Ukrainian Foreign Minister Rustem Umerov announced a €10 million investment from Lithuania to produce long range missiles in Ukraine. These missiles are already used on the battlefield. An Additional €10 million is on the way.



The soon-to-be Chancellor of Germany confirmed that he is willing to transfer Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, if done in coordination with allies. The 500 km range of Taurus would allow Ukraine to strike even deeper in Russian-occupied territory, capable of reaching the Kerch bridge and striking targets deeper in Russian territory.

Ukraine successfully brought 11 more children back  from Russian-occupied areas, including two brothers whose father was tortured to death. Additionally, a pregnant mother with her toddler was repatriated. This is another success for the "Bring Kids Back UA" initiative. Ukraine reports that over 19,500 children have been taken to Russia illegally.

Another North Korean Koksan self-propelled gun was destroyed in the Donetsk region. 

The Koksan weighs 40 tons and was made in North Korea. It was provided to Russia to help replace artillery losses. The system uses obscure 170mm caliber rounds. With conventional rounds, it has a range of up to 40km, a vast improvement over most soviet caliber guns. Koksans were first spotted on trains traveling through Russia in November 2024. According to Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, North Korea has provided Russia with 120 of these artillery pieces and plans to provide 120 more. 

Ukrainian troops successfully repelled a major Russian mechanized assault near Chasiv Yar. A Russian convoy attempted multiple advances with heavy armor but was stopped before reaching Ukrainian lines. Ukrainian drones tracked the convoy, which was targeted with artillery and drone strikes that destroyed approximately ten Russian armored vehicles. One Russian soldier surrendered to a Ukrainian drone. The battles for Chasiv Yar began in April 2024. Russia captured the Kanal neighborhood on the eastern side of the city in July 2024 and crossed the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal in early August. As of mid-April 2025, Russians control significant portions of Chasiv Yar, though Ukrainian forces maintain control of the southern part while fighting continues in the center and western parts of the city. ​​​​

Some time between March 15th and April 3, Ukraine launched a successful strike against the base of the 448th Missile Brigade.

Satellite imagery showing damage to the base

On April 13, the 448th and 112th Missile Brigades launched a strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, causing at least 35 deaths and at least 117 wounded; 15 children are among the casualties. At least 2 children were killed. The Russians reportedly used 2 Iskander-M missiles, with the more or less standard “double tap” tactic, where they launch one missile and follow it up with a second missile 2 minutes later, in order to target first responders and good Samaritans. More than 20 buildings, including multiple buildings from the Sumy State University, a church, and several vehicles, including at least one bus, sustained damage.

Slovakia's National Council, which is the country’s parliament, refused to pass a resolution condemning the strike on Sumy and another deadly strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has also refused to condemn the attack on Sumy, claiming there is “insufficient information” regarding the missile strike. Fico will be in Moscow on May 9 during Russia’s military parade celebrating the end of WW2.

The US reportedly blocked a G7 statement condemning Russia for the missile strike on Sumy that killed 35 people. Bloomberg sources say the Trump administration told allies that condemning the attacks would disrupt peace negotiations. Without US support, Canada couldn't issue a joint statement as the chair of the G7. This attack happened just days after Putin spent nearly five hours meeting with Trump's envoy in St. Petersburg. Despite the lack of a statement from the G7, Zelenskyy mentioned that about 50 countries and organizations expressed support for Ukraine.


Ukraine managed to launch a retaliatory strike on the 448th Missile Brigade, this time targeting a deployment location and ammunition depot in a residential area of Kursk. Numerous videos show these positions burning, with secondary explosions being heard. These explosions were caused by ammunition detonating in the fires.

The strike was geolocated to this spot in Rylsk, Kursk.
Coordinates:
51.5715, 34.6902

Russian blogger severnnyi reported on the strike and provided a lot of interesting, crucial details.

severnnyi:

“It never was and here we go again.

It was obvious that after the strike on Sumy there would be something in response. It's difficult to call this a Revenge Strike, after all, the Ukrainians don't have that kind of strength, but they are quite capable of causing harm.

And here our absurdity begins. The Ukrainians almost announced that they had the 448th missile brigade in their sights, which they deemed responsible for the shelling of Sumy. Its temporary deployment location near the village of Klyukva in Kursk region was an open secret. They could have increased vigilance, dispersed personnel... But nothing of the sort happened.

The Ministry of Defense reports that 109 UAVs were shot down over Kursk region. It's very convenient to write how many were shot down, although what's more important is how many survived, and more than 150 flew toward Klyukva. That means at minimum 41 drones reached their intended target.

