Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 04-22-2025

Kyiv hinted that a series of powerful explosions at an ammunition depot in Russia’s Vladimir region on Tuesday afternoon were the result of its doing.

Ukrainian forces had reportedly attacked a large Russian ammunition storage site in the Kirzhach district of Russia’s Vladimir region.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council, reported the explosion and said on Telegram that the site belonged to the 51st arsenal of Russia’s Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU).

The Swedish airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform will help Kyiv shoot down Russian cruise missiles and drones, but Ukraine’s fighter pilots may not get the plane’s high-tech data.

Ukraine’s first-ever NATO-standard advanced airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) surveillance and monitoring aircraft likely flew an initial mission in airspace over the western Lviv region on Monday, but Ukraine may not fully benefit from the force-multiplying capabilities available without Link 16 in its newest Western warplanes.

The flight over Ukraine’s Lviv region per local media marked a big step forward in the modernization of the Ukrainian Air Force and the air surveillance and monitoring technologies it operates – but questions remain about whether the data collected by the state-of-the-art air surveillance planes will reach Ukrainian pilots in time to intercept incoming Russian bombers or cruise missiles.

Russian strikes on energy infrastructure and cyberattacks on Ukraine’s railways are the key factors lowering the country’s GDP growth in the first quarter this year.

Ukraine’s real GDP grew by 1.1% in the first quarter of 2025, according to the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER). 

The growth was lower in winter this year – 1.2% in January and 0.7% in February, but accelerated in March when the monthly real GDP increased to 1.3%, thanks to better access to electricity and a gradual demand recovery. 

As many as 20 high-ranking political and military Russian leaders are slated to be cited by the court in an action that is already being called “A Tribunal for Putin.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has reportedly established a special tribunal to address Moscow’s crime of aggression against Ukraine – a specific category of international crime of one state illegally waging war against another.

Deutsche Welle (DW), citing an informed source, said the draft for the tribunal is ready and awaiting approval. 

The EU’s top diplomat said that Kyiv and its European backers were hoping Washington would take a tougher line with Moscow before abandoning its peace push.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told AFP Tuesday that the US has not used up its “tools” to pressure Russia, as she accused Moscow of playing for time with its Easter truce in Ukraine.

“They didn’t keep to the truce. I mean, it’s clear that Russia is playing all these games and stalling and does not really want peace,” Kallas said in an interview.

As Ukrainian officials are slated to travel to London to meet Western representatives for more ceasefire negotiations, Trump’s envoy Witkoff will travel to Moscow for more talks this week.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is reportedly visiting Moscow this week for his fourth official visit.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, who has been a member of Russia’s delegation and met with US representatives to discuss US President Donald Trump’s efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine, confirmed Witkoff’s upcoming visit on Tuesday.

Recent intelligence analyses, journalists’ investigations, and research studies have all concluded that Russia’s school curricula have become increasingly politicized and militarized.

During his December 2023 end-of-year “Direct Line” broadcast, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared, quoting Otto von Bismarck, that “Wars are not won by generals, but by schoolteachers and parish priests” – a principle that is being increasingly applied to his country’s education system.

Monday’s UK Defence Intelligence update, referencing an investigation by the independent Russian media outlet Verstka, concluded that the military indoctrination of Russia’s schoolchildren had noticeably accelerated since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia insists it’s winning, but military experts say it’s headed toward an irreversible defeat. Here’s why Russia’s strategy is failing badly.

The CV90 combat vehicle is made by BAE Systems Hagglunds in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden.

Sweden, Finland, Norway and Lithuania plan to beef up military capabilities around the Baltic Sea with a joint order for several hundred CV90 combat vehicles, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Tuesday.

Kristersson made the announcement at a joint press conference in Stockholm with his Lithuanian counterpart Gintautas Paluckas, following talks between the two.

Pope Francis, 266th Pontiff and First From Latin America, to Be Buried Saturday, Vatican Says

The Holy See Press Office announced on Tuesday that Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside at the Mass, which will be concelebrated by Patriarchs, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from across the globe. The Eucharistic celebration will conclude with the Ultima commendatio and the Valedictio, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, or nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul. The late Pope’s body will then be taken into St. Peter’s Basilica and then to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for entombment. Earlier, on Wednesday, the coffin containing the Pope’s body will be carried from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta to St. Peter’s Basilica, so that the faithful may pay their respects. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, will preside over the rite of translation on April 23, which will begin at 9:00 AM with a moment of prayer. The procession will pass through Santa Marta Square and the Square of the Roman Protomartyrs, according to the Holy See Press Office. The procession will then exit through the Arch of the Bells into St. Peter’s Square and enter the Vatican Basilica through the central door. At the Altar of the Confession, the Cardinal Camerlengo will preside over the Liturgy of the Word, at the conclusion of which the visits to the body of the Roman Pontiff will commence - Vatican News

• Pope Francis’ successor won’t be an American, Cardinal Blase Cupich says. “We’re talking about a country that has political, economic, military power in the world, and so I think it’s, it’s a stretch to say that it’s prudent to go ahead and have someone who is from that country,” Cupich said. Cupich is one of three influential Roman Catholic bishops with Chicago ties, appointed by a newly elected Pope Francis to lead Chicago’s faithful in 2014 and elevated to the role of cardinal, a “prince of the church,” two years later. Cupich said Monday that the legacy of Francis, the church’s first South American pope, can be encapsulated in one word: mercy. - Chicago Sun Times

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Russian drones hit Kharkiv as guided bombs struck a Zaporizhzhia high-rise, causing casualties. Emergency crews were on site.

