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Stay on top of Russia-Ukraine war 04-06-2025 developments on the ground with KyivPost fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated war maps.
Football has always been a big sport in Ukraine. But the war has taken its toll on the whole league. AI might just be part of the solution to make teams more competitive.
Amid Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion, Ukraine has learned to innovate quickly to defend itself – on the battlefield, and perhaps soon enough, on the football pitch. In a country where artificial intelligence (AI) is already used to conduct strikes against the enemy, the next frontier may well be football (soccer) – once peace returns. When Russia’s invasion ends, Ukraine will be left not only with battle-hardened resilience, but a growing pool of homegrown tech talent in the AI sector. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume some of those abilities would trickle down into football.
Indeed, the use of AI in football is already gathering pace around Europe. Jordan Campbell, a football writer for The Athletic, recently wrote a story on how AI is poised to transform football at every level – from how clubs recruit talent to how players train, recover, and avoid injury.
Protests are beginning to gain momentum in the US. Now former Trump supporters are beginning to question the direction the new president is taking the country.
Cape May Courthouse is a mid-sized town in the southern part of New Jersey, by the shore, some 150 miles south of New York City. It is the government hub of Cape May County, where the courts and government offices are located. In recent history it is generally acknowledged to be Republican country, and even MAGA.
On Saturday, April 5, 2025, a crowd of close to 1,000 people gathered on Route 9 near the corner of Mechanic Street in Cape May Courthouse. They held flags and signs. The flags were American and, perhaps surprisingly, Ukrainian. The signs read “Dump Trump,” “Dump [Congressman] Van Drew,” “We will defend Democracy,” “No Tyranny,” “Save Medicare and Social Security,” and even “Give me liberty or give me death.”
A sense of patriotism and humane social values are what carry many Ukrainians through the darkest of times. But are we being tested to our limits?
“Trump has caused the collapse of the Ukrainian book market!” my Ukrainian publisher Olexander Krasovitsky lamented as we sat down in Kyiv’s Bar 13.
I knew that President Trump and Elon Musk had dented the world market for Tesla cars, but what did Ukrainian books have to do with US policies?
Donald Trump was elected as president because of his “America first” agenda. It should be clearer than ever that by helping Ukraine defeat Russia, the US president is making America greater.
In a powerful New York Times op-ed, Congressman Don Bacon, a principled Republican and retired brigadier general, called on his colleagues and the President to join him in standing up to Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine. He made it clear that the fight in Ukraine is not a partisan issue – it’s an American one. And he’s right.
The war in Ukraine is bigger than Democrats or Republicans, the Left or the Right. It’s about whether the United States will uphold the values of freedom, sovereignty, and faith – or allow authoritarian regimes to erase borders, kidnap children, destroy churches, and shoot civilians in the back of the head.
The Trump team had a glaring absence on its list of countries to be punished with tariffs: Russia. Kyiv Post did the math and came up with what Moscow would have to pay if it weren’t exempt.
On April 2, US President Donald Trump stunned the world by levying tariffs on most of the globe. A universal tariff of 10% was imposed on all imported goods and each nation faced what Trump called “reciprocal tariffs,” meant to punish those nations that imported too much to the US.
One notable exemption from the tariff was Russia. (Even Ukraine was hit with tariffs.)
In this episode we cover about Putin’s new conscription of 160,000 men, Zelensky’s warning of a new Russian offensive and high-level diplomatic meetings in Washington.
Pressure on Russia is still insufficient to stop Russia’s murderous attacks, Ukrainian leader says.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that the number of Russian air attacks is increasing, indicating that there is not enough international pressure on Moscow.
Missile and drone attacks across the country killed at least two people overnight and injured at least four people, as well as damaging offices of state broadcasters, officials said.
The Trump administration on Friday said it accidentally told some Ukrainian refugees they needed to leave the US immediately because their legal status was being revoked.
