Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 04-15-2025

Ukraine had ordered two Soviet designed VVER units for its Khmelnitsky NPP, a decision that caused an avalanche of criticism from Ukrainian energy analysts.

The Bulgarian government has decided not to sell two of its Soviet designed VVER pressurized water nuclear reactors from its Belene Nuclear Power Plant (NPPO) to Ukraine, according to a Forbes Bulgaria report.   

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, had previously approved the purchase of the Russian equipment for use at the country’s Khmelnitsky NPP, with the relevant legal approval of the decision being signed by Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Financial aid to Ukraine from the UK under the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) initiative has reached almost $2 billion in total.

Ukraine has received £752 million (approximately $1 billion) from the UK via the G7-backed Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) initiative.

The funding, announced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, April 15, marked the second tranche of financial aid from the UK based on the two nations’ earlier agreement on March 1 to fund Ukrainian defense. 

EU lawyers are working on ways to help EU firms exit long-term Russian gas contracts without penalties while major EU energy firms are quietly pondering a return to Russian gas.

The EU is torn between reviving Russian gas imports to substitute US gas and ditching Russian gas altogether.

EU companies are reportedly growing anxious about US President Donald Trump potentially “politicizing” gas exports and are therefore considering renewing Russian imports, Reuters reported, citing management from France’s Engie and TotalEnergies and Germany’s Leuna Chemical Park.

The video, posted by RIA Novosti, claimed to show military drone operators from Russia’s “Espanyola” brigade controlling an FPV drone strike in Ukraine from a Moscow business center.

An April 15 six-minute-long video posted on the RIA Novosti news agency’s Telegram channel was said to show Russian personnel operating a first-person view (FPV) attack drone from a high-rise building in Moscow to attack a military position in Ukraine.

The operation was said to be carried out by members of Russia’s “Espanyola” brigade, which styles itself as the leading Russian innovative formation, controlling an Ovod FPV drone using a new ultra-long distance “Orbita” control system.

At an April 14 press conference, two Chinese troops who fought for Moscow described poor treatment by Russian forces as the reality of war shattered their idealized view of life as hired guns.

Rozetka is helping to reconstruct Biosphereʼs warehouse after it was destroyed by Russiaʼs missile strike on Dnipro, directing all revenue from its product sales for a month.

Ukraine’s largest marketplace, Rozetka, announced that it will direct all sales revenue from Biosphere products to reconstruction of Biosphere’s warehouse – which was destroyed by a Russian missile strike in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on April 10.

The initiative will last until May 10, Rozetka said.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported striking the Russian missile system responsible for Sunday’s bloody attack on the northern city of Sumy on Sunday.

Kyiv said that Tuesday it struck the Russian missile system that had been used to launch a deadly strike in the center of Sumy on Sunday.

As people had begun to gather for religious services on Palm Sunday, April 13, Russian forces had launched a missile strike on the northern city, close to the border with Russia. Emergency services on Sunday night had said the missiles killed 35 people, including an 11-year-old and a 17-year-old, and wounded 117, 15 of them children.

A number of European officials have hinted at seeking alternatives to bypass Hungary’s constant vetoes against the bloc’s sanctions on Moscow.

The EU is reportedly eyeing new solutions to bypass Budapest’s constant vetoes against the bloc’s sanctions on Moscow.

The need arose due to the unanimous decision required to extend the bloc’s sanctions on Moscow every six months, which Budapest has used as leverage to further its own interests, in part, due to Budapest’s friendly stance with the Kremlin. 

Rutte met Zelensky in Odesa in a surprise visit.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said Tuesday that Donald Trump’s push for a ceasefire and lasting peace in Ukraine was “not easy” and condemned Russia’s “terrible pattern” of attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

“These discussions are not easy, not least in the wake of this horrific violence. But we all support President Trump’s push for peace,” Rutte said of US-led talks during a surprise visit to the port city of Odesa, where he met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

The attack was the country’s deadliest of 2025 and one of the worst since Russia invaded more than three years ago, according to national police.

Standing on the doorstep of a funeral home on Tuesday, Lyudmyla Mosunova felt helpless while thinking about the burial of her mother Tetyana, killed in a Russian missile attack two days before.

“I’m waiting for her to come to me at night in my dreams,” the 41-year-old said. “Tomorrow is the funeral, maybe she could give me some advice.”

Sources told Reuters that work on the bill gained urgency following Sunday’s Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, which killed more than 30 civilians.

Democratic members of the US Congress have drafted a bill to ramp up support for Ukraine and impose tougher sanctions on Russia, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing congressional sources.

