THE RUSSO-UKRAINE WAR BRIEF
Day 1161 of the full scale invasion
Slava Ukraini! In early 2022 I began a Telegram channel aggregating news from a number of sources daily on the war in Ukraine. In June 2023 I began providing a daily draft for the Ukraine War Brief Podcast collecting news from over 70 sources daily, which formed the basis of the script. While the Podcast no longer exists I have continued to make this Brief available for my followers here on Substack for those who wish to keep up with the news from the war.
All the latest news on the Russo-Ukraine War 6 days per week
ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
For: Apr 29, 2025
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 08:00 on Apr 29 stated that day 1161 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine had begun.
The situation on the line of combat remains tense in some sectors. Ukrainian defenders continue to actively counteract the Russian aggressor, causing them significant losses in personnel, equipment and technology. Exhausting the enemy along the entire front line and continuing to disrupt the plans of Russian occupiers to advance deeper into the territory of Ukraine.
During the past day, 178 combat engagements took place.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 1 missile strike, 115 air strikes, used 2,858 drones and fired approximately 6,000 artillery shells across the positions of Ukrainian forces and civilians.
Air Force Daily Report
37 ENEMY UAVS SHOT DOWN, 47 SIMULATOR UAVS FAILED TO REACH THEIR TARGETS (LOCATIONALLY LOST)
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On the night of April 29, 2025 (from 11:00 p.m. on April 28), the enemy attacked with 100 strike UAVs and other types of simulator drones from the areas: Kursk, Millerovo, Orel, Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Russia, Chauda - Crimea.
The enemy air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare equipment, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
As of 08:30, it has been confirmed that 37 Shahed attack UAVs (and other types of drones) have been shot down in the east, north, south, and center of the country.
47 enemy drones-simulators - lost in location (without negative consequences).
As a result of the enemy attack, the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kyiv regions suffered.
Combat Operations in the Russian Federation
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US based think tank, in its Apr 28 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment reported that:
Sumy - Kursk Border: Russian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy Oblast.
Geolocated footage published on Apr 27 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced in the fields west of Loknya (northeast of Sumy City) and likely seized the fields west and southwest of Basivka (north of Loknya) and southeast of Zhuravka (northwest of Loknya).
Belgorod Incursion: Fighting continued in northwesternmost Belgorod Oblast on April 28, but Russian forces did not advance.
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Kupyansk Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Kupyansk direction.
Geolocated footage published on Apr 28 indicates that Russian forces recently seized southern Kamyanka (northeast of Kupyansk near the international border) and advanced on the settlement's eastern outskirts.
Siversk Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Siversk direction.
Geolocated footage published on April 28 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced on the eastern outskirts of Hryhorivka (northeast of Siversk).
Toretsk Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Toretsk direction.
Geolocated footage published on Apr 27 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced to a dam north of Toretsk.
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Pokrovsk Sector :
Ukraine’s defense forces disrupt Russian plans for Pokrovsk offensive.
Russian forces have lost the battle for Pokrovsk and seen their larger offensive plans collapse, Serhiy Kuzan, head of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, said in an interview with Radio NV.
"We are seeing a coordinated Russian information campaign tied to their failure — the fact that they have lost the battle for Pokrovsk. As of now, we can confidently say they have lost it," Kuzan said on Radio NV.
The military expert acknowledged that the situation could still change if Russia manages to deploy fresh reserves, but stressed that Russia’s broader spring-summer offensive plans have already been derailed.
"Our Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi spoke about this. Thanks to him, among others, our defensive strategy was properly executed — not only disrupting the enemy’s plans to take Pokrovsk but also foiling their much larger offensive plans for this summer, for which they had been building up reserves," Kuzan said.
"By their calculations, they planned to amass an additional 100,000 reservists. That master plan has been destroyed."
Although the front-line situation remains extremely difficult, Kuzan said Russian forces had intended to capture all of Pokrovsk and launch a broader offensive toward the Kostyantynivka–Druzhkivka–Kramatorsk–Sloviansk agglomeration.
"We disrupted their plans, and now they are falling behind their own schedules — schedules that are critical for their summer offensive campaign. They can’t push us out of Donetsk Oblast because we stopped them under Pokrovsk," Kuzan said.
"Now the enemy is shifting the narrative, trying to distract public attention by claiming they are just four kilometers away from reaching Dnipropetrovsk Oblast."
On April 23, Ukraine’s Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group of Forces reported that Russia continues to attempt to reach the administrative border between Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts by May 9.
Earlier, on April 20, Khortytsia reported that Russian forces suffered significant losses during an assault in the Pokrovsk sector and were forced to retreat. Ukrainian forces notably destroyed an entire Russian motorcycle detachment during the battle.
Novopavlivka Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Novopavlivka direction.
Geolocated footage published on April 26 and 28 indicates that Russian forces recently marginally advanced northeast and northwest of Nadiivka (east of Novopavlivka).
The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
There have been no major changes to the combat environment since our last report.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing major to report.
THE HOME FRONT
8 killed, 24 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day.
Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least eight civilians and injured at least 24,with children among the casualties, the Kyiv Independent reported citing regional authorities on Apr 29,
Moscow's forces have intensified their strikes against Ukrainian towns and cities even as Kyiv calls for an unconditional ceasefire.
A Russian drone attack against the Semenivka community in Chernihiv Oblast hit a residential building, killing a 68-year-old man, Governor Viacheslav Chaus reported.
Russian strikes in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast killed a child and injured five people over the past day, Governor Serhii Lysak said.
A 12-year-old girl was killed during a Russian drone attack against the Samar district, with a 6-year-old girl and two adults injured. Separately, a 59-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman were injured in attacks against the Nikopol district.
Russian attacks across Donetsk Oblast killed five civilians and injured four, said the regional governor, Vadym Filashkin. This included three people killed in Novoekonomichne, and one person killed and three injured in Shakhove.
In Kharkiv Oblast, two men aged 61 and 65 were injured in Russian strikes, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. Russian forces reportedly launched 20 strike drones and 31 guided aerial bombs against the oblast.
Twelve people were injured in Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Three apartment buildings, nine houses, an agricultural enterprise, a garage, a gas pipeline, and cars were damaged.
A civilian was killed during a Russian attack against the Shostka district of Sumy Oblast, with Moscow's forces deploying almost 20 KAB bombs and 35 attack drones against the region, authorities said.
In Kyiv, a three-story recreational center was set on fire by falling debris, with one woman injured, Mayor Vitali Klistchko said.
In response to the attack, two Romanian F-16 fighter jets and two Italian Eurofighters were scrambled to carry out air surveillance in the Romanian airspace.
RUSSIAN WORLD
Ukrainian drones reportedly target Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod oblasts in Russia.
Ukrainian drones attacked the city of Dzerzhinsk in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast overnight on April 29, Governor Gleb Nikitin said. The Kyiv Independent reported.
Nikitin claimed the drone attack had been repelled above two districts in the region, with no consequences reported.
Russian Telegram channel Shot, reportedly close to Russian security forces, reported explosions in Ryazan, claiming that drones may have targeted an oil refinery.
According to Russia's Defense Ministry, Russian air defense shot down 91 Ukrainian drones, including eight over Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and 11 over Ryazan Oblast
Drones were also downed in Kursk, Oryol, Moscow, Belgorod, Kaluga, Bryansk oblasts, and in Russian-occupied Crimea, the ministry reported.
The Ukrainian forces have not yet commented on the attack. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Dzerzhinsk lies around 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the Russia-Ukraine border, while Ryazan is around 500 kilometers (310 miles) away.
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted Russian military and industrial facilities in the rear to undermine Moscow's ability to wage its all-out war.
In the meantime, Russia continues regularly targeting Ukrainian cities and villages with drones, missiles, glide bombs, and artillery, resulting in heavy civilian casualties.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 37 of the 100 attack and decoy drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Forty-seven decoy drones disappeared from radars without causing damage, according to the statement.
Drone Attack Disrupts Strategic russian Kremniy EL Electronics Plant in Bryansk
On April 28, another successful strike was carried out against one of Russia's military production sites in the city of Bryansk. Defense Express reported citing Lieutenant Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, the target was the Kremniy EL plant, a strategic enterprise responsible for supplying microelectronics vital to the Russian military-industrial complex.
Andrii Kovalenko reported that the facility was attacked by unidentified drones. The Kremniy EL plant specializes in manufacturing critical components used in advanced Russian weapon systems, including the Pantsir air defense systems, Iskander ballistic missiles, radar systems, electronic warfare equipment, and various types of drones. These technologies are integral to Russia's battlefield capabilities, especially in the ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to the regional governor Aleksandr Bogomaz and the Ministry of Defense of Russia, air defense systems were active over the city during the night. Other Russian sources claim that over 100 drones were allegedly intercepted, but reports confirm at least one person killed and another injured amid the chaos.
The Ministry of Defense stated that a total of 115 Ukrainian drones were reportedly shot down overnight, including 102 in the Bryansk region alone, with others intercepted over occupied Crimea, Kursk, Belgorod, and the Black Sea.
The attack is part of a broader campaign aimed at undermining Russia's ability to replenish and maintain its advanced weapons systems. Notably, this is not the first time the Kremniy EL plant has been targeted. Previous strikes had already disrupted operations, forcing temporary shutdowns and causing delays in production.
Disrupting the production of microelectronics strikes at a critical vulnerability in Russia's defense sector. Sanctions and export controls imposed by Western countries have already severely limited Russia's access to advanced semiconductor technologies. Damage to domestic production facilities like the Kremniy EL plant further compounds these challenges, creating long-term strategic setbacks for the aggressor state.
RELATED INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Putin's Victory Day truce 'not enough,' Italy's Meloni says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's three-day Victory Day truce is insufficient, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an interview with Corriere della Sera published on Apr 29, stressing the need for a "just and lasting peace."
Putin claimed Russian forces would cease all hostilities from May 8 until midnight on May 11 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Ukraine retorted by calling for a full and unconditional ceasefire, a proposal that Moscow continues to reject.