Rain is compounding misery and presenting new hurdles for relief efforts on Sunday in Myanmar, where state media reported the death toll from a devastating earthquake has risen to nearly 3,500 people. The 7.7-magnitude quake struck on March 28, razing buildings, cutting off power and destroying bridges and roads across the country. Damage has been particularly severe in the city of Sagaing near the epicentre, as well as in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second city and home to more than 1.7 million people. State media in the military junta-led country now say that the earthquake has caused 3,471 confirmed deaths and injured 4,671 people, while 214 remain missing. The UN said Friday that since the earthquake, the junta continued to conduct dozens of attacks against rebel groups, including at least 16 since Wednesday when the military government announced a temporary ceasefire - Bangkok Post
President Trump’s abrupt firing of the head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command on Thursday was the latest in a series of moves that have torn away at the country’s cyberdefenses - just as they are confronting the most sophisticated and sustained attacks in the nation’s history. The commander, General Timothy D. Haugh, had sat atop the enormous infrastructure of American cyberdefenses until his removal, apparently under pressure from the far-right Trump loyalist Laura Loomer. He had been among the American officials most deeply involved in pushing back on Russia, dating to his work countering Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election. His dismissal came after weeks in which the Trump administration swept away nearly all of the government’s election-related cyberdefenses beyond the secure N.S.A. command centers at Fort Meade, Md. At the same time, the administration has shrunk much of the nation’s complex early-warning system for cyberattacks, a web through which tech firms work with the F.B.I. and intelligence agencies to protect the power grid, pipelines and telecommunications networks. Cybersecurity experts, election officials and lawmakers — mostly Democrats but a few Republicans — have begun to raise alarms that the United States is knocking down a system that, while still full of holes, has taken a decade to build. It has pushed out some of its most experienced cyberdefenders and fired younger talent brought in to design defenses against a wave of ransomware, Chinese intrusions and vulnerabilities created by artificial intelligence. “At a time when the United States is facing unprecedented cyberthreats — as the Salt Typhoon cyberattack from China has so clearly underscored — how does firing him make Americans any safer?” Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Thursday night after General Haugh’s ouster. Mr. Warner was referring to an operation in which Chinese intelligence bored so deeply into American telecommunications networks that it had access to the Justice Department’s system for lawful interception of calls or text messages and could listen in on some conversations, including Mr. Trump’s during his campaign last year - NYT
Initially, evangelicals in the US staunchly supported their brethren in Ukraine. With Trump, however, many prefer to focus on the American First agenda.
As US support for Ukraine wanes, evangelicals are divided. While all seek a peaceful resolution, opinions on Trump’s negotiation approach vary. His “America First” policy energizes his evangelical base – nearly a quarter of Americans, 81% of whom backed him in 2020 – who see him as flawed yet a defender of Christian values. As Trump turns against Ukraine, most US evangelicals follow suit, leaving their Ukrainian counterparts feeling abandoned by both his administration and their American peers.
US evangelicals played an important role in the growth and development of Ukrainian evangelism. It was through the efforts of Ivan Voronaev, an Assembly of God missionary, that the first Pentecostal church was created in Odesa, Ukraine. Additionally, during the height of Soviet religious oppression, US evangelicals smuggled religious literature across the Iron Curtain, utilized short-wave radio waves to broadcast religious shows, and lobbied to improve religious freedom in the USSR.
Russia appears to be gathering more Americans for potential exchange with the US, which is now showing a willingness to swap Ukraine’s negotiating cards for its citizens.
A US citizen detained in Russia and due to go on trial this month has been forcibly sent to a psychiatric hospital, TASS state news agency reported Sunday.
The 46-year-old man, Joseph Tater, was arrested in Moscow in August 2024 and accused of assaulting a police officer after abusing staff at a hotel. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
Amid growing calls in Germany to rearm and prepare for eventual war with Russia, a future NATO exercise in Hamburg will focus on funneling in troops – although maybe without any Americans.
Large-scale Bundeswehr (German army) exercises will take place in Hamburg, Germany, later this year, beginning Sept. 25, to prepare for a potential Russian attack, the German news outlet Bild reported.
Military personnel, convoys of cargo vehicles, mobile hospitals and helicopters will be stationed in the city.
Junta Boss Min Aung Hlaing’s recent visit to Moscow lay bare his embattled regime’s trajectory and signaled a new chapter in Russo-Burmese relations.
During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Grand Kremlin Palace earlier this month, Myanmar’s self-appointed head of state Min Aung Hlaing fawned over his opposite number, whom he likened to a king from a Buddhist folk tale, and voiced support for the ongoing “special military operation” against Ukraine. Putin, in turn, heralded the 40% uptick in year-on-year bilateral trade and acknowledged the six elephant calves Senior General Hlaing had gifted Russia as a token of appreciation for the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets delivered to Myanmar’s Air Forces on Jan. 10.
Just two weeks ago, Naypyidaw hosted a multipolarity-themed think tank forum where the State Administration Council (SAC) chairman parroted Kremlin-inspired talking points on the emergence of a new, more equitable world order and how his basket case of a nation stands to benefit from such an advent. Not only does Myanmar happen to be the weakest link and something of a black sheep within the ASEAN bloc, but it is increasingly viewed as a problem child by bigger neighbors like China and India, that have borne the brunt of its dire humanitarian crisis.
Since the full-scale invasion began, Ukrainian surfers and volunteers have turned sport into therapy for many soldiers and other victims of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine.
Before Feb. 24, 2022, Henichesk was a sanctuary where kitesurfers and extreme sports enthusiasts found freedom. This small town on the shores of the Azov Sea had ideal conditions for surfing – steady winds and shallow waters. It was home to a growing community of athletes, artists, musicians, volunteers, and those simply seeking inspiration.
