Ukraine Reports 30+ Energy Infrastructure Attacks While White House Sets Ceasefire Conditions; Former Kursk Governor Arrested and Russian Proxies Issue 24-Year Sentences to Azov Defenders
Summary of the Day – April 16, 2025
Ukraine reports over 30 Russian violations of the energy ceasefire as the White House makes economic deals contingent on Moscow’s genuine truce commitment. Russian authorities detained former Kursk Governor Smirnov on embezzlement charges while sentencing three Azov defenders to 24-year prison terms. Secretary Rubio shuttered the State Department’s disinformation office as Bulgaria canceled its nuclear reactor sale to Ukraine. On the battlefield, Russian forces advanced near Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Velyka Novosilka, while Ukrainian drones struck a missile brigade base in Russia’s Ivanovo, and Russian Shahed drones hit Dnipro, killing three civilians including a child.
A weather-beaten flag of Ukraine flutters in the wind on the ruins of a house damaged by an overnight Russian drone attack on Odesa. (Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Shattered Promises: Ukraine Catalogs Over 30 Violations of Energy Truce
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi revealed that Russia has violated the partial ceasefire covering energy infrastructure more than 30 times since it was agreed in March. During a briefing on April 16, Tykhyi noted that three violations occurred in the past 24 hours alone, with Russian attacks damaging transformers in Mykolaiv Oblast and near Kherson, as well as a power transmission line in Poltava Oblast.
“We regularly send detailed information on each of these violations to partner countries and the headquarters of international organizations,” Tykhyi stated, emphasizing that Ukrainian officials are actively sharing information about the breaches with international partners, including the United States.
The energy ceasefire was intended to shield power infrastructure from attacks and has been in place since March 25. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined on April 16 to specify when the 30-day energy infrastructure strike ceasefire will end, stating that Russia is “not ready to announce the exact time.”
Economic Carrot and Stick: White House Makes Ceasefire a Precondition
The White House reiterated on April 16 that the United States will not engage in economic agreements with Russia until Moscow agrees to a ceasefire. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump made it “very clear” that US-Russian economic partnerships could be an incentive for Russia to end its war against Ukraine, but that the United States “needs to see a ceasefire first.”
The Trump administration has previously characterized a temporary full ceasefire as a “necessary step” toward achieving an enduring peace settlement in Ukraine. This statement comes amid continued Russian efforts to deflect blame onto Ukraine for the Kremlin’s rejection of the joint US-Ukrainian 30-day full ceasefire proposal when Trump called Putin on March 18.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on April 16 that Ukraine’s decision to extend martial law and continue general mobilization until August 6, 2025, is an attempt to preserve Ukraine’s “unstable structure” and implied that Ukraine’s ban on negotiations with Russia is inhibiting progress toward ending the war. However, Ukrainian government is legally prohibited from lifting martial law while Russia continues to attack Ukraine.
The Fall of Smirnov: Former Kursk Governor Detained on Fraud Charges
Russian authorities detained former Kursk Oblast Governor Alexei Smirnov and former Kursk Oblast Vice Governor Alexei Dedov on April 16, likely as part of the Kremlin’s efforts to scapegoat officials for their failure in responding to Ukraine’s August 2024 incursion into Kursk Oblast. Russian law enforcement officials told state newswire TASS that the two are under investigation for embezzling funds from the state-owned Kursk Oblast Development Corporation meant for constructing defensive fortifications in the Kursk Oblast border area.
A Moscow court sent Smirnov to a two-month pre-trial detention center, with the Interior Ministry claiming he and Dedov led a criminal group that embezzled over a billion rubles ($12 million) from the budget allocated for border fortifications. Smirnov pleaded not guilty, according to TASS.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had replaced Smirnov as Kursk Oblast Governor with Alexander Khinshtein on December 5, 2024, claiming that Smirnov resigned “at his own request.” The detention comes after Russian forces have mostly pushed Ukrainian forces out of Kursk Oblast, suggesting the timing is politically calculated.
The Twenty-Four Year Sentence: Russian Proxies Condemn Azov Defenders
Russia’s proxies in Donetsk sentenced three Ukrainian prisoners of war who served with the Azov Regiment to up to 24 years in prison on April 16. Vladislav Ruchka, Andriy Yaroshinsky, and Dmytro Ihnatenko were sentenced to terms ranging from 23 years and nine months to 24 years in prison. The three POWs were convicted of “cruel treatment of the civilian population and murder motivated by political and ideological hatred” as outlined by the Russian criminal code.
