President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Vladimir Putin is a “truly global threat” after at least 17 people were killed a huge wave of Russian strikes overnight.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people had died in the capital, while seven people were killed in Odesa and two in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where Russian attacks set residential buildings ablaze.
Appearing in the Netherlands to receive the International Four Freedoms Award, Zelensky said: “"Today, this is definitely not unprecedented. Putin knows exactly what he's doing. Exactly. And who he resembles.
"And he's rightly compared to Nazis, he has the same expansionist ambitions, he wants to decide the fate of nations.”
He went on: “Russia has carried its war ideas as far as Syria and Africa. This is a truly global threat."
The strikes left cities and towns in Ukraine’s southeast without power, including Mykolayiv and Kherson.
Zelensky issues fresh call for severe pressure on Russia
Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a fresh call to Kyiv’s allies to maintain economic pressure on Russia and deliver promised assistance to Ukraine promptly.
The Ukrainian president’s pleas followed Moscow's latest attacks on Ukrainian cities, that killed at least 15 people.
"Another night has proven that Russia does not deserve any easing of global policy or lifting of sanctions," Mr Zelensky said in a post on X.
"Pressure on Russia must work. And it is important to fulfill every promise of assistance to Ukraine on time."
Alex Croft17 April 2026 00:01
Oil tanker accused of being part of Russia's shadow fleet leaves French waters after fine
An oil tanker boarded by the French Navy in March, accused of being part of Russia’s shadow fleet, has left French territorial waters after the owner of the ship paid a fine, authorities said.
Mozambique-flagged Deyna, which French president Emmanuel Macron said belonged to the shadow fleet - the network of Russian vessels that allowing Moscow to export oil despite Western sanctions - had been seized on 20 March with help from British allies.
French authorities have not disclosed how large the fine paid by the company was.
Alex Croft16 April 2026 23:01
Watch: Ukrainian army shares footage of attack on Russian missile systems
Alex Croft16 April 2026 22:01
Full report: Zelensky to receive international prize honoring his and Ukraine's courage and resilience
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was being awarded the prestigious International Four Freedoms Award at a ceremony Thursday for his and his nation's courage and resilience in resisting the full-scale invasion launched more than four years ago by Russia.
The honor was bestowed by the Roosevelt Foundation that was created in 1982 to present awards honoring the Four Freedoms outlined by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1941 State of the Union address — freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
“We pay the highest tribute to the unwavering courage and enduring perseverance of the Ukrainian people and to the steadfast and resolute leadership of their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” Hugo de Jonge, chair of the foundation, said Thursday.
Read the full report:
Alex Croft16 April 2026 21:00
EU to provide 2.5 billion euros to Ukraine after parliamentary reforms
The EU expects to disburse 2.5 billion euros to 2.7 billion euros (£2.3 billion) to Ukraine after its parliament completed necessary reforms last week, EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said on Thursday.
Kos, speaking at an event together with Ukrainian finance minister Serhiy Marchenko, said the EU would definitely deliver a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine following the Hungarian election that swept its president Viktor Orban from power.
Marchenko told the event that Ukraine's financing gap of $52 billion in 2026 will be covered once the EU loan became available, but said his government was still in discussions about closing the expected gap in 2027.
Alex Croft16 April 2026 20:02
Ukraine working to launch Tribunal for Russian aggression in Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky has been in the Netherlands today, where he said he is working to launch the Tribunal for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“It is important that Russia is held accountable for this aggression – legally and in practice,” he wrote on X after a speech at the Four Freedoms Awards ceremony, where he was awarded on behalf of Ukraine for its bravery.
“And that Russian war criminals do not enjoy normal life, but face fair sentences. This is necessary. Just as it was necessary after the Second World War,” he said.
The Ukrainian president continued: “This is what we are doing here in Europe, here in the Netherlands. We are working to launch the Tribunal for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine – and I thank you for your help. We are working to ensure that the international legal system is firm and uncompromising toward Russian war criminals.”
Alex Croft16 April 2026 19:00
Russia has attacked Ukrainian railway facilities 600 times this year - Kyiv
Russian forces attacked Ukraine's railway logistics more than 600 times since the start of the year, deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said in televised comments on Thursday.
The month of April has already seen 65 attacks so far, Mr Kuleba said.
Alex Croft16 April 2026 18:01
Nato pledges $60bn in military aid to Ukraine as Zelensky pursues more arms deals
Nato allies are looking to provide Ukraine with around $60bn (£44bn) in military and security assistance in 2026, the alliance’s secretary general Mark Rutte said in a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Berlin.
The critical assistance would be delivered in addition to the €90bn (£78.2bn) loan package agreed by the European Union and would focus on priority needs, Rutte said.
“We must focus funding on the priorities – air defence, drones and extended-range ammunition. These are the big priorities,” the Nato official said.
The aid from Nato is timely as Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said the top diplomatic priority is securing allies' help to buy and build more air defence systems.
Zelensky is also championing joint weapons production agreements, including for drones and missiles, while pushing for the European Union to move quickly on providing the promised loan.
Alex Croft16 April 2026 17:00
Ukrainian drones strike Liberia-flagged tanker in Black Sea, Russia says
Russian investigators said Ukrainian drones had struck a Liberia-flagged oil tanker in the Black Sea and that its captain, a Turkish national, had been hospitalised with injuries.
According to Russian officials and media reports, a major overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Black Sea port of Tuapse killed two people, injured seven, and sparked a large fire on Thursday.
A 14-year-old girl was among the dead, they added.
Alex Croft16 April 2026 16:29
Kremlin says drone plans for Ukraine are pulling Europe deeper into war
European plans to step up drone supplies to Ukraine are dragging those countries deeper into a war with Russia, the Russian defence ministry said.
The ministry said it believes governments in a number of EU countries have decided to increase the production and supply of drones to Ukraine, a move Moscow views as a step that is escalating the conflict.
It published a list of factories and enterprises in several European countries it alleges manufacture drones or drone components, and gave their addresses, including sites in Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Israel and Poland, among others.
"The European public should not only have a clear understanding of the true causes of the threats to their security, but also be aware of the addresses and locations of Ukrainian and joint enterprises producing UAVs and components for Ukraine within their own countries," it said.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, said in a subsequent post on X that the list published by the military amounted to a list of potential targets for Russia's armed forces.
"When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!" he said.
Alex Croft16 April 2026 16:00
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