Kyiv Independent:
⚡️Poland-Belarus border crossings to remain closed, Polish official says.
There is no "possibility" that Poland will reopen its border checkpoints with Belarus, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on April 19.
⚡️Explosions reported in Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Cherkasy amid air raid alert.
Several explosions were heard in southern Ukraine’s Mykolaiv and Kherson around 5 a.m. on April 21, according to local authorities.
Multiple explosions were also reported in central Ukraine’s Cherkasy around 6 a.m. local time, according to public broadcaster Suspilne.
Ukraine's Air Force previously warned of the threat of Russian drone and missile attacks.
⚡️Moscow court fines Google for disclosing data on Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.
The ruling reportedly stems from a YouTube video that allegedly revealed both casualty figures and personal details of Russian soldiers killed during the full-scale invasion.
⚡️ Russian attacks on Ukraine kill 3, injure 7 over past 24 hours.
Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least three civilians and injured at least seven over the past day, regional authorities reported on April 21.
Some of the strikes were reported to take place on April 20, a date supposedly covered by Russia's Easter ceasefire, which was said to come into effect at 6 p.m. on April 19 and last until midnight on April 21.
⚡️ 'No NATO, US recognizing annexation of Crimea' — Washington awaits Kyiv's response to ceasefire pitch, WSJ reports.
Ukraine is under pressure to respond this week to a U.S. proposal on concluding the war with Russia, which includes the possibility of Washington recognizing Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and barring Ukraine from NATO, the Wall Street Journal reported on April 20, citing an obtained document.
⚡️ Russia using Easter ceasefire to prepare assault in Kharkiv sector, Ukrainian military says.
Russian forces used the supposed temporary Easter ceasefire to reinforce positions and prepare for renewed assaults in Kharkiv Oblast, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s 13th National Guard Khartiia Brigade told Suspilne on April 20.
"There is a very high likelihood they plan to use this pause as a pretext to resume active offensive operations," the spokesperson said.
⚡️ Chinese nationals reportedly smuggling military gear out of Russia.
The incidents concern body armor, tactical gear, and other military apparel that are then studied and replicated using cheaper materials before being resold abroad, Izvestia reported.
⚡️ Norway's PM, finance minister to meet Trump on April 24 to discuss Ukraine, trade.
The leaders will discuss the security situation, NATO, the Russia-Ukraine war, and trade, the Norwegian prime minister's office said.
Nearly 100 days of Trump, and Putin is still calling the shots
“Putin has deployed all the resources at his disposal to play Trump. Everyone knows that the U.S. president is highly susceptible to flattery, and Putin has gone overboard in arguing that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was ‘stolen,’ and that the war never would have happened with Trump in office. He wants us to believe that he went to his private chapel to pray for Trump after the assassination attempt in 2024, and he has even had the Kremlin court artist paint a portrait of Trump as a gift,” writes former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt in his op-ed.
⚡️ Ukraine allocating third of defense budget for high-tech weapons production.
The unification of technical standards for drones is among the key objectives for 2025, said Hlib Kanievskyi, a procurement chief at the Defense Ministry.
⚡️ Russia announces 'resumption' of hostilities after Easter ceasefire as Kyiv reports violations.
Russia's temporary ceasefire was said to start at 6 p.m. Moscow time on April 19 and end at midnight on April 21.
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of nearly 3,000 ceasefire breaches during that period.
⚡️ Kremlin 'satisfied' with US opposition to Ukraine's NATO membership.
"We have heard from Washington at various levels that Ukraine's membership in NATO is out of the question," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 21, Interfax reported.
"Of course, this is something that satisfies us and aligns with our position that Ukraine should not be a NATO member," the spokesperson added.
⚡️ Ukrainian woman arrested for allegedly helping Russia's GRU target missile strikes for 'easy money.'
The suspect reportedly rented an apartment near a logistics center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to conduct reconnaissance near a military airfield.
⚡️ Russian attacks continued since 'first hours' of so-called Easter truce, Border Guard says.
Russia reduced the use of aviation during its so-called Easter ceasefire but nevertheless continued its attacks since the very "first hours," said Andrii Demchenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service.
⚡️ Pentagon denies Hegseth sharing sensitive information in second Signal chat.
The Pentagon denied on April 20 that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared information about strikes on Yemen in a private Signal chat that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.
