Russian drone strikes killed five people and wounded 19 in Ukraine after forces targeted a street market in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Firefighters worked to extinguish a blaze caused by the attack, which damaged market stalls and a shop in the city of Nikopol on Saturday.
Another attack, in the city of Sumy, targeted houses, cars, and utility networks, and wounded 11 people, the National Police said.
It comes after Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of an “Easter escalation”, with Russian forces firing 286 drones at Ukraine overnight.
Ukrainian air defence forces destroyed or jammed 260 drones in the country's north, south, east and centre, with hits recorded in 10 locations.
The Ukrainian president had proposed a halt in strikes for Easter, telling Russia it would reciprocate if it stopped attacks on the energy sector.
In a post on social media, Zelensky said: “Not a single hour of peace for our people, and this is Russia’s response to our proposal for an Easter ceasefire. Essentially, the Russians have only intensified their strikes, turning what should have been silence in the skies into an Easter escalation.”
Read MoreZelensky says ‘prolonged’ US-Iran war could divert critical support from Ukraine
Russia offers huge payments to students to join its drone forces in Ukraine
Stress from Russian bombardment causing premature births in Ukraine, UN warns
Russia warns citizens against travelling to dozens of countries
Key Points
- Five dead after Russian drone hits street market
- Russia suffers record losses in March, Zelensky says
- Zelensky accuses Russia of 'Easter escalation'
- Oil pipeline at Russia's Primorsk port damaged in Ukrainian drone attack
- Seven injured in Russian drone strike on Sumy as Zelensky warns of ‘Easter escalation’
Ukraine rejects attempts to link it to Turksteam explosives
04:55 , Arpan RaiUkraine's foreign ministry strongly rejected what it said were attempts to link Kyiv to powerful explosives found by Serbian authorities near the Turkstream pipeline system.
"Ukraine has nothing to do with this," foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on X yesterday.
"Most probably, a Russian false-flag operation as part of Moscow's heavy interference in Hungarian elections."
Zelensky says a long Middle East war could take away from support for Ukraine
04:40 , Arpan RaiVolodymyr Zelensky has said he is concerned that a prolonged US-Israeli war on Iran could further erode America's support for Ukraine as Kyiv braces for reduced deliveries of critically needed Patriot air defence missiles.
Ukraine desperately needs more US-made Patriot air defence systems to help it counter Russia's daily barrages, Zelensky said, speaking to The Associated Press in Istanbul.
“We have to recognise that we are not the priority for today," Zelensky said. "That's why I am afraid a long (Iran) war will give us less support."
His most immediate concern, Zelensky said, are the Patriots — essential for intercepting Russian ballistic missiles — as Ukraine still lacks an effective alternative.
These US systems were never delivered in sufficient quantities to begin with, Zelensky said, and if the Iran war doesn't end soon, "the package — which is not very big for us — I think will be smaller and smaller day by day."
“That's why, of course, we are afraid," he said.
Zelensky meets Syrian leader for talks in Damascus
04:20 , Arpan RaiUkraine and Syria pledged greater security cooperation in talks on yesterday, president Volodymyr Zelensky said, as Kyiv seeks to promote its military expertise across the Middle East amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Continuing his tour of Middle East countries, Zelensky met with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus.
“We agreed to work together to provide more security and opportunities for development for our societies," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
In a later post, Zelensky said there had been wide-ranging discussions with the Syrian leader and three-way talks that included Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan.
"We managed to discuss everything: from security and defence issues and the situation in the region due to all the events around Iran to energy and infrastructure cooperation between our countries," Zelensky wrote.
In recent weeks Zelensky has visited several Middle East countries, offering Ukrainian expertise in countering drone and missile attacks developed during its four-year war with Russia.
Since the war began on 28 February, Iran and its proxies have launched strikes on US allies and bases in the region.
Syria is not known to have any air defences capable of dealing with Iranian drones or missiles.
