THE RUSSO-UKRAINE WAR BRIEF
Day 1155 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 23,2025
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 08:00 on Apr 23 stated that day 1155 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, 144 combat engagements took place.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out missile strikes, 125 air strikes, used 2,800 drones and fired approximately 6,000 artillery shells across the positions of Ukrainian forces and civilians.
Air Force Daily Report
67 ENEMY UAVS SHOT DOWN, 47 SIMULATOR UAVS FAILED TO REACH THEIR TARGETS (LOCATIONALLY LOST)
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
On the night of Apr 23, 2025 (from 9:30 p.m. on Apr 22), the enemy attacked with 134 strike UAVs (simulator drones of other types) - launch areas: Kursk, Bryansk, Orel, Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Russia, Chauda, Gvardiyske - 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 09:30, it has been confirmed that 67 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, Poltava, Donetsk, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhia regions suffered.
Combat Operations in the Russian Federation
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US based think tank, in its Apr 22 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment reported that:
Kursk Salient: Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast.
Geolocated footage published on Apr 22 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced along the 38H-609 Sudzha-Guyevo highway south of Oleshnya (southwest of Sudzha).
Belgorod Incursion: Fighting continued in northwestern Belgorod Oblast on Apr 22.
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Toretsk Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Toretsk direction.
Geolocated footage posted on Apr 22 indicates that Russian forces recently marginally in the waste heap area immediately north of Toretsk.
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
There have been no major changes to the combat environment since our last report.
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
Russia destroys energy facility in Ukraine's Kherson, governor says.
Russian forces destroyed an energy facility in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson early on Wednesday, Reuters reported citing the regional governor.
Oleksandr Prokudin said the facility, which provided the city of Kherson with electricity, had come under Russian artillery and drone attacks for more than 24 hours.
"Our military fought all night to repel the enemy attacks. However, in the morning, the Russians succeeded in destroying the energy facility," Prokudin said on Telegram.
The drone attacks are continuing and there could be emergency power cuts as energy workers are working to stabilise the situation, he added.
4 killed, 88 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over the previous day.
Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least four civilians and injured at least 88, including children, over the past day, the Kyiv Independent reported citing regional authorities on Apr 23.
Russia has intensified its attacks against Ukrainian cities and towns even as Kyiv proposed a 30-day truce on strikes against civilian infrastructure.
A Russian air strike against the city of Zaporizhzhia on April 22 killed a 69-year-old woman and injured at least 40 people, including children, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported. Multiple residential buildings and an educational facility were damaged.
Russian attacks against Dnipropetrovsk Oblast over the past day injured four men, Governor Serhii Lysak said.
In Donetsk Oblast, three people were killed and seven injured in Russian attacks, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported. This included three people killed and four injured in an attack on Myrnohrad.
Russian forces launched at least 13 drones against the city of Kharkiv on April 22, injuring 10 people, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported. Elsewhere in Kharkiv Oblast, in the town of Kupiansk, seven people were injured in a Russian air strike, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Twelve people, including a child, were injured in Russian strikes in Kherson Oblast, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported. Two high-rise buildings, 12 houses, an ambulance, and cars were damaged.
A drone attack against Odesa's suburb started multiple fires and injured two people, according to Governor Oleh Kiper.
Russian forces launched 13 drones against the city of Poltava, injuring six people, three of whom have been hospitalized. Governor Volodymyr Kohut said that houses, multi-story buildings, warehouses, office buildings, and cars were damaged.
9 killed, 42 injured after Russian drone targets bus in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
A Russian drone attack against the town of Marhanets in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on the morning of Apr 23 killed at least nine people and injured at least 42, the Kyiv Independent reported citing Governor Serhii Lysak.
The drone hit a bus carrying employees of a company, Lysak said. The fatalities included two men and seven women.
Marhanets, a town with a pre-war population of 45,000, lies in the southern part of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, close to the destroyed Kakhovka Reservoir and Russian-occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Russia has intensified its attacks against Ukrainian cities and towns even as Kyiv proposed a 30-day truce on strikes against civilian infrastructure.
Moscow's forces have launched heavy strikes on Apr 22 against multiple cities, including Kryvyi Rih, Kherson, Odesa, and Kharkiv, inflicting dozens of civilian casualties.
RUSSIAN WORLD
State of Emergency Declared as Massive Explosion Rocks Russia’s Vladimir Region.
A powerful explosion rocked central Russia’s Vladimir region on Tuesday, local authorities said, while the military stated that the blast erupted at an ammunition depot due to human error, the Moscow times reports.
“An explosion occurred in the Kirzhachsky district. Responsible services are working on site,” Vladimir region Governor Alexander Avdeyev wrote on Telegram, without directly referencing any military facilities or detailing the damage.
Shortly after, Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the blast had occurred at an ammunition depot, saying the suspected cause was “violation of safety regulations during the handling of explosive materials.”
