Newsletter 04/04/2025
A daily news digest covering important war, political, economic, and cultural topics in Ukraine
Death toll from Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih rises to 14, including five children
"Тhis is the face of the Russians, it has not changed, in principle, since the beginning of this war. They hit and hit the playground," Zelenskyy said.
Drone attack death toll in Kharkiv up to 5
An 88-year-old man who was critically injured in a Russian drone attack on Khaarkiv's Novobavarskyi district has died in hospital, bringing the total number of fatalities to five.
On the night of April 3-4, Russian forces launched Shahed drones at residential areas in Kharkiv's Novobavarskyi district and one location in the Kholodnohirskyi district. Four bodies were recovered from the rubble of a two-story building, with their identification ongoing. Over 30 people sustained injuries.
Car explosion in Dnipropetrovsk region injures local official, his wife
A local official and his wife were injured following a car explosion in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region.
The explosion was reported at around 07:40 on April 4.
The vehicle's driver -- a local government official -- and his wife sustained injuries in the blast.
One injured, hospital damaged as Russians fire about ten shells at Kherson
Neighboring apartment buildings were damaged, as well as the hospital itself. In particular, one of the hospital’s departments suffered shattered windows and damage to its facade. The enemy fired approximately ten shells.
Russian drone hits car carrying Ukrainian journalist in Kharkiv region
Russian troops launch over 3,000 strikes in Donetsk region in 24 hours, killing one and wounding five
On April 3, Russian troops struck 3,088 times in Donetsk region yesterday, and 56 civilian objects were damaged.
Seven settlements were under fire: the cities of Kostiantynivka, Lyman, Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, the villages of Ivanopillia, Novoekonomichne, Stara Mykolayivka.
In particular, Russians attacked Kostiantynivka with Smerch multiple rocket launchers, killing a civilian and wounding three others. One apartment building and 14 private houses, 12 garages, an administrative building and a church were damaged.
The enemy struck Myrnohrad with air and artillery, injuring two civilians and damaging an apartment building and a private house.
In Pokrovsk, Russian troops destroyed an apartment building and an educational institution in Novoekonomichne.
Politics
Trump says Zelensky, Putin "ready to make a deal"
U.S. President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin were ready to make a deal to end the war.
He added that the U.S. wants the Russo-Ukrainian war to end as soon as possible, and that there is “a lot of progress” in the ongoing talks.
When asked about the talks with Putin's representative Kirill Dmitriev, Trump replied that he does not discuss specific individuals.
“I’ll just tell you that there’s a lot of good conversations going on about Ukraine, Russia,” Trump said.
He said that Europe has not succeeded in its relations with Putin, noting that he, in turn, might.
FM Sybiha: Ukraine felt strong support from NATO allies in Brussels
During a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council held yesterday at the Alliance's Brussels headquarters, Ukraine felt strong support from NATO allies, which is manifested in the creation of the “Coalition of the Resolute” under the leadership of France and the United Kingdom.
“The conclusion I want to make after my bilateral meetings, after my participation in the meeting of NATO foreign ministers: we are not alone. We have strong support, and this unity is being cemented even more. A clear manifestation of this is the creation of the “Coalition of the Resolute” under the leadership of the United Kingdom and France. We also hope that after the election cycle in Germany, it will begin to play a significant and meaningful role in these processes, as befits a country like Germany,” the Ukrainian minister said.
He noted that he supported the statements made by literally every minister during the NATO-Ukraine Council, as each of them demonstrated the partners' determination to support Ukraine and their readiness to make new commitments in these difficult times. These commitments, according to the Ukrainian official, will soon be converted into specific assistance packages for Ukraine to strengthen its defense capabilities.
US not withdrawing from Ramstein format, support for Ukraine will continue – Rutte
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was responding to an Ukrinform journalist's question about whether Hegseth's absence from the upcoming Ramstein-format meeting indicates a U.S. withdrawal from the initiative, and how that aligns with NATO's goal of strengthening Ukraine's position at future peace negotiations.
Russia has to decide on peace within weeks, not months – Rubio
“We're testing to see if the Russians are interested in peace. Their actions - not their words, their actions - will determine whether they're serious or not, and we intend to find that out sooner rather than later,” the head of the State Department said.
War
War update: 156 clashes on front lines in past day, half in Pokrovsk, Toretsk sectors
Russian troops waiting for favorable weather for assault on Chasiv Yar - military
Russia intensifies drone attacks on Ukraine by 52% since start of ceasefire talks - media
Ukrainian forces down 42 out of 78 drones launched by Russia overnight
Car dealership, parking lot affected in Russian drone attack on Kyiv region
Ukraine’s border guards destroy Russian MLRS, floating bridge in Luhansk region/Video
One killed, three injured as Russian forces shell Kostiantynivka with MLRS
This night the enemy attacked the Dnipro and its suburbs with drones
Fortunately, no casualties. An infrastructure facility, 2 administrative buildings, private and guest houses, an outbuilding, a car, a gas pipeline and a power line were damaged.
