Here are the main events on day 1,157 of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Here is the latest update on Saturday, April 26:
Fighting
- A high-ranking Russian general was assassinated in a car bombing in Moscow’s Eastern district of Balashikha, with Russian authorities labeling it a “terrorist” action.
- Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, 59, died when a Volkswagen Golf exploded due to an improvised explosive device.
- Moscow swiftly blamed Ukraine for the assassination, the latest in a series of Russian military officers and supporters of the war killed since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. Ukraine has not commented on Moscow’s allegations.
- Russian military bloggers described Moskalik as a rising figure. He had been part of several high-level delegations sent by Russia to negotiate a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.
- Russia pressed its assault on Ukraine, hitting an apartment building with a drone in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad, claiming three lives and injuring ten more.
- A child and an elderly woman were among the victims of the nocturnal drone attack in Pavlograd, which is in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, according to regional administration head Serhii Lysak’s statement on Telegram.
- Russian forces launched 103 Shahed drones and decoys at five Ukrainian regions, with Ukraine’s air force reporting. There were reports of damage to civilian infrastructure but no fatalities in the affected regions of Sumy and Kharkiv.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the site of the deadly Russian assault targeting Kyiv on Thursday, where at least 12 individuals lost their lives.
- According to Zelenskyy, Russian forces used the strike on Kyiv as a cover for nearly 150 attacks on Ukrainian positions along the approximately 1,000-km (620-mile) frontline.
I visited today, with diplomatic representatives of countries and international organizations operating in Ukraine, the site of a missile strike in Kyiv. This is where the missile’s explosion took the lives of 12 of our citizens. My… pic.twitter.com/ncz8eXhjoo
—for Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 25, 2025
- President Zelenskyy also stated that components produced by US companies were found in a missile used in the Kyiv attack.
Ceasefire
- Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine’s stance that it would not recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia. He declared this position as just and lawful under both Ukrainian constitutional law and international law.
- The President agreed with US President Trump that Ukraine lacked sufficient arms to reclaim Crimea by force. However, he pointed out other options, such as international sanctions.
- US President Donald Trump stated that “Crimea will remain with Russia,” reflecting his continued pressure on Ukraine to make concessions to end the war.
- Donald Trump’s representative, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a plan to end the Ukraine conflict, where they apparently had constructive talks and explored the possibility of renewing direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow. The Kremlin announced that the discussion moved the US and Russian positions closer together.
- Trump called for a high-level meeting between Kyiv and Moscow to conclude an agreement, stating that most major points had been agreed upon.
Diplomacy
- Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed uncertainty about attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome due to an increase in Russia’s attacks and a priority military meeting. He emphasized his preference to remain in Ukraine but assured proper representation if unable to attend.
- On social media, Trump demanded that Ukraine immediately sign an agreement to allow the US access to Ukraine’s mineral resources, criticizing the delay in finalizing the Rare Earths Deal.
