Exclusives

Kremlin: Russia is forming new military units for “everyone,” including students. Reports say university rectors were told to push 2% of students into the army: up to 76,000 soldiers.

“The last thread that keeps us anchored in a toxic, bitter past” — Moldova’s parliament votes to leave the post-Soviet CIS bloc. Parliament backed the denunciation of the founding agreements 60 to 17 on 2 April, with Communists and Socialists the only bloc voting against.

As Hungary blocks Ukraine’s €90 billion, the EU quietly splits into two tiers—one for 27 members, one for 26. The €90 billion standoff may be the moment the multi-speed Europe that Brussels has avoided becomes unavoidable.

Military

Magyar's Birds took out a Buk-M1, wiped fuel stocks, and hit logistics in Luhansk – all in one night. A wave of coordinated Ukrainian drone strikes across three days also destroyed Orion drones in Crimea and a Buk-M3 in Luhansk Oblast.

Drones caused 96% of Russia's losses in March – 34,000 troops killed or wounded. Zelenskyy's tally puts unmanned systems far ahead of every other weapon combined.

Russian Su-30 fighter crashes in occupied Crimea — fourth Russian military aircraft loss in four days. The jet was unarmed and on a scheduled training flight when it crashed on 3 April, with both crew members ejecting safely, Russia's MoD claimed.

Russian troops keep crawling through the pipelines. Ukraine's drone units have every exit covered. Ukraine's "Eyes" battalion has integrated the pipeline network into its surveillance systems, watching for engineering changes and infiltration preparations in real time.

Kholodnyi Yar commander: The drone war is won at the contact line, but it is decided in the depth. Shamil Krutkov says Ukraine's brigades must push drone operations deeper into Russian rear areas, and the key variables are the number and quality of available UAVs as well as enemy positioning.

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine may be using Libya as launchpad for Mediterranean strikes on Russian shadow fleet – RFI. RFI investigation finds more than 200 Ukrainian officers and technical specialists based across three Libyan sites, with Tripoli's approval – and direct Mediterranean access.

Fishing nets used in the Mediterranean for millennia — now Italy wants to turn them into drone shields over Ukrainian cities. Senator Scalfarotto introduced the bill after Ukraine demonstrated that mesh strong enough to haul fish can also stop a Shahed from reaching a hospital or a convoy.

West has luxury of studying how modern warfare works. No American drone manufacturer can match what Kyiv built under fire. The Pentagon just concluded no American manufacturer can match what Ukraine learned the hard way.

International

Egypt was Russia's biggest stolen-grain customer. Now it pledges to buy Ukrainian wheat instead. Cairo pledged to stop accepting Russian-supplied grain from occupied Ukrainian territories after a call with Zelenskyy – just as Putin pitched Egypt as a hub for Russian commodities.

Ukrainian factories join France's Alstom in building 55 locomotives for Ukraine. Manufacturers from seven Ukrainian oblasts have been selected by France's Alstom to produce components for 55 UA8AC freight locomotives.

Humanitarian and social impact

Glide bomb kills one in Shostka apartment block as Russia batters Ukrainian cities—newborn among five wounded in Kharkiv. Russia struck across at least five oblasts overnight using ballistic missiles, guided aerial bombs, and strike drones—its second consecutive night of heavy attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Political and legal developments

Another Russian national off the US sanctions list — this time a former finance minister who ran Russia's third-largest bank. Mikhail Zadornov, sanctioned in 2022 for heading Otkritie Bank, successfully petitioned OFAC for removal. The US Treasury insists it reflects no broader policy change, but the delisting follows similar moves in late March.

Read our previous daily review here.

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Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1500: Ukraine may be striking Russia’s shadow fleet from Libya — and Egypt just switched sides on stolen grain