The soldiers have been accused of firing a mortar at a grain silo in Mariupol in March 2022 in the early days of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. One person was allegedly killed in the incident, according to claims from the Investigative Committee of Russia. This follows a pattern of similar sentences, with a Russian military court previously sentencing 23 Ukrainians who served with Azov to prison on charges of “seizure of power” and participating in a “terrorist organization.”
Ukraine has denounced such trials, emphasizing that international law prohibits trying war captives in this manner. These prosecutions come as part of Russia’s ongoing campaign targeting Azov fighters and POWs.
Retaliatory Strike: Ukrainian Drones Hit Russian Missile Brigade Base in Ivanovo
Ukrainian drones struck the Russian city of Shuya in Ivanovo Oblast on April 16, targeting military infrastructure linked to Russia’s 112th Missile Brigade, according to independent Russian media outlet Astra. The 112th Brigade, along with the 448th Missile Brigade, was reportedly involved in a deadly missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Palm Sunday, April 13, which killed at least 35 civilians.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that seven Ukrainian drones were destroyed over Ivanovo Oblast. Local authorities reported no fatalities, but two people were reportedly injured and received medical attention. Photos from the scene show plumes of smoke, and military equipment was deployed in the city, according to Astra. Shuya is situated approximately 700 kilometers northeast of the Ukrainian border.
Footage that purports to show the aftermath of a Ukrainian drone strike on the Russian city of Shuya in Ivanovo Oblast. (Astra / Telegram)
This strike follows Ukraine’s General Staff confirmation on April 15 that its forces had also targeted and struck the base of the 448th Missile Brigade in Kursk Oblast. The operation, which involved Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Special Operations Forces, and the Security Service of Ukraine, was launched as retaliation for the Sumy attack.
Disinformation Office Dissolution: Rubio Cites Free Speech Concerns
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on April 16 the closure of the State Department’s office responsible for countering foreign disinformation, citing concerns about free speech and the rights of American citizens. The office, which recently operated as the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub (R/FIMI), was previously known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC).
“I am announcing the closure of the State Department’s Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference, formerly the Global Engagement Center (GEC), which cost taxpayers more than $50 million per year and actively silenced and censored the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving,” Rubio wrote in a post on X.
The move follows years of Republican criticism of the center. Billionaire Elon Musk, now an advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had previously called the GEC “the worst offender in U.S. government censorship and media manipulation.”
GEC leaders and defenders have rejected such claims, maintaining that its mission was focused exclusively on foreign disinformation campaigns rather than domestic speech. The center had run projects in Latin America, Africa, and Moldova, and in June 2024 helped launch the Ukraine Communications Group, a multinational initiative to counter Russian disinformation on the war in Ukraine.
Nuclear Deal Collapse: Bulgaria Backs Out of Reactor Sale to Ukraine
Bulgaria is backing off from a deal to sell two of its Russian-made nuclear reactors that Ukraine sought for the expansion of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, Forbes Bulgaria reported on April 16. The announcement came from Bulgaria’s deputy prime minister and chairman of the co-ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Atanas Zafirov, who argued that Sofia needs to develop its nuclear energy capacities, especially amid rising electricity prices.
Boyko Borisov’s GERB party, which originally backed the sale in 2023, also supported canceling the deal. The Ukrainian parliament had approved the purchase of Bulgaria’s older VVER-1000 reactors and other equipment for Units 3 and 4 of the western Ukrainian nuclear power plant in February, despite heavy criticism.
The decision to abort the deal was reportedly preceded by disagreements on price. While Ukraine planned to allocate $600 million for the reactors, Bulgaria had requested an additional $100 million, according to Ukrainian lawmaker Andrii Zhupanyn.
Nuclear power is key in sustaining Ukraine’s energy grid, covering more than half of the country’s electricity consumption. Russian missile and drone attacks have dealt devastating damage to Ukraine’s thermal and hydroelectric generating capacity, necessitating periods of emergency shutdowns.