As a result of the attack by the "Shaheds" in the village of Kushuhum in the Zaporizhzhia region, about 20 private houses were damaged
The only shopping center was also destroyed.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant cannot be restarted under occupation – Energoatom
Ukraine's National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom has deemed it impossible for Russia to restart operations at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) while it remains under occupation, citing serious safety violations and technical degradation.
Any discussions about restarting the plant under Russian control violate international nuclear and radiation safety standards. The only legitimate operator of the ZNPP is Energoatom, and only Ukrainian specialists have the necessary expertise and authority to manage the facility.
Energoatom stressed that the plant's current technical condition, coupled with the occupation, makes its restart technically impossible. The prolonged lack of maintenance, disruption of repair schedules, absence of original spare parts, and inability to conduct full inspections have critically compromised its safety systems.
Additionally, the presence of armed forces and military equipment on-site, along with the continued militarization of the surrounding area, further escalates the risk of a nuclear disaster.
Another alarming factor is the restricted access for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, preventing an objective assessment of the plant's safety status.
Defense
SBU exposes traitors recruited by Kremlin for 'external governance' project in Ukraine
These individuals, who are hiding in Russia, have declared themselves the "only legitimate government" of Ukraine and are actively promoting a plan for Ukraine's surrender, the statement said.
This week, the group's leaders and other Ukrainian defectors attended a so-called "unity" forum in Moscow, alongside Russian fascist ideologue Alexander Dugin, State Duma deputies, bloggers, and pro-war propagandists.
"The entire rhetoric of the 'conference' revolved around Putin's claim that lasting peace in our state requires the creation of a transitional administration under the control of Russia and the U.S. to temporarily govern Ukraine," the SBU said.
The group consists of traitors, collaborators, and pro-Russian figures who fled to Russia even before the full-scale invasion.
According to the SBU, the leader of this network is Dmytro Vasylets, head of the banned Derzhava party, who has already been sentenced in absentia for supporting Russian armed aggression. He recruited several associates, including:
Valentyn Rybin, a lawyer for Anatoly Shariy, who is accused of treason;
Oleksandr Skubchenko, a so-called "political expert" formerly featured on Viktor Medvedchuk's TV channels, now a regular guest on Russian propaganda shows;
Oleksandr Semenchenko, deputy head of the banned Derzhava party, previously based in Kyiv but now hiding in Russia;
Pavlo Onishchenko, a collaborator and leader of the pro-Kremlin group Slobozhanska Sich;
Viktor Malafeyev, a propagandist who, besides making anti-Ukrainian statements on Russian TV, collects "donations" for purchasing weapons for Russian occupiers;
Maksym Shykhaleyev, a pro-Russian agitator in Crimea who supported the 2014 annexation and later cooperated with Russian authorities.
Secretariat of UN inquiry commission on Ukraine shrunk over liquidity crisis
"Due to the ongoing liquidity crisis and recruitment freeze, at the United Nations, our Commission has been significantly affected. Initially, our Secretariat consisted of 24 members, but we now have only 13 members in the Commission Secretariat. If a position at the Secretariat falls vacant, we cannot hire a new person to fill the same," said member of the Commission, Indian rights activist Vrinda Grover.
According to Grover, while investigators and other staff still remain in the Vienna-based secretariat, some key positions, such as the chief investigator, legal advisor, and child rights expert, have been lost.
Ukraine’s Navy does not confirm reports on U.S. being “surprised” with Moskva cruiser sinking
Ukrainian, Bulgarian foreign ministers discuss strengthening Black Sea security
Sybiha, Kallas discuss peace efforts, accelerating Ukraine's EU accession
Economy
Trump's tariffs may help Ukrainian corn producers – experts
The recent tariffs introduced by Donald Trump for most countries around the world may help Ukrainian corn exporters increase their share in the global market.
That’s according to Reuters.
Ukrainian corn, a key element in the country's grain sector, could benefit from the tariffs imposed by the U.S., as it is able to partially substitute for U.S. corn if retaliatory sanctions are imposed, analysts said.
According to estimates, Ukraine may export about 22 million tons of corn this year. If major importers impose tariffs on American corn, it will open a large window of opportunity for alternative suppliers. In this case, Ukrainian corn will find itself in an advantageous position: competitive price, stable logistics and close ties with the EU and Asian markets, the analytical agency ASAP Agri said.
Analysts believe that the EU, Australia and China will most likely introduce certain mirror restrictions, which opens up strategic opportunities for Ukraine, as it directly competes with the U.S. in these markets. First of all, this is a market for corn, soybeans and wheat, and indirectly – for rapeseed, sunflower oil, and barley, Barva Invest noted.