The legislation, co-authored by Rep. Greg Meeks of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, proposes expanded security assistance for Ukraine, including direct loans, military financing, and support for reconstruction efforts. It also calls for the appointment of a special coordinator to oversee Ukraine’s recovery.

Central bank reserves increase, but inflation is still accelerating. Weekly Insight for April 14

Bonds: MoF announces reserve bonds exchange

Demand for new reserve bonds remains enormous.

This has prompted the MoF to announce an exchange auction for reserve bonds maturing next month, and they will offer a new three-year bond at a regular auction.Last week, the MoF borrowed just UAH2.5bn via 15-month military and two-year regular UAH bills without changes in interest rates.

The authorities in Warsaw have been pushing to enhance the country’s defense capability since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Poland will start producing guided missiles for its rocket launchers following an agreement between a Polish manufacturer and a South Korean company.

The deal, which was signed on Tuesday in the presence of government officials, means that the Warsaw-based WB Group and Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace will set up a joint venture to produce the rockets. 

Speaking in a video Roman Ivanishin said he and his comrades were treated like cannon fodder by his army commanders a testimony that recently captured Russian soldiers support.

A Russian court found a soldier guilty and sentenced him to 15 years in prison on March 17 for “illegally” allowing himself to be captured in combat and then complaining to his Ukrainian captors that he was unhappy with his military commanders.

Roman Ivanishin, a former civilian forced into Russian army service in September 2022 as part of the massed mobilization of tens of thousands of reservists, was probably the first-ever Russian service member to be sent to prison as punishment for allowing Ukrainian forces to capture him, Kommersant reported on Tuesday.

Ukraine opened its national pavilion at Expo 2025 in Japan. It’s modeled to look like a store, but one where nothing can be bought, showing that Ukraine’s values are not for sale.

At Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, Ukraine’s national pavilion looks like a shop, only what’s on display is priceless – and not for sale.

At Ukraine’s Expo 2025 pavilion, dubbed “Not For Sale Store,” visitors can find 18 symbolic objects. Each stands for a core value for Ukrainians – like freedom, dignity, and resilience,  the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy says in its press release. 

Just weeks after taking up his post, Vance made headlines after launching a withering attack against Europe on culture war issues at the Munich Security Conference.

US Vice President JD Vance hailed his country’s transatlantic alliances, striking a more positive note, but in an interview urged European states to show greater independence.

“I love Europe ... I love European people,” Vance told news and opinion website UnHerd on Monday in rare favourable comments about the European Union and Britain.

Czechia is the driving force behind the initiative to procure ammunition from non-EU countries for Ukraine – now its industry and that of its “other half,” Slovakia, have rolled up their sleeves too.

On April 3, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský announced at the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels that the Czech ammunition initiative had secured supplies of artillery ammunition to deliver to Ukraine at least until September, according to Militarnyi.

The Czech Ekonom news site reported on Monday that the Motor Jikov Group, an automotive and foundry company based in České Budějovice, was negotiating with the STV and Czechoslovak groups, two of Czechia’s largest arms companies, to produce artillery shell bodies.

Despite Russia’s atrocities in Sumy and elsewhere, Trump continues acting as Putin’s apologist and a wrecker of America’s reputation and institutions.

Ukraine has suffered repeated Russian atrocities in more than three years of the barbaric full-scale war waged against it by Russia. But the latest horrific ballistic missile attack on the northeastern border town of Sumy last Saturday, which killed and injured scores of civilians, including children, may prove to be a defining moment.

This gruesome “Guernica-like” tragedy has shocked much of the world and shaken many from their slumber, which was caused by war fatigue, disinformation, or simply a lack of understanding of the carnage the Russians are continuing to wreak in Ukraine and the heroic, unflagging struggle of its defenders.

Merz, long an advocate for Germany to supply Taurus missiles to Kyiv, plans to attend the May 9 multinational summit in Ukraine’s capital in his first state visit as Germany’s next chancellor.

The leader of Germany’s centrist bloc, Friedrich Merz, who is expected to be officially confirmed as the country’s next chancellor early next month, is likely to make his first state visit to Ukraine.

Merz has been vocal in calling for Germany to supply its Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine to be used on targets in Russia.

The Russian dictator has honed the art of drawing concessions without giving an inch. He appears to be giving Trump a masterclass in “the art of the deal.” Europe must get its act together.

