The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
"This is a historic decision, as weapons for Ukraine will be purchased at the expense of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets through the European Peace Fund," Denys Shmyhal said.
Kurt Volker said that now "there is more alignment" between Ukraine and the U.S. under the Trump Administration than at the beginning of 2025.
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
Although Moscow declared on April 28 that it would halt all military actions from May 8 to midnight on May 11 to mark Victory Day, strikes on civilian areas have continued.
Under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's rule, millions of Ukrainians died during the Holodomor, a man-made famine in 1932–1933. The dictator also oversaw mass deportations, purges of Ukrainian intellectuals and leaders, and the suppression of the Ukrainian language and culture.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), this marks the first time Ukrainian authorities have exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network conducting activities harmful to Ukraine.
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv as EU officials prepare to approve both new defense aid and steps toward establishing a tribunal for Russian leadership.
The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
Sources: HUR confirms attack on Russian bomber factory in Tatarstan
A factory in Russia's Tatarstan producing bomber aircraft for the Russian military was attacked by Ukrainian drones on the morning of April 17, Kyiv’s military intelligence (HUR) has confirmed.
A military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent there were no details at present on damage or casualties but claimed the facility manufactures Tu-22M and Tu-160M bombers, both of which are regularly used to target Ukrainian cities in mass missile strikes.
Earlier on April 17, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed two Ukrainian drones had been downed over the republics of Mordovia and Tatarstan.
Tatarstan is a Russian republic located around 700 kilometers east of Moscow and some 1,300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said that restrictions had been imposed on the departure and arrival of planes at the airports of Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, and Nizhnekamsk from around 7-8 a.m. local time "to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft."
Tatarstan was also targeted by Ukrainian drones on April 2 when facilities reportedly manufacturing Shahed-type attack drones were hit in the cities of Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk.
That strike marked one of the deepest attacks on Russian territory since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine has not confirmed what type of drones was used in the attack but Russian media claimed that rather than a regular drone, it was a converted Ukrainian-produced Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat light aircraft.
In recent weeks and months, Russian authorities have reported an increasing number of drone strikes targeting Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Leningrad oblasts, as well as other regions.
Kateryna Denisova
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