Russia says it downed 148 Ukrainian drones in three hours
03:53 , Arpan RaiRussia's military said its air defence units had downed 148 Ukrainian drones over a three-hour period and officials said emergency crews were restoring power to nearly half a million households in outages linked to air attacks.
On Sunday evening, a drone killed a civil defence volunteer in Russia's border region of Belgorod, a frequent target of the Ukrainian military, and drones also hit an apartment building in Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
A Russian defence ministry statement said air defence units had intercepted 148 drones, mostly in central and southern areas of the country, between 8pm and 11pm (1700-2000 GMT) on Sunday.
The mayor of the port of Novorossiysk, Andrei Kravchenko, said drone debris had struck a high-rise apartment building. There was no word on casualties.
Editorial: As Iran absorbs the world’s attention, we cannot forget about Ukraine
03:00 , Tara CobhamFrom the very first US and Israeli strikes on Iran, it was apparent that any conflict lasting longer than a few days was also likely to cause some very significant collateral damage, not least to the cause of Ukraine. And so it has proved.
With the attention of the United States, the Middle East and Europe focused on this new war – both on the human costs and on the spiralling economic costs resulting from Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz – the continued fighting in Ukraine has been, to a large extent, absent from the news. As Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, pointed out in a sadly clear-eyed interview this weekend, “We have to recognise that we are not the priority for today.”
The all-too-predictable risks have been twofold: that US military equipment, especially the missiles and air defences desperately needed by Ukraine, would be diverted to the Middle East; and that the decrease in news coverage of Ukraine, which has been a source of such strength for Kyiv over much of the past four years, would lead to the plight of Ukraine, and Ukrainians, receding ever further from the awareness of foreign leaders and sympathetic public opinion, especially in Europe.
Read more here:
As Iran absorbs the world’s attention, we cannot forget about Ukraine
Watch: Stress from Russian bombardment causing premature birthrates in Ukraine, UNFPA warns
02:00 , Tara CobhamA long Mideast war could take away from support for Ukraine, Zelensky warns
01:00 , Tara CobhamUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed concern that a prolonged US-Israeli war on Iran could further erode America's support for Ukraine as Washington's global priorities shift and Kyiv braces for reduced deliveries of critically needed Patriot air defence missiles.
Ukraine desperately needs more US-made Patriot air defence systems to help it counter Russia's daily barrages, Zelensky told The Associated Press late Saturday in Istanbul.
Russia's relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago has killed thousands of civilians. It has also targeted Ukraine's energy supply to disrupt industrial production of Ukraine's newly developed drones and missiles, while also denying civilians heat and running water in winter.
"We have to recognise that we are not the priority for today," Zelenskyy said. "That's why I am afraid a long (Iran) war will give us less support."
Inside Ukraine’s conscription crisis as 2 million dodge the draft
Monday 6 April 2026 00:00 , Tara CobhamUkraine is facing a major conscription crisis, just as Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that a protracted conflict in the Middle East will hamper its efforts to combat Russia’s invasion.
Earlier this year, Ukraine’s defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, admitted that Ukraine has 2 million draft-dodgers and hundreds of thousands more who are absent without leave (awol).
The Independent has spoken to Ukrainians on the ground about the reality of the situation, just as pressure mounts elsewhere for the war-torn country. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has shifted its focus from Ukraine to the conflict with Iran, while peace talks have stalled, and Vladimir Putin has launched his spring offensive.
World affairs editor Sam Kiley reports:
Inside Ukraine’s conscription crisis as Zelensky issues new warning over Middle East
Ukraine and Syria agree to cooperate on security, Zelensky says
Sunday 5 April 2026 23:06 , Tara CobhamUkraine and Syria pledged greater security cooperation in talks on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said as Kyiv seeks to promote its military expertise across the region following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Zelensky, continuing his tour of Middle East countries, met with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus.
