The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Rescue workers rest after searching the site of a Russian missile attack in Kyiv on April 24, 2025. Russia fired 70 missiles of various types as well as 145 drones against Ukraine in the overnight barrage, with the main bulk of them aimed at the capital, the country’s Air Force said. (Andrew Kravchenko / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ukraine’s willingness to hold talks with Russia already ‘a big compromise,’ Zelensky says. “I believe that we were attacked, our territories were occupied. Tens of thousands of people were killed, many children and adults were buried alive. And the fact that Ukraine is ready to sit down at the negotiating table after a full ceasefire with the terrorists who organized all this on our land is a big compromise,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
‘Vladimir, stop!’ — Trump ‘not happy’ with Russia’s deadly attack on Kyiv. “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on Kyiv. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, Stop!” U.S. President Donald Trump said on the Truth Social platform.
Trump says Russia has shown willingness for peace by not taking over all of Ukraine, calls it ‘pretty big concession.’ “Stopping the war, stopping from taking the whole country, pretty big concession,” Donald Trump said on April 24 when asked what Russia has offered as part of a potential peace deal.
North Korean missile used in deadly Russian strike on Kyiv, Zelensky says. “If the information that this missile was made in North Korea is confirmed, it will be further proof of the criminal nature of the alliance between Russia and Pyongyang,” Zelensky said in a statement.
Russia expected London talks to collapse but allies showed unity, Zelensky says. “Russia does not like the alliance around Ukraine, because Ukraine, if it is alone, is an easier target for Russia,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
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Shoigu threatens Europe with nuclear weapons if Russia is faced with ‘unfriendly actions.’Sergei Shoigu also said any European future peacekeeping forces deployed to Ukraine would be seen by the Kremlin as a provocation.
Trump says both Russia and Ukraine ‘want peace‘, sets deadline for deal. “So we are thinking very strongly that they both want peace,” Trump said during a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. “But they have to get to the table.”
US to back Ukraine’s right to maintain sufficient army in talks with Russia, Bloomberg reports. The issue is expected to be raised by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 25.
Trump says ‘nobody is asking‘ Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian. “Nobody is asking (President Volodymyr) Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote.
After Russia’s deadly attack on Kyiv, Vance reposts denunciation of Zelensky. At the time of writing, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has not condemned or commented directly on the strike.
Read our exclusives
Crimean Tatar freed from Russian captivity: ‘Recognizing Russia’s control of Crimea would legitimize crime’
For nearly two years in Russian captivity, Leniye Umerova clung to a single hope: that one day, she would return home — to Crimea. “I thought about Crimea all the time,” Umerova told the Kyiv Independent. “I dreamed of going there without the permission of the occupying forces, without going through filtration, without hiding, simply — going home.”
Photo: Screenshot from a video
Ukraine war latest: ‘Russian peace in all its glory’ — Russian missile attack on Kyiv kills 12, injures 90
Twelve people were killed and 90 civilians, including six children, were injured in a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on April 24, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. A series of explosions rocked the capital around 1:00 a.m. local time on April 24, Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported. Additional explosions were later heard around 4 a.m. local time.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images
‘No point in negotiating:’ Russia’s deadly attack on Kyiv sows distrust in Trump peace plan
Overnight on April 24, Russia launched a mass missile attack on Ukraine, sending a combined 215 missiles and drones at the country. Many of the missiles and drones targeted Kyiv, where the attack killed 12 people, including two children from the same family.
Photo: Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
‘Impossible to believe’ — in Kyiv, Trump’s stance on Russia stuns after yet another deadly attack
U.S. President Donald Trump has once again failed to condemn his Russian counterpart in the aftermath of yet another devastating missile attack on Ukraine, casting further doubt on Washington’s ability to fairly broker a peace in the country.
Photo: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
Ukraine brings back body of journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna tortured in Russian captivity, official says. Ukrainian officials confirmed Roshchyna’s death on Oct. 10, 2024, but said that the circumstances were still under investigation. Russia did not hand over her body for about five months.
‘Russian peace in all its glory‘ — Mass Russian missile, drone attack on Kyiv kills 12, injures 90. A series of explosions rocked the capital around 1:00 a.m. local time on April 24, Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported. Additional explosions were later heard around 4 a.m. local time.
Inside a Kyiv apartment building hit by Russian missile strike
International response
Allies alarmed as Trump pushes Ukraine peace deal allowing Russia to keep seized land, CNN reports. “If one country in Europe is forced to give up parts of its legal territory… no country in Europe or elsewhere can feel safe, NATO or no NATO,” one diplomat told CNN.
US anger should be directed at Putin, not Ukraine, Macron says after deadly Russian strike on Kyiv. “The position of France is clear and will not change. We stand for sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with international law,” Macron said. “We will continue to defend the Ukrainian people’s right to live in peace on their territory and within their internationally recognized borders.”
NATO chief to urge US not to force Russia-friendly deal on Ukraine, FT reports. According to the publication, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is scheduled to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
Boris Johnson blasts Trump peace plan after deadly Russian attack on Kyiv. “As for Ukraine – what do they get after three years of heroic resistance against a brutal and unprovoked invasion?” Johnson said. “What is their reward for the appalling sacrifices they have made – for the sake, as they have endlessly been told, of freedom and democracy around the world?”
US warns ‘serious consequences‘ over Russian naval base plans in Sudan. The statement marks a sharp departure from the typically measured tone of recent U.S.-Russia exchanges and signals Washington’s concern over Moscow’s expanding military footprint in Africa.
Ukraine will have to make compromises to reach peace deal, Polish leader says. “It has to be a compromise,” he said. “De facto this peace should come down to the fact that neither side will be able to say it won this war. Ukraine will also have to step down in some sense, because that’s what will probably happen.”
EU to unveil roadmap in May to end reliance on Russian fossil fuels. European Commission President Von der Leyen emphasized that the roadmap, set to be announced in two weeks, will lay out concrete steps to eliminate the bloc’s reliance on energy supplies from Russia.
UK may abandon plans to deploy large troop force to Ukraine, the Times reports. Instead of placing troops near the front lines, the U.K. and France now reportedly aim to send military trainers to western Ukraine, fulfilling a commitment to deploy personnel without engaging in direct defense roles.
In other news
Ukraine raises issue of Russian assets in talks with US Treasury, central bank chief says. The Ukrainian delegation raised the issue with the U.S. Treasury officials during negotiations on April 23, according to Reuters. Ukraine intends to continue lobbying for the initiative at an upcoming meeting with the International Monetary Fund, Pyshnyy said.
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