A secret unit of Ukrainian forces launched attacks on a Russian oil tanker while operating in western Libya, officials in the north African country said.
In a suspected sea drone attack, Ukrainian forces hit the Russian-flagged Arctic Metagaz, carrying 61,000 tons of liquefied natural gas, causing it to suddenly explode in a massive fire early in March.
The oil tanker, part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, was transporting oil in violation of international sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
It was badly damaged and its crew evacuated, leaving it to drift towards Libyan waters.
While Ukraine has not issued a direct comment on the Arctic Metagaz incident, it says Russia uses its oil export revenues to help fund the invasion, making its tanker fleet legitimate targets.
Earlier, ex-CIA chief David Petraeus said Vladimir Putin’s forces “no longer ha[ve] the upper hand” in the war with Ukraine.
He told CBS News: “Russia heavily outnumbers Ukraine. It outguns Ukraine. It has an economy 10 or 12 times the size of Ukraine’s. And yet the Ukrainian forces right now are stopping the Russians cold on the front lines.”
Read MoreUkrainian troops fly cat and dog more than seven miles by drone to evacuate them from front line
British drones help Ukrainian forces destroy Russian-held bridge over Dnipro in landmark operation
Why JD Vance is helping right wing populist Viktor Orbán’s failing election campaign in Hungary
Cameroon says Russia has confirmed 16 Cameroonian soldiers died in Ukraine
Key Points
- Ukrainian forces operating in Libya attack Russia's shadow fleet tanker
- Putin's forces no longer have the upper hand in Ukraine war, says ex-CIA chief
- Russia threatens Baltic nations over Ukraine’s attack on oil terminals
- Russian TV hosts openly discuss striking Ukraine with nuclear weapons
- Russia says 16 Cameroonian soldiers have died in Ukraine
- Ukraine says Russian satellites helped Iran target US military sites
Russia claims some in EU are helping election rivals of Hungary's Orban
12:40 , Tom BarnesRussia said on Wednesday that some political forces in the European Union were opposed to the re-election bid of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, and were trying to help his opponents.
The Kremlin's intervention came a day after US vice president JD Vance, in Budapest, accused the EU of "disgraceful" interference in the April 12 election, which many opinion polls suggest could bring an end to Orban's 16-year grip on power.
"Many forces in Europe, many forces in Brussels, would not like Orban to win the elections again," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about a leaked transcript, published by Bloomberg, of a conversation last year between Orban and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
"This is well-known, it's obvious to the naked eye, and, of course, they're playing into the hands of those forces that politically oppose Orban and believe that publishing such materials could harm him," Peskov told reporters.
He did not provide any evidence that any EU officials were in any way involved with the leak. A European Commission spokesperson said: "Elections are the sole choice of the citizens."
Russian drone damages infrastructure at Ukraine's largest Danube port
12:06 , Tom BarnesA Russian overnight drone attack on Ukraine's largest Danube river port, Izmail, damaged a port facility, Ukraine's regional development ministry said on Telegram on Wednesday.
"The enemy continues to target logistics and port infrastructure," the ministry said.
According to its Telegram post, fires broke out in warehouses but were extinguished by emergency services. There were no casualties.
Izmail lies on the Danube at the southwestern tip of Ukraine and faces Romanian territory on the other riverbank. It has become an important and frequently hit logistical node for wartime Ukraine.
After Russia blockaded Ukraine's Black Sea ports in the Odesa region in 2022, the river ports on the Danube - in particular, Izmail - became virtually the only waterway for Ukrainian imports and exports.
Following the lifting of the port blockade in 2023, the role of the Danube ports diminished. However, Ukraine still receives shipborne cargoes of explosives and fuel exclusively via the Danube terminals.
Kremlin says it hopes US will resume Ukraine peace talks after Iran ceasefire
11:34 , Tom BarnesThe Kremlin on Wednesday welcomed the US-Iran ceasefire, and said Russia hopes that the US will now have the time and scope to resume three-way peace talks on Ukraine.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hopes that the US and Iran will have direct contacts in the coming days to continue peace discussions.
Ukraine 'ready to respond' if Russia agrees to ceasefire, Zelensky says
11:02 , Tom BarnesUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday he welcomed the ceasefire between the US and Iran, adding that Kyiv was ready to "respond in kind" if Moscow ceased strikes.
"Ukraine has always called for a ceasefire in the war waged by Russia here in Europe against our state and our people, and we support the ceasefire in the Middle East and the Gulf that paves the way for diplomatic efforts," he wrote on X.