Chemical Warfare Escalation: Russia Deploys Tear Gas-Armed Drones
Russian forces have deployed Shahed-type “kamikaze” drones carrying toxic substances to attack Ukraine, the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council reported on April 16. A capsule with CS gas, commonly known as tear gas, was found in one of the Russian drones, with the information verified by Ukraine’s security services and the State Emergency Service.
“Russian forces may scatter the capsules with poisonous substances to cause harm,” the center said on Telegram. CS gas is typically used as a crowd-control agent by law enforcement agencies around the world, but its battlefield use is banned under the 1925 Geneva Protocol.
Ukraine has recorded over 6,000 cases of Russian use of munitions containing hazardous chemicals between February 2023 and 2025. The center noted that claims circulating in the media that the drones themselves are coated with poisonous substances have not been confirmed.
Battlefield Gains: Russian Forces Advance on Three Fronts
Russian forces continued offensive operations across multiple fronts on April 16, with confirmed advances in three key areas. Geolocated footage published on April 15 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced along the H-20 Donetsk City-Kostyantynivka highway west of Oleksandropil, southwest of Toretsk and east of Pokrovsk. Russian milbloggers claimed additional advances east of Oleksandropil and in Sukha Balka.
In the Pokrovsk direction, geolocated footage published on April 15 shows that Russian forces recently marginally advanced in southeastern Lysivka. A Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces also advanced east of Zelene Pole, east of Pokrovsk.
In the Velyka Novosilka direction, geolocated footage published on April 16 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced east of Dniproenerhiya and in northeastern Vesele, northwest of Velyka Novosilka. A Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces advanced east of Shevchenko, northwest of Velyka Novosilka.
Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces continue to attack in small groups, with the commander of a Ukrainian drone platoon noting that Russian forces are changing tactics, abandoning large mechanized assaults in favor of smaller infantry groups due to changing weather conditions and increased visibility.
War Crime Documentation: Ukrainian POW Executed Near Rozdolne
Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces recently executed at least one unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war near Rozdolne, northeast of Velyka Novosilka. The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office and Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported on April 16 that there is footage of Russian forces taking three Ukrainian servicemembers prisoner near Rozdolne on April 11 and executing one of the unarmed Ukrainian POWs.
According to preliminary information, one of the unarmed captives was shot and killed with automatic weapons by Russian troops. “Urgent investigative and search operations are underway to establish all the circumstances of the incident and identify the Russian military personnel involved in the crime,” the office said in a statement.
The execution of prisoners of war is a breach of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as a serious international crime. The investigation is being carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Knowledge Transfer Mission: Denmark to Send Troops to Study Ukrainian Drone Warfare
The Danish Armed Forces plan to send unarmed troops to Ukraine for short-term training courses to study the country’s drone warfare tactics, Major General Peter Boysen, Denmark’s commander-in-chief, told state broadcaster TV 2 on April 16. The courses, expected to begin as early as this summer, will take place at training facilities in western Ukraine and will not involve direct combat.
“We’re sending some teams down to see what experiences the Ukrainians have had — first-hand,” Boysen said. “They are not going there to actively participate in the war.”
Boysen, who has visited Ukraine twice in recent months, said the initiative is being launched at the invitation of Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. “In the 42 years I have been in the Armed Forces, I have not experienced things moving as fast as they are right now,” Boysen said, referring to advances in unmanned systems and combat tactics driven by Ukraine’s experience with drone warfare.
The training program will involve teams from different Danish military regiments, with courses lasting one to two weeks and conducted far from the front line, possibly near Lviv. The move drew sharp criticism from the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen, with Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin calling the decision a provocation and warning it would “drag Denmark deeper and deeper into the conflict in Ukraine.”
EU Training Consideration: Military Advisors May Be Sent to Ukraine
The European Union is considering sending “military advisors” to Ukraine to organize training for the Ukrainian military, European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said on April 16 at a press briefing in Brussels. Hipper’s statement comes after Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said EU member states discussed the initiative during the EU Foreign Ministers Council meeting in Luxembourg on April 14.
“Indeed, this was discussed,” Hipper confirmed. “But the main point is here to support Ukraine and strengthen Ukraine as much as possible.” She added that “the discussions are ongoing as regards the adaptation to the mission, but there is nothing further I can share at this moment.” Hipper refused to specify if the plan included sending military advisors during the war or after it ended.
