The war goes on. This past week, Russia carried out a number of major attacks on Ukraine. At the same time, Ukrainian aerial strikes on targets deep inside Russia are becoming increasingly felt by the enemy.
Russia launched 142 attack drones at Ukraine overnight on Monday. Twenty-eight drones hit target in 18 locations and the falling debris fell in six other places, Ukraine’s Air Force said. A Russian drone strike on the city of Sumy overnight on Tuesday injured 23 people, including 10 children. Damage was reported to apartment buildings, sports and medical facilities. Russia doubled attacks on Ukrainian railways in March, with more than 200 attacks reported last month, The New Voice of Ukraine said, relying on data by the country’s railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence struck two large Russian landing ships, the Yamal and Nikolay Filchenkov, in occupied Crimea overnight on Sunday. Ukrainian troops also struck the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region overnight on Monday and a drone plant in Russia’s Taganrog on Sunday. Drones of the Alfa Special Operations Center of Ukraine’s Security Service struck the Gorky oil pumping station in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region overnight on Thursday. Ukraine’s robotic systems transform how wars are fought, Politico said Wednesday.
Russia’s ailing economy has failed to recover even as rising oil prices during the war in the Middle East have boosted the Kremlin’s depleted coffers, according to Sweden’s military intelligence chief, cited by a Financial Times article published on Monday. Yet India’s crude oil imports fell 13 per cent in March from pre-war levels in February, with half coming from Russia, after the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran halted Middle Eastern shipments via the Strait of Hormuz, shipping data showed, Reuters said Tuesday.
The Ukrainian operator, Ukrtransnafta, notified the Hungarian oil company MOL earlier this week that it had completed repair works and resumed oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline.
EU unblocking of 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine to cover country’s needs for next two years, Zelenskyi says.
The EU unblocked a 90 billion euro loan package for Ukraine on Thursday. The funding is split evenly between 2026 and 2027, with the EU likely to make the first disbursement already in May or June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in a post to X Thursday, commenting on the announcement.
“Today is an important day for our defense and for our relations with the European Union. The European support loan for Ukraine has been unblocked – €90 billion over two years. This package will strengthen our army, make Ukraine more resilient, and enable us to fulfill our social obligations to Ukrainians, as set out in law,” Zelenskyi said.
“The funds from the European package will be directed, among other priorities, to arms production, the procurement of necessary weapons from partners that we do not yet produce in Ukraine, and the preparation of our energy sector and critical infrastructure for the next winter,” he added.
The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, responded to the decision: “We are on our way to Cyprus with good news. I welcome the agreement from the Member States on the 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine for 2026-27 and on 20th sanctions package. While Russia doubles down on its aggression, we are doubling down on our support to the brave Ukrainian nation enabling Ukraine to defend itself and putting pressure on Russia’s war economy.”
EU leaders are meeting in Cyprus on April 23 and 24. The country holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU.