Russian forces launched a series of strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, killing a 69-year-old woman and injuring many others Tuesday, April 22, local officials reported.

In Zaporizhzhia, local officials confirmed that a high-rise residential building was struck just before noon, likely by Russian glide bombs, and that emergency services were at the scene.

Investigators say suspects inflated prices for bridge materials, buying support grids at $6,610 per unit, well above the market price of $110, and pocketed the difference in 2018-2019.

Ukrainian authorities said Tuesday that at least 153 million hryvnias – roughly $4 million – were stolen from Kyiv’s city budget during the construction of the Podilsky Bridge, according to findings by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB).

Investigators allege that current and former executives of a municipal enterprise under the Kyiv City State Administration were involved in orchestrating the scheme. The funds were reportedly misappropriated prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Passenger traffic for those leaving Ukraine at the checkpoint will be affected starting Tuesday, April 22, due to repair work that is expected to last until May 10.

Passenger traffic for the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint between Ukraine and Poland will be restricted starting Tuesday, April 22, due to ongoing repair works.

The checkpoint, approximately 76 kilometers (47 miles) west of Lviv, will close one of its exit lanes starting 10 a.m. on Tuesday, with the repair work scheduled to be completed by May 10.

The White House is reportedly eyeing a replacement for the Pentagon chief following yet more reports that he leaked operational details in private chats contrary to security protocols.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may get the sack soon.

An unnamed official told National Public Radio (NPR) that the White House has begun a process to look for Hegseth’s replacement following reports that he had leaked operational details of Washington’s planned strikes against the Houthis in private chats on the Signal app that could put US military personnel in harm’s way.

The funeral is scheduled for April 26 and will be held in St. Peter’s Square. Pope Francis will be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to travel to the Vatican to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, a source familiar with the president’s plans told reporters, European Pravda reported.

Pope Francis died at age 88 on April 21 at 7:35 a.m. at his Vatican residence. The Vatican said the cause of death was a stroke.

HUR’s Artan unit releases epic drone footage as Ukraine crushes Russian assault in Zaporizhzhia, killing 140 troops and destroying 29 vehicles in a single battle.

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has released footage showing the destruction of a Russian assault group during one of the largest recent offensives in the Zaporizhzhia sector on April 16.

The video, shared by the Artan Active Operations Unit via Telegram on April 22, is captioned: “For the first time, we are showing epic footage of the destruction of a Russian group that the invaders threw into a breakthrough attempt in the Zaporizhzhia sector.”

This comes as Ukrainian negotiators are reportedly set to travel to London on Wednesday for ceasefire negotiations

The Kremlin on Tuesday warned against rushing peace talks over the war in Ukraine, days after US President Donald Trump suggested a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv could be reached this week.

Trump had said over the weekend that he hoped a peace deal could be struck “this week” despite no signs the two sides were close to agreeing to a ceasefire, let alone a wider long-term peace settlement.

Video includes interviews with the captured Russians.

Ukrainian National Guard fighters captured a group of Russian infantry who were attempting to fortify a position in the Kharkiv region, National Guard of Ukraine (NGU) Commander Oleksandr Pivnenko reported.

“In the Kupyansk sector, a group of enemy infantry attempting to secure a position within the area of responsibility of the 2nd Rapid Response Battalion of the 15th NGU Brigade ‘Kara-Dag’ was taken prisoner,” Pivnenko wrote on his Telegram channel on Sunday, April 21, sharing a video of the capture.

In an exclusive interview, Moldova’s former intelligence chief, Iurii Briceag warns that should Russian troops break into Transnistria, they could quickly pick up resources to reach Chișinău.

In the Kyiv Post newsroom, Iurii Briceag – a soldier, intelligence officer and politician – calmly opens up a map to demonstrate his concerns.

“If Ukraine weakens,” he says, “Russian troops from Transnistria could reach Chișinău in a matter of days.”

The US military is way behind both Ukraine and Russia in drone tactics and applicable technology. The Pentagon needs to partner with Kyiv if it wants to resist China’s growing edge.

To use a great American sport as an analogy, baseball, the United States is playing tee-ball when it comes to drones, while Ukraine and Russia are the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees battling it out in the World Series of drone warfare.

Washington is sleepwalking through the most significant military transformation of our generation. Ukraine is not just defending its territory; it is rewriting the rules of combat in real time. This is not theory. It is raw, adaptive, high-stakes drone innovation playing out daily over Sumy, Kherson, and Kharkiv. Over the past two and a half years, I have been on the ground in Ukraine, cutting my teeth by studying and understanding battlefield technology firsthand and forming close relationships with those serving at the front. These experiences have fundamentally reshaped my understanding of modern warfare and the pivotal role drones now play.

Ukraine is ready to accept a ceasefire on long-range strikes if Moscow responds positively to the offers, despite the continuation of such attacks after Easter by Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country remains open to the idea of a ceasefire on long-range strikes and is just awaiting a “clear response from Moscow.”

In his evening address on Monday, Zelensky said that Russia had not only rejected a full ceasefire proposed by the US over a month ago during meetings in Saudi Arabia, but also dismissed Ukraine’s initiative to stand by peace efforts after Easter.

The new attacks cast doubt on Trump’s hopes for a broader ceasefire between the two sides, after he said a “deal” could be struck this week.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine Easter truce announcement “a marketing operation” aimed at mollifying US leader Donald Trump.

“The Easter truce that he announced somewhat unexpectedly was a marketing operation, a charm operation aimed at preventing President Trump from becoming impatient and angry,” Barrot told the FranceInfo broadcaster, a day after Russia launched aerial attacks on Ukraine in an abrupt end to the fragile Easter truce.

Ahead of London talks, as Trump pledges to reveal his peace plan “in three days,” Ambassador Daniel Fried warns against potential negative consequences of concessions to Russia.

Former veteran US diplomat Daniel Fried, who played a key role in designing and implementing American policy in Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union, blasted the Trump administration on Monday for considering “unilateral concessions” in peace talks to Russia, which, as he put it, “weakens the West’s negotiating position” and “benefits Moscow.”

Speaking to Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent, Ambassador Fried, criticized the White House’s “negotiating logic,” arguing that instead of putting pressure on Russia the way the Trump administration did on Ukraine earlier, “we’re giving the Russians flowers.”

Trump’s approval drops to its lowest since his return, with most Americans opposing his efforts to control universities, courts, and cultural institutions.

Donald Trump’s approval rating among Americans has dropped to its lowest level since his return to the White House, as the public grows wary of his attempts to expand personal power. Still, despite this decline, his rating remains higher than President Biden’s for most of his time in office, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on April 21.

Support for Trump has been gradually decreasing. Currently, 42% of Americans approve of his performance, down from 43% three weeks ago and 47% right after his inauguration in January. Although his approval remains higher than Biden’s for much of the latter’s presidency, the Reuters/Ipsos survey shows that many citizens disapprove of Trump’s recent actions.

The warning comes as Ukraine faces the compounded effects of war, migration, and a generational decline in births.

Ukraine must dramatically raise its birth rate with an average three children per woman or face a deepening population crisis that could cripple the country’s future, a senior demographer has warned.

According to Oleksandr Hladun, Deputy Director of the Institute of Demography and Quality of Life Problems at Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine’s population within its 1991 borders stood at around 42 million at the start of 2022.

As of early 2025, that number has plunged to roughly 34 million, including occupied territories and Crimea.

Russia resumed aerial attacks on Ukraine on Monday, just hours after a brief “Easter truce” declared by Moscow came to an end.

Russia launched a large-scale drone attack on the southern city of Odesa late Monday, just hours after a brief “Easter truce” declared by Moscow came to an end.

Russia resumed aerial attacks on Ukraine on Monday, while President Vladimir Putin raised questions over Kyiv’s offer of a month-long halt to strikes on civilian targets.

Ukrainian drone unit downed a rare Russian “Forpost-R” full-fledged strike and reconnaissance UAV using an anti-aircraft drone.

Ukrainian forces have shot down a rare Russian “Forpost-R” drone at an altitude of 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) using an anti-aircraft drone.

The successful strike on Monday, April 20, was carried out by the 414th Separate Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces, better known as the “Birds of Madyar,” who released footage their drone striking the tail of the Russian UAV.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s April 20 proposal for a temporary moratorium on long-range strikes against civilian infrastructure, declined Zelensky’s offer to extend Putin’s own 30-hour Easter truce, and attempted to justify recent Russian strikes against civilian targets in Ukraine.
• Putin reiterated his rejection of the full ceasefire that Zelensky and the US have offered.
• Russian state media amplified Kherson Oblast occupation head Vladimir Saldo’s calls for additional territorial concessions from Ukraine in areas to which Russia has not yet laid formal claim.
• Saldo’s call for additional Russian territorial claims along the Dnipro River is consistent with other Kremlin official statements, as Russia continues to make extensive territorial demands of Ukraine while offering no concessions of its own.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Lyman and Toretsk.