The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Mourners embrace at the funeral of musician Olena Kohut in Sumy on April 15, 2025. On April 13, Kohut was killed in a Russian missile attack against the city center. (Nina Liashonok / Ukrinform / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Ukrainian forces target Russian missile brigade behind deadly Sumy attack. Ukrainian forces struck the base of Russia’s 448th Missile Brigade, which had carried out a deadly attack on the northeastern city of Sumy on April 13, Ukraine’s General Staff reported on April 15.

Witkoff says ‘5 territories’ key to proposed Russia-Ukraine deal after meeting Putin. Some U.S. officials have raised alarms over the direction of the Trump administration’s diplomacy. The Wall Street Journal reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg are urging President Donald Trump to resist territorial concessions to Moscow.

Russia sees no ‘clear outlines’ yet of agreement with US on war in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson says. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the meeting between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on April 11 “positive and useful.”

Economic partnership with US could spur Russia to end war, White House says. “There is an incentive for Russia to end this war and perhaps that could be economic partnerships with the United States,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on April 15.

Ukraine has liberated Dniproenerhiia village in Donetsk Oblast, commander claims. “I have been in command of the tactical group for two months. During this period, we managed to reduce personnel losses by 20%, regain control of the village of Dniproenerhiia, and improve the tactical situation in two critical areas,” Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev said.

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Rutte visits military hospital in Odesa, reaffirms support for Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Odesa on April 15 and visited a local military hospital alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Sumy Oblast governor fired amid military ceremony controversy. Sumy Oblast Governor Volodymyr Artiukh’s dismissal follows accusations that he planned a military award ceremony on the day of a deadly Russian attack on Sumy on April 13.

North Korean artillery now dominates Russia’s ammunition supply in war against Ukraine, investigation says. The majority of artillery shells used by Russian forces in Ukraine in 2024 were manufactured in North Korea, according to a joint investigation by Reuters and the Open Source Center (OPS), published on April 15.

Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets region becomes first to reduce military enlistment payments. The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug has become the first Russian region to reduce enlistment payments for soldiers fighting in Ukraine, the Moscow Times reported on April 15, citing local officials.

In first such ruling, Russian soldier reportedly jailed for 15 years for surrendering to Ukraine. The case marks the first known conviction in Russia for voluntary surrender during the full-scale war against Ukraine.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine’s long-suffering aerospace giants look to Europe to break free from Russian orbit

The greatest hope for Ukraine’s military-industrial complex is to survive wartime and link with the European Union. That wouldn’t only serve Ukraine’s long-term self-defense.

Photo: Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Anadolu via Getty Images

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Trump excuses Sumy attack as ‘mistake’ — Russia’s track record says otherwise

Russia’s record shows a pattern of targeted attacks at civilian centers, with little or no evidence to suggest the strikes were failed attempts at hitting Ukrainian military targets.

Image: Gaelle Girbes/Getty Images

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Can civilian areas ever be legitimate military targets? We asked an expert

In total, at least 13,000 civilians have been killed and over 30,000 injured in Ukraine since 2022, according to the United Nations. The actual number is likely much higher since it’s currently impossible to verify casualties in Russian-occupied territories.

Photo: Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images

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Our readers’ questions about the war, answered. Vol. 8

Do Ukrainians still trust and respect President Zelensky? Do we know where the population of the occupied territories stands in relation to Ukraine forfeiting territories in a “peace” deal? Will Europe replace NATO with an EU army? The Kyiv Independent has answers.

Photo: Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images

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Human cost of Russia’s war

6 killed, 17 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over past day. Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least six civilians and injured at least 17, including a child, over the past day, regional authorities reported on April 15.

1 killed, 9 injured in drone strike on residential building in Kursk Oblast, Russian authorities claim. A drone strike on a residential building on April 14 in Russia’s Kursk Oblast killed one person and injured another nine, Russian authorities claimed.

General Staff: Russia has lost 935,160 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 1,180 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

Deadliest Russian attack on Sumy leaves residents in shock

International response

Europe’s overall Ukraine aid outpaces US by $26 billion, report says. The U.S. still holds an edge in terms of military aid — its 65 billion euros ($74 billion) lead Europe by 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) — but the gap is shrinking as Washington has not allocated a new aid package since Jan. 9, still under the Biden administration.

EU to unveil delayed Russian energy phase-out plan by May 6. The strategy, originally scheduled for release last month, was postponed amid growing uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariff policies, which could affect energy trade and strain transatlantic negotiations.

EU readies ‘plan B’ for bypassing Hungary’s Russia sanctions veto, RFE/RL reports. The EU sanctions consist of two documents adopted one after another: a decision and a regulation. While a regulation must by extended by all 27 members every six months, a decision remains in force until a qualified majority repeals it, RFE/RL reported.

US blocking G7 statement denouncing Russia’s Sumy strike, Bloomberg reports. The U.S. has told the other G7 members it would not support a joint statement condemning Russia’s deadly attack on Sumy last week so as not to disrupt peace efforts, Bloomberg reported on April 15, citing undisclosed sources.

Zelensky’s ‘always looking to purchase missiles‘ — Trump dismisses Ukraine’s request to buy Patriots. “You don’t start a war against someone 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.

Vance accuses Zelensky of ‘absurd’ criticism of siding with Russia. “I think it’s sort of absurd for (President Volodymyr) Zelensky to tell the (American) government, which is currently keeping his entire government and war effort together, that we are somehow on the side of the Russians,” U.S. Vice President JD Vance said.

Merz’s party optimistic about Germany’s new coalition backing Taurus for Ukraine. The statement follows remarks by chancellor-in-waiting and CDU head Friedrich Merz, who on April 13 reiterated his position that Germany could supply Taurus missiles to Ukraine in coordination with partners.

Poland, Czechia reportedly push to restrict Russian diplomats’ movement in Schengen. The proposal calls for limiting Russian diplomats to their consular districts, a restriction already implemented in Poland.

Fico to visit Moscow May 9 despite EU warning. “I am going to Moscow on May 9 … No one can tell me where I should or should not travel,” Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on April 15.

Opinions and insights

As the world looks away, Ukraine’s journalists are stepping up to tell the story themselves

“As grateful as we are to our international colleagues for telling Ukraine’s story, Ukraine needs Ukrainian voices — informed by context, rooted in reality, reporting from the ground in real time. It needs local journalists who understand their communities and the stakes of this war in a way no one else ever could,” writes Daryna Shevchenko, CEO of the Kyiv Independent.

Photo: The Kyiv Independent

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In other news

White House reportedly seeks to defund NATO, UN in State Department cuts. The proposed cuts for the next fiscal year would reportedly leave $28.4 billion for all State Department activities, a 48% reduction from the 2025 budget approved by Congress.

‘First to suffer’ — Russia singles out Poland, Baltics in threat to NATO. These countries have shown “high aggressiveness” towards Russia and are “constantly rattling their weapons,” Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Director Sergey Naryshkin said on April 15.

Kremlin to revive Soviet-era Komsomol school to indoctrinate youth. Russia will launch a new program called the Digoria Political Education Workshop to provide “ideological training” to personnel who work with youth, a source in the Kremlin told Russian state media.

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