VATICAN CITY, VATICAN – APRIL 26: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) meets with U.S. … More
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,159.
Trump-Zelenskyy meeting. US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Pope Francis’ funeral in Vatican City on April 26. Overnight after the meeting, Ukraine reported 149 drones launched by Russia overnight into the early hours of Sunday, April 27. The drones damaged six regions: Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Donetsk, Sumy, and Cherkasy
Russia’s Attacks on Ukraine
Nationwide. In a large-scale overnight attack on April 24, Russia launched multiple waves of missiles and drones across Ukraine, including the deadliest attack on Kyiv since last July. The strike, which included 55 cruise missiles, 11 ballistic missiles and 145 drones, killed at least 12 civilians and wounded more than 100 others. Ukrainian air defenses reported intercepting 48 missiles and 64 drones, while 68 additional drones were neutralized by electronic warfare systems without causing any damage. Reuters footage captured the moment when a ballistic missile struck densely populated areas of Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russians apparently used a North Korean-made ballistic missile in the recent strike on Ukraine’s capital.
Dnipropetrovsk region. On April 23, a Russian drone struck a bus carrying workers en route to a mining plant in Marhanets, killing nine and wounding at least 54 others. Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation into the attack, one of the deadliest single strikes within the region.
Donetsk region. A Russian airstrike on April 24 in the eastern city of Sloviansk killed a 72-year-old man. Later that day, Russian attacks on the city of Kostiantynivka killed two civilians and wounded two others.
At a press conference on April 24, President Zelenskyy provided South African President Cyril Ramaphosa a list of 400 children abducted by Russian troops. Zelenskyy cut short his visit to South Africa due to the large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine. The Ukrainian government alleges that the Kremlin has forcibly relocated more than 19,500 children since the onset of the war, with fewer than 1,400 of them returned so far to Ukraine.
President Trump’s recent ultimatum proposing U.S. recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea has intensified the diplomatic divide within Europe, forcing European capitals to choose between Kyiv or Washington. The Trump administration’s recently leaked draft proposal, which includes recognizing Russian sovereignty over Crimea, has raised alarm among EU leaders, who view it as a compromise of international law. Kyiv has rejected any concessions of Ukraine’s territory while European officials, who have vowed to oppose any unilateral U.S. recognition of Crimea, fear that it might embolden Russian aggression in the future.
Nonetheless, despite apparently bleak diplomatic prospects for Kyiv, the U.S. will pressure Russia to recognize Ukraine’s right to maintain its own military and defense industry during peace negotiations, signaling a rejection of Russia’s demand for Ukraine’s demilitarization.
Ukraine’s efforts to restructure $2.6 billion in GDP-linked debt have hit a roadblock, as talks with major creditors, including hedge funds VR Capital and Aurelius Capital, ended without agreement. Despite a $15.5 billion IMF bailout and a prior $20 billion bond restructuring, Ukraine faces a looming payment of nearly $600 million due at the end of May. Creditors have rejected the government’s proposal to swap warrants for restructured bonds or temporarily halt GDP-linked payouts, leaving Ukraine with limited options for avoiding default.
With the GDP warrants offering payouts tied to economic growth, which could rise if a ceasefire with Russia materializes, Kyiv is struggling to balance recovery efforts, satisfying investors and avoiding further strain on its war-torn economy. Ukraine’s Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko has called for fair adjustments, emphasizing the warrants’ incompatibility with Ukraine’s post-invasion economic realities.
Additionally, Marchenko claimed that Ukraine and the U.S. will not sign a mineral agreement this week despite the progress made in recent negotiations. The deal, initially expected to be signed on April 24 following announcements by Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy, remains unfinished as legal teams complete its terms.
Explosions rocked a Russian ammunition depot in Vladimir region on April 22. The blasts, which set fire to more than 100,000 tons of shells, rockets and advanced equipment in the 51st Russian Main Missile and Artillery Directorate Arsenal’s depot, caused evacuations in surrounding villages. Ukrainian officials have denied any responsibility for the incident. At present, there are no confirmed estimates of the effect of the explosions on the depot.
A car bomb near Moscow killed a 3-star Russian general on April 25. Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Maskolik, a senior officer serving on the Russian military’s General Staff, died in a blast that Russian authorities immediately blamed on Ukraine. Although Ukraine has not commented on the killing, it has taken responsibility for a similar car bombing that killed another Russian general, the chief of an unconventional weapons bureau, in December, 2014.
By Danylo Nosov, Alan Sacks
