Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange on Friday, releasing a total of 386 soldiers, with each side freeing 193 individuals. According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the United Arab Emirates and the United States acted as humanitarian mediators in facilitating the exchange. The freed Russian soldiers are receiving medical and psychological assistance in Belarus before being repatriated to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 193 Ukrainian fighters returned home as part of the exchange. In a post on social media platform X, he said the released personnel include members of the armed forces, National Guard, border guards, national police, and the State Special Transport Service. Some of those freed had been facing criminal charges in Russia, and several were wounded soldiers.

The exchange follows a previous swap on April 11, when Moscow and Kyiv exchanged 175 prisoners each, marking another step in ongoing humanitarian negotiations between the two countries.

At least six people were killed and fourteen others injured in a shooting in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, on Saturday, according to authorities. The attacker, a resident of the Holosiivskyi district in southern Kyiv, first opened fire on people in the street before entering a nearby supermarket and taking several hostages. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said police attempted to negotiate with the gunman for about forty minutes, but he remained unresponsive and agitated.

President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that four people were killed on the street, and a woman in her thirties later died in hospital. The attacker also killed one of the hostages. Klymenko stated that police tried to persuade the gunman to surrender to allow medical aid for the wounded, but he made no demands and did not respond. After killing a hostage, police were ordered to neutralize him.

The gunman was killed during an exchange of fire inside the supermarket. The motive for the attack remains unknown, and among the injured is a twelve-year-old child, according to Zelensky.

Russia carried out one of its deadliest attacks of the year on Ukraine early Thursday, striking multiple cities including Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, and Kharkiv. Officials reported at least 17 deaths, including a 12-year-old child, and dozens of injuries. In Kyiv, four people were killed when a drone hit an 18-story residential building, while fires and heavy smoke spread across the city. In Odesa, eight people were killed and 26 injured as a residential building and key infrastructure were damaged.

Dnipro faced repeated strikes from Wednesday evening into the night, leaving four dead and about 30 injured, with another fatality reported in a separate attack. Two people were injured in Kharkiv following drone strikes. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said rescue operations were ongoing and the death toll could rise.

Moscow claimed its attacks targeted Ukrainian power facilities, cruise missile sites, and drone production centers. Ukraine said it retaliated by striking Russian-occupied Crimea and infrastructure in Tuapse, where Russian media reported two deaths and seven injuries in a drone attack that caused a major fire.

Russia carried out a massive wave of attacks across multiple Ukrainian cities within a 24-hour period, launching 659 drones and 44 missiles, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. The strikes killed at least 14 people, most of whom died during nighttime assaults. Ukrainian air defense units reported intercepting 636 drones and 31 missiles during the barrage.

The attacks mark another escalation in the war that has continued for four years, with Moscow conducting near-nightly drone strikes. Kyiv has also been carrying out regular retaliatory attacks inside Russian territory. The ongoing exchange underscores the persistent intensity of the conflict between the two countries.

Russian officials reported that two children were killed in overnight Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, highlighting the cross-border nature of the hostilities that continue to claim civilian lives on both sides.

At least 14 people were killed in a new wave of Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, local authorities reported on Thursday. The strikes occurred overnight, hitting multiple regions including the capital Kyiv and the southern port city of Odesa. In Odesa, seven people were killed, while four died in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old child. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the casualties and said explosions caused fires in buildings and vehicles. In Dnipropetrovsk, three more deaths were reported. The attacks also left at least 45 people injured in Kyiv.

The assault came shortly after a 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire ended, during which both sides accused each other of violations. Ukrainian officials said a drone directly struck an 18-story apartment building in Kyiv, while rescue teams pulled a child from the rubble in the Podilskyi district. Meanwhile, Russian officials reported that two children were killed in Ukraine’s retaliatory overnight strike on Russia’s Krasnodar region.