Following the April 14 meeting, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also mentioned discussions on a possible training mission. “We have the mission of training Ukrainian soldiers, over 73,000 soldiers have already been trained. So today (April 14), we also discussed what more we can do when it comes to the missions,” Kallas said, adding: “Should we expand the mandate of the missions to contribute to the security guarantees of the coalition of the willing?”
Minerals Deal Progress: Ukraine-U.S. Negotiations Advance
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have made “significant progress” in talks on a minerals deal, which will be concluded in the “near future,” Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on April 16. “Our technical teams have worked diligently on the agreement. We’ve made significant progress, and the legal teams have ensured the appropriate emphasis in the draft. I extend my thanks to the negotiators on both sides,” Svyrydenko said on Facebook.
The statement follows consultations between U.S. and Ukrainian delegates in Washington on April 11 and 12, which were meant to hash out details of the long-debated deal on Ukraine’s natural wealth. According to media reports, the U.S. has softened its “maximalist” demands, lowering the payback it seeks for the provided aid from $300 billion to $100 billion.
“We have now agreed with the U.S. side to affirm this positive development by a relevant memorandum of intent — we are preparing a formal conclusion of the deal in the near future,” the deputy prime minister noted. Svyrydenko added that the agreement will be subject to ratification by the Ukrainian parliament and will “provide opportunities for investment and development in Ukraine and ensure conditions for tangible economic growth both in Ukraine and the U.S.”
War on Independent Media: Russia Sentences Four Journalists to Prison
A Russian court sentenced four journalists to five and a half years in prison each on April 16 for their alleged involvement with Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), which Moscow has labeled an “extremist organization,” according to independent outlet Mediazona.
The case concerned Antonina Favorskaya, Artem Krieger, Sergey Karelin, and Konstantin Gabov, who were said to be producing video content for Navalny-affiliated YouTube channels, including the Navalny Live platform. Testimony against them reportedly came from individuals who previously participated in street interviews for the channel.
Russian journalists (L-R) Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov, Antonina Kravtsova, and Artem Kriger stand inside the glass cage at the Nagatinsky court in Moscow. (AFP via Getty Images)
Favorskaya, a correspondent for independent Russian outlet SotaVision, was detained in March. Moscow court officials claimed she was responsible for “collecting, editing, and publishing” content for FBK, which was banned in Russia in 2021. The other three — Krieger, also with SotaVision, and freelance journalists Gabov and Karelin — were arrested in April and have remained in pre-trial detention.
Gabov has worked with Reuters and Poland’s state-financed Belsat, while Karelin previously contributed to the Associated Press and Deutsche Welle. The sentencing of the four journalists underscores the Kremlin’s continued suppression of independent media and its escalating efforts to silence voices linked to Navalny’s legacy.
North Korean Artillery Pipeline: Russia’s Growing Dependence on Foreign Munitions
Reuters published a joint investigation with UK-based research organization Open Source Center (OSC) on April 15 detailing the extent of Russia’s dependence on North Korean artillery and the evolution of North Korean forces’ participation in fighting alongside Russian forces. Reuters and the OSC tracked 64 shipments from North Korea to Russia from September 2023 to March 2025 that involved 16,000 containers carrying millions of North Korean artillery rounds.
Russian military documents reviewed by Reuters showed that some Russian units depended on North Korean artillery shells for half or more of their shells used in daily fire missions. One unspecified Russian unit fighting in Zaporizhia Oblast reported that nearly 50 percent of its 152mm D-20 howitzer rounds and 100 percent of its 122mm rockets fired came from North Korea.
Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) told Reuters that North Korea has provided Russia with three million artillery rounds and an unspecified number of mortar rounds since mid-2023, and that half of all of Russia’s artillery rounds come from North Korea. The GUR also stated that North Korea supplied Russia with 148 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles as of January 2025.
Ukrainian military commanders and intelligence continue to indicate that North Korean forces have innovated their training and battlefield tactics following their participation in Russia’s war. A Ukrainian regimental commander fighting in Kursk Oblast told Reuters that 3,000 additional North Korean forces that arrived in Kursk Oblast in mid-February 2025 were better prepared and more “adapted to modern combat” than the original contingent of North Korean forces that began fighting alongside Russian forces in November 2024.
