Turkey and Egypt. In 2024, Russia harvested approximately 500 million tons of grain and 250,000 tons of sunflower in Donetsk Oblast. Russian grain theft losses exceed $700 million.

Ukrainian partisans destroyed Russia's Lorandit electronic warfare system in Kherson Oblast on March 29. 

From odin.tradoc.army.mil

“The RP-377L (LORANDIT) Compact Multifunctional Radio monitoring, Direction-Finding, and Jamming Complex provides for the search of, position location, and jamming of VHF/UHF radio electronic communications. The RP-377L complex can be vehicle mounted or placed in two cases and four canvas bags, and be carried by 2-3 persons. Depending on mission requirements, multiple complexes can work together, with one complex configured as a command post.”

A Russian strike drone targeted a military hospital in Kharkiv on March 29, injuring patients and staff and damaging buildings. The hospital resumed surgeries in damaged operating theaters the next day. According to Eduard Khoroshun, head of the Military Medical Clinical Centre of Northern Region, the hospital has been targeted previously.

Russia attacked the Sumy Oblast border area during evacuation operations on March 30, injuring one man. Emergency Services personnel provided first aid, transported the victim to safety in an armored vehicle, and then transferred him to an emergency medical team.

Russia attacked Zaporizhzhia Oblast on March 31, destroying residential buildings and social infrastructure. A 66-year-old woman was killed in the strike. A 46-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man sustained injuries during the attack.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska placed candles at the Bucha memorial on the third anniversary of the city's liberation from the occupying Russian army. A delegation from nearly 20 countries attended the commemoration, including representatives from Belgium, the UK, Denmark, and the European Parliament. The Russian occupation of Bucha lasted 33 days, from February 27 to March 31, 2022, resulting in 561 civilian deaths, including 12 children. 33 civilians from the city remain imprisoned in Russia. Vladyslav Popovych was shot in the leg and disappeared during the 2022 Bucha massacre that killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians. His mother Tetyana discovered he was being held in a Russian prison in Kursk after filing an inquiry with Russia's Defense Ministry. This is yet another war crime committed by Russia. The UN Human Rights Council has found that Russia's abductions of Ukrainian civilians have been "widespread and systematic."


Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 4,043 aerial targets in March, including ballistic and cruise missiles and 2,328 Shahed drones. Ukrainian aviation conducted over 580 sorties including 200 fire missions and more than 320 fighter escorts. The Air Force destroyed 412 aerial targets and struck Russian command posts and logistics hubs. Ukrainian drone units performed 3,429 combat sorties, eliminating more than 260 Russian personnel, 88 fortifications, and a fuel depot.


The Ukrainian military destroyed 408 Russian artillery systems last week, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported. Since the beginning of 2025, Russian forces have lost a total of 4,005 artillery systems.


Ukrainian soldiers received 18 mortars from the Come Back Alive Foundation and Lviv City Council as part of the Zbroyenosci Project. This was the final weapons transfer within this initiative. The mortars were delivered to troops of the 24th Mechanized Brigade and 80th Air Assault Brigade. The Zbroyenosci Project raised almost $5 million to equip four combat brigades with mortars, grenade launchers, pickups, drones, and electronic warfare systems.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico complained of being "scolded" by European Commission President von der Leyen during their phone conversation regarding US tariffs against the EU. Fico claimed she criticized his negotiations with Trump, though he claimed she said, “'Robert, what have you done? Why on earth did you hold such talks with Trump? Are you normal?' She berated me for half an hour, saying I was a complete idiot?” He later described his comment about being scolded and called a "complete idiot" as a joke that the media didn’t understand. The Prime Minister promised to take a stronger position on tariff issues affecting Europe and Slovakia's automotive industry. 

Ukraine discovered and exploited a vulnerability in Russian Molniya drones that allowed them to detect and eliminate operators. The WU Samurai Telegram channel reported they converted interceptor drones to perform radio reconnaissance and destroy enemy UAVs when necessary. After detecting enemy pilot positions, a separate FPV drone team would hunt them down and destroy them. Every Molniya drone they destroyed was actually the result of destroying the Russian operators controlling the drone.


The Polish Internal Security Agency arrested a 47-year-old Ukrainian citizen in the Masovian Voivodeship for spying on military facilities for Russia. Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for Poland's Interior Ministry, stated the detainee was charged with participating in Russian intelligence activities against Poland. The suspect confessed, stating he had ideological motives related to his Russian connections. Warsaw District Court ordered a 3-month detention, with the crime punishable by 5-30 years imprisonment. Since the Ukraine war began, Polish authorities have detained 44 people suspected of espionage or sabotage for Russia or Belarus.

On April 1, 2025, Ukraine experienced a night without Russian Shahed drone attacks. This was only the second night of the year without Russian strike UAVs. Throughout the night, Russia actively used gliding aerial bombs against Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions. The previous night without Shahed drones in Ukrainian airspace was reported on March 14.

Russian designers adapted the Arena-M active protection system to intercept anti-tank missiles attacking from above. Rosoboronexport released test footage showing the system intercepting both parallel ground attacks and overhead missile threats. This is the first documented confirmation of Arena-M's capability to counter top-attack munitions like Javelin, Spike, and NLAW systems. The system uses radar antennas, countermeasure launchers, and an onboard computer to detect and destroy approaching threats before impact. The test showed interceptions of top attack missiles but only showed interceptions of projectiles traveling along a low angle of attack and it remains unclear if the system can counter steep-angle attacks from Javelin missiles. A T-72B3 tank equipped with Arena-M was recently spotted on the frontline, and the system has been integrated into mass-produced T-90M tanks for Russia's invasion forces.