A ceasefire is the right decision that leads to ending the war. It means saving lives, abandoning the destruction of cities and villages, and allowing power plants and other infrastructure to operate normally – and thus provides the time and conditions necessary for diplomacy to…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 8, 2026
Ukraine welcomes US-Iran ceasefire, calls for same pressure on Moscow
10:30 , Arpan RaiUkraine is among the latest countries to welcome the ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran and the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on X: “We welcome the agreement between President Trump and the Iranian regime to unblock the Hormuz strait and cease fire, as well as Pakistan’s mediation efforts. American decisiveness works.”
Sybiha, a close aide of Volodymyr Zelensky, called for similar efforts from Washington in stopping Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We believe it is time for sufficient decisiveness to force Moscow to cease fire and end its war against Ukraine,” he said.
We welcome the agreement between President Trump and the Iranian regime to unblock the Hormuz strait and cease fire, as well as Pakistan’s mediation efforts. American decisiveness works. We believe it is time for sufficient decisiveness to force Moscow to cease fire and end its…
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) April 8, 2026
Russia threatens Baltic nations over Ukraine’s attack on oil terminals
10:10 , Arpan RaiRussia has threatened a "response" to the Baltic nations after accusing them of supporting Ukraine’s drone campaign attacking Russian oil facilities.
Moscow claimed Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had permitted Ukraine to send drones through their airspace in order to hit Russian oil terminals on the Baltic Sea coast.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russia's northwestern Leningrad region, which is situated on the Baltic Sea and neighbours Estonia.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the Baltic states "have received an appropriate warning”.
“If the regimes of these countries have enough sense, they will listen. If not, they will have to deal with a response," Zakharova said, without stating what exactly the response will be.
Russian TV hosts openly discuss striking Ukraine with nuclear weapons
09:50 , Arpan RaiHosts on Russia's state run Rossiya 1 TV station have called for the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine, arguing that Vladimir Putin's current strategy was not bringing success.
Mikhail Khodarenok, a war pundit who regularly appears on TV discussions of the war, said Russia should abandon "caution", according to The Express.
"The task isn't solvable with conventional weapons, the ones we have, so perhaps we should switch to special [nuclear] weapons and end this conflict within ten days, by 1 May?" he said.
“The Ukrainian leadership will be faced with the question of whether the country will be left in complete ruins, or we move to some kind of peace agreement.”
Another host responded: "Welcome to our Nuclear Maniacs Club. I've been calling for this for a long time."
Russia says 16 Cameroonian soldiers have died in Ukraine
09:30 , Arpan RaiCameroon says Russia has confirmed the death of 16 of its nationals in the war in Ukraine, according to a memo addressed to the Russian Embassy in the central African country.
Russia has recruited fighters from a number of African countries after its own supplies of conscripts became stretched by four years of war.
Ukraine has said it believes more than 1,700 Africans have been recruited to fight for Russia, and several African nations have said some of their citizens have been tricked into fighting for Russia by offers of lucrative jobs or skills training.
The Russian foreign ministry said "necessary arrangements" had been made to contact the families of the deceased soldiers.
A separate message sent the same day invited the families of six other Cameroonian nationals living in Russia to come to the ministry for "urgent matters" concerning them. It did not give further information.
In March last year, Cameroon's defence minister instructed the country's various military high commands to take "strict emergency measures" to prevent further defections by active or retired Cameroonian soldiers.
Ukraine says Russian satellites helped Iran target US military sites
09:10 , Arpan RaiRussian satellites have made dozens of detailed imagery surveys of military facilities and critical sites across the Middle East to help Iran strike US forces and other targets, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment.
The conclusions, reviewed by Reuters, also found that Russian and Iranian hackers were collaborating in the cyber domain. They represent the most detailed account yet of how Russia has provided secret support to Iran since Israel and the US launched their assault on 28 February.
Russian satellites, the undated assessment said, made at least 24 surveys of areas in 11 Middle Eastern countries from 21 March to 31 March, covering 46 "objects", including US and other military bases and sites including airports and oil fields.
Within days of being surveyed, military bases and headquarters were targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, the assessment said, in what it described as a clear pattern.
The Ukrainian assessment said that the exchange of satellite imagery was being organised through a permanent communications channel used by Russia and Iran and could also be facilitated by Russian military spies stationed in Tehran.
