Russian Strikes Hit Cities as Ukraine Reports Military Gains, Top US Security Official Departs
Summary of the Day – May 1, 2025
Russian drones struck Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv on May 1, killing one person and injuring 29 in separate attacks, while Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi reported significant military advances. On the diplomatic front, Trump removed National Security Adviser Waltz while European leaders successfully pressured him to toughen his stance on Putin. Ukraine’s Supreme Court ruled that citizens cannot refuse military service on religious grounds, and President Zelensky imposed new sanctions against former adviser Arestovych and Russian entities. Ukrainian activist Sternenko narrowly survived a Russian-linked assassination attempt, Senator Graham announced 72 senators support “bone-crushing” sanctions against Russia, and Chief Rabbi Azman released a music video appeal to Trump.
A Nova Poshta cargo department is damaged by the strike of one of the Russian drones that did not detonate during the attack on the city in Odesa. (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Urban Warfare: Russian Drones Target Zaporizhzhia Civilians
Russian forces launched drone attacks on Zaporizhzhia late on May 1, killing one person and injuring 28 others. Russian attack drones struck targets at least 10 times, causing multiple fires. Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed that a 61-year-old man was killed in the assault.
The strikes damaged multiple homes, a residential building, a local university, and an infrastructure facility. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service confirmed that apartment buildings, an educational institution, and infrastructure were hit in the attack.
An image shows the aftermath of a Russian drone attack on Zaporizhzhia that killed at least one person and injured seven others. Multiple residential buildings were struck by attack drones, causing multiple fires across the city. (Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration/Telegram)
Cluster Munitions: Kyiv Park Struck Following Russian Drone Attack
Delayed cluster munitions exploded in a forest park area in Kyiv on May 1 following an overnight Russian drone attack, injuring one woman, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported. Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said “about 10 explosions” were recorded near the park, with an additional blast damaging the roof of a residential building.
Tkachenko added that the detonations likely stemmed from cluster munitions scattered by Russian drones, although confirmation will depend on results from an expert examination. Klitschko said the explosions “went off with a delay.”
Sappers, emergency responders, and medics worked at the site, while police secured the area to prevent civilian access.
Drone Success: Syrskyi Reports 83,000 Russian Targets Destroyed in April
Ukrainian forces struck and destroyed more than 83,000 Russian targets with drones in April—an 8% increase from March—Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on May 1. “The damage efficiency increased by another 5%,” Syrskyi wrote on Facebook, emphasizing that today’s high-tech warfare requires constant scaling up of drone operations.
Syrskyi noted that DeepStrike long-range drones hit 62 targets in Russia during April, targeting military facilities and undermining Russia’s military-industrial complex. The Commander-in-Chief also reported holding a monthly meeting with drone unit commanders to coordinate improvements.
Tactical Gains: Ukrainian Forces Reclaim 115 Positions in April
The Ukrainian army retook 115 positions from Russian forces during April, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on May 1. “We use active defense tactics: thanks to these actions, our soldiers regained a total of 115 positions over a month,” Syrskyi wrote on Facebook.
Syrskyi identified the main task of the Ukrainian army as deterring Russian troops in the “threatened areas,” primarily Sumy, Kursk, Pokrovsk, and Novopavlivsk. He also reported progress in the “18-24” mobilization project and the transfer of 30,500 soldiers from non-combat to combat roles using the “Army+” application.
Additionally, criminal offenses within the Ukrainian army have decreased by 43% compared to earlier periods in 2024.
Target of Espionage: Ukrainian Activist Sternenko Survives Assassination Attempt
Ukrainian activist and volunteer Serhii Sternenko was injured in an attack on May 1, he reported on Telegram. “I was attacked. Wounded. Everything is OK, there’s no threat to my life. Russians are f***ers,” Sternenko wrote, later adding that he had undergone surgery for a gunshot wound that “didn’t hit anything vital.”
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced that they prevented the murder, detaining a woman who attempted to kill Sternenko using a firearm. According to the SBU, the suspect was recruited remotely by Russian intelligence services while seeking “quick money” online.
A photo showing the suspect in the attack on activist and volunteer Serhii Sternenko, published by the SBU. (SBU)
The assailant had reportedly been monitoring Sternenko since mid-April after moving into his residential complex, and received coordinates for a cache containing firearms. During a search, authorities found a phone with evidence of her collaboration with Russia and components for an improvised explosive device in another apartment.
Sternenko, 30, runs a prominent foundation supplying FPV drones to Ukrainian forces, with over 176,000 drones purchased as of May 1.
White House Shuffle: Trump Announces Security Leadership Changes
US President Donald Trump announced on May 1 that National Security Adviser Mike Waltz is leaving his position and will be nominated as the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations. “From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take on the role of national security adviser while continuing to lead the State Department. Earlier that day, Fox News had reported that Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong were dismissed following a high-profile Signal group chat leak involving sensitive military discussions.
CNN reported that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is being considered as a possible replacement for Waltz.