"We agreed to work together to provide more security and opportunities for development for our societies," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
In a later post, Zelensky said there had been wide-ranging discussions with the Syrian leader and three-way talks that included Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
"We managed to discuss everything: from security and defence issues and the situation in the region due to all the events around Iran to energy and infrastructure cooperation between our countries," Zelensky wrote.
In recent weeks, Zelensky has visited Middle East countries, offering Ukrainian expertise in countering drone and missile attacks developed during its four-year war with Russia.
Russia offers huge payments to students to join its drone forces in Ukraine
Sunday 5 April 2026 22:02 , Rebecca WhittakerStudents across Russia are reportedly being offered significant financial incentives to join drone units fighting in Ukraine, serving as both operators and engineers.
This recruitment drive is further evidenced by documents indicating that companies in Russia's central Ryazan region have been given quotas to enlist workers for the army.
Russia lures students to join its drone forces in Ukraine
Watch: Stress from Russian bombardment causing premature birthrates in Ukraine, UNFPA warns
Sunday 5 April 2026 21:00 , Rebecca WhittakerTop Trump envoys may visit Kyiv
Sunday 5 April 2026 20:02 , Rebecca WhittakerTop Trump envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, might head to Kyiv this month in a bid to relaunch talks on a peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff said.
“Kushner, Witkoff, [Republican Senator] Lindsey Graham — those are the ones expected to come. Who else will be there — we’ll see,” Kyrylo Budanov told Bloomberg on Saturday.
The visit could take place after Orthodox Easter, which is celebrated on April 12.
However, the White House hasn’t commented.
Pope Leo marks first Easter as pontiff with call for hope amid global conflicts
Sunday 5 April 2026 19:02 , Rebecca WhittakerPope Leo celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff with a call Sunday to exercise hope against “the violence of war that kills and destroys,’’ saying “we need this song of hope today” as conflicts spread around the world.
Pope Leo marks first Easter as pontiff with call for hope amid global conflicts
Watch: Seven injured in Russian drone strike on Sumy as Zelensky warns of ‘Easter escalation’
Sunday 5 April 2026 17:59 , Rebecca WhittakerZelensky in Syria to meet President Sharaa, sources say
Sunday 5 April 2026 17:00 , Rebecca WhittakerUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made his first visit to Syria to hold a meeting with his counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa, two Syrian sources told Reuters.
The talks were linked to defence in light of the regional war, one of the sources, a government adviser, said.
World Europe Zelensky says ‘prolonged’ US-Iran war could divert critical support from Ukraine
Sunday 5 April 2026 16:02 , Rebecca WhittakerUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed concern that a prolonged US-Israeli war on Iran could further erode America’s support for Ukraine as Washington’s global priorities shift and Kyiv braces for reduced deliveries of critically needed Patriot air defense missiles.
Ukraine desperately needs more US-made Patriot air defense systems to help it counter Russia’s daily barrages, Zelensky said, speaking to The Associated Press in an exclusive interview late Saturday in Istanbul.
Russia’s relentless pounding of urban areas behind the front line following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago has killed thousands of civilians. It has also targeted Ukraine's energy supply to disrupt industrial production of Ukraine’s newly developed drones and missiles, while also denying civilians heat and running water in winter.
“We have to recognize that we are not the priority for today,” Zelensky said. “That’s why I am afraid a long (Iran) war will give us less support.”
Zelensky says ‘prolonged’ US-Iran war could divert critical support from Ukraine
Zelensky offers his expertise to unblock Strait of Hormuz
Sunday 5 April 2026 15:00 , Rebecca WhittakerUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he can help other countries “unblock the Strait of Hormuz”, in an interview.
In a post on X he explained Ukraine had a similar problem when Russia blocked their Food Security Corridor in the Black Sea.
“They used a wide range of equipment for the blockade – not only battleships, but also helicopters, missiles, jets, and many other things. We crippled the Russian Black Sea Fleet and pushed them away from the corridor. Then we organized convoys for civilian vessels using sea drones to counter Russian helicopters and other offensive weaponry,” he said.
