Ukraine
Andriy Kovalenko from the NSDC commented on the "Easter truce" announced by Putin. He asked why the ceasefire lasts only 30 hours and is not unconditional, as partners suggested earlier.
It was reported that the Minister of Defense of Ukraine supports Trump's peace plan by 90%. The Ministry of Defense refuted this statement, emphasizing that the agency does not make political decisions and cannot give percentage evaluations.
As of now, a total of 59 combat engagements have taken place. The enemy is most active in attacking in the Pokrovske, Lyman, and Toretsk directions.
Kharkiv suffered a missile attack, which resulted in one person killed and nearly 120 wounded. Currently, 18 injured, including four children, are in hospitals, 50 houses and over 30 cars were damaged.
According to the roster of the Ukrainian national team on the IJF website, judoka Daria Bilodid will miss the European Championships in Montenegro. Despite a recent debut in football, the athlete has not finished her career in judo.
Maia Sandu believes that Russia wants to influence the elections in Moldova in order to establish controlled leadership. This will allow the Kremlin to use Moldova in the war against Ukraine, dragging it in.
In Okhtyrka, police and the SBU rescued a 24-year-old woman whom a 36-year-old man held as a hostage, threatening to detonate a grenade. Special forces freed the hostage, detained the perpetrator, and seized the weapon.
Ukraine women's national ice hockey team defeated Belgium in the fourth match of the World Championship. This victory guaranteed the team maintaining their place in Division IIB for next year.
Over 109 thousand people crossed the state border of Ukraine over the past day, mostly entering. The busiest checkpoints are: "Shehyni", "Krakivets", "Rava-Ruska", where additional border patrols are working.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov informed the USA that Ukraine 90% supports President Donald Trump's peace plan. The decisive step is now up to Russia, while a decision on a complete ceasefire is being prepared in London.
The United States has developed a draft concept for monitoring compliance with the ceasefire in Ukraine. It was presented on April 17 in Paris at a meeting with Ukraine and partners, but only if there is an agreement with Russia.
How RSE became a symbol of energy independence during the war.
Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, promised that a future Conservative government would provide Ukraine with $22 billion in frozen Russian assets. The funds are intended to help in defense against the Russian invasion.
Russia is lobbying for the restoration of direct flights to the US as part of a ceasefire agreement, linking this to the lifting of sanctions against "Aeroflot". The European Union is categorically against opening its skies due to sanctions, security issues, and "stolen" aircraft, which makes flights to the US without flying over the EU extremely difficult.
According to Axios, US Secretary of State Rubio's threats in Paris to withdraw from the talks were aimed at Ukraine, not Russia. He conveyed Trump's impatience for progress without mentioning pressure on the Russian Federation.
Due to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and bluetongue in the EU, the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection has established "hotlines" in the regions of Ukraine. Animal owners are asked to immediately report any suspicions at these numbers.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement on rejecting mediation reflects President Trump's position, media write. Trump is disappointed by the lack of progress and has no patience for the parties' "games".
According to The New York Times, serious discussions about further providing military aid to Ukraine are practically not being held in the administration of US President Donald Trump. Europe has also not received assurances that the US will continue a large-scale exchange of intelligence information for Ukraine.
As of April 18, 2025, Ukrainian farmers have sown 1. 25 million hectares of spring grains and legumes, which is 21.9% of the plan. The most sown is barley, and the leader of the sowing campaign is Odesa region.
On the night of April 19, Russia attacked Ukraine with 95 aerial targets, including missiles and 87 drones. Air defense shot down 33 "Shaheds", 36 drones were accounted for otherwise; there are affected regions.
During the day on April 18, 162 combat engagements occurred on the front. The most active was the Pokrovsk direction with 54 battles, the enemy also carried out 103 airstrikes and used 2855 drones.
Amid the investigation into the leak of classified information from the Pentagon, three high-ranking US Department of Defense officials have been fired. According to Politico, these are Darin Selnick, Colin Carroll, and Dan Caldwell, two of whom plan to sue.
The Defense Forces of Ukraine eliminated another 1180 Russian occupiers over the past day. In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian army has lost 940,150 servicemen, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.
On the morning of April 19, Russia deployed a Kalibr missile carrier ship to the Black Sea. According to the Ukrainian Navy, it has a total salvo of up to six missiles.
On April 19, variable cloudiness is expected in Ukraine, mostly without precipitation, except for the western regions. Short-term rains with thunderstorms and significant nocturnal precipitation are expected in the west, which may lead to complications for traffic.
Today, April 19, Great Lent ends and Holy Saturday is celebrated in the Western tradition. Also celebrated are Pet Owners' Day and Ukrainian Environment Day.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called China one of the biggest threats of foreign interference in the country's affairs. He stated that the growing threat from the PRC in the Arctic and its partnership with the Russian Federation pose a danger to Asia.
US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The leaders discussed bilateral trade, security in the Middle East, and a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.
Since 2021, Finland has classified arms exports, issuing 19 licenses to 8 countries. Ukraine is the most frequent destination for secret supplies, Israel requested non-disclosure.
Explosions were heard in Odesa on the night of April 19. Before this, the movement of enemy drones towards the city was recorded, the mayor warned of an attack, particularly in the Peresyp district and the center.