I won't say that the 448th brigade ceased to exist - it's large and only part of it was in Kursk region - but it had never before suffered such losses, which could have been completely avoided.

Now the Ukrainians can truly call this a Revenge Strike. We didn't believe it, we underestimated them... Not the first time. No lessons are being learned.”

Ukraine also launched a strike on a base of the 112th Missile Brigade, which was also involved in the missile attack on Sumy. Lytuyi and Beaver drones were reportedly used in this attack. At least 3 buildings were hit including the main headquarters and the training building of the military unit. This base is located in the city of Shuya, in Ivanovo Oblast. 

Coordinates of the strikes
56.8431, 41.3813
56.8424, 41.3804
56.8455, 41.3841

Geolocated footage of the attack.

The Russians reported that Russian sappers/explosives removal crews have found and destroyed 185,135 mines and explosives in the  Kursk region. They claim to have cleared more than 26 thousand hectares and 675 kilometers worth of roads.


The European Commission is finalizing its proposal for new trade terms with Ukraine as the currently existing visa-free arrangement ends on June 5 next year. The European Commission’s spokesperson Gill mentioned they're working with Ukraine on fair tariff rules that would give stability to businesses and farmers in Ukraine and the rest of Europe. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister saying back in February that finishing these trade talks was a top priority for this year.

President Zelenskyy rejected comments from Trump's envoy Witkoff who talked about a peace deal involving giving Russia five Ukrainian territories. Zelenskyy said that "only the Ukrainian people can speak about its territories" and made it clear Ukraine won't recognize any occupied areas as Russian. Witkoff had previously made statements about 4 territories being given to Russia and providing "Donbas, Crimea, Luhansk, and two more" as the territories to be handed over.

Turkey is hosting talks on Black Sea security with Ukraine, Britain, and France taking part as leaders of what they're calling a "coalition of the willing." The discussions will run for two days. There were initial reports that Russia would attend, but Turkey later denied Russia’s involvement. These talks follow earlier discussions in Saudi Arabia, where shipping security was addressed. Russia has since demanded sanctions relief before any deal can be agreed upon.

Zelenskyy says recent negotiations between Ukraine and America in regards to a mineral deal went well. He says the technical discussions ended on a positive note. More online and face-to-face talks have been planned for the rest of the week. Both sides are expected to present what they've worked out after that. No specific details about the agreement have been shared yet.


Russia's Soviet-era air defense system is reportedly in poor condition despite renovation efforts. The network used to consist of over 250 Air Defense Radio-Technical Units but has now dwindled to just a few regiments, leaving Russian airspace vulnerable to Ukrainian drone attacks. "There is no early warning for air defense systems," one source explains, allowing UAVs to freely target military and industrial facilities across Russia. Russia can somewhat protect the capital from basic drones, but the system lacks the extensive coverage it once had. Rebuilding these capabilities faces significant obstacles.  The industry that produced the equipment has degraded, and the expertise and skill have largely been lost. The Russian military industrial complex receives substantial funding to fix these problems, but reportedly lacks the capability and know-how to use the money effectively and produce significant tangible results. 

Commander in the 3rd Assault Brigade, Maksym Zhorin:

“Why did the Rusaks decide to increase pressure on the Sumy region at all? Because in other areas, in particular in the Donetsk region, they are unable to achieve their goals. Let me remind you that the goal of completely reaching the borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions by a certain date has already been set ten times.

They also understand that we will not launch a large-scale counteroffensive in the East. So they are gradually shifting their attention to other areas. 

This situation obviously affects the mood of Ukrainians and their negotiating positions (namely, everyone is trying to achieve more favorable positions in negotiations today). Having control over even a small part of the Sumy region will be a great advantage on the enemy's side.”

The Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine:

“The defense forces of Southern Ukraine continue to strike enemy deployments, firing positions, and rear areas.

Over the past day, enemy losses amounted to:

- 84 occupiers

- 17 artillery systems

- 30 units of automobile and armored vehicles

- 10 UAVs (5 Supercam, 2 Orlan, 2 Zala, 1 Merlin)

- 6 electronic warfare stations

- 1 boat

- 6 motorcycles

- 8 UAV control antennas

- 3 communication antennas

- 1 generator

- 2 BC warehouses (ammunition warehouses)

- 3 power supply storage locations

- 1 fuel storage location

Destroyed:

- 78 shelters/blindages

- 5 observation points

- 2 firing positions


Quote of the Day:

“The fact that hedgehogs, a single species, have the power to alter the natural balance of the world is, to me, both fascinating and terrifying.”

-David Attenborough