The Pentagon's statement came after the New York Times (NYT) reported, citing its sources, that Hegseth shared details of the attacks on Yemen in a second Signal chat.
⚡️ Putin signs law ratifying strategic partnership treaty with Iran.
The agreement was initially signed during a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Russia on Jan. 17, where the leaders pledged closer cooperation in trade, defense, energy, and regional infrastructure projects.
⚡️Ukraine strikes Russian drone launch site in Kursk Oblast, killing up to 20 operators, General Staff says.
Russian forces reportedly used the facility to prepare, equip, and launch reconnaissance, strike, and FPV (first-person-view) drones.
⚡️Putin expands 'foreign agent' label to include those who work with foreign organizations, governments.
Under the new rules, individuals can be labeled as "foreign agents" for assisting in implementing decisions made by international bodies in which Russia is not a participant or by foreign state institutions, if those actions are judged to threaten Russian security.
⚡️Russia intensifies push in Kursk, Sumy border areas as Ukraine holds line, Syrskyi says.
"Intense fighting continues in Sumy Oblast in areas near the state border, as well as on the territory of the Russian Federation," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote.
⚡️ US recognizing Crimea as Russian would be 'much worse than Munich in 1938,' Ukrainian lawmaker says.
The chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee compared the potential decision to Western appeasement of Hitler that led to World War II.
⚡️First wheat shipment since Assad's ousting arrives in Syria, reportedly from Russia.
While officials did not disclose the wheat's origin, a source confirmed to Reuters that the cargo came from Russia.
⚡️Trump sees 'very good' chance for Ukraine ceasefire as US proposes major concessions.
"I will be giving you full details over the next three days, but we had very good meetings on Ukraine, Russia," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
⚡️Ukraine, US, UK, France to meet in London on April 23 for peace talks, Zelensky says.
"We are ready to move forward as constructively as possible, just as we have done before, to achieve an unconditional ceasefire, followed by the establishment of a real and lasting peace," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote.
Pope Francis leaves a mixed legacy in wartime Ukraine, overshadowed by historic Vatican-Moscow ties
Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at 88, leaves behind a legacy as vast and varied as his global influence. Yet in Ukraine, his track record is far from positive.
For many Ukrainians, the Pope’s legacy is shaped by his repeated downplaying of the gravity of Ukraine’s fight for its survival in Russia’s war of aggression.
Critical week for Ukraine begins as Trump hopes to 'end war'
U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Russia and Ukraine could reach a war-ending deal "this week," as his team threatens that Washington could ditch the peace talks efforts if no step is taken in the near future.
What could be a decisive week for Kyiv comes as the U.S.-Ukraine relations are experiencing another low point.
⚡️Ukraine waiting for answer from Russia on civilian infrastructure ceasefire.
"Ukraine maintains its offer not to strike at least at civilian infrastructure. And we expect a clear answer from Moscow," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 21.
‘There was no ceasefire’ — U.S.-brokered energy truce fails to secure lasting results in Ukraine
A partial ceasefire on energy strikes, brokered separately by the U.S. with Moscow and Kyiv last month, failed to deliver on its promise, diminishing hopes for a swift end to the war in Ukraine.
“There was no ceasefire at all,” Oleksandr Kharchenko, managing director of the Kyiv-based Energy Industry Research Center, told the Kyiv Independent, adding that “electricity substations and gas infrastructure have been attacked constantly.”
“Moscow is convinced that the Western world is unable to effectively counter them,” he said.
'I didn't have time to think. I just acted' – how brave teen rescued people in Sumy attack
On April 13, as Ukraine marked Palm Sunday, Russia launched its deadliest attack on Sumy.
Although he was injured himself, 13-year-old Kyrylo decided to take action. Thanks to him, those trapped in a damaged bus managed to escape safely. "I did not have time to think at that moment. I just acted," he said.
Kherson keeps Easter traditions alive under fire (PHOTOS)
In the battered southern city of Kherson, where Russian drone strikes and artillery target civilians daily, residents cling to traditions for both a semblance of normality and as an act of defiance.
This year, just like every year before the start of the full-scale war, Kherson locals baked Easter bread, gathered with loved ones, and found ways to celebrate life amid the destruction caused by war.