Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 04-21-2025

Naftogaz secured a $489 million EBRD loan to buy gas but may still lack funds for winter preparations, with large-scale purchases potentially driving up global prices.

The winter is barely over, but Ukraine is already bracing itself for the next one. 

To start preparing for the 2025 winter heating season, Ukraine’s state-owned gas giant Naftogaz secured €430 million ($489 million) from the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the company’s Monday press release says. 

Eurobond price increases after the mineral deal memorandum signing, lower central bank interventions, larger international aid, and key rate remains the same. Weekly Insight for April 21.

Bonds: Bond auctions successful

The MoF held two auctions last week, one regular and the other one was a bond exchange auction. Both were successful.

At the regular primary auction, the MoF offered three UAH bonds. The proceeds from a 14-month military bill stood at UAH328m with no changes in interest rates. The placement of a 1.8-year paper reached UAH1.1bn also without a change in yields.

The meeting is expected to focus on a Trump-backed peace plan first presented last Thursday in Paris by his senior aides during talks with Ukrainian officials.

Ukrainian officials will travel to London on Wednesday for ceasefire negotiations, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday, as the United States and European allies push to halt Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“Already this Wednesday, our representatives will be working in London. Ukraine, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States - we are ready to move forward as constructively as possible,” Zelensky said in a post on social media.

The group announced the opening of its first store in Poland operating under French retailer Carrefour’s brand backed by Silpo as its main financial investor.

The Polish media outlet Wiadomosci Handlowe reported that the founder of Ukraine’s largest grocery stores enterprise the Fozzy Group, Volodymyr Kostemlan, has bought a Polish company Idkfa Idclip, which was registered in 2023, and that operates French retailer Carrefour’s store in Poznań, Poland. 

The company’s registered address matches that of the “Association of Ukrainian Business in Poland,” according to an extract seen by Forbes Ukraine.

In rehearsals for Russia’s May 9 Victory Day parade trucks carrying attack drones were spotted leading some military analysts to see evidence of new deployment logistics and employment strategy.

During rehearsals for this year’s Russian May 9 Victory Day parade there were sightings of Russian Kamaz trucks on which attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were mounted, prompting some military commentators to take this as evidence that Moscow is employing a new mobile strategy for the use of the weapons.

On April 18, it was reported that, during a rehearsal being held in Alabino in Russia’s Moscow Region, a KamAZ-6350 8x8 truck was seen to be carrying two Shahed / Geran-2 kamikaze drones, one behind the other. The front drone is mounted on what appears to be a foreshortened launch ramp with the rearmost drone fixed to an improvised frame.

Air raid sirens rang out in Kyiv shortly after Putin’s announcement – and again in the early hours of Monday, when Russia resumed its drone strikes.

Many Ukrainians felt let down by a 30-hour Easter truce announced by Russia over the weekend, even if some welcomed a brief lull in fighting after more than three years of war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops Saturday afternoon to “stop all hostilities” for the duration of the religious holiday.

Ukrainian society’s resilience under the Russian attack is visible in the actions of many entrepreneurs who decided not to leave the country, notwithstanding the danger.

They are the new generation of young Ukrainian entrepreneurs: dogged, determined, and undaunted in the face of Russian attacks. They are the future of Ukraine.

Kyiv Post had the opportunity to interview one of them: Artem Borodatyuk, the Odesa-born Ukrainian entrepreneur who founded the Netpeak Group of IT companies. He is also a member of the Presidential Council for Entrepreneurship Support, and a member of the Strategic Council of the Diia.City United Technology Business Union.

A Russian court has charged the soldier with terrorism, though he was taking part in combat as part of a regular, sovereign military force.

A Russian court has sentenced a Ukrainian soldier to 15 years in prison under terrorism charges for fighting in Russia’s Kursk region. 

Sergei Eremeyev, who served as a driver in Ukraine’s 22nd Mechanized Brigade, was captured in the Kursk region on Sept. 9, 2024, around a month after Kyiv launched a counteroffensive into the region following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

Selling surplus military items has been a lucrative business, especially considering the rarity of Russian equipment on the world market – but Russian experts alleged a more sinister motive.

Chinese nationals in Russia have been caught illegally exporting Russian military equipment in recent years, according to Russian law enforcement. 

The equipment includes body armor, bullet casings, chest plates and combat backpacks. Industry representatives claimed that the equipment was smuggled to allow Chinese manufacturers to make counterfeit versions of the hardware. 

While originally intended as a tribute to Soviet soldiers who died in WWII, the campaign has increasingly been used by the Kremlin to bolster support for its military policies.

