THE RUSSO-UKRAINE WAR BRIEF
Day 1140 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 8, 2025
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 08:00 on Apr 8 stated that day1140 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, combat engagements took place.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 1 missile strike, 74 air strikes, used 2,782 drones and fired approximately 5,800 artillery shells across the positions of Ukrainian forces and civilians.
Air Force Daily Report
9 ENEMY UAVS SHOT DOWN, 31 SIMULATOR UAVS FAILED TO REACH THEIR TARGETS (LOCATIONALLY LOST)
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On the night of Apr 8, 2025 (from 19:00 on Apr 7), the enemy attacked with an Iskander-M ballistic missile from the Kursk region - the Russian Federation and 46 Shahed attack UAVs and simulator drones of various types from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk region - the Russian Federation.
The air attack was repelled by mobile fire groups and electronic warfare units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
As of 08:00, it has been confirmed that 9 Shahed attack UAVs and other types of drones have been shot down in the east and north of the country.
31 enemy drone simulators — lost in location (without negative consequences).
The Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk regions were affected by the Russian attack.
Combat Operations in the Russian Federation
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US based think tank, in its Apr 7 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment reported that:
Kursk Salient: Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast amid continued fighting in the Kursk-Sumy Oblast border area.
Geolocated footage published on Apr 7 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced to western and southern Guyevo, Kursk Oblast (south of Sudzha). Some Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces seized and cleared Guyevo, while others claimed that Ukrainian forces still maintain positions within and on the outskirts of the settlement.
Belgorod Incursion: Russian forces recently advanced in Belgorod Oblast.
Geolocated footage published on April 7 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced in central Demidovka (northwest of Belgorod City).
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Siversk Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Siversk direction.
Geolocated footage published on Apr 7 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced north of Verkhnokamyanske (east of Siversk).
Toretsk Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Toretsk direction.
Geolocated footage published on Apr 7 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced to the southwestern waste heap of the Tsentralna Mine in southwestern Toretsk.
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Pokrovsk Sector : Russian forces recently advanced in the Pokrovsk direction.
Geolocated footage published on Apr 7 indicates that Russian forces recently marginally advanced in southwestern Uspenivka (southwest of Pokrovsk).
Geolocated footage published on Apr 5 and 7 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced in central and western Lysivka (south of Pokrovsk).
Velyka Novosilka Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Velyka Novosilka direction.
Assessed Russian advances: Geolocated footage published on Apr 6 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced northeast of Pryvilne (northwest of Velyka Novosilka).
Zaporizhia Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in western Zaporizhia Oblast.
Geolocated footage posted on Apr 7 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced to western Stepove (northwest of Robotyne).
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
3 killed, 19 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day.
At least three people were killed and 19 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, the Kyiv Independent reported citing regional officials on Apr 8.
Russia launched 46 drones overnight, including Shahed-type attack drones and one Iskander-M ballistic missile, Ukraine's military said.
Air defenses shot down nine drones, while another 31 vanished from radar, likely serving as decoys to confuse and exhaust Ukrainian air defense systems. Ukrainian electronic warfare units and mobile fire groups repelled the assault.
In Donetsk Oblast, Russian shelling killed two residents in Kostyantynivka and Hryshyno, and wounded two others, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
In Kharkiv Oblast, a man was killed, and five others were injured. Governor Oleh Syniehubov said that homes, a garage, and a non-operational recreation center were damaged.
Russian shelling in Kherson Oblast injured eight people, including a child, and struck critical and social infrastructure, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast sustained artillery and drone strikes that wounded four people — two men and two women — Governor Serhii Lysak said.
Russian agent charged with assassination of Ukrainian soldier and plotting to assassinate governor.
A Russian agent who killed a Ukrainian soldier, carried out sabotage operations and planned to assassinate two senior officials will stand trial in Kharkiv. The Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Prosecutors have approved and submitted an indictment to court against a 55-year-old man charged with multiple crimes.
The accused is a native of Yevpatoriia, Crimea, with an extensive criminal record. He moved to Belgorod, Russia, after 2015.
According to the investigation, he embraced pro-Russian ideology and was recruited by Russian intelligence. He signed a cooperation agreement with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to carry out subversive operations in Ukraine-controlled territory.
