Ukraine Launches Largest Attack on Moscow Since Start of War
Ukraine launched the largest drone offensive on Moscow of the full-scale war, injuring seventeen and further damaging the oil refinery it struck two days prior (CNN)
The attacks are part of Ukraine’s increasing efforts to cripple Russia’s oil industry, which largely finances Russia’s war effort (Reuters)
Hundreds of flights at all Moscow airports were suspended, transport and aviation authorities said, following the attack (AP)
G7 Leaders Discuss Russia-Ukraine War at Summit
The Group of 7 leaders gathered for a summit focusing in part on the Russia-Ukraine war; however, President Donald Trump signaled that the war was not a priority for his administration, telling reporters that the United States had “nothing to do” with the war (NYT)
European leaders expressed optimism about Ukraine’s position; following talks, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on social media that the “tide is turning for Ukraine” (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian drones had targeted an oil refinery in Moscow, about ten miles from the Kremlin, calling it a “just response” to Russian strikes the day prior (NYT)
Russian Attacks in Ukraine Kill Eleven, Set Historic Monastery Ablaze
Overnight Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least eleven people and badly damaged the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery—a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in 1051—which President Zelenskyy called “an attack on our history” and “one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date” (Reuters)
Trump-Putin Call
During a phone call, President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin that resolving the conflict in Ukraine was crucial and that he was willing to assist, according to Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov (Reuters)
Two Ukrainian Strikes Cause Fires in Russia
Ukrainian strikes hit an oil processing and pumping facility in Russia’s Volgograd region, causing a fire, the Ukrainian General Staff said (Reuters)
A separate Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and sparked a fire at a sea terminal in the southern Russian port of Temryuk, Governor Veniamin Kondratiev wrote on Telegram (Reuters)
EU Agrees to Launch Ukraine Membership Talks
At a meeting in Brussels, ambassadors from the twenty-seven European Union states agreed to officially open membership talks with Ukraine next week (AP)
Ukraine and Russia exchanged overnight drone strikes, with Ukraine hitting oil refineries and a petrochemicals plant while Russia attacked railway stations and electrical substations (Reuters)
Ukrainian attacks have also targeted supplies to Crimea, triggering the worst fuel crisis on the Black Sea Peninsula since its annexation in 2014 (AP)
Russian Forces Capture Two More Ukrainian Settlements
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its forces had captured two new settlements: Rozkishne village, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, and Okhrimivka, in the neighboring Kharkiv region (Reuters)
Additionally, the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said it voted to extend U.S. security assistance to Ukraine and to increase authorized funding to $750 million (Reuters)
Ukrainian Strikes Target Russian Oil Supplies
Russian oil producer Rosneft’s Kuibyshev oil refinery halted oil processing following a drone attack, two industry sources said (Reuters)
Residents in Crimea grappled with gasoline rationing following additional overnight Ukrainian attacks on energy and military targets (Reuters)
Russian Attacks Kill Three
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region killed a pregnant woman and two other people, Ukrainian officials said (Reuters)
The European Union has proposed its twenty-first package of sanctions against Russia, heavily targeting the country’s banks and crypto networks as well as drone production, and oil traders and refiners, EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said (Reuters)
EU Releases $3.2 Billion to Ukraine
The European Union released nearly $3.2 billion as part of ongoing efforts to finance Ukraine in its war against Russia, the European Commission said (Reuters)
European Leaders Issue Joint Statement Supporting Ceasefire Talks
Following a meeting with President Zelenskyy in London, the leaders of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement in support of Zelenskyy’s proposal for direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia to secure a ceasefire (Reuters)
Additionally, Russian forces deliberately struck a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel near Ukraine’s Chornobyl power plant; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media that the attack was “extremely vile” (Reuters)
A Ukrainian drone struck a train in Crimea, killing one (Reuters)
Russia Intercepts Hundreds of Ukrainian Drones
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, its anti-aircraft units intercepted and destroyed 339 Ukrainian drones over a 13-hour period in various Russian regions, including Moscow (Reuters)
Russian Strikes Across Ukraine Kill Nine
Russian strikes killed five people in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region in three separate incidents on Friday, the regional governor said (Reuters)