Ukraine evacuates cat and dog from frontline using drone
08:50 , Arpan RaiUkrainian troops deployed a drone to rescue a cat and dog that were stuck on the frontline.
Thermal footage shared by Ukraine’s 14th Separate Mechanised Brigade yesterday showed soldiers approaching the animals, before a later clip shows them petting and stroking the pets in a shelter following the “dangerous” rescue.
The animals were flown 12km (7.5 miles) using a drone that was originally returning from a food supply mission.
“The tailed ones recovered from the ‘flight’ and have a good appetite!” said the brigade as they shared the footage.
Watch the rescue here:
Ukrainian troops fly cat and dog 7.5 miles by drone to evacuate them from front line
Vance accuses EU of meddling in Hungary's election as he backs pro-Kremlin Orban
08:30 , Arpan RaiUS vice president JD Vance took a shot at the EU once again as he openly endorsed prime minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of both president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin, days before the Hungarian election.
Vance's visit to Budapest came ahead of Sunday's vote, which independent public opinion polls show Orban is likely to lose.
The trip, which is a rare endorsement by a sitting US official, underscored how crucial Trump deems the veteran Hungarian nationalist's reelection.
“What has happened in the midst of this election campaign is one of the worst examples of foreign election interference that I’ve ever seen or ever even read about,” Vance said in a press conference.
"The bureaucrats in Brussels have tried to destroy the economy of Hungary. They have tried to make Hungary less energy-independent. They have tried to drive up costs for Hungarian consumers, and they've done it all because they hate this guy (Orban),” he said.
Vance's intervention is the latest example of Trump administration officials going against long-held US norms around interference in foreign elections.
His remarks against Brussels come at a time of increasing transatlantic tension over Trump's war on Iran, criticism of Ukraine, threats to withdraw from the Nato alliance and stated desire to take control of Greenland from Denmark.
Ukrainian forces operating in Libya attack Russia's shadow fleet tanker
08:10 , Arpan RaiUkrainian forces are operating in western Libya under a covert deal endorsed by the West, and they used the Northern African country's territory to strike a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean last month, two Libyan officials said.
The Russian-flagged Arctic Metagaz, carrying 61,000 tons of liquefied natural gas, was badly damaged in a suspected sea drone attack near Maltese waters early in March. It has since drifted off Libya.
All 30 crew members were rescued and put on another vessel heading to the Libyan city of Benghazi, the Libyan Maritime Authority said.
The tanker is part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet transporting oil in violation of international sanctions over Moscow's more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
A recent temporary US waiver on those sanctions is aimed at easing supply shortages amid the Iran war.
Russia blamed the attack on Ukrainian sea drones. Ukraine says the oil export revenue is helping fund Moscow's invasion.
Russia blames Ukraine sea drones for attacking tanker that sank in the Mediterranean
Our maritime defence expertise helping Middle East, Zelensky says
07:55 , Arpan RaiThe Ukrainian military is participating in consultations on the Strait of Hormuz, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said, adding that Ukraine's maritime defence expertise is also of interest in Asia.
Kyiv sent several hundred specialists to the Middle East in the wake of the war in Iran, aiming to share its battle-tested approach in downing Iranian drones, which Russia used in the early years of its full-scale invasion.
"Ukrainian military personnel are taking part in consultations on the further operation of the Strait of Hormuz. Safe navigation is a global value; we know this from our experience defending the Black Sea," Mr Zelensky said in his evening address.
Throughout the war, Ukraine foiled Russian attempts to fully block its access to the Black Sea, critical for the country's economy and military.
Having no powerful fleet of its own but relying on innovations such as naval drones, it forced Russia's Black Sea fleet out of its home base in Moscow-occupied Crimea.
Port infrastructure in Ukraine's Izmail damaged by Russian drone
07:35 , Arpan RaiA Russian overnight drone attack on Ukraine's largest Danube river port, Izmail, damaged a port facility, Ukraine's regional development ministry said on Telegram this morning.
"Fires broke out on the territory of warehouse premises," the ministry said, adding that they had been extinguished by rescuers.
Ukraine welcomes US-Iran ceasefire, calls for same pressure on Moscow
07:07 , Arpan RaiUkraine is among the latest countries to welcome the ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran and the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on X: “We welcome the agreement between President Trump and the Iranian regime to unblock the Hormuz strait and cease fire, as well as Pakistan’s mediation efforts. American decisiveness works.”