He added that now the Food Security Corridor is under their control and works.
But that no country has asked for Ukraine’s help with the Strait of Hormuz.
Answering the question about Ukraine’s possible help to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 5, 2026
We had a similar problem when Russia blocked our Food Security Corridor in the Black Sea. They used a wide range of equipment for the blockade – not only battleships, but also helicopters,… pic.twitter.com/OLruvTUh6B
One dead after vessel with wheat cargo sinks in Sea of Azov
Sunday 5 April 2026 14:30 , Daniel KeaneA cargo ship carrying wheat has sunk in the Sea of Azov, leaving one person dead and two missing, a Russian-installed official said on Sunday in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Vladimir Saldo, Moscow-installed leader of the Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine's Kherson region, said nine crew members were found alive on the shore - all Russian nationals.
An aide to the captain has died and two people are unaccounted for, Saldo said, adding that an investigation into the incident is under way.
Stress from Russian bombardment causing premature birthrates in Ukraine, UNFPA warns
Sunday 5 April 2026 13:15 , Stuti MishraUkraine drone strikes set Russia's fourth-largest oil refinery on fire and hit Primorsk fuel reservoir
Sunday 5 April 2026 12:15 , Stuti MishraUkraine's drone campaign against Russian energy infrastructure struck Russia's NORSI oil refinery on Sunday, setting it ablaze, while a fuel reservoir leaked at the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk after being hit by shrapnel, Russian authorities said.
The governor of Nizhny Novgorod region, Gleb Nikitin, said two facilities at NORSI were hit in the attack, with a power station and several nearby houses also damaged. No injuries were reported. NORSI is Russia's fourth-largest oil refinery and its second-largest producer of gasoline, with a processing capacity of around 320,000 barrels per day.
At Primorsk, the governor of Leningrad region Alexander Drozdenko corrected an earlier statement, clarifying the port's pipeline had not been damaged but that a fuel reservoir had leaked after being struck by shrapnel. Primorsk, one of Russia's largest oil export gateways with a capacity of one million barrels per day, has already lost at least 40 per cent of its storage facilities in Ukrainian drone attacks last month, according to US commercial satellite images seen by Reuters. At some point last month, around 40 per cent of Russia's total oil exporting capacity was shut due to a combination of the attacks, the closure of the Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine and the seizure of Russia-linked tankers.
Air raid alerts were also declared in Novorossiysk, Russia's largest Black Sea port, due to incoming drone threats. Oil loadings there, including from the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal which handles Kazakh oil exports, are typically suspended during such alerts.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure over the past month in an effort to cut into Russia's key source of war revenue.
Egypt will no longer accept Ukrainian grain exported by Russia, Zelenskyy says
Sunday 5 April 2026 11:15 , Stuti MishraEgypt will refuse to buy grain that Russia has exported from occupied Ukrainian territories, president Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday following a call with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
"Egypt will no longer accept grain exported by Russia from our temporarily occupied territories," Zelensky wrote on Telegram, adding that Cairo had expressed interest in increasing direct grain imports from Ukraine.
The move marks a significant shift in Egyptian policy. Egypt is the world's largest wheat importer and purchased more than 8 million tons of Russian grain in 2025, according to Russia's ambassador to Egypt. Zelensky said the two leaders also discussed the Iran war and its impact on global oil markets, and that Kyiv had offered Cairo military-technical cooperation.
European ministers call for profit caps on energy companies as Iran war drives price surge
Sunday 5 April 2026 10:15 , Stuti MishraThe finance ministers of Spain and four other European countries are urging the European Union to impose a bloc-wide windfall tax on energy companies, concerned that surging oil and gas prices driven by the war in Iran will fuel inflation and strain households.
Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said Saturday that his counterparts from Germany, Italy, Portugal and Austria had signed a letter to the European Commission citing “market distortions” caused by the price spike.
“The conflict in the Middle East has caused oil prices to rise, placing a significant burden on the European economy and on European citizens,” the letter, dated Friday and made public by Cuerpo in an online post, said.