It has now been over a month since Ukraine agreed to a potential ceasefire under US terms – a bold and difficult concession – in response to President Trump’s efforts to broker an end to the war. Yet, in its traditional manner, Russia has shown no such urgency in reciprocating. Despite a string of meetings between Russian and American representatives in the Middle East and Russia, the only thing that seems clear is that peace remains as distant as ever.

This past weekend, Russian forces once again reminded the world of their true intentions. A barbaric ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy killed 34 civilians, including 7 children. Only two days earlier, President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff had met Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg – the third such meeting in as many months – in hopes of securing a 30-day ceasefire. If the strike that followed tells us anything, it’s that the Kremlin is not taking US-led negotiations seriously.

The attack follows a deadly Russian strike in Ukraine’s Sumy region on Sunday that killed at least 35 civilians.

More than 100 Ukrainian drones attacked Russia’s Kursk region overnight, killing one civilian and injuring nine others, according to local authorities. The assault came as residents of the Ukrainian city of Sumy grieved the victims of one of the deadliest Russian attacks of the war.

Latest from the British Defence Intelligence.

• Russia has likely sustained approximately 138,000 casualties (killed and wounded in the Russia-Ukraine conflict so far in 2025.
• In March 2025, the average daily Russian casualties was approximately 1,300, according to Ukrainian General Staff reporting. This rose from 1,250 in February 2025, but remains below the very high daily rates of nearly 1,600 in late 2024.
• The rise in casualty rates has continued into early April 2025, and is highly likely reflective of increased Russian attacks along the frontline. Russian forces are likely attempting to rebuild frontline momentum following a period of lower attacks in the opening months of the year. Despite a relatively static frontline, reported Russian casualties remain significantly higher in 2025 so far than compared to spring 2024, when recorded daily Russian casualty rates were consistently below 1,000.
• Since invading Ukraine, Russia has likely sustained more than 920,000 total casualties.

While Ukrainians are urged to hold elections, the Kremlin is focused on invading Ukraine and propagandizing the next generation of Russians.

The Ministry of Social Policy clearly understands the danger of a mass exodus of men from Ukraine – which could occur if restrictions on movement are lifted as part of preparations for elections.

“We must make Ukraine a better place to live. This is what the government is working on today,” said Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Darina Marchak, last week.

The official said they could not give details of the meeting but said it was “technical” and focused “mainly on legal issues” to do with the wording and “what conditions are more effective”.

Talks last week between the United States and Ukraine on a proposed minerals deal were “constructive”, a senior official familiar with the discussions told AFP on Monday.

“The meeting was normal, no problems, everyone says that they talked constructively,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, after a meeting in Washington on April 11 resumed discussions over a proposed deal on Ukraine’s mineral resources.

Trump has been urging both Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire, though efforts have so far failed to yield significant concessions from the Kremlin.

President Donald Trump’s special envoy said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to a “permanent peace” agreement with Ukraine, following high-level talks aimed at ending the war that has stretched beyond three years.

Trump has been urging Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire, but repeated talks between US and Russian officials have yet to produce major concessions from the Kremlin.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian forces appear to be leveraging redeployed elements of the 8th Combined Arms Army to close the Ukrainian pocket southwest of Toretsk and level the frontline as part of ongoing Russian efforts to attack Kostyantynivka from the south.
• Russian forces appear to be intensifying their use of armored vehicles throughout the theater after mainly relegating armored vehicles to fire support roles and relying on infantry assaults to advance in late 2024 and early 2025.
• A Russian military court recently decided to keep former 58th Combined Arms Army (CAA) Commander Major General Ivan Popov in custody after reports that Popov would command a penal assault detachment in Ukraine.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Siversk and Toretsk and Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Siversk, Toretsk and Pokrovsk.

Commenting on the strikes for the first time, Russia’s defense ministry said it launched two Iskander-M missiles at “a meeting of command staff”, claiming to have killed 60 Ukrainian soldiers.

Residents of Sumy on Monday grieved the victims of one of the deadliest attacks of the war as Russia denied targeting civilians and US President Donald Trump resumed his onslaught against Ukraine’s leader.

A day after two missiles killed at least 35 people, people laid flowers beside a destroyed university building as workers dug through the rubble.  

A memo received by the political news site shows plans to cut programs including UN peacekeeping, those promoting democracy and global health, and the closure dozens of embassies and consulates.

A memo drafted by the administration of US President Donald Trump and obtained by news site POLITICO, lays out its objectives to slash funding for the State Department by about half.

Trump’s plan would gut programs that promote peace, democracy, and health globally. The White House memo even outlines plans to close as many as three dozen embassies and consulates worldwide.