Sybiha, a close aide of Volodymyr Zelensky, called for similar efforts from Washington in stopping Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We believe it is time for sufficient decisiveness to force Moscow to cease fire and end its war against Ukraine,” he said.
We welcome the agreement between President Trump and the Iranian regime to unblock the Hormuz strait and cease fire, as well as Pakistan’s mediation efforts. American decisiveness works. We believe it is time for sufficient decisiveness to force Moscow to cease fire and end its…
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) April 8, 2026
Russia threatens Baltic nations over Ukraine’s attack on oil terminals
06:46 , Arpan RaiRussia has threatened a "response" to the Baltic nations after accusing them of supporting Ukraine’s drone campaign attacking Russian oil facilities.
Moscow claimed Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had permitted Ukraine to send drones through their airspace in order to hit Russian oil terminals on the Baltic Sea coast.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russia's northwestern Leningrad region, which is situated on the Baltic Sea and neighbours Estonia.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the Baltic states "have received an appropriate warning”.
“If the regimes of these countries have enough sense, they will listen. If not, they will have to deal with a response," Zakharova said, without stating what exactly the response will be.
Watch: Putin ‘no longer has upper hand’ in war, says ex-CIA chief
06:28 , Arpan RaiRussian TV hosts openly discuss striking Ukraine with nuclear weapons
06:05 , Arpan RaiHosts on Russia's state run Rossiya 1 TV station have called for the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine, arguing that Vladimir Putin's current strategy was not bringing success.
Mikhail Khodarenok, a war pundit who regularly appears on TV discussions of the war, said Russia should abandon "caution", according to The Express.
"The task isn't solvable with conventional weapons, the ones we have, so perhaps we should switch to special [nuclear] weapons and end this conflict within ten days, by 1 May?" he said.
“The Ukrainian leadership will be faced with the question of whether the country will be left in complete ruins, or we move to some kind of peace agreement.”
Another host responded: "Welcome to our Nuclear Maniacs Club. I've been calling for this for a long time."
Russia says 16 Cameroonian soldiers have died in Ukraine
05:41 , Arpan RaiCameroon says Russia has confirmed the death of 16 of its nationals in the war in Ukraine, according to a memo addressed to the Russian Embassy in the central African country.
Russia has recruited fighters from a number of African countries after its own supplies of conscripts became stretched by four years of war.
Ukraine has said it believes more than 1,700 Africans have been recruited to fight for Russia, and several African nations have said some of their citizens have been tricked into fighting for Russia by offers of lucrative jobs or skills training.
The Russian foreign ministry said "necessary arrangements" had been made to contact the families of the deceased soldiers.
A separate message sent the same day invited the families of six other Cameroonian nationals living in Russia to come to the ministry for "urgent matters" concerning them. It did not give further information.
In March last year, Cameroon's defence minister instructed the country's various military high commands to take "strict emergency measures" to prevent further defections by active or retired Cameroonian soldiers.
Ukraine says Russian satellites helped Iran target US military sites
05:31 , Arpan RaiRussian satellites have made dozens of detailed imagery surveys of military facilities and critical sites across the Middle East to help Iran strike US forces and other targets, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment.
The conclusions, reviewed by Reuters, also found that Russian and Iranian hackers were collaborating in the cyber domain. They represent the most detailed account yet of how Russia has provided secret support to Iran since Israel and the US launched their assault on 28 February.
Russian satellites, the undated assessment said, made at least 24 surveys of areas in 11 Middle Eastern countries from 21 March to 31 March, covering 46 "objects", including US and other military bases and sites including airports and oil fields.
Within days of being surveyed, military bases and headquarters were targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, the assessment said, in what it described as a clear pattern.
The Ukrainian assessment said that the exchange of satellite imagery was being organised through a permanent communications channel used by Russia and Iran and could also be facilitated by Russian military spies stationed in Tehran.
Ukraine evacuates cat and dog from frontline using drone
04:50 , Arpan RaiUkrainian troops deployed a drone to rescue a cat and dog that were stuck on the frontline.
Thermal footage shared by Ukraine’s 14th Separate Mechanised Brigade yesterday showed soldiers approaching the animals, before a later clip shows them petting and stroking the pets in a shelter following the “dangerous” rescue.
The animals were flown 12km (7.5 miles) using a drone that was originally returning from a food supply mission.
“The tailed ones recovered from the ‘flight’ and have a good appetite!” said the brigade as they shared the footage.