“It is important to ensure that this burden is distributed fairly,” it added.
Read here:
European ministers call for profit caps on energy companies as Iran war drives price surge
Russia suffers record losses in March, Zelensky claims
Sunday 5 April 2026 09:15 , Stuti MishraNearly 34,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or seriously wounded in March, the highest level since the start of the war, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Another 1,363 Russians were “eliminated” in artillery and other strikes over the month, bringing Russian losses to more than 35,000 in March.
“Importantly, the results in the destruction of Russia’s air defence systems have also significantly increased, with 274 such systems hit in March alone,” Ukraine’s leader wrote on social media.
“There have also been tangible results in the destruction of Russian depots and military logistics. The Ministry of Defence, together with the Armed Forces, will present a detailed report to the public for March – data that may be made public.”
Witkoff and Kushner could visit Kyiv in April as Ukraine peace talks stall over Iran war
Sunday 5 April 2026 08:15 , Stuti MishraUS envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could travel to Kyiv later this month, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's top aide Kyrylo Budanov said on Saturday, as Washington attempts to revive peace talks that stalled after the outbreak of the US-Iran war.
"Kushner, Witkoff, Lindsey Graham — those are the ones expected to come," Budanov told Bloomberg, adding the visit could take place shortly after Orthodox Easter on 12 April.
It would be the first official visit to Kyiv for both men, who have previously met Ukrainian representatives in the US but have travelled to Moscow for talks with Russia.
Peace negotiations brokered by Washington between Ukraine and Russia stalled after the US and Israel bombed Iran in late February, triggering retaliatory strikes across the Middle East.
Slovak PM calls on EU to lift Russian oil and gas sanctions to tackle Iran war energy crisis
Sunday 5 April 2026 07:15 , Stuti MishraSlovak prime minister Robert Fico has called on the European Union to end sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports and restore flows through the Druzhba pipeline, arguing the bloc needs to draw on all available energy sources to address the supply crisis triggered by the US-Iran war.
Fico made the call in a statement after a call with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán on Saturday, saying the EU should renew dialogue with Russia and ensure member states could access gas and oil from all sources, including Russian ones. "It is not enough to deal with the energy crisis only at the national level," he said.
Hungary and Slovakia are outliers in the EU for maintaining relations with Moscow, and were the only two member states still importing Russian oil when a Russian drone strike hit pipeline equipment in Ukraine in January, disrupting Druzhba flows. Budapest and Bratislava have accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying repairs to resume the pipeline, triggering a political dispute that has seen Hungary block an EU loan to Kyiv. Ukraine says it is fixing the damage as quickly as possible.
Oil prices have surged since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on 28 February, creating what the International Energy Agency called the biggest oil supply disruption in history. The EU had cut Russian oil imports to just one per cent of its total supply by the final quarter of 2025 following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Oil pipeline at Russia's Primorsk port damaged in Ukrainian drone attack
Sunday 5 April 2026 06:12 , Stuti MishraA Ukrainian drone strike has damaged an oil pipeline at Russia's Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, local governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Sunday.
No injuries were reported.
The pipeline was shut down and a fire was safely burning out, Drozdenko said on Telegram. Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia's Baltic Sea ports over the past month.
Ukraine deploys firefighting robot to extinguish blaze
Sunday 5 April 2026 04:00 , Harriette BoucherUkrainian soldiers deployed a firefighting robot to extinguish a blaze in the Kramatorsk region following a Russian strike on a house.
After discovering that gas canisters were stored at the scene of the fire, the fire brigade decided to use the robot to prevent putting soldiers at further risk.
“With its help, the fire was extinguished and prevented from spreading to neighbouring homes,” the brigade said.
“Ukrainian [ground robots] prove their uniqueness and effectiveness not only on the battlefield, but also in civilian life.”