Authorities in Kyiv issued missile alerts and urged residents to remain in shelters until the all-clear was given.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said U.S. peace negotiators currently have “no time for Ukraine” due to the ongoing war in Iran. In an interview with Germany’s public broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday, he expressed concern that American weapons deliveries to Ukraine have been disrupted. Zelensky noted that U.S. mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are now engaged in continuous talks with Iran, leaving the U.S.-led peace process on Ukraine stalled since the Geneva meeting in February.

Zelensky warned that if Washington continues soft dialogue with Moscow without exerting pressure on President Vladimir Putin, Russia will feel emboldened. He said the Iran conflict has severely slowed U.S. arms supplies, particularly air defense systems such as PAC-3 and PAC-2 missiles purchased under the PURAL program funded by European partners. Speaking in Norway, Zelensky described the situation as “extremely difficult” and announced a joint declaration with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to strengthen defense and security cooperation.

Norway’s government confirmed plans to expand defense industry collaboration, including production of Ukrainian drones in Norway. Earlier, Zelensky also met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin to discuss the fifth year of the Russia-Ukraine war and announce a new strategic defense partnership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that his country has helped several Middle Eastern nations shoot down Iranian-made Shahed drones. Zelensky made the remarks following his visit to the Middle East last week, highlighting Ukraine’s role in countering the drones that Iran supplies to Russia.

According to Zelensky’s post on social media platform X, Ukraine deployed military experts to the Middle East, including interceptor drone and electronic warfare specialists. These teams demonstrated how to operate interceptors and successfully destroyed Iranian Shahed drones in multiple countries. Zelensky described the outcome as a success.

The report, citing Al Jazeera, underscores Ukraine’s growing involvement in assisting other nations with drone defense, drawing on its extensive experience combating Shahed drones in its own conflict with Russia.

At least 15 people were killed and many others injured in a new wave of Russian attacks across multiple regions of Ukraine, according to reports published on April 5, 2026. The assaults, involving drones and missiles, struck civilian areas and heightened concern over rising casualties. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul as the violence continued.

Regional officials reported that four people were killed and 11 injured in the Kharkiv region, while 11 others, including a child, were wounded in overnight drone strikes in Sumy. In Nikopol, a drone hit a market, killing five and injuring 25, and six more deaths were reported in Donetsk. Ukraine’s Air Force said it intercepted or neutralized 260 of 286 drones launched from Russia, though some still caused damage.

The report added that diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled, with recent meetings in Abu Dhabi and Geneva failing to produce progress. The next round of talks has been postponed due to tensions in the Middle East, while Turkey pledged to continue supporting dialogue.

At least 14 people were killed in a series of Russian attacks across Ukraine on Friday, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The strikes involved more than 500 drones and several dozen missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of intensifying assaults ahead of Catholic Easter, saying the skies should have been silent during the holy period.

Images released by Ukraine’s emergency services showed damaged residential buildings, debris-strewn streets, and the ruins of a multi-story structure. Regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk reported one death and eight injuries in Kyiv, where a veterinary clinic was also hit, killing about 20 animals. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said drone strikes damaged homes in Obukhiv and near a kindergarten and school in Vyshneve.

Authorities confirmed three deaths in the northern Sumy region, two in Zhytomyr and Dnipropetrovsk, and eight more in border areas including Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday, April 1, that its forces have taken full control of Ukraine’s Luhansk region. The ministry stated that western military units had completely liberated Luhansk. Russia also reported capturing the villages of Verkhnya Pisarivka in Kharkiv and Boikove in Zaporizhzhia. Luhansk and Donetsk together form the Donbas region, where Russia already controls most of the territory.

The Kremlin reiterated its call for Ukrainian forces to withdraw entirely from Donetsk, a demand Kyiv has repeatedly rejected. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to withdraw troops from Donbas, the ongoing war could end. Zelensky, a day earlier, claimed that Russia had given the United States an ultimatum, threatening tougher peace terms if the remaining parts of Donbas were not captured within two months.