Watch the rescue here:
Ukrainian troops fly cat and dog 7.5 miles by drone to evacuate them from front line
Vance accuses EU of meddling in Hungary's election as he backs pro-Kremlin Orban
04:40 , Arpan RaiUS vice president JD Vance took a shot at the EU once again as he openly endorsed prime minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of both president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin, days before the Hungarian election.
Vance's visit to Budapest came ahead of Sunday's vote, which independent public opinion polls show Orban is likely to lose.
The trip, which is a rare endorsement by a sitting US official, underscored how crucial Trump deems the veteran Hungarian nationalist's reelection.
“What has happened in the midst of this election campaign is one of the worst examples of foreign election interference that I’ve ever seen or ever even read about,” Vance said in a press conference.
"The bureaucrats in Brussels have tried to destroy the economy of Hungary. They have tried to make Hungary less energy-independent. They have tried to drive up costs for Hungarian consumers, and they've done it all because they hate this guy (Orban),” he said.
Vance's intervention is the latest example of Trump administration officials going against long-held US norms around interference in foreign elections.
His remarks against Brussels come at a time of increasing transatlantic tension over Trump's war on Iran, criticism of Ukraine, threats to withdraw from the Nato alliance and stated desire to take control of Greenland from Denmark.
Ukrainian forces operating in Libya attack Russia's shadow fleet tanker
04:23 , Arpan RaiUkrainian forces are operating in western Libya under a covert deal endorsed by the West, and they used the Northern African country's territory to strike a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean last month, two Libyan officials said.
The Russian-flagged Arctic Metagaz, carrying 61,000 tons of liquefied natural gas, was badly damaged in a suspected sea drone attack near Maltese waters early in March. It has since drifted off Libya.
All 30 crew members were rescued and put on another vessel heading to the Libyan city of Benghazi, the Libyan Maritime Authority said.
The tanker is part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet transporting oil in violation of international sanctions over Moscow's more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
A recent temporary US waiver on those sanctions is aimed at easing supply shortages amid the Iran war.
Russia blamed the attack on Ukrainian sea drones. Ukraine says the oil export revenue is helping fund Moscow's invasion.
Our maritime defence expertise helping Middle East, Zelensky says
04:00 , Jane DaltonThe Ukrainian military is participating in consultations on the Strait of Hormuz, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, adding that Ukraine's maritime defence expertise is also of interest in Asia.
Kyiv sent several hundred specialists to the Middle East in the wake of the war in Iran, aiming to share its battle-tested approach in downing Iranian drones, which Russia used in the early years of its full-scale invasion.
"Ukrainian military personnel are taking part in consultations on the further operation of the Strait of Hormuz. Safe navigation is a global value; we know this from our experience defending the Black Sea," Mr Zelensky said in his evening address.
Throughout the war, Ukraine foiled Russian attempts to fully block its access to the Black Sea, critical for the country's economy and military.
Having no powerful fleet of its own but relying on innovations such as naval drones, it forced Russia's Black Sea fleet out of its home base in Moscow-occupied Crimea.
Watch: British drones help Ukrainian forces destroy Russian-held bridge over Dnipro in landmark operation
03:00 , Tara CobhamZelensky says ‘prolonged’ US-Iran war could divert critical support from Ukraine
02:00 , 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 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 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.”
Read more here:
Zelensky says ‘prolonged’ US-Iran war could divert critical support from Ukraine
Watch: Ukrainian troops fly cat and dog 7.5 miles by drone to evacuate them from front line
01:00 , Tara Cobham Ukrainian troops fly cat and dog 7.5 miles by drone to evacuate them from front line
Inside Ukraine’s conscription crisis as two million dodge the draft
Wednesday 8 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 two million dodge the draft
Watch: JD Vance speaks to Trump over phone at Budapest rally
Tuesday 7 April 2026 23:00 , Bryony GoochChina and Russia veto U.N. resolution on protecting Hormuz shipping
Tuesday 7 April 2026 22:00 , Bryony GoochAt a vote in the UN Security Council on Tuesday, China and Russia vetoed a Bahraini resolution encouraging states to coordinate efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The 15-member Security Council voted 11 in favor of the resolution, with two against - China and Russia - and two abstentions.
"The draft resolution has not been adopted, owing to the negative vote of a permanent member of the Council, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani told the Council.
