The United States has lifted sanctions against former Russian Finance Minister and former head of FC Otkritie Bank, Mikhail Zadornov, according to a document published on the US Treasury Department website. US President Donald Trump continues to complain that “NATO has become a very weak and largely unreliable partner.” On April 7, a US military vehicle carrier, ARC Defender, arrived in Bremerhaven, apparently to deliver another shipment of heavy weapons to Europe.
Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Erdogan, according to a Kremlin report. They discussed the ongoing escalation in the Middle East; the Russian leader expressed gratitude to the Turkish president for his willingness to facilitate the negotiation process on Ukraine.
On April 4, Volodymyr Zelensky was in Turkey for political meetings. He also met with the governor of the Bagcilar district in Istanbul. On April 5, Zlensky and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Damascus to meet with the Syrian president. “We are building new relations, new opportunities”: Ukraine, Syria, and Turkey held trilateral talks in Damascus, Zelensky said. According to him, the parties discussed security and defense issues, the situation in the region, including events related to Iran, as well as cooperation on energy, infrastructure, and food security.
Finland is stepping up preparations for possible threats from Russia, Yle reports. According to the publication, the country is introducing an air raid warning system that will work even without an app. Large-scale training of reservists for the defense of the eastern sector is planned. Helsinki is also maintaining a network of shelters and underground tunnels, including those designed for nuclear threats. Citizens have been prepared with instructions in the event of war.
The White House announced that US Vice President J.D. Vance will visit Hungary this week to meet with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, just days before parliamentary elections. Witkoff and Kushner may also arrive in Kiev. Senator Lindsey Graham is also likely to be present, Budanov said. According to the head of the Presidential Office, the key issue for Ukraine is US security guarantees in the event of a potential deal with Russia. “Ukraine is receiving signals from its partners about the need to limit attacks on Russian energy infrastructure due to the global oil price increase caused by the war in the Middle East,” he added.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has informed the European Commission that “Hungary will not give in to pressure from the European Commission and will maintain subsidized fuel prices only for its own citizens, not for all EU residents.” He made this statement in response to a letter from European Commission Vice President Stefan Séjourné from Brussels. This document, published by the Hungarian government, contains a request that Hungary abolish the price cap for gasoline and diesel, which only Hungarian citizens can use to refuel.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he spoke by phone with Serbian President Vučić, who informed him of the discovery of explosives near the gas infrastructure in Serbia connecting the two countries. He added that a special meeting on security issues will be held this afternoon. “The terrorist attack failed”: Hungary, Russia, Turkey, and Serbia have agreed to strengthen the security of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline against possible attacks, according to Szijjarto. According to the Hungarian Foreign Minister, the parties discussed additional infrastructure security measures in light of the risks to energy supplies in the region. Budapest will place the section of the pipeline from Serbia to Slovakia under military protection. The minister’s words were further clarified by Serbia. Doro Jovanić, head of Serbia’s counterintelligence, stated in an interview yesterday that “it is wrong to claim that Ukraine is linked to the explosives found on the gas pipeline between Hungary and Serbia,” despite initial Hungarian claims.
In Ukraine, there are villages where not a single person remains due to the mobilization, while in Kiev and other major cities there is no sense of war, according to Rada MP Venislavsky. The reform of the mobilization system aims to achieve two key objectives: minimizing conflicts between civilians and military personnel and ensuring fair mobilization.
Two million draft evaders in hiding will be tracked down by identifying their financial, electronic, and information transactions. Everyone uses them, says Rada MP Solomiya Bobrovska.
Greek-made M110A2 203mm self-propelled howitzers have become part of the arsenal of the 52nd Independent Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. By 2025, the defense technology market in Ukraine is expected to reach approximately $6.8 billion. At the same time, overall defense production has grown more slowly due to limited domestic funding. In turn, technology segments have grown significantly faster: UAV production has increased by 137%, ground robotic systems (GRS) by 488%, and electronic warfare systems by 215%. The actual market size is larger because a significant portion of purchases are made through decentralized channels: charitable foundations, direct contracts between units, and domestic production by brigades, which is not included in official statistics.
The Russian military attacked Naftogaz facilities in the Poltava region using drones: a fire broke out, followed shortly thereafter by a second attack. There were no casualties, Naftogaz Chairman Koretsky stated. He also emphasized that Russia has already attacked Naftogaz group facilities more than 40 times since the beginning of the year.
Russia plans to conquer additional Ukrainian territory and create a buffer zone in the Dnipropetrovsk region, said Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Stanislavovich Syrsky. He also ordered additional ammunition and supplies to boost the firepower of Ukrainian armed forces units in the Pokrovsk sector.