The “Zmiy Firefighting” ground robotic systems are created by Ukrainian defence tech company RoverTech and are designed to operate in high-risk environments.
The system can be remotely controlled at distances of up to 3,000 meters, according to the company.
Seven injured in Russian drone strike on Sumy as Zelensky warns of ‘Easter escalation’
Sunday 5 April 2026 03:00 , Harriette BoucherRussia warns citizens against travelling to dozens of countries
Sunday 5 April 2026 02:00 , Harriette Boucher Russia warns citizens against travelling to dozens of countries
Ukraine rescues eight children from occupied territories
Sunday 5 April 2026 01:00 , Harriette BoucherUkraine has brought back eight children and teenagers from occupied territories, a Ukrainian humanitarian NGO has announced.
Mykola Kuleba, the founder of Save Ukraine, said they had all been living in conditions of pressure and fear, and their lives were under constant threat.
One 14 year old, Zoryana, was among those rescued. Mr Kuleba said she had been separated from her father by Russians, who was stripped of his documents and deported.
The girl was forced to study in a Russian school, where she was told about the greatness of Russia and taught to use weapons, he said.
Mr Kuleba wrote: “They are all in our Hope and Recovery centers and are receiving psychological support, documentation assistance, housing, and care — everything to help them regain a sense of security and start building a future.
“But thousands of children still remain under occupation. They are forced to be silent, conformed, and prepared for war. But we are not stopping.”
Russia offers huge payments to students to join its drone forces in Ukraine
Sunday 5 April 2026 00:00 , Harriette BoucherStudents across Russia are reportedly being offered significant financial incentives to join drone units fighting in Ukraine, serving as both operators and engineers.
This recruitment drive is further evidenced by documents indicating that companies in Russia's central Ryazan region have been given quotas to enlist workers for the army.
This intensified effort to replenish military ranks comes as Russian forces continue to make battlefield gains in Ukraine, now in the fifth year of the conflict, and as US-brokered peace talks remain on hold due to the Iran war.
The move suggests Moscow is diversifying its recruitment strategies, though the Kremlin has stated that a general mobilisation is not on the agenda.
Top officials also deny any shortage of recruits, despite Ukrainian claims – dismissed by Moscow – that Kyiv is eliminating Russian troops faster than they can be replaced.
Russia lures students to join its drone forces in Ukraine
Five dead after Russian drone hits street market
Saturday 4 April 2026 23:52 , Harriette BoucherUkraine said three women and two men were killed in a Russian drone attack on a market in the city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Another 19 people were injured in the attack, the prosecutor general's office said.
A strike also wounded 11 people in the city of Sumy, not far from the border with Russia.
Russia suffers record losses in March, Zelensky says
Saturday 4 April 2026 23:00 , Harriette BoucherNearly 34,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or seriously wounded in March, the highest level since the start of the war, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Another 1,363 Russians were “eliminated” in artillery and other strikes over the month, bringing Russian losses to more than 35,000 in March.
“Importantly, the results in the destruction of Russia’s air defence systems have also significantly increased, with 274 such systems hit in March alone,” Ukraine’s leader wrote on social media.
“There have also been tangible results in the destruction of Russian depots and military logistics. The Ministry of Defence, together with the Armed Forces, will present a detailed report to the public for March – data that may be made public.”
Stress from Russian bombardment causing premature birthrates in Ukraine, UNFPA warns
Saturday 4 April 2026 22:00 , Harriette Boucher16 Kenyans are missing in Russia after joining its army
Saturday 4 April 2026 21:00 , Harriette BoucherSixteen Kenyans are missing in Russia after joining its army, Kenya's foreign affairs minister Musalia Mudavadi told a Senate committee, adding that the number had risen from 10 to 16 within 24 hours. It remains unclear whether they are dead or alive.
Thirty-eight others are in Russian hospitals under restricted access, 47 have returned home and two are being held by Ukraine as prisoners of war. Mudavadi estimated 165 Kenyans are actively involved in military operations, bringing the total who have participated in the conflict to more than 250.