In the interview, Meloni voiced support for U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to broker a peace between Ukraine and Russia and lauded President Volodymyr Zelensky's readiness for an unconditional truce.
"Now, it is Russia that must demonstrate the same. Because the three-day truce announced by Putin for the anniversary of the victory in World War II is something different, and definitely not enough," Meloni said.
The Italian leader said the peace must be lasting and backed by strong security guarantees. Meloni repeated her proposal to provide Ukraine with guarantees based on NATO's Article 5, even if there was no consensus on Kyiv's formal entry.
"Now, yet again, another attempt at manipulation: for some reason, everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire — just to provide Putin with silence for his parade," Zelensky previously said.
"We value human lives, not parades. That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8," he added. Ukraine has accused Russia of violating multiple ceasefire agreements in the past.
The White House has also reacted by calling for a lasting truce, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt saying, "(President Trump) has made it clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire first to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed... Both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out."
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the stalled peace efforts, threatening to pull out unless progress is made.
Rubio Tells Russian Counterpart Time to End ‘Senseless War’
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that the United States is committed to working to end the war in Ukraine, the Moscow Times reported quoting the State Department on Monday.
"The United States is serious about facilitating an end to this senseless war," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a readout of Sunday's call, which was already announced by Russia.
She said Rubio spoke to Lavrov about "the next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks and the need to end the war now."
The call took place before President Vladimir Putin on Monday offered a three-day truce to coincide with Moscow's commemorations for the end of World War II.
Rubio said Sunday that this week will be crucial in assessing efforts to end the war, which U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to stop on the first day of his presidency.
In the interview Sunday with NBC News' Meet the Press, Rubio said that there were "reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic as well," and that the United States could decide to focus on other priorities.
MILITARY & TECH
Australian Abrams tanks promised to Ukraine remain stuck over US clearance.
The 49 retired Australian M1A1 Abrams tanks promised to Ukraine haven’t left Australia yet as the US authorization is pending.
Australia’s promised donation of 49 retired M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine remains stalled, with the vehicles still awaiting US export approval, ABC reported on 28 April. More than six months after Australia’s government pledged the tanks as part of a A$245 million ($157.1 million) military aid package, the aging vehicles have yet to leave Australia. Defense figures, speaking anonymously to ABC, blamed resistance from the United States for the delay.
After US President Donald Trump’s pivot towards Russia upon taking office in January, his administration did not approve any new aid for Ukraine amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. The lack of transfer clearance for the Australian US-made tanks may be part of Trump’s policies. This comes amid Trump’s push for Kyiv-Moscow talks, allegedly to end the war.
Formal permission from the US is required before the American-made tanks can be transferred.
Ukraine requested any available tanks from its allies on multiple occasions.
ABC previously reported that Pentagon officials had advised against donating the old tanks due to alleged high maintenance costs and operational difficulties in Ukraine.
Despite the issues, Australia’s Department of Defense stated that “Australia remains on target to meet the delivery of the M1A1 Abrams in 2025,” and that work with Ukraine continues “in line with agreed arrangements for the gifting, including on delivery and sustainment.”
Australia’s fleet of 59 M1A1 Abrams tanks, purchased in 2007 but never deployed in combat, is being replaced by the newer M1A2 model. Since Russia’s invasion, Australia has committed over A$1.5 billion in support for Ukraine, including more than A$1.3 billion in military aid. Earlier reports indicated that Australia was going to send 49 tanks to Ukraine.
Latvia Sends Batch of Strike Drones to Ukraine.
Latvia has transferred a new batch of strike drones to Ukraine as part of the international Drone Coalition. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds announced.
He stated that the batch includes 1,500 strike drones. These are part of the 12,000 drones that two Latvian companies will produce in the first half of the year to support the needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The cost of this order is €17 million.
On his account on the social media platform X, Sprūds posted a video and a photo of a truck loaded with drones packed in boxes.
The previous UAV batch, which the Latvian Defense Minister also reported, was sent to Ukraine at the beginning of April. It also consisted of 1,500 drones.
The international drone coalition, led by Latvia and the United Kingdom, was established in February 2024. It currently includes 18 donor countries that have committed to supplying Ukraine’s Defense Forces with reconnaissance, FPV, and multirotor bomber drones.
As part of this initiative, an international procurement fund was established and is administered by the British side. Latvia has contributed €5 million.
Over the course of a year, the participating countries have allocated €2 billion for drones. The coalition states have delivered or will soon deliver around 100,000 various combat drones to the Ukrainian military, primarily FPV drones.
In the first announced international tender of the coalition, five companies were selected from over 260 European manufacturers to supply 30,000 drones worth €45 million. Two Latvian manufacturers also received orders.
Last year, according to Minister Spruds, approximately 5,000 various Latvian-made drones, worth €15 million, were delivered to the Ukrainian Defense Forces. This year, Latvia plans to allocate €20 million for the procurement of drones for the Ukrainian military.
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