From Beijing to the Front Lines: Chinese POWs Reveal Deceptive Recruitment Tactics
Two Chinese soldiers captured by Ukrainian troops for fighting alongside Russian forces revealed they were lured into combat under false pretenses, despite knowing they were signing up with the Russian military. During a press conference hosted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the two POWs described how they were recruited and the conditions that led them to join Moscow’s war effort.
Wang Guangjun, who previously worked as a therapist in China, said he was tempted to join the Russian military due to unemployment and “attractive” promotional videos on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, depicting soldiers with weapons. “Because in China, Chinese soldiers have a high social status, especially in most people’s eyes. Therefore every man in China has a dream of becoming a soldier,” Wang explained.
Wang said he was promised a job as a therapist in the Russian military and assured he wouldn’t be participating in any fighting. “After signing up at the recruitment office, I couldn’t do anything anymore. I couldn’t make decisions anymore,” he said, explaining why he ultimately took up arms.
The second captured fighter, Zhang Renbo, a former firefighter in China, said he initially went to Russia as a tourist but was promised a construction job. “Because of this trust, we were exploited,” Zhang said, highlighting the influence of Russian propaganda in China.
Both fighters signed up for military service after arriving in Russia, received minimal training, and were sent to the front lines in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, where they were subsequently captured by Ukrainian troops in early April.
Self-Reliance Strategy: Zelensky Highlights Domestic Weapons Production
More than 40% of the weapons used at the front line are produced in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 16 on the occasion of the Day of the Defense Industry Worker. “The trend is unchanged: Ukraine will do more and more (weapons) to guarantee its security — on its own and together with partners,” Zelensky said.
“Ukraine will always need its own strong weapons so that we can have our own strong Ukrainian state. Ukraine will always need its own technological superiority so that Russia knows that we will respond to every attack,” he added.
In its 2025 budget, Ukraine allocated Hr 55 billion ($1.3 billion) to defense manufacturing in an effort to reduce dependence on foreign deliveries. Zelensky has previously underscored that international support remains essential, warning that delays or cuts could severely weaken Ukraine’s ability to hold the front line.
Paris Peace Push: U.S. Envoys Pursue Ukraine Negotiations
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are set to travel to Paris later this week for high-level meetings on ending the war in Ukraine, the U.S. State Department said on April 16. Rubio and Witkoff will be in the French capital from April 16 to 18 for talks with their European counterparts to “advance President Trump’s goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war,” according to the statement.
Witkoff is expected to meet directly with French President Emmanuel Macron, while Rubio will hold separate discussions with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. The visit comes on the heels of Witkoff’s April 11 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, which reportedly focused on a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.
France is leading the European push for stronger security guarantees for Ukraine, including the deployment of a so-called “reassurance force” if hostilities are paused. Macron has publicly backed the idea of sending European troops to Ukraine — not for combat, but to help train forces, rebuild infrastructure, and reinforce stability far from the front line.
War Footing Extension: Ukrainian Parliament Extends Martial Law Until August
Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, voted on April 16 to extend martial law until August 6, 2025. Lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that the extension bill passed with 346 votes in favor, one abstention, and one vote against. Martial law has been extended 15 times since it was first implemented on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
The extension of martial law means elections are unlikely to take place this summer, despite recent rumors. Under martial law, certain civil rights are restricted while granting the government extra powers to secure national interests. The Ukrainian Constitution prohibits elections during martial law, despite calls by some US politicians.
Martial law also maintains curfews across Ukraine during martial law, with hours that differ by region. For Kyiv, curfews are currently in place between midnight and 5 a.m.
Deadly Night in Dnipro: Russian Drone Attack Claims Three Lives
Russian forces launched a significant drone attack against the city of Dnipro late on April 16, resulting in multiple casualties and extensive damage. Three people were killed, including a young girl and an elderly woman, while 30 others were injured, including five children. The attack damaged homes, educational institutions, cultural facilities, and vehicles across the city.
The aftermath of a Russian drone attack on Dnipro. (Borys Filatov/Telegram)
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak and Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov reported that the wounded are being treated in hospitals across the city, with 16 people currently under medical supervision, including one person in serious condition. The attack involved Russian Shahed drones, with one nearly hitting the Dnipro city hall.
Five children, including a nine-month-old, a six-year-old, and an 11-year-old, were among those injured in the attack. Several fires engulfed the city, with the Shahed drones causing significant destruction to civilian infrastructure throughout Dnipro.