In 2019, Wave Spot was born – a series of sports and music festivals that gathered thousands of guests from across Ukraine. One of the most iconic moments was a performance by German artist Jan Blomqvist at the famous pink salt lake, which later garnered tens of thousands of views on YouTube. In 2022, after the full-scale invasion, Jan used this recording to raise funds for the HUTIR project, aimed at building modular housing for displaced persons in Ukraine.
EU countries have launched a program to support Ukraine’s EU accession
The European Union, in partnership with Lithuania, Denmark, and Sweden, has officially launched the Ukraine2EU Program – a new initiative aimed at supporting Ukraine in its EU accession journey that started in June 2023.
It is designed to assist Ukraine in meeting necessary requirements for full membership in the 27-member state economic and political union.
A Russian unit was allowing Ukrainians to identify their positions, so the Russian commander ordered his men to take out a the unit causing the problems.
In a conversation intercepted by Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR), a Russian commander orders his troops to shoot to kill a neighboring Russian unit.
The audio recording was posted on HUR’s Facebook page.
Stefan Korshak, Kyiv Post’s military correspondent, shares his perspective on recent developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
I think the only appropriate update I can make on the ceasefire in Ukraine is that on Friday the Russians shot a ballistic missile with cluster munitions at Kryvyi Rih. It exploded above an apartment and hit a playground.
Eighteen people dead, six children. Russia is saying they hit a restaurant full of Ukrainian officers. The Ukrainian media were on the scene. No, it was an apartment courtyard, all the victims were civilians, there was nothing military anywhere. One of the dead kids was 15. Someone pointed out that for 11 years of that kid’s life, he lived in a country invaded by Russia.
Latest from the British Defence Intelligence.
Thousands of people descended Saturday on Washington’s National Mall and rallied in other cities across the United States and abroad in opposition to the policies of Donald Trump.
Thousands of people descended Saturday on Washington’s National Mall and rallied in other cities across the United States and abroad in opposition to the policies of Donald Trump, in the largest protests since he returned to the presidency.
A big “HANDS OFF!” banner stretched across the stage of an outdoor theater just a few blocks from the White House, with protesters holding signs that read “Not My President!”, “Fascism has Arrived,” “Hands Off Our Social Security” and “Wake Up and Smell the Coup.”
This occasional series is intended to highlight the comments of Russian leadership, assorted politicians, generals and various others to expose Moscow’s perverse view of the world.
Moscow’s perverse view of the world is frequently demonstrated in the comments its leadership, assorted politicians, generals and various other commentators make – particularly in relation to Ukraine, its allies and the “special military operation.”
In this occasional series Kyiv Post will publish some of those statements to show you the truth of that assertion – so that you don’t have to.
No longer isolated in the Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv squads, Ukrainian national team players are making an impact with various foreign clubs, including Real Madrid, Chelsea and AC Roma.
Football, also known as soccer, is the most popular sport in Ukraine. Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk are two of the more recognizable professional clubs from Ukraine. Andriy Shevchenko, a prolific striker from Dynamo Kyiv, went on to establish himself as one of the top scorers in Europe, winning the coveted Ballon d’Or in 2004 as the top goal scorer in Italy’s Serie A while playing with AC Milan. Artem Dovbyk, Mykhailo Mudryk and Roman Yaremchuk are all famous Ukrainian national team players who have enjoyed success in Europe. Below is an update on four of the top Ukrainian footballers.
July 29, 2024 was the date Brugge striker Roman Yaremchuk arrived in Athens to finalize his transfer to Greek club Olympiacos and sign his four-year contract with the club. The Piraeus club reached an agreement with the Belgians for a fee of approximately $3.6 million. In 2023-24 Yaremchuk played on loan at Valencia, where in 29 appearances he scored four goals. Reports were the then 28-year-old was targeted by Brentford, Bologna, Brest and Trabzonspor.
Zelensky said the allies are “making efforts to ensure security in Ukraine and reliable security guarantees”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday hailed “tangible progress” after meeting British and French military chiefs in Kyiv to discuss strengthening the Ukrainian army and ways to support the war-torn country after any end to hostilities with Russia.
British Chief of the Defence Staff Tony Radakin and his French counterpart Thierry Burkhard on Friday held talks with Zelensky, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.
Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.
Key Takeaways from the ISW:
On early Sunday morning the Ukrainian capital was struck by at least three missiles launched by Russia.
A Russian missile attack pummeled the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early Sunday morning, injuring at least three people.
One Russian ballistic missile partially destroyed a building housing offices of state channels broadcasting in foreign languages, a television channel cited by AFP said Sunday.
