The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Members of a tank crew of the Ukrainian 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade take part in a field training exercise with a Leopard 2A4 tank at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on April 30, 2025. (Genya Savilov / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine, US sign minerals deal. Ukraine and the United States on April 30 signed a long-awaited minerals agreement that establishes a joint investment fund for reconstruction in Ukraine.
Zelensky warns Russia is ‘preparing something’ in Belarus under guise of military drills. “Look at Belarus — this summer, Russia is preparing something there under the guise of military exercises. This is how its new attacks usually start,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
‘5 explosions’ — Ukrainian drones strike Russian military plant in Murom, source claims. The facility, known locally as the city’s “powder factory,” produces ignition components for ammunition used by Russia’s Armed Forces, Interior Ministry, and Federal Security Service (FSB), according to Russia’s National Defense magazine.
Putin admits Ukrainian soldiers remain in Kursk Oblast after boasting about region’s recapture. Despite declaring victory, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on April 30 that Ukrainian soldiers remain in the region, Russian state-controlled media reported.
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Zelensky urged Trump to toughen stance on Putin during Vatican meeting, Axios says. President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly pressed U.S. President Donald Trump to return to his original proposal of an unconditional ceasefire as the starting point for peace talks.
600 North Korean troops killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine, South Korea says. North Korea has suffered about 4,700 casualties in total, including both dead and wounded, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said.
Yermak warns against easing Russian aviation sanctions, says line between civilian and military use is ‘blurred.’ The article follows Russia’s formal request that the U.S. lift sanctions on its state airline Aeroflot.
Oil prices set for largest monthly drop since 2021, Reuters reports. The decline in crude prices started in early April when U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imports. China responded with its own tariffs, sparking a trade war between the world’s biggest oil consumers.
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Ukraine war latest: Kremlin says Russia ready for mass mobilization
Russia can mobilize for war on a scale comparable to the Soviet Union during World War II if necessary, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 30. “If a great country needs to stand up, it will stand up at any moment. No one can have any doubts.”
Photo: Contributor/Getty Images
Can Russia’s war machine survive without outside aid?
A global web of parallel imports allows Russia to procure components via third countries who have not agreed to sanctions — a group that includes countries across Central Asia and the South Caucasus, as well as larger economies such as India and China.
Photo: Gavriil Grigorov / Pool / AFP
‘There’s an information war, and we’ve disarmed ourselves’ — ex-US diplomat on effects of Trump cuts
In the U.S., the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) had acted as the main tool to expose Russia and China’s disinformation campaigns abroad since it was reformed in 2016. But in 2025, Trump shut the center down, citing concerns about free speech. The Kyiv Independent spoke with James Rubin, a former diplomat who led the GEC for two years starting in 2022, about the decision.
Photo: Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images
Trump claims 5,000 Russian, Ukrainian soldiers killed each week. Here’s what the numbers say
Both Ukraine and Russia closely guard their numbers as state secrets, leaving an information void that others have tried to fill. The true death toll is a matter of intense debate, but experts have used open sources and intelligence estimates to try and calculate how many Ukrainian and Russian troops have died throughout the war. Exact numbers vary, but all experts agree — Russia is losing far more troops than Ukraine.
Photo: Stringer / AFP via Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
3 killed, 70 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day. “Russian drones continue flying in the skies over Ukraine all morning. And so it goes every day,” President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X, calling for stronger sanctions against Russia.
Russian drone attack injures 47 in Kharkiv. “There have been 16 strikes on Kharkiv,” Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram. “A high-rise apartment block was hit as well as private residences, a medical facility, and civil infrastructure.”
General Staff: Russia has lost 951,960 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 1,100 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
International response
Europe struggles to find troops for Ukraine’s ‘deterrence force,’ the Times reports. European nations would struggle to deploy even 25,000 troops to Ukraine as part of a proposed multinational “deterrence” force, far short of the 64,000-strong target suggested by U.K. defense officials, the Times reported on April 30 citing undisclosed European defense sources.
EU will not recognize Crimea as part of Russia, Kallas says. EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the EU is also drawing up a “plan B” to maintain economic sanctions on Russia in case the Trump administration pulls out of Ukraine peace negotiations and moves to restore ties with Moscow.
Minerals deal faced last-minute delay amid dispute, Financial Times reports. Reuters reported on April 30 that Washington expects Ukraine to sign two additional documents along with the minerals deal, while Kyiv maintains those texts are not yet finalized.
India’s Modi declines Putin’s invitation to Moscow Victory Day parade. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that while India “will be represented,” it will not be at the highest level and did not specify Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reasons for refusing the invitation.
Crunch time for Republicans on Ukraine, says ex-US State Senator
In other news
Hungarian Parliament votes to withdraw from International Criminal Court. The decision formalizes Hungary’s intention, first announced in early April during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Budapest.
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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Chris York, Tymur Zadorozhnyy, Yana Prots, Oleksiy Sorokin, Anna Fratsyvir, Abbey Fenbert, and Volodymyr Ivanyshyn.
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