The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Photos of the deceased Khudei family — father Oleh, son Danylo, and mother Viktoriia — stand near the coffin during the farewell ceremony on April 28, 2025 in Kyiv. Seventeen-year-old Danylo Khudei and his parents were killed in the Russian missile strike on the Sviatoshynskyi district during the night of April 24. (Ihor Kuznietsov/Novyny Live/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Putin announces 3-day truce on Victory Day’s 80th anniversary. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a so-called “humanitarian” truce from May 8 until midnight on May 11.
Zelensky slams Putin’s 3-day truce proposal as ‘manipulation,’ reiterates calls for 30-day unconditional ceasefire. “We value human lives, not parades. That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
‘If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately’ — Ukraine reacts to Putin’s Victory Day truce. “If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately. Why wait until May 8th? If the fire can be ceased now and since any date for 30 days—so it is real, not just for a parade,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote in a post on X.
Russia demands recognition of Crimea, other Ukrainian regions’ annexation in any peace talks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Lavrov listed other conditions for Russia to enter into peace talks, namely a ban on Ukraine’s entry into NATO, the country’s demilitarization, and changes to Ukraine’s legislation that would restore the position of the Russian language, culture, and religious organization.
Kremlin demands ‘signal’ from Ukraine to resume talks, even as Russia rejects ceasefire proposals. Moscow is waiting for a signal from Kyiv to resume bilateral peace negotiations, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 28, even as Russia continues its regular attacks on Ukraine.
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Russian state media releases alleged footage of North Korean troops in Russia for the first time. The Russian state news agency TASS published a video on April 28 that purports to show North Korean troops who fought alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast training in Russia.
Drones reportedly strike Russian plant producing parts for missiles, radars. “Unidentified” drones targeted the Kremniy-El plant, a major facility specializing in microelectronics for Russia’s military-industrial complex, said Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
Ukraine launches marketplace for military to buy weapons. Ukraine has launched Brave1 Market, an online marketplace with the latest technologies for the Ukrainian military, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on April 28 during the Defense Tech Era conference.
Over 95% of drones used at front line made in Ukraine, defense ministry says. “We have made a breakthrough in the unmanned systems sector,” Deputy Defense Minister Valerii Churkin said.
Ukraine loses Su-27 fighter jet repelling Russian drone attack, Air Force says. The pilot ejected and is receiving medical attention, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
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Ukraine war latest: Putin announces truce on Victory Day; Trump believes Zelensky ready to give up Crimea
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a so-called “humanitarian” truce in the war against Ukraine to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, the Kremlin said on April 28.
Photo: Contributor/Getty Images
Trump’s latest Crimea comments put Zelensky between a rock and a hard place, again
Trump’s comments, if taken at face value, suggest Zelensky is aligned with the U.S., which is reportedly considering a de jure recognition of Russia’s control over Crimea as part of a potential peace deal.
Photo: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Kyiv teenagers mourn their friend killed by Russian missile (PHOTOS)
Washington’s allies have been voicing growing alarm over the Trump administration’s proposed framework to end the war in Ukraine, which would allow Russia to retain seized Ukrainian territory.
Photo: Anna Donets/The Kyiv Independent
Human cost of Russia’s war
Death toll of Russia’s April 24 strike on Kyiv rises to 13. The man was survived by an underage daughter and a six-year-old adopted grandson. Their home was completely destroyed in the attack, Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko reported.
1 injured, fires reported as Russia targets Kyiv in drone attack. One person was injured, and fires have been reported in Kyiv amid a Russian drone attack overnight on April 29.
6 killed, 13 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day. Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions over the past day killed at least six civilians and injured at least 13, regional authorities reported on April 28.
General Staff: Russia has lost 949,800 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 1,160 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
International response
Russia’s military building up at Finland’s border over potential NATO clash, WSJ reports. These efforts include expanding military bases near the Russian city of Petrozavodsk, around 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of Finland, the planned site for a new headquarters that could potentially command tens of thousands of troops, the Wall Street Journal wrote.
US, South Korea denounce North Korea’s admission of Russia-Ukraine war involvement. The statements come as both Moscow and Pyongyang admitted for the first time that North Korean soldiers were dispatched to fight alongside Russia in Kursk Oblast, with Russian President Vladimir Putin lauding them as “heroes.”
‘It’s their own business’ — China refuses to comment on North Korean troops fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have confirmed the involvement of North Korean troops fighting against Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast.
Trump’s demands for Ukrainian territorial concessions go too far, Germany’s defense minister says. Germany will continue to support Ukraine with military aid even if the U.S. cuts back its assistance, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
‘Ukrainians aren’t winning the war’ — Vance says peace deal necessary, but not guaranteed. “I think there’s this weird idea among the mainstream media that if this thing goes on for just another few years, the Russians will collapse, the Ukrainians will take their territory back, and everything will go back to the way that it was before the war. That is not the reality that we live in.”
‘I think that nation will be crushed very shortly’ — Trump says he’s ‘saving’ Ukraine. “I think I’m saving that nation … I think I’m doing a great service to Ukraine,” Trump told the Atlantic, while refusing to promise to send military aid to Kyiv.
Ukraine’s allies will ‘increase pressure on Russia’ in coming days, Macron says. “In the next eight to ten days, we will increase pressure on Russia. I remain cautious (of a ceasefire) because part of the equation depends on Moscow,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.
Czech initiative delivers another 400,000 shells to Ukraine, Prague says. Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova reiterated that the initiative already supplied 1.5 million rounds of various calibers in 2024 and has enough funds to continue until this fall.
Transfer of Abrams tanks from Australia to Ukraine stalled due to US resistance, media reports. The U.S. has not granted the necessary formal permission to allow the transfer of Australia’s retired tanks to another country, Australian defense officials told the ABC.
Sanctioned Russians hold ‘golden’ Maltese passports, FT reports. Russian businessman Albert Avdolyan is one of at least seven individuals who bought Maltese passports before later being sanctioned by the United States, the EU, or Ukraine for links to Russia’s invasion.
In other news
Ukraine’s ex-President Yanukovych sentenced to additional 15 years in prison in absentia. Ukraine’s former pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych has been sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for inciting desertion and organizing illegal border crossings, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced on April 28.
Putin’s personal bodyguard, ex-Russian army commander helped Yanukovych flee Ukraine in 2014, prosecutor says. On April 28, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced that Viktor Yanukovych was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for inciting desertion and organizing illegal border crossings.
Ukrainian oil and gas giant Naftogaz elects new head, media reports. The supervisory board of state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz has elected Serhii Koretskyi, the head of Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta, as the company’s new CEO, ExPro Consulting reported, citing its undisclosed sources.
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