Asia shows interest in Ukraine's maritime defence expertise, Zelensky says
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:20 , Tara CobhamThe Ukrainian military is participating in consultations on the Strait of Hormuz, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday, adding that Ukraine's maritime defence expertise is also of interest in Asia.
Kyiv sent several hundred specialists to the Middle East in the wake of the war in Iran, aiming to share its battle-tested approach in downing Iranian drones, which Russia used in the early years of its full-scale invasion.
"Ukrainian military personnel are taking part in consultations on the further operation of the Strait of Hormuz. Safe navigation is a global value; we know this from our experience defending the Black Sea," Zelensky said in his evening address.
Throughout the war, Ukraine foiled Russian attempts to fully block its access to the Black Sea, critical for the country's economy and military.
Having no powerful fleet of its own but relying on innovations, such as naval drones, it forced Russia's Black Sea fleet out of its home base in Moscow-occupied Crimea.
Zelensky added that interest in Ukraine's military technology - at times more advanced and way cheaper than traditional weapons - now goes beyond Europe.
"Our diplomats have received a corresponding request from Asian countries, and I have instructed them to work through all this promptly," he added.
Zelensky did not mention any country specifically.
Watch: British drones help Ukrainian forces destroy Russian-held bridge over Dnipro in landmark operation
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:00 , Bryony GoochUkraine lawmakers inch forward with IMF-linked bill for strained budget
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:00 , Bryony GoochUkraine's parliament on Tuesday passed one of a handful of tax laws as part of reforms required by the International Monetary Fund, lawmakers said, but votes on other laws had to be postponed due to a lack of support.
In late 2025 and early 2026 Ukraine missed deadlines to unlock billions of dollars' worth of support from its key lenders, economists said. Now, with a 90 billion-euro package of finance being blocked by Hungary, Kyiv critically needs to meet demands for funding through alternative programmes.
But parliament is at odds with the government, as some lawmakers accuse Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of poor communication and implementing populist measures that place an additional strain on the budget.
On Tuesday, the bill extending the military tax, introduced following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, to three post-war years passed by 257 votes with 226 needed, the opposition Holos party lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said on the Telegram app.
"Funds from the military tax should be spent exclusively on the security and defence sectors, not on the government's populist whims," Iryna Geraschenko, a lawmaker from the opposition European Solidarity party, said on Telegram.
With Ukraine in need of $52 billion of external financing this year, the IMF is pressing it to expand its tax base.
However, other bills in line with the IMF demands, like a contentious one introducing a tax for online platforms, are now expected to be reviewed on Wednesday, Zhelezniak said.
The head of the ruling Servant of the People faction and Svyrydenko, as well as the finance minister, held several meetings with MPs ahead of the session, aiming to secure their backing, the lawmakers said.
The vote underscores the political infighting and mounting challenges for the ruling party to gather enough votes even for critical legislation. By law, Ukraine cannot hold an election until after the war ends
Why Vance is helping Orbán’s failing election campaign in Hungary
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:00 , Bryony Gooch Why JD Vance is helping Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán’s failing election campaign
Ukraine says it struck Russia's Ust-Luga oil terminal
Tuesday 7 April 2026 18:00 , Bryony GoochThe Ukrainian military said it had struck Russia's Ust-Luga oil terminal in the Leningrad region on Tuesday. The general staff said on the Telegram app that it had preliminarily confirmed damage to three storage tanks belonging to the Transneft-Baltika company.
Watch: JD Vance hails Viktor Orbán as 'one of the only true statesmen in Europe'
Tuesday 7 April 2026 17:00 , Bryony GoochZelensky offers an Easter pause on energy strikes
Tuesday 7 April 2026 16:30 , Bryony GoochUkraine is proposing to Russia a pause in attacks on each other's energy infrastructure over the Orthodox Easter holiday, which will be observed this coming weekend, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The offer was made through the United States, which has been mediating talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv, Zelensky said, as Russia's invasion stretches into a fifth year.
"If Russia is ready to stop strikes on our energy infrastructure, we will be ready to respond in kind," the Ukrainian leader said in a public address late Monday. "This proposal, conveyed through the Americans, has already been presented to the Russian side."
There was no immediate comment from Moscow about the proposal.
Previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had little or no impact. Russian president Vladimir Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.
Russia effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional truce proposed last year by the US and Ukraine as a step toward peace, insisting instead on a comprehensive settlement, but Moscow has announced several short, unilateral ceasefires.
Zelensky said he doubted the Kremlin would take up his offer for the 12 April holiday pause as Russia is currently benefiting from higher oil prices driven by the Iran war.