Diplomatic Pressure: Trump Reportedly Shifts Tone on Putin After European Intervention
U.S. President Donald Trump has toughened his rhetoric toward Russian President Vladimir Putin following months of diplomatic efforts by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, Politico reported on May 1, citing unnamed European government sources.
The coordinated effort, led by senior British and French officials, sought to persuade Trump to ease pressure on President Zelensky and focus more criticism on Putin, arguing that Moscow’s actions were undermining Trump’s credibility as a negotiator.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy reportedly spoke 13 times this year with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while Starmer and Trump held “almost” as many direct conversations. According to the report, London and Paris continually emphasized to Trump that Putin was “disrespecting him by consistently breaking the ceasefire he claimed to be implementing.”
Russian Warning: Moscow Threatens Action Against Ukraine’s Territorial Restoration
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on May 1 that Russia will “take all necessary measures” to prevent Ukraine and its Western allies from restoring Ukraine to its 1991 internationally recognized borders. This declaration follows Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu’s April 30 statement that Russia would consider Western peacekeeping contingents in Ukraine as legitimate military targets.
The statements reinforce Russia’s rejection of international proposals to implement monitoring mechanisms for any potential ceasefire. Moscow has repeatedly refused Western overtures to deploy peacekeeping forces, maintaining its unyielding negotiating position regarding territorial demands.
Sanctions Threat: US Senators Prepare “Bone-Crushing” Measures Against Russia
At least 72 U.S. senators are prepared to vote for “bone-crushing” sanctions against Russia and massive tariffs on countries supporting Moscow, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters on May 1.
The bill would impose new penalties on Russia and slap 500% tariffs on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, petroleum products, natural gas, or uranium if President Vladimir Putin avoids serious peace negotiations to end the war against Ukraine.
“The goal is to help the president,” Graham said. “I think Trump’s the best person to achieve that goal, but these sanctions represent the Senate’s view that we see the primary bad guy as being Russia.”
Graham said he expects sufficient support for the bill in the House of Representatives.
Presidential Decree: Zelensky Imposes New Sanctions Against Arestovych and Russian Entities
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed new sanctions against a number of individuals and entities on May 1, including former presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych, pro-Kremlin commentators, and several major Russian companies, according to presidential decrees published the same day.
The sanctions target Arestovych, blogger Myroslav Oleshko, political analyst Kostiantyn Bondarenko, and Dmytro Vasylets, the former head of the banned political party “Derzhava.” Russian citizens subject to new restrictions include the head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom Alexey Likhachev, and Russian journalists Stanislav Bernwald and Anastasia Kashevarova.
The sanctions also affect several Russian enterprises, including the Novolipetsk Steel Plant, Novatek, Arctic LNG, Stoilensky Mining and Processing Plant, Volzhsky Abrasive Works, and Magnitogorsk Electrode Plant. The measures include asset freezes, full trade bans, suspension of economic and financial obligations, restrictions on transit and transport, and prohibitions on capital outflows.
Court Ruling: Religious Beliefs Cannot Exempt Citizens from Military Service
Ukraine’s Supreme Court ruled on May 1 that citizens cannot refuse military service during wartime based on religious beliefs, emphasizing that the obligation to defend the nation applies to all Ukrainians during Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The ruling came from a case involving a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a religious group whose doctrine forbids any form of military service. Lower courts had convicted a man for failing to report to a military recruitment office after receiving a summons. He was sentenced to three years in prison for evading conscription during mobilization.
The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, citing the state of martial law and the urgent need for national defense. “Ukraine has introduced alternatives to (mandatory) military service in peacetime, and Ukrainian citizens can freely use them,” the court said in a statement. “However, in wartime, during mobilization and defensive war, the duty to defend Ukraine, which has been aggressively attacked by the Russian Federation, is imposed on all citizens of Ukraine, regardless of their religion.”
Air Travel: Israeli Carrier El Al Resumes Moscow Flights
Israeli national carrier El Al restarted flights to Moscow on May 1 after a four-month pause, according to the company’s official website. The airline halted its Moscow route in late December 2024 following the downing of an Azerbaijani aircraft during a drone attack, which killed 38 people.
El Al said its decision to resume service came after “assessing the current situation” and holding discussions with authorities. In 2022, Moscow closed its skies to airlines from 36 countries, including all 27 European Union members, in retaliation for Ukraine-related aviation sanctions.
Russia has lobbied for the easing of aviation restrictions, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stating on April 11 that Moscow had asked the U.S. to lift sanctions on its state airline, Aeroflot.
Religious Appeal: Chief Rabbi Azman’s Song to Trump Goes Viral
Ukraine’s chief rabbi, Moshe Azman, released a video appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump that gained widespread attention. In the video, the 59-year-old rabbi sings “Donald Trump, it’s time to fight in the name of light” to a catchy rock tune.
The video was edited with images of destruction in Ukraine, as Azman appeals to the U.S. leader amid American efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. Azman told AFP he wrote the song “in a few hours” after visiting the site of a Russian missile attack on Kyiv that killed 13 people.
“With music, we can say things that cannot be told in words,” he said, explaining that he decided to appeal to Trump as the “world’s most powerful man” to “open his eyes to what is happening here.”