Newsletter 24/04/2026
A daily news digest covering important war, political, economic, and cultural topics in Ukraine
TOP
Zelensky: 193 defenders returning to Ukraine from Russian captivity
“I thank everyone working to facilitate prisoner exchanges. I thank every unit on the front lines that is helping to replenish Ukraine’s exchange pool. I am grateful to all our partners who are assisting in this effort. We remember each and every one of them, and we continue to work every day to bring our people home from Russian captivity,” the President said.
War
Starving soldiers of 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade: Joint Forces Task Force conducts full-scale investigation
The situation regarding the supply of positions for soldiers of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade is a terrible “management” failure. The Joint Forces Command has launched an investigation across the entire chain of command of the 10th Army Corps. It is imperative that such situations not occur and that problems be reported directly to the commander promptly.
According to Ukrinform, the Joint Forces Task Force press service reported this on Facebook.
“Following public outcry over supply issues in the 14th Mechanized Brigade’s sector and the publication of photos showing soldiers emaciated by hunger, the Joint Forces Command immediately launched an investigation across the entire chain of command of the 10th Army Corps. Additional resources were immediately allocated to support the units. The group commander is in contact with the unit commander and has offered all necessary assistance. The Joint Forces Command requires commanders at all levels to prevent such situations and to report problems directly to the commander promptly,” the statement reads.
As noted, it is important not to remain silent, not to sugarcoat the situation, and not to be swayed by positions or ranks when it comes to the actual state of affairs: “The main thing is to preserve people and treat them with humanity; everything else can be corrected through systematic work.”
CinC Syrskyi meets NATO, EU military chiefs to discuss Ukrainian forces urgent needs
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, held talks with the heads of the military committees of NATO and the European Union – Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone and General Seán Clancy – to discuss the Ukrainian military’s most urgent needs.
Border with Russia becomes front line, and enemy continues its assault, says Demchenko
“The enemy is attempting to attack positions held by our soldiers with its assault groups. Overall, speaking of the entire border within the Sumy region, including those sections where State Border Guard Service units are stationed. For example, yesterday, assault operations were repelled within the Yunakivka community toward the village of Varachyne. And speaking of this section in general, the enemy does not cease such actions and carries them out very frequently. Our soldiers are repelling these attacks, and the enemy is suffering heavy losses,” Demchenko said.
Drone attacks hit Dagestan, flights canceled at four airports
On Friday, April 24, drones attacked the Russian region of Dagestan. Flights have reportedly been canceled at airports in Dagestan, Ingushetia, Chechnya, and North Ossetia.
Shellings
In Odesa, injury toll from Russian attack increases to 17, with two fatalities
Russians attack civilians with drones in Kherson region, two dead, three wounded
Two injured in Mykolaiv region following Russian drone attack
Russian attacks injure two in Dnipropetrovsk region, infrastructure damaged
Mandatory evacuation ordered in two more villages in Kherson region
Russian forces strike fire station in Zaporizhzhia region
❗️DTEK: Energy workers restarted TPPs from scratch 17 times after shelling during heating season
“During the most challenging heating season, DTEK Energo’s power engineers had to restart the company’s thermal power plants from scratch 17 times and restore their operation following massive shelling; since the start of the full-scale war, this has happened 68 times,” the statement reads.
It is noted that due to enemy attacks, the plants were forced to shut down completely—in the terminology of power engineers, they “went to zero.” This means that the TPP generates no electricity and does not feed any power into the grid.
Defense
First tranche of European defense loan for Ukraine to total EUR 6B, source says
The first funds from the defense component of the loan to Ukraine, expected by the end of June 2026, will be allocated to the purchase of a batch of Ukrainian-made drones.
A European official, who spoke to a Ukrinform correspondent on condition of anonymity, revealed this information to journalists.
“The amount for the first defense package is 6 billion euros,” the official stated, adding that it will finance the purchase of drones manufactured in Ukraine.
He added that discussions regarding subsequent arms procurement programs are still ongoing, but they may also include drones, as well as ammunition and air defense systems.