A pro-Kremlin rally known as the “Immortal Regiment” march is set to take place in Washington DC on May 3 for the first time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

According to Ukrinform, a Ukrainian news agency, the event is being promoted through material distributed among Russian-speaking communities in the US. The march will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of what Russians refer to as the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet term for World War II.

In a few sectors burial details took advantage to collect corpses from no-man’s land. But the killing didn’t stop and on Monday the assaults, shell and drone strikes were back to wartime “normal.”

A Kremlin-declared Easter Sunday ceasefire saw a moderate reduction in fighting across the front in Ukraine and temporary quiet in a few sectors, but by Monday exchanges of fire and attacks were as intense as ever.

Russia’s authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday announced that Kremlin forces would observe a 30-hour Easter ceasefire starting at 6 p.m. Moscow/Kyiv time (1500 UTC) on Saturday and effective to midnight (2100 UTC) at the end of Easter Sunday.

Russia is building net-covered “anti-drone corridors” to shield equipment, but Ukraine says its troops are still destroying vehicles, equipment and groups using them.

Russia is building so-called “anti-drone corridors” along the front line in an attempt to protect its forces and equipment from Ukrainian drone attacks, according to Andriy Demchenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service.

“Most of them are recorded by border guards within the Kursk Oblast, in particular in the area where the enemy continues its actions to attack the Defense Forces of Ukraine,” Demchenko said on national television.

World leaders remembered Pope Francis as “a beacon of compassion”, reacting with sadness after the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics died on Monday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday mourned the death of Pope Francis, saying the Catholic leader had “prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians.”

“We grieve together with Catholics and all Christians,” Zelensky wrote on social media.

The West should not be fooled by any “gestures of good will” coming from Moscow. They are always calculated to influence the information space in Russia’s favor.

Putin’s “Easter truce” was another deliberate deception in the arsenal of propaganda and armed warfare that Russia has been waging against Ukraine. Neither sincerity nor peace was the intention or content of this announcement – it was a mask for the continuation of terror. While the Russian president was announcing a gesture of “humanity” and “respect for spiritual values” at Easter this year, the worst attacks of 2025 were taking place in Ukrainian cities at the same time. In just 30 hours, there were more than 2,000 violations of the “truce.” This figure, which has been confirmed by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and independent observers, clearly refutes any illusions about the Russian regime’s willingness to make any kind of peace.

What happened was not an incident. It is a strategy. This attempt at false de-escalation is part of a broader matrix of Russian hybrid operations that use religion, media, and international vacuum to create the image of a reasonable, “negotiating” Putin. And this is where we get to the heart of the problem: the Russian regime is no longer just waging a war against Ukraine but against truth and common sense. The Kremlin is not looking for peace. It is demanding capitulation.

Earlier speculation that Pyongyang had provided Moscow with its M-1991 version of the Soviet-era BM-24 rocket system was confirmed on social media on Saturday.

Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate (HUR), gave details of confirmed and anticipated North Korean support to Russia to the military issues website The War Zone in November.

Budanov said that, along with around 12,000 troops and millions of rounds of artillery ammunition, the DPRK had provided around 120 170mm Koksan self-propelled guns (SPG) and 120 M-1991 “Juche 100” 240mm multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) since August last year, saying more was on the way.

The US president has failed to extract any major concessions from Moscow and publicly accused Ukraine’s wartime leader Volodymyr Zelensky of being a “dictator”.

Donald Trump promised to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia within “24 hours” of returning to the White House.

Three months in and despite a brief Easter truce announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the war is still raging, with the prospect of a ceasefire more uncertain than ever.

Pope Francis led the Catholic Church for over a decade after becoming pope in 2013.

Pope Francis, who became Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church in 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI,  has died at the age of 88, the Vatican has announced.

The pontiff struggled with health issues in recent years and had occasionally canceled appearances at the last minute.

The world in focus, as seen by Canadian leading global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw in a quick review of the biggest news in international media today.

White House Plans Major Overhaul of State Department 

A draft White House executive order proposes a drastic restructuring of the State Department, including eliminating almost all of its Africa operations and shutting down embassies and consulates across the continent.

The draft also calls for cutting offices at State Department headquarters that address climate change and refugee issues, as well as democracy and human rights concerns. The purpose of the executive order, which could be signed by President Trump this week, is to impose “a disciplined reorganization” of the State Department and “streamline mission delivery” while cutting “waste, fraud and abuse,” according to a copy of the 16-page draft order obtained by The New York Times.

Despite Trump’s belief Moscow and Kyiv “will make a deal this week,” a policy analyst asks what the White House will do about Russian intransigence, telling Kyiv Post: “Something has to change.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Donald Trump raised expectations once again on Sunday over a possible peace agreement in Russia’s war against Ukraine, writing in a social media post that he hoped for a diplomatic breakthrough in the coming days without specifying what that might entail, Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent reports.

“Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week,” Trump wrote in all capital letters on Truth Social platform. “Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune,” he added.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin had previously announced a ceasefire, set to begin at 6 p.m. Moscow/Kyiv time on April 19 and last until midnight at the end of Easter Day (April 20).

[UPDATES]  Russia confirmed Monday it had resumed strikes on Ukraine after a 30-hour surprise Easter truce, as Ukraine said drones and missiles pounded the Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions. 

“With the end of the ceasefire, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued to conduct the special military operation,” the Russian military said in a statement, using its term for the military offensive.

Nearly 100 days into the second Trump presidency and the war in Ukraine is still raging.

Having run on the promise to end the war in Ukraine “day one” after taking office, Donald Trump has failed to secure any meaningful progress towards a diplomatic settlement to the conflict.

What we have seen over the past three months has been the needless extortion of our besieged ally, the rapid decline in relations between Europe and the United States, and the bizarre parroting of Russian talking points by senior members of the administration.

Hegseth accused of more security breaches.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared information on forthcoming US air strikes on Yemen in a private Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, the New York Times and CNN reported on Sunday.

AFP was not able to independently verify the reports, which detailed what would be the second time Hegseth has been accused of sharing sensitive military information on the commercial messaging app with unauthorized personnel.

Zelensky offers Russia a 30-day ceasefire with an option to extend, says rejection would prove Moscow only seeks to prolong war and “destroy lives.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Kyiv is offering Russia a 30-day ceasefire with the option to extend, calling for a genuine break in hostilities during the Easter period.

In a Telegram post on Sunday evening, April 20, Zelensky reported that as of 8:00 p.m., over 2,000 violations of Russia’s so-called “Easter truce” had been recorded: 67 Russian assaults across various sectors, 1,355 shelling or bombardment incidents (713 with heavy weapons), and 673 FPV drone strikes.

Kyiv’s response is expected at a meeting in London this week, where US, Ukrainian and European officials will seek consensus before possibly presenting the plan to Moscow.

Kyiv is under pressure to respond by the end of the week to a set of confidential, Trump-backed proposals aimed at ending the war with Russia, including the possibility of forgoing NATO membership and potential US recognition of Crimea as Russian territory.

According to The Wall Street Journal, senior officials from the Trump administration delivered their proposal during a meeting with Ukrainian representatives in Paris last Thursday. European officials were also briefed during a separate one-day session.

NATO has three rotating air policing missions in Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland to monitor the alliance’s airspace.

British Typhoon fighter jets based in Poland were scrambled three times this week to intercept Russian military aircraft flying close to NATO airspace, the UK Ministry of Defense said on Sunday.

he aircraft, deployed at Malbork Air Base in northern Poland as part of NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission, were launched twice on April 15 and a third time two days later.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces is creating a new command and control “corps” system, Kyiv Post examines how it will be organized and how it will differ from the previous set up.

Ukraine has begun introducing a new system of command and control of its forces by creating a military corps. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has already formed the first, built around the Azov one of Ukraine’s most effective combat units, and is in the process of creating two more based on National Guard units.

The corps will be a higher level of command and control that will incorporate several brigades. Everyone seems convinced that the new system will improve the management of the defense forces, leading to improved coordination and effectiveness on the battlefield.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• The snap Russian-proposed Easter truce underscores the necessity that the text of any ceasefire or peace agreement be publicly available, formally agreed to in advance by all parties, and include robust monitoring mechanisms.
• Zelensky reported that Russian forces did not conduct long-range strikes against Ukraine on the night of April 19 to 20 and during the day on April 20 and proposed a temporary moratorium on long-range strikes against civilian infrastructure.
• Ukrainian officials continue to highlight Russia’s systematic persecution of religious communities throughout occupied Ukraine, including against Christians.
• The Kremlin continues to repurpose narratives that Russian officials have repeatedly used to justify Russia’s invasions of Ukraine in an effort to further militarize Russian society in the long term, likely in preparation for a potential future protracted conflict with NATO.
• Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast and near Toretsk before the start of the Easter truce.

The US Vice President was allowed a lightning-fast visit on Easter with the pontiff, who has diplomatically expressed dismay at the Trump administration’s views on immigration and world conflicts.

Pope Francis allowed a very brief visit to US Vice President JD Vance on Easter Sunday, when they exchanged holiday greetings. Vance and other Vatican officials had an “exchange of opinions” on migrants in the US and ongoing wars.

“I know you have not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health,” Vance told the pope, who had recently been hospitalized for pneumonia and greeted his visitor in a wheelchair. “Thank you for seeing me.”