The minister said recruits had been lured by promises of salaries of up to $2,700 (£2,040) a month, signing bonuses of up to $23,000 (£17,400) and the possibility of Russian citizenship. "Contrary to prevailing reports, the majority of Kenyans enlisted with full knowledge and willingly," he said.
Kenya and Russia agreed to halt the recruitment following talks between Mudavadi and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow last month. Ukrainian intelligence has estimated more than 1,700 people from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia.
In pictures: Ukrainian firefighters work to put out separate blazes in Sumy and Nikopol
Saturday 4 April 2026 20:00 , Harriette Boucher Ukraine deploys firefighting robot to extinguish blaze
Saturday 4 April 2026 19:00 , Harriette BoucherUkrainian soldiers deployed a firefighting robot to extinguish a blaze in the Kramatorsk region following a Russian strike on a house.
After discovering that gas canisters were stored at the scene of the fire, the fire brigade decided to use the robot to prevent putting soldiers at further risk.
“With its help, the fire was extinguished and prevented from spreading to neighbouring homes,” the brigade said.
“Ukrainian [ground robots] prove their uniqueness and effectiveness not only on the battlefield, but also in civilian life.”
The “Zmiy Firefighting” ground robotic systems are created by Ukrainian defence tech company RoverTech and are designed to operate in high-risk environments.
The system can be remotely controlled at distances of up to 3,000 meters, according to the company.
European ministers call for profit caps on energy companies as Iran war drives price surge
Saturday 4 April 2026 18:00 , Harriette BoucherThe finance ministers of Spain and four other European countries are urging the European Union to impose a bloc-wide windfall tax on energy companies, concerned that surging oil and gas prices driven by the war in Iran will fuel inflation and strain households.
Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said Saturday that his counterparts from Germany, Italy, Portugal and Austria had signed a letter to the European Commission citing “market distortions” caused by the price spike.
“The conflict in the Middle East has caused oil prices to rise, placing a significant burden on the European economy and on European citizens,” the letter, dated Friday and made public by Cuerpo in an online post, said.
“It is important to ensure that this burden is distributed fairly,” it added.
Read here:
European ministers call for profit caps on energy companies as Iran war drives price surge
Ukrainian gas company says Russia attacked its facilities in Poltava region
Saturday 4 April 2026 17:00 , Harriette BoucherUkraine's state oil and gas firm Naftogaz said on Saturday that Russia attacked its infrastructure facilities in the central Poltava region, resulting in a fire.
“Russia continues to carry out targeted attacks on oil, gas and energy infrastructure," the company said in a statement on social media.
“Since the start of the year, the enemy has attacked Naftogaz Group facilities on more than 40 occasions.”
EU must drop all sanctions on Russian oil and gas to boost energy security, Slovak PM says
Saturday 4 April 2026 16:00 , Harriette BoucherThe European Union should lift all sanctions on oil and gas from Russia to boost energy security, the prime minister of Slovakia has said.
Robert Fico said on Friday that the union shoud take steps to restore Druzhba oil flows and end the war in Ukraine to fight against the energy crisis stemming from the war in Iran.
"The EU and especially the (European Commission) should immediately resume dialogue with Russia and ensure such a political and legal environment that individual member states and the EU as a whole can replenish the missing gas and oil reserves and enable the supply of these strategic raw materials from all possible sources and directions, including Russia," Fico said in a statement after a call with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban.
The EU’s import ban on Russia covers 90 per cent of its current oil imports from the country and affects one quarter of all Russian global coal exports, amounting to an €8 billion loss of revenue per year for Russia, according to the European Commission.
Recap: Russian forces attacked Ukraine with more than 280 drones
Saturday 4 April 2026 15:30 , Rebecca WhittakerRussian forces attacked Ukraine with 286 drones on Friday night after Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of an “Easter escalation”.
