There are certain capabilities, including “higher-end” surveillance and reconnaissance using satellites that “only the United States can provide,” said Matthew Kroenig, vice president of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security in Washington.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed Wednesday that Ukraine had accepted an unconditional truce only because it was being pushed back on the battlefield, where the bigger Russian forces have the upper hand.Meanwhile, Ukrainian civilians have been killed or wounded in attacks every day this year, according to a U.N. report presented Tuesday in New York.
The U.N. Human Rights Office said in the report that in the first three months of this year, it had verified 2,641 civilian casualties in Ukraine. That was almost 900 more than during the same period last year.Also, between April 1-24, civilian casualties in Ukraine were up 46% from the same weeks in 2024, it said.In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)The daily grind of the war shows no sign of letting up. A nighttime Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s
wounded at least 45 civilians, Ukrainian officials said.
Also Wednesday, the Ukrainian Security Service claimed its drones struck the Murom Instrument Engineering Plant in Russia’s Vladimir region overnight, causing five explosions and a fire at the military facility. The claim could not be independently verified.that happened during early morning hours could have potentially led to much higher casualty rates if conducted an hour later, city authorities said.
April 24: Russia struck Ukraine’s capital Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones. At least 12 people were killed and 90 were hurt in thesince last July. In total, Russia launched 145 Shahed drones and 70 missiles in a single night over Ukraine.
April 29: At least 16 Russian Shahed drones struck Kharkiv, wounding 47 people, including two children and a pregnant woman. The city’s mayor reported direct hits on residential buildings and a medical facility.May 2: Drones targeted at least four districts of Kharkiv city,