In February 2024, the agent arrived in Kharkiv. His first assignment from Russian handlers was to kill a Ukrainian soldier. On the evening of 5 March, he shot the soldier in the back near a residential building in Kharkiv. The serviceman died on the spot.
Acting on his own initiative in the interests of Russia, the agent later sabotaged key sites in Kharkiv. On the night of 26 March, he threw a US-made M67 fragmentation grenade at the Shevchenkivskyi District Administration. The blast caused nearly UAH 2.5 million (approx US$61,200) in damages.
Later, he planted an explosive device on the doors of a local Medical and Social Assessment Board office. The door was damaged and the perpetrator fled the scene, as in previous incidents.
One of his next assignments was to assassinate the head of the Derhachi City Military Administration. He monitored the official’s routines and travel routes. In October 2024, he made a radio-controlled explosive device, travelled to Derhachi, and attached the bomb to the underside of the official’s car using a magnet. Fortunately, the official spotted the device in time and alerted law enforcement.
RUSSIAN WORLD
Russian commander orders fire on his own troops.
Ukrainian military intelligence has released another intercepted phone call in which a Russian commander is heard ordering his troops to open fire on fellow Russian soldiers. New Voice reported citing the Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) the incident on Apr 5.
In the recording, the commander is heard saying:
"Shoot the 55th. The battalion commander’s order is to fire on them."
According to HUR, the order was given because the targeted Russian unit had disobeyed commands. The commander reportedly believed the insubordination was putting other Russian units at risk by exposing their positions to Ukrainian fire.
"Because of them, our positions are getting taken out," the commander says in the call. "Tell our guys to take out those irons."
While the term “irons” was likely used as derogatory slang, HUR did not elaborate further on the context.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency concluded its post by emphasizing that every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people will be punished.
“Those responsible will face justice,” the agency said.
Central Bank – No Sign Western Businesses Want to Return to Russia.
Russia’s Central Bank has not received any requests from Western businesses to return to the Russian market, despite media speculation of renewed interest in the country, Governor Elvira Nabiullina said Tuesday, the Moscow Times reports.
“As for companies that want to return, we haven’t received any requests in the financial sector yet,” Nabiullina told Russian lawmakers, according to the state-run news agency TASS.
Her comments contradict a wave of Russian media reports claiming Western firms are eager to re-enter the country following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump and signs of a possible thaw in relations between Moscow and Washington.
Russian officials have floated plans to manage a potential large-scale return of foreign companies, while President Vladimir Putin has warned that any return would be met with strict protectionist conditions.
The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, a major business lobby, has said it will present proposals this month on how to regulate the re-entry of Western firms.
“We don’t see any specifics,” Nabiullina said, adding that “everything will be done with national interests in mind,” according to her remarks to Communist Party members in the State Duma.
Last week, Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov said not only had no foreign companies applied to return, but that firms continued to exit the Russian market.
Hundreds of Western companies have pulled out or scaled back operations in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
In response, the Kremlin has imposed steep exit fees and mandatory discounts for those seeking to leave — prompting criticism that remaining firms are helping finance Russia’s war economy.
RELATED INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Chinese nationals captured fighting for Russia in Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had captured two Chinese men fighting on Russia's side in eastern Ukraine, potentially threatening a fragile peace effort in the three-year-old war, Reuters reports.
Beijing is a close ally of Moscow but is not publicly known to have directly aided in the Kremlin's full-scale invasion.
Writing on X, where he posted a video of one of the men, Zelenskyy said Kyiv has "information suggesting that there are many more Chinese citizens in the occupier's units" and that he had ordered officials to obtain a response from Beijing.
The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Zelenskyy did not say whether Ukraine believed the men were operating on Beijing's orders.
"Russia's involvement of China, along with other countries, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war," Zelenskyy wrote.
He added that the captured men had documents confirming their identification, and added that Ukrainian intelligence and security officials were currently "verifying all the facts".
US to relocate troops, equipment from key Ukraine aid hub in Poland.
The U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command announced on April 8 that American personnel and equipment will be relocated from Poland's Jasionka Airport, a key logistics hub for delivering military aid to Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent reports.