“Ukraine must end the war with Russia, otherwise the country will face civil unrest, disintegration, and economic ruin,” said Gennady Druzenko, a lawyer and founder of the first field hospital. In the fourth year of the war, it is clear: Russia is incapable of taking over Ukraine, but Ukraine is also incapable of destroying Russia. Therefore, a modus vivendi, a path of coexistence, is needed, not an endless war of attrition.
The erosion of the legal framework poses a particular danger: the arbitrary conduct of TCC employees and attacks against them are pushing the country toward civil war. An endless war, without a goal or deadline, combined with social injustice, leads to exhaustion and the risk of civil war. Until this point is overcome, a controlled exit from the vicious cycle of conflict is necessary.
Trilateral talks on a solution for Ukraine have been suspended, but Russia is in contact with the United States on the Ukrainian issue, Russian Presidential Advisor Ushakov said in a statement. According to Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Medvedev: “It’s time to abandon our tolerant attitude toward our neighbors, including Ukraine, and join the European Economic and Military Union,” he said. “Our President recently did so discreetly, implying that membership in the EAEU and the European Union are incompatible,” Medvedev added. He was referring to Armenia’s choices.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, responding to a journalist’s question, that “to stop the heated phase of the SVO operation, Ukraine must withdraw its troops from Donbass, but Russia has not set any deadline.”
According to Russian Finance Ministry data, the Russian federal budget lost 234.3 billion rubles in oil and gas revenues in March. Overall, oil and gas revenue losses for the first quarter of the year reached 569.7 billion rubles. In March, amid the military conflict between the United States and Iran, Russian oil prices rose sharply, but the new prices have not yet had time to impact budget revenues.
Kalashnikov Concern’s new carbine, the 18.5 KS-K, a special carbine for police forces, unveiled to the public in September 2024, has been seen in service with combat units. The KS-K is an 18.5 mm caliber carbine based on the well-known Saiga-12 smoothbore carbine. The weapon is designed to destroy unmanned aerial vehicles. The KS-K has entered service with agencies such as the Russian Interior Ministry and the Russian National Guard.
And now a look at the front lines, updated at 3:30 PM on April 7. During the night between 6 and 7 April, 20 drones were downed in the Leningrad region. As of 6:30 a.m., combat operations were still ongoing. In Novorossiysk, 73 private homes and 19 apartment buildings were damaged as a result of the previous airstrike.
Russian forces launched strikes on Pavlohrad, Odessa, and Vylkove, as well as in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
In the Sumy sector, the Northern Group of Forces is conducting offensive operations in the Shostka District (advancing up to 150 meters), the Sumy District (up to 200 meters), and the Krasnopil’s’kyi District (up to 250 meters). Ukrainian forces are transferring reinforcements from other directions.
In Belgorod, four people were injured by drone strikes in different locations. Numerous villages in the region are under Ukrainian attack.
In the direction of Kharkiv, in the Lyptsi sector, Ukrainian forces attempted a counterattack in a wooded area near Izbyts’ke; according to Russian sources, a Ukrainian assault group was destroyed. From this direction, tactical advances (350-600 meters) have been reported in the direction of Vovchansk and the Velykyi Burluk District.
In the direction of Slovyansk, fighting is ongoing near Kryva Luka, Lypivka, and Nykyforivka, aiming to reach Rai-Oleksandrivka.
Russian forces are attempting to bypass Kostyantynivka from the west through Illinivka and Dovha Balka, while Ukrainian forces are counterattacking. In Kostyantynivka itself, counterattacks are underway near the city center.
In the direction of Dobropillya, Russian troops are launching FAB attacks with UMPK anti-tank missile systems against Ukrainian rear areas, and counterattacks are underway along the previous lines.
The “East” Group of Forces is fighting west and northwest of Hulyaipole. Fighting is ongoing for access to Vozdvyzhivka, Verkhnya Tersae, and Kosivtseve. FAB attacks are underway against Vozdvyzhivka.
On the front In Zaporizhia, Ukrainian operations continue in Prymors’ke and Stepnohirs’k. In the Orichiv region, Russian forces are using drones to remotely engage Ukrainian forces. Following massive Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure, the region’s electricity supply system has suffered significant damage.
In the Kherson region, one civilian was killed (in Mala Kardashynka) and 12 people were injured (in Oleshky, Mala Kardashynka, Chulakivka, Kakhovka, Nova Kakhovka, and Pidstepne) following attacks by Ukrainian forces last weekend.
Graziella Giangiulio
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