Ukrainian air defence forces destroyed or jammed 260 drones in the country's north, south, east and centre, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
The Ukrainian president had proposed a halt in strikes for Easter, telling Russia it would reciprocate if it stopped attacks on the energy sector.
In a post on social media, Zelensky said: “Not a single hour of peace for our people, and this is Russia’s response to our proposal for an Easter ceasefire. Essentially, the Russians have only intensified their strikes, turning what should have been silence in the skies into an Easter escalation.”
Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 5 people and wound 30 more
Saturday 4 April 2026 15:00 , Rebecca Whittaker Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 5 people and wound 30 more
Pictured: street market hit by a Russian drone strike
Saturday 4 April 2026 14:30 , Rebecca Whittaker Stress from Russian bombardment causing premature births in Ukraine, UN warns
Saturday 4 April 2026 14:00 , Rebecca Whittaker Stress from Russian bombardment causing premature births in Ukraine, UN warns
Watch: Seven injured in Russian drone strike on Sumy as Zelensky warns of ‘Easter escalation’
Saturday 4 April 2026 13:30 , Rebecca WhittakerRussia lures students to join its drone forces in Ukraine
Saturday 4 April 2026 13:00 , Rebecca Whittaker Russia lures students to join its drone forces in Ukraine
Zelensky arrives in Istanbul for 'substantive' talks with Turkey's President
Saturday 4 April 2026 12:32 , Rebecca WhittakerUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Istanbul for "substantive" talks on security issues with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan.
"We are working to strengthen our partnership to ensure real protection of people’s lives, advance stability and guarantee security in our Europe, as well as in the Middle East. Joint efforts always deliver the best results," Zelensky wrote on X.
Arrived in Istanbul, where important meetings are scheduled. Substantive talks have been prepared with the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 4, 2026
We are working to strengthen our partnership to ensure real protection of people’s lives, advance stability and guarantee… pic.twitter.com/SsAeVbetMT
Recap: Russia made no frontline gains in Ukraine during March
Saturday 4 April 2026 12:00 , Rebecca Whittaker- Russia made no frontline gains in Ukraine during March, marking the first time in two and a half years, with Ukrainian forces recapturing 9 square kilometres.
- The slowdown in Russian advances is attributed to Ukrainian counteroffensives and communication issues, including Russia's ban on Starlink terminals and attempts to restrict Telegram.
- Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Donald Trump's threat to withdraw from NATO, citing a lack of support for his war in Iran, appears to be 'Putin's dream plan'.
- Trump indicated he was 'seriously considering' Washington's withdrawal from the military alliance, claiming members 'were not there for us' during his conflict in Iran.
- Ukraine's military has refuted Russia's assertion of having taken complete control of the eastern Luhansk region, reporting no significant changes on the battlefield.
Zelensky ready for talks with Turkey's President
Saturday 4 April 2026 11:37 , Rebecca WhittakerUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Istanbul for talks with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan.
A spokesperson also said Zelensky would meet Patriarch Bartholomew, the most senior cleric in the Orthodox Church.
Zelensky speaks with Pope as Russia stages 'Easter escalation'
Saturday 4 April 2026 11:30 , Rebecca WhittakerVolodymyr Zelensky spoke with Pope Leo on Friday as Russia attacked Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles.
The Ukrainian president said the two spoke on the phone about the ongoing negotiations with the US and thanked him for helping returning abducted children and for the humanitarian aid provided by the Vatican.
“Today I spoke with Pope Leo XIV. Right during this conversation, the Russians attacked Ukraine again—hundreds of "Shaheds" and dozens of missiles against our cities and communities,” he said.
“In fact, the attack has been ongoing in waves since the night, and at least five regions have already come under fire.
“Not a single hour of peace for our people, and this is Russia's response to our proposal for a ceasefire at Easter. In fact, the Russians have only increased the intensity of the strikes and, instead of silence in the skies, are staging an Easter escalation.
“I am especially grateful that the Pope remembers Ukraine, Ukrainians, and prays for peace for our people.”