Russia war latest: Putin’s forces rain 660 drones and missiles on Kyiv in deadly attack

Ukraine sacks a military commander after images of severely undernourished frontline soldiