Newsletter 18/04/2025
A daily news digest covering important war, political, economic, and cultural topics in Ukraine
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Bodies of 909 fallen defenders returned to Ukraine
Ukraine has received the bodies of another 909 fallen defenders as part of ongoing repatriation efforts.
Among those brought back to Ukraine are soldiers who fought in the Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kharkiv sectors. The repatriated also include the bodies of defenders that had been held in morgues in Russia.
The return of the fallen was made possible through the cooperation of the Coordination Headquarters with the Joint Center of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Interior Ministry, the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the Commissioner's Secretariat for Missing Persons under Special Circumstances, the State Emergency Service, and other agencies within the security and defense sector.
Kharkiv attack: Number of injured in Russian shelling of Kharkiv rises to 112
Early on Friday, April 18, Russian forces launched three Iskander missiles at Kharkiv's Osnovianskyi district. One missile detonated in the air near a residential apartment building. An elderly man was killed, and dozens of civilians were wounded. Earlier, the number of those injured in the attack was reported at 98.
Zelensky on attacks on Kharkiv and Sumy: Russia began Good Friday with missiles and Shaheds
President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on Russian air strikes on Kharkiv and Sumy, calling them a mockery of people and cities.
“This is how Russia started this Good Friday - with ballistics, cruise missiles, “Shaheds” - mocking our people and cities. A missile attack on Kharkiv, just on the city. Dozens of ordinary houses, businesses, cars were damaged. About 70 people were injured, including five children, the youngest, Valeria, is only two years old. All the injured received the necessary assistance. Unfortunately, one person died. Sumy. Russian attack drones. One of the targets is an ordinary bread production facility, an ordinary enterprise that has been working for the city for decades. Unfortunately, one person was killed by this strike. My condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones,” Zelensky said.
He noted that there were also Russian strikes in Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Mykolaiv and Donetsk regions.
Ukraine to receive around $3B loan from Japan
Ukraine and Japan have signed an agreement under which Kyiv will receive a loan of up to 471.9 billion Japanese yen (approximately $3 billion), which is to be repaid using revenues generated from frozen Russian sovereign assets.
The funds are part of the G7's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) mechanism, which totals around $50 billion.
The loan has a 30-year maturity. It will be serviced and repaid using future proceeds generated from immobilized Russian sovereign assets.
Zelensky imposes sanctions on Russian celebrities, missile manufacturers
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has enacted a National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) decision to impose personal sanctions on a number of individuals, including Russian cultural figures who justify Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as individuals and companies involved in Russia's missile program.
Decree No. 246 imposes sanctions on 20 individuals, including well-known Russian personalities such as Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Igor Sukachov, Alexander Rosenbaum, Nikolai Rastorguev, Sergei Polunin, Aleksandr Pankratov-Cherny, Yevgeny Mironov, Oskar Kuchera, Yuri Kuklachov, Egor Konchalovsky, and Nikita Dzhigurda.
Decree No. 247 introduces sanctions against 60 legal entities and 39 individuals linked to the production of Russian missiles. Some of the companies under sanction are registered in China.
The sanctions include asset freezes, revocation of state awards, restrictions on trade operations, prevention of capital withdrawal, suspension of economic and financial obligations, and a ban on media distribution within Ukraine.
Ukraine, US sign memorandum on economic partnership agreement – Svyrydenko
On Thursday, April 17, Ukraine and the United States signed a memorandum confirming their common desire to conclude a mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement between the two countries.
Government publishes text of Memorandum to Ukraine-U.S. economic partnership agreement
The Ukrainian government published a text of the Memorandum to the Agreement on Economic Partnership, which had recently been signed by Ukraine and the United States.
In particular, this document reaffirms the commitment of the American people to invest together with the Ukrainian people in a free, sovereign and secure Ukraine.
According to the Memorandum, the two countries recognize the contribution that Ukraine has made to strengthening international peace and security by voluntarily giving up the world’s third largest nuclear weapons arsenal.
The document stipulates that the United States respects Ukraine’s commitments related to its accession to the European Union or related to agreements with international financial institutions and other official creditors. This means that the work on the Agreement cannot cause conflicts for Ukraine’s European integration path.
War
During the latest missile attack on the Dnipro, the enemy strike occurred near a base where local schoolchildren are rowing. Sports infrastructure and a school were destroyed.
The consequences are currently being eliminated, and municipal workers are completing the removal of debris and branches.
Ukrainian forces down three Russian Iskander-K missiles, 23 Shahed drones
War update: 140 combat clashes recorded on frontline in past day, 64 in Pokrovsk sector
Russian occupiers in Crimea step up patrols to detect guerrillas
Ukrainian forces repel enemy assault group in Kharkiv region
President appoints new heads of regional state and military administrations
Stefanchuk meets with Austrian parliamentary delegation to discuss return of children abducted by Russia
Ukrainian drones destroy enemy Msta-S howitzer, two tanks in Kramatorsk sector/Video
Ukrainian forces repel Russian armored assault in Sumy sector
Ukrainian border guards from the Steel Border Brigade of the Offensive Guard, together with fellow defenders from other branches of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, repelled a Russian assault and destroyed enemy armored vehicles in the Sumy sector.
AFU spox: Russians failed to recapture single position of AFU in south
“Today, the enemy in the southern direction has gathered a certain amount of forces and means to conduct assault operations, mainly with small groups of infantry. In addition, he has already conducted assault operations twice as part of units. That is, he changed his tactics. And these units were roughly up to a mechanized, motorized rifle battalion. The enemy used both military equipment and armored vehicles, as well as tanks, but after conducting this assault, which lasted more than two and a half hours, they did not succeed, but only suffered some losses, so the first time, which took place on Sunday, and the second time, which was the day before yesterday, there was no success, because the enemy was not able to take back any positions from the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” said the Southern Defense Forces Vladyslav Voloshyn.
Politics
United States optimistic about peace in Ukraine – Vance
"Since there are the negotiations I won't prejudge them, but we do feel optimistic that we can hopefully bring this war, this very brutal war, to a close," said U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
His statement came just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was ready to walk away from talks due to a lack of progress.
French court allows $5B to be forcefully recovered from Russia in favor of Naftogaz
The Paris Judicial Court has recognized and granted leave to enforce (exequatur) in France the landmark USD 5 billion final award issued by an arbitral tribunal in The Hague against the Russian Federation.