A separate Russian drone attack on a dairy factory near Kyiv killed four people and injured seven more, Ukrainian officials said (Reuters)
Ukraine and Russia each exchanged 185 service personnel in the latest prisoner of war swap, officials in both countries said; the swap was the second under an agreement between the countries to swap 1,000 prisoners of war each, as part of a three-day ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States in early May (Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s open letter, saying he saw no reason to meet at this time (Reuters)
U.S. House Passes Russia Sanctions and Ukraine Aid Package
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia and providing aid to Ukraine, in a bipartisan rebuke of President Trump’s approach to the conflict; however, the Senate is unlikely to vote on the bill (Reuters)
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, proposing that the two leaders meet to agree on an end to the war and warning that Kyiv would fight on if the proposal is rejected (Reuters)
Ukrainian Drones Strike St. Peterburg Oil Terminal
The long-range drones struck and set fire to an oil terminal outside of St. Petersburg as the city hosted an international economic forum; President Putin will speak at the forum on Friday (AP)
Russia Launches Massive Drone and Missile Attack Against Ukraine
Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults of the war overnight, firing 656 drones and 73 missiles at Kyiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 18 civilians and wounding more than 100 others (AP)
Russia Hits Kyiv With Oreshnik Missile in Mass Attack
Russia struck Kyiv and surrounding areas with roughly six hundred drones and ninety missiles—including a nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the city of Bila Tserkva—killing at least four people and wounding more than sixty (NPR)
Zelenskyy Warns of Imminent Oreshnik Strike
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was preparing to strike Ukraine with a hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile, citing intelligence shared by Ukraine, the United States, and Europe (Reuters)
Russian Attacks Across Ukraine
Russia has launched more than 1,560 drones and 56 missiles across Ukraine since yesterday morning and killed at least eleven people, Ukrainian officials said today; Russia’s barrage reached as far west as Ukraine’s border with Slovakia, prompting Slovakia to close its land border crossing (Reuters)
Russia said Ukraine attacked three of its industrial facilities (BBC)
The fighting followed the end of a three-day ceasefire over the past weekend (Guardian)
Draft U.S.-Ukraine Defense Deal
The countries are in talks about a potential defense deal under which Kyiv would export military technology to the United States and partner with U.S. firms to manufacture drones (CBS News)
Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram this week that twenty countries were working on potential drone agreements with Kyiv (Ukrainian President)
Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Agency Issues Charges Against Andriy Yermak
The former presidential chief of staff was implicated in a money laundering scheme involving more than $10 million (WSJ)
Yermak resigned from his position in November after anti-corruption officials searched his home; he told journalists in Kyiv that he would comment once the investigation was complete (Politico)
Three-Day Ceasefire Only Partially Holds
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine refrained from long-range strikes due to the absence of large-scale Russian attacks, but that fighting continued on the front lines (AP)
Ukrainian Envoys in Miami
Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov met with U.S. officials in Miami to discuss the status of peace talks with Russia, both sides said; Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations have stalled in the wake of the Iran war (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the talks “substantive” in a social media post and said Kyiv aimed to “reinvigorate diplomacy” (Ukrainian President)
Russia Rejects Ukraine’s Ceasefire
Russia fired dozens of drone strikes at Ukraine overnight despite Kyiv announcing a ceasefire that was set to begin at midnight, Ukrainian officials said; both countries announced ceasefires for different dates this week, with neither accepting the dates proposed by the other (AP)
Russia Announces Ceasefire to Mark World War II
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would observe a two-day ceasefire in Ukraine on Friday and Saturday, threatening a major attack if Kyiv disrupted its planned events to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media that Kyiv had not received a formal proposal about those dates and planned to observe a truce beginning at midnight tonight (Ukrainian President)
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced almost $200 million in new aid to Ukraine through a NATO-led program at the European Political Community summit (CBC)
Per reports from the Financial Times and Russian investigative outlet Important Stories, Putin has limited his movements and increased personal security measures since early March amid fears of an assassination attempt; Putin and his family have reportedly stopped visiting their Moscow residences, staffers are no longer permitted cell phones, and he is spending more time in bunkers (FT;Important Stories)