Inside Ukraine’s conscription crisis as two million dodge the draft
Tuesday 7 April 2026 16:00 , Bryony Gooch Inside Ukraine’s conscription crisis as two million dodge the draft
In pictures: Rescue workers move an injured woman into ambulance from a bus attacked by a Russian drone in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region
Tuesday 7 April 2026 15:30 , Bryony Gooch Putin’s top military commander killed in Russian plane crash
Tuesday 7 April 2026 15:00 , Bryony Gooch Putin’s top military commander killed in Russian plane crash
Russian attacks on Ukraine's southeast kill seven, hit city bus
Tuesday 7 April 2026 14:30 , Bryony GoochRussian attacks on two cities in Ukraine's southeast on Tuesday killed seven people and injured more than two dozen others, officials said, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of escalating strikes instead of agreeing to an Easter ceasefire.
A small FPV (first-person-view) Russian drone smashed into a bus approaching a bus stop in Nikopol's city centre, Oleksandr Ganzha, the governor of the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, said on the Telegram app.
Four people were killed, and at least 16 were injured, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"When such terror against people and lives occurs daily, blocking new sanctions against Russia, attempting to weaken existing ones, and trading with Russia all look bizarre," he said on X.
The images from the site he shared showed the burnt bus with smashed windows. Three bodies lay on the pavement nearby as rescuers were helping the injured.
In the southern city of Kherson, less than 5 kilometres (3.11 miles) from the frontline, a non-stop half-hour Russian attack on a residential area killed three elderly people and injured seven more, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram.
Ukrainian officials and human rights organisations have accused Moscow's troops of deliberate and systemic FPV drone attacks on civilians, in particular in Kherson.
"In Kherson, civilians are effectively subjected to constant so-called 'safaris', with casualties every day," Zelensky said, commenting on the Tuesday attack.
Russia denies targeting civilians, but hundreds of thousands have been killed and injured in its strikes since Moscow launched the full-scale aggression against its neighbour in early 2022.
Watch: Video captures moment building collapses in Russia as brutal flash floods sweep nation
Tuesday 7 April 2026 14:00 , Bryony GoochOrban calls US stance on supporting Ukraine 'valuable'
Tuesday 7 April 2026 13:39 , Bryony GoochHungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has said that he thinks the US stance for supporting Ukraine is “very valuable” for Hungary as vice president JD Vance visited.
Mr Orban, who is up for re-election, said he’d discussed the Ukraine war with the US vice president.
Hungary, which has broken with most European Union countries by refusing to assist Ukraine with financial assistance or weapons to ward off Russia's full-scale invasion, has remained firmly committed to purchasing Russian energy despite EU efforts to wean off such supplies.
In November, Hungary received an exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil and gas after a White House meeting between Mr Orban and Mr Trump.
'At your service': Hungary's Orban offered help to Putin, Bloomberg reports
Tuesday 7 April 2026 13:30 , Bryony GoochHungarian prime minister Viktor Orban offered last year to help Russian President Vladimir Putin "in any way", such as by hosting a summit in Budapest to settle the war in Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported, citing the transcript of a phone call.
A Hungarian government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment and for the release of the transcript of an October 17 call between the two leaders reviewed by Bloomberg, but not verified by The Independent.
There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.
Orban, a eurosceptic nationalist in power since 2010, faces his toughest re-election bid of the past 16 years on 12 April.
Orban has fostered warm ties with Putin despite the Ukraine war, and maintained Hungary's heavy reliance on Russian oil and gas. Citing a dispute with Kyiv over a war-damaged oil pipeline, Orban has also blocked the implementation of a European Union loan to Ukraine agreed back in December.
The cordial conversation between Orban and Putin took place as US President Donald Trump agreed to a second summit on the war in Ukraine to be hosted in the Hungarian capital.
In the phone call, Orban calls Putin a friend, noting that their close ties date back to a 2009 meeting in St Petersburg.
"But yesterday our friendship rose to such a high level that I can help in any way — there is a story in our Hungarian picture books where a mouse helps a lion," he tells Putin according to the transcript. "I am ready to help immediately ... In any matter where I can be of assistance, I am at your service."
In pictures: Rescue workers put out a fire of a building destroyed by a Russian strike on Novhorod-Siverskyi, Chernihiv region
Tuesday 7 April 2026 13:00 , Bryony Gooch 