Regarding the first package, it was clarified that on April 1, the EU approved a targeted exemption from the rules, as stipulated in the credit regulation, if Ukraine’s military needs require the urgent supply of defense products unavailable in Ukraine, the EU, EEA-EFTA countries, or designated third countries.
Politics
Czech military expert: Ukraine conducting highly skillful diplomacy in Middle East
“The way Ukraine has managed to build alliances in the Gulf countries and help strengthen air defense will, of course, bring it not only economic but also technological benefits. Ukraine is clearly capable not only of fighting brilliantly but also of conducting very good diplomacy,” the expert said.
French presidential election to be decisive for future of all of Europe, says Klimkin
He also cited the upcoming elections in Germany as an important international event, noting that they could lead to a reshuffle of the ruling coalition, which would negatively impact Ukraine’s European integration.
Klimkin: Most difficult EU accession negotiations to be with our neighbors
The diplomat made these remarks in an interview with Ukrinform.
Responding to a reporter’s question about which EU countries are currently our key allies and where we still need to “persuade” them, Klimkin said, “I really don’t like this question. Although I’m not opposed to dividing friends and partners into ‘super,’ ‘good,’ and ‘bad’ categories. There are, obviously, countries with which we will have very difficult negotiations, for example, the Poles. And in general, negotiations with all our neighbors will be difficult. Do you think negotiations with Romania will be easy? They won’t,” the former government official predicts.
Baltic states say Europe cannot return to pre-war relations with Russia — Bloomberg
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are warning European partners that any attempts to restore normal relations with Moscow after its full-scale aggression against Ukraine are unrealistic and dangerous.
Ukraine underestimated ties with Global South, Ukrainian diplomat says
Ukraine overestimated the willingness of its partners to act decisively and underestimated the importance of engagement with countries of the Global South.
This opinion was expressed by diplomat Volodymyr Yelchenko during the discussion “The 5th Year of the Great War. Empires Will Fall,” the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation told Ukrinform. Yelchenko noted that many countries do not even view the war in terms of a potential Russian defeat.
Erdogan could be key go-between with Putin, says Crimean Tatar leader
Türkiye’s experience in mediation and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ability to maintain dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin could make him an effective negotiator – both in peace efforts and in securing the release of Ukrainian detainees.
Economy
President Zelensky, Saudi Crown Prince discuss three key areas of cooperation
In Jeddah, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, outlining three priority areas of cooperation between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. Department of Energy believes that Ukraine has the potential to become a key energy hub for Europe
Ukraine has the potential to become a key energy hub for Europe, particularly due to the development of its gas infrastructure, energy storage capabilities, transit potential, and cooperation with the United States in the field of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
This was stated by U.S. Department of Energy Special Envoy Joshua Volz and Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy Andy Repp during a meeting with journalists in Kyiv, Ukrinform’s correspondent reports.
MoE Shmyhal: Ukraine restores 1 GW of TPP capacity out of planned 3.8 GW
Energy companies reported on the readiness of power facilities for the coming winter.
“The main focus is on the status of scheduled and emergency repairs. Our strategic goal is to restore 6 GW of capacity before the start of the heating season. Specifically, the restoration plan for thermal power plants is 3.8 GW. We already have the first concrete results: so far, we have managed to restore 1 GW of capacity. We need to increase the pace,” Shmyhal noted.
Society
Russia expands AI disinformation into cognitive warfare
Russia has scaled up its use of deepfakes and AI-generated video to the level of a full-fledged cognitive warfare tool, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, visited Bucha in the Kyiv region
Chornobyl employee, five National Guards still detained by Russia, plant chief says
One employee of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and five National Guard servicemen who were guarding the site remain in Russian captivity.
This was reported by Director General of the state enterprise Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant Serhii Tarakanov in response to a question from an Ukrinform correspondent.
“One ChNPP employee remains in captivity. He was detained in Slavutych, not on the plant’s premises. In addition, five National Guard troops are still being held,” Tarakanov said.