Footage from the 61st Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade shows Russian interceptor FPV drones with day and night optics performing both signal disruption and direct impact style attacks. Some interceptor drones use contact warheads while others employ aerial detonation. The types of Ukrainian drones being downed include Furia, Leleka, and Shark reconnaissance drones, Darts kamikaze drones, and Baba Yaga-style heavy bomber drones. The increase in frequency of these videos implies Russia is scaling up the production of these drones. The Almaz-Antey corporation has also developed the Perimeter radar, a compact dual-axis station that determines the range, speed, and direction of objects to assist FPV interceptor drones in targeting Ukrainian drones. 

A Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter destroyed an underground Russian bunker near Oleshky using two GBU-62 JDAM-ER glide bombs. The Soniashnyk Telegram channel published a video showing evidence of multiple failed previous attempts, as there were craters in the earth covering the bunker. One bomb penetrated the concrete ceiling and exploded inside while the second detonated on the surface. Analysts identified the target as a former S-200 air defense position southeast of Nechaieve village that Russians repurposed after the site was decommissioned in 2013.



The 15th NATO Innovation Challenge sought solutions for countering Russian aerial bombs with UMPK glide kits but failed to produce effective countermeasures. French team Alta Ares won with their "Embedded Artificial Intelligence for Recognition, Detection, and Identification" project, which uses computer vision and machine learning algorithms to analyze visual and acoustic data for early threat detection allowing forces in the target region to take cover. Germany's TYTAN Technologies placed second with an aircraft-type interceptor drone. 40 teams from 10 countries participated, with 13 finalists presenting at the NATO Joint Forces Training Centre. The winning solution focused on warning of incoming attacks instead of interception because interceptor drones likely cannot successfully target aerial bombs traveling 500-600 km/h. A photo was published, however, showing a TYTAN interceptor drone in Ukraine in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers.

Russia has begun its largest military conscription in 14 years.  Putin ordered 160,000 people aged 18-30 to be drafted between April and July 2025. This is part of an ongoing upward trend in conscription numbers since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian officials claim that conscripts aren't sent to combat zones. The increase comes amid reports of personnel shortages and plans to expand the Russian Armed Forces to 2.39 million people. Many conscripts are pressured and are even subjected to violence in order to coerce them into signing a contract with the military.


An ammunition depot exploded in Ivanovskaya Lisitsa in the Belgorod region on March 30 following a drone attack. The Russian military had set up the depot in an uninhabited apartment building. Vyacheslav Radchenko, deputy head of the Grayvoronsky District administration, was injured in the strike one one Russian soldier was killed. 


Ukraine's Ministry of Defence has approved the Ukrainian-produced AGL-53 automatic grenade launcher for service. The fully automatic grenade launcher uses NATO-standard 40×53 mm ammunition and has improved accuracy, firing range, ergonomics, and reliability compared to the Soviet AGS-17. The system can be mounted on combat vehicles or mounted on a ground-based tripod. 


Ukraine's Ministry of Defense plans to significantly increase the procurement of ground robotic systems and drones in order to provide 15,000 to the military this year. In the first quarter of 2025, the ministry signed 31 contracts worth UAH 6 billion. In late 2024, they signed six contracts worth UAH 100 million. Almost all systems purchased will be Ukrainian-made, as foreign systems are more expensive. The ministry has required the companies to continue to improve these systems while fulfilling the contracts.


Russian tank restoration rates have decreased dramatically compared to 2022 levels, according to researchers from Resurgam and Vishun_military platforms. Satellite imagery shows approximately 2,069 tanks were withdrawn from open storage by February 2025, with another 2,000 removed from storage hangars. In total, Russia has pullws over 4,000 tanks from storage since 2022, about 54% of vehicles suitable for restoration. The pace of withdrawal has slowed to a glacial pace, with only 342 tanks removed from storage between February 2024 and February 2025. Of the 3,463 tanks remaining at storage bases, most are in poor condition and most likely to function as donors for spare parts. The restoration rate has fallen from 120 tanks per month in 2022 to just 30-35 tanks in early 2025. Even the 120 tanks per month rate struggled to keep up with battlefield losses. Russia produced only 164 T-90M tanks between 2022 and 2024. The shortage of armored vehicles has led to increased use of civilian vehicles for assaults. Russia now faces losses of around 3,000 vehicles per month as of late 2024. Tank losses have begun declining as they are less frequently deployed in assaults, dropping from 300-400 tanks being destroyed monthly in late 2024 to 200-240 tanks being destroyed every month in early 2025.


Ukrainian Bohdana self-propelled howitzers have been equipped with barrel-mounted ballistic radars to improve firing accuracy. Video footage from Bild shows that multiple Bohdana howitzers on different chassis are equipped with these radar systems, implying this is now a relatively widespread and standardized practice. The radar appears to be the Ukrainian 112L4 system, which was developed in 2019 and entered service in September 2023. The 112L4 operates in the Ka-band frequency range, can measure projectile velocities up to 2000 m/s, weighs under 10kg, and can be deployed on a tripod or mounted directly on artillery systems.

Quote of the Day:

"The survival of a hedgehog depends not just on its ability to survive, but on its ability to kill. It is a brutal reality, but it is the way of the natural world."

-David Attenborough