“By order of the Russian defense minister, a commission has been formed to investigate the incident,” the ministry said in a statement. “Following the investigation, those found responsible will be held accountable.”
Kirzhach, located 75 kilometers (47 miles) northeast of Moscow, is home to the 51st arsenal of the Russian military’s main missile and artillery directorate. Eyewitness videos shared on social media showed thick smoke and a loud blast, with some users claiming a strike had hit the arsenal.
According to Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official responsible for countering disinformation, the 51st arsenal houses about 105,000 metric tons of munitions.
“There are significant reserves of artillery shells and missiles of various types, including Iskander, Tochka-U and Kinzhal,” he wrote on Telegram shortly after videos of the explosion began circulating on social media.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry declared a state of emergency in the area of Kirzhach, while local authorities announced the evacuation of two nearby villages.
Unverified reports from Telegram channels linked to Russian security services claimed evacuations were underway in at least seven towns and villages.
Ukraine reports the 51st GRAU Arsenal 60 km from Moscow Was Destroyed.
The 51st arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) of the Russian Ministry of Defense had a design capacity of 264,000 tons of various ammunition and was protected by the most heavily concentrated air defense system in the Russian Federation Defense Express reports.
Just 60 kilometers from Moscow, a major ammunition storage base — the 51st Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation — exploded. This is one of the same GRAU arsenals that Ukraine successfully attacked in the fall of 2024.
It is located east of the Russian capital near the town of Kirzhach, Vladimir Oblast, and 530 km from Ukraine. Its approximate area is 3.5 square kilometers.
The available videos show a rather huge detonation. At the same time, given the nature of the explosion, it likely involved the detonation of solid-propellant missiles, including anti-aircraft and/or ballistic missiles, as well as rockets for multiple launch rocket systems.
It is known that the 51st GRAU arsenal had 45 storage facilities and 30 ammunition storage sites. The design capacity is up to 264,000 tons of various munitions. It is unknown how many were present at the time of the attack. New videos show ongoing detonations, while Russians report repeated powerful explosions.
Like any other GRAU arsenal, it is not narrowly specialized and is designed to store a full range of munitions, from artillery shells and ATGMs to anti-aircraft and ballistic missiles, and tactical missile systems. At the same time, the arsenal is designed not only for storage but also for the maintenance of munitions.
It should be noted that the destruction of this arsenal may be considered the most difficult operation so far. It is located just a short distance from Moscow, protected by the most heavily concentrated air defense system in the entire Russian federation. At the same time, Russia has not reported any threats of attacks from Ukrainian UAVs or missiles. In other words, either different means were used, or the Russian air defense system failed to intercept the attack.
So far, local russian authorities have confirmed the explosion, a fact later verified by the governor of Vladimir Oblast, Aleksandr Avdeyev. He also threatened to prosecute anyone who disseminates information other than official statements.
RELATED INTERNATIONAL NEWS
London talks on ending war in Ukraine downgraded as Rubio pulls out.
Talks between the U.S., Ukraine and European officials to discuss ending Russia's war in Ukraine faltered on Wednesday as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly cancelled his trip to London and negotiations were downgraded, Reuters reports.
Rubio's no show prompted a broader meeting of foreign ministers from Ukraine, Britain, France and Germany to be cancelled, although talks continued at a lower level. The U.S. would now be represented by Ukraine envoy General Keith Kellogg.
The downgrading of the talks comes at a critical time, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Washington could walk away if there was no progress on a deal soon. Trump raised the pressure on Sunday when he said he hoped Moscow and Kyiv would make a deal this week to end the three-year war.
A source close to the discussions said the downgrading of the trip came after Ukraine drafted a paper for the Europeans on Tuesday, in which it said there would be no discussions on territorial issues until "a full and unconditional ceasefire".
The source said the apparent U.S. nervousness could indicate that the Ukrainian position did not align with what Washington's representatives had agreed so far with the Russians.
Rubio spoke to British Foreign Secretary David Lammy late on Tuesday and said he looked forward to rescheduling his trip in the coming months after Wednesday's "technical meetings".
Speaking on his arrival in London with the foreign and defence ministers, Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said the talks would focus on ways to achieve a full and unconditional ceasefire as a first step to peace.
"Despite everything, we will work for peace," he said on social media.
The meeting is a follow-up to a similar session in Paris last week where U.S., Ukrainian and European officials discussed ways to move forward and narrow positions.
During those talks, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff presented a paper to the participants outlining proposals in which Ukraine in particular, but also Russia, would need to make concessions, according to three diplomats aware of the talks.
Rubio last week said a U.S. framework that he and Witkoff proposed in Paris received an encouraging reception. But the sources said that among the U.S. proposals was recognizing Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, a move that is a non-starter for Europe and Ukraine.
Beyond Crimea, other major sticking points remain, including Russia's push for lifting of European Union sanctions against it before negotiations are finished, which Europe staunchly opposes, diplomats said.