"The important work of facilitating military aid to Ukraine via Jasionka will continue under Polish and NATO leadership, supported by a streamlined U.S. military footprint," the command said in a statement.
The redeployment, which will move assets to other locations in Poland, follows months of planning and is part of a broader strategy to optimize U.S. military operations across the region.
"Poland is a great host," said Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. "After three years at Jasionka this is an opportunity to right-size our footprint and save American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars per year."
Polish President Andrzej Duda responded to the announcement by assuring that the move does not signify a U.S. troop withdrawal.
"I don't know if this is being implemented at this point. The very issue of taking responsibility for the security issues of the Rzeszow airport, its security, I know," Duda said during a press conference in Tallinn.
The U.S. military has operated in Jasionka, near Rzeszow, since early 2022. The airport quickly became one of the most important logistical points for coordinating Western support to Ukraine, protected by American Patriot air defense systems.
The facility is located less than 62 miles from the Ukrainian border and transports a significant percentage of Western materiel bound for the front lines. It is also a main stopover point for foreign leadership traveling to Kyiv on official visits.
In March 2023, Warsaw detained at least 16 members of a Russian spy ring tasked with gathering information on the number of transports to Ukraine in the region surrounding the airport, the level of security measures in place, and the type of equipment.
The redeployment comes amid growing concerns in Europe over a potential drawdown of U.S. forces. NBC News reported on April 8 that senior Defense Department officials are weighing a plan to withdraw up to 10,000 U.S. troops from Eastern Europe.
U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" doctrine and recent statements from U.S. officials have raised alarm among NATO allies about Washington's long-term commitment to European defense.
Belgium announces 1 billion Euro aid package for Ukraine.
Belgium will provide Ukraine with an aid package worth €1 billion, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has announced on a visit to Kyiv on 8 April, Ukrainska Pravda reports.
The prime minister unveiled a new decision to allocate a €1 billion assistance package for Ukraine in 2025. He stated that Belgium will allocate €1 billion annually for defence purposes.
De Wever expressed strong interest in establishing Belgian defence production in Ukraine and noted that four relevant contracts had been signed today.
He emphasised the importance of helping Ukraine build its own defence capabilities and rearming Europe in the face of renewed Russian aggression. De Wever added that cooperation is needed to explore how the Belgian private sector could be encouraged to invest in Ukraine and contribute to the development of its defence industry.
Notably, this is the first visit to Ukraine by representatives of Belgium’s new government since they took office in February 2025.
MILITARY & TECH
Ukraine offers partners battlefield testing of weapons – Ministry of Defense.
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Valerii Churkin called on international partners for long-term cooperation and offered to test their defense products in real-life combat, Censor.NET reports citing the press center of the Ministry of Defense.
Churkin emphasized that Ukraine opens up the opportunity for partners to test defense products directly in the combat zone, as well as to develop long-term joint projects.
"Estonia is a true friend of our country, and we must strengthen our industrial cooperation. Among the opportunities Ukraine offers to international partners are testing of products in real combat conditions and the development of long-term partnerships within the framework of joint ventures," he said.
Among the priority areas of cooperation, Churkin named anti-drone solutions and the modernization of existing weapons systems. He also thanked Estonia for its consistent support of Ukraine.
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur expressed confidence that the forum would become a platform for creating new opportunities in joint production and technology exchange, adding that Estonia is ready to share its expertise in IT and digitalization.
The event was also attended by Ukraine’s Minister for Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin, Director of the Defence Procurement Agency Arsen Zhumadilov, as well as representatives of defence companies and government agencies from both countries.
That’s it for today’s Brief folks if you would like to keep up with events in Ukraine daily please consider subscribing, it’s free!
Sadly there are many in the west who do not realize how evil Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been, or how much money Russia spends creating propaganda to prevent the truth from becoming known.
About 2 weeks ago I saw on substack "Russia-ukraine war" I follow it about 3 times and wrote some commentaires that I was wondering why that Press guy "PATRICK LANCASTER " was always with Russia soldiers. I look on Google and I was so mad ... he is an American who is now Pro-Kremlin. In my last comments I told him that he was a traitor and he can go fuck himself. I AM SO MAD THAT HE WAS ON SUBSTACK AND NICE COMMENTS FROM RUSSIAN.