The conflict began in February 2022 when Russia launched a military operation to seize Donbas, later expanding into a full-scale war. Western nations have provided Ukraine with extensive financial and military support, contributing to the conflict’s prolongation and escalation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has alleged that Russia provided Iran with intelligence on US and British military bases located in the Gulf region and on Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Archipelago. Speaking to journalists, Zelensky read from an intelligence report on his phone, which stated that Russian satellites had been spying on US military bases in the Middle East, the Diego Garcia base, and oil fields across the Gulf. He suggested that this intelligence was handed over to Iran to assist in potential attacks.

Addressing the ongoing war in Ukraine, Zelensky said he was working to ensure that the global energy crisis caused by the conflict does not undermine his country’s ability to continue fighting against Russia. In response to a question from the BBC, he added that Ukrainian forces currently have sufficient fuel supplies.

The report highlights growing concerns over Russia’s alleged intelligence-sharing activities and their possible implications for regional security in the Gulf and beyond.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump requested Ukraine’s assistance in countering Iranian drones. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, cited by Al Jazeera, Zelensky said Ukrainian experts are already stationed in several Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to support related efforts. He noted that Washington is maintaining direct contact with Kyiv to help protect U.S. military bases in the region.

Zelensky explained that Ukraine has become highly skilled in neutralizing Iranian drones due to their frequent use by Russia in the ongoing war. He stated that existing air defense systems in the Middle East, such as Patriot and THAAD, are insufficient to fully repel heavy drone attacks, and discussions are underway to supply specific Ukrainian interceptors to the region. In return, Ukraine has proposed a mutual assistance deal, seeking air defense missiles from Middle Eastern partners to address shortages in Kyiv.

Zelensky added that Ukraine’s defense industry is operating at half capacity due to financial constraints and expressed hope that new military cooperation with Middle Eastern nations would strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

Russia launched missile and drone attacks across Ukraine on Tuesday, prompting air raid alerts nationwide except in the Odesa region. According to Ukraine’s regional military administrations, the strikes killed three people—two in Poltava and one in Zaporizhzhia—and injured several others.

Vitalii Diakivnych, head of the Poltava regional military administration, said on Telegram that residential buildings and a hotel were damaged and caught fire in Poltava, leaving two dead and seven injured. In Zaporizhzhia, regional chief Ivan Fedorov reported a large-scale combined missile and drone assault that killed one person and wounded five, damaging multiple residential and industrial structures.

Ahead of the attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in his daily televised address that intelligence indicated Russia might be preparing a major offensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia is supplying Shahed drones to Iran for use in attacks against the United States and Israel. In an interview with CNN, he said it is 'one hundred percent true' that Iran used Russian-made Shahed drones to strike US bases. He also noted that similar drones have been linked to attacks in other regional countries, though it is not always clear who manufactures them.

According to the report, Iran originally developed the Shahed drone as a cheaper alternative to missiles. Zelensky stated that since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the fall of 2022, Russian forces have launched thousands of these drones. Initially supplied by Iran, Russia is now producing the Shahed drones domestically. The report adds that the US military and other armed forces have also adopted these drones, viewing their use as part of operational planning against Iran.

The Guardian was cited as the source of this information.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of Iran’s last Shah, in Paris. According to the report, the meeting focused on Iran’s current situation and ongoing operations against what was described as the United States’ so-called “terrorist regime.” In a post on social media platform X, Zelensky said that Pahlavi, known for his pro-Israel stance, and his team shared messages they have been receiving from inside Iran.

Zelensky stated that Iran’s ruling system has already suffered significant losses. He emphasized the importance of preventing the Iranian government from gaining any advantage from the current situation, while ensuring that ordinary Iranians receive greater protection and more opportunities to determine their own future. Reza Pahlavi is the son of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was overthrown during the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Earlier, Zelensky had remarked that the ongoing war in the Middle East was bringing no positive outcomes for Ukraine.