Europe has been increasingly concerned over the Trump administration's overtures towards Moscow, after the failure so far of Trump's efforts to secure a ceasefire in the war.
EU will never recognize Crimea as Russian, Kallas says.
The European Union will never recognize the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula as legally Russian, the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Apr 22.
Kallas' comments come in response to reports that the recognition of Crimea as Russian territory is being considered as part of a U.S.-backed proposal to end the war in Ukraine.
"Crimea is Ukraine," Kallas told the AFP. "It means a lot for the ones who are occupied that others don't recognize this as Russian."
Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, occupying the peninsula with troops and staging sham referendums to justify the seizure of territory. The move was widely condemned as a violation of international law. Kallas said it would be a mistake to reward Moscow's land grab by including recognition of Crimea as part of a ceasefire deal.
"Then Russia clearly gets what they want," she said.
Kallas said Washington should instead look to mount pressure on Moscow, rather than ceding to Kremlin demands.
"They have tools in their hands to use, actually, to pressure Russia. They haven't used those tools," she said.
"If they are now walking away without using the tools that they have actually in their hands, then my big question mark is, why? Why aren't they using the tools to really end this war?"
While Europe has largely been shut out of the U.S.-brokered peace negotiations with Ukraine and Russia, talks in Paris on April 17 brought Europe back to the table. U.S. delegates reportedly unveiled their ceasefire proposal during the Paris talks — and are expecting a response from Ukraine during follow-up talks in London on April 23.
Representatives from Ukraine, the U.K., France, and the U.S. will convene in London to continue discussions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has already ruled out recognizing Crimea as Russian.
"There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine," Zelensky said on April 22.
US to exit peace talks unless both Ukraine, Russia cede territory.
The United States will withdraw from mediating peace talks between Ukraine and Russia if both nations refuse to make territorial concessions, Vice President J.D. Vance said on April 22, according to Bloomberg.
Speaking to reporters in India, Vance said the United States has presented a “very explicit proposal” to both Ukraine and Russia outlining a path to a peace agreement.
“It’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process,” Vance stated.
Both Ukraine and Russia must relinquish portions of the territory they currently control to end the conflict, he added.
Vance urged both nations to “put down their weapons, to freeze this thing and to get on with the business of actually building a better Russia and a better Ukraine” to stop the killings.
Despite the ultimatum, he expressed optimism about the negotiations, noting that “all sides” are currently engaging in good faith.
A planned quadrilateral meeting in London on Apr 23 involving the foreign ministers of Ukraine, the United Kingdom, France, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was downgraded after Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff opted not to attend.
CNN reported that their absence was due to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s refusal to legally recognize Russian-occupied Crimea as Russian, a key condition in the U.S.’s “final peace offer.”
According to Axios, the U.S. proposal offers Russia:
De jure U.S. recognition of Russian control over Crimea;
De facto recognition of Russia’s occupation of parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya oblasts;
A commitment that Ukraine will not join NATO, though it may pursue European Union membership;
The lifting of sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014;
Expanded economic cooperation with the United States, particularly in energy and industrial sectors.
Zelenskyy responded by stating that Ukraine will not recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea, as it violates the country’s constitution and sovereignty. He clarified that rumors about President Donald Trump’s proposals do not represent the official U.S. position.
MILITARY & TECH
Ukraine fields vintage US-made M114 howitzers.
Ukraine’s Defense Forces have fielded American-made M114 155mm howitzers for the first time, expanding the country’s artillery capabilities with equipment supplied through military aid from Greece and Portugal, according to a report from the defense news outlet Militarnyi.
The M114 howitzer, a weapon developed by the United States in 1941 and used extensively in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam, was first spotted in use with Ukrainian forces following previous announcements of deliveries.
The systems had been pledged as part of international military support packages dating back to 2022 and 2024.
During negotiations with the Czech Republic, Greece announced the transfer of approximately 70 M114A1 howitzers from its military stockpiles to Ukraine. In March 2024, officials from the Greek Ministry of Defense indicated that this represented at least the second batch of M114 howitzers supplied to Ukrainian forces.
The report said that these howitzers had long been considered obsolete for Greece’s operational requirements and were drawn from reserve stockpiles. Despite their age, the artillery pieces are being pressed into service as Ukraine continues to face heavy artillery duels along the front lines.
Ukraine previously received five M114 howitzers from Portugal in 2022 as part of a broader military aid package that also included armored vehicles. However, until now, these systems had not been observed in operational use.
The M114 is a towed 155mm howitzer featuring a relatively short barrel length of 23 calibers and a maximum firing range of 14,600 meters.
While this range falls short compared to modern 155mm systems like the M777 or CAESAR, it remains comparable to the firepower offered by 105mm artillery, providing Ukrainian forces with additional flexibility in supporting ground operations.
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!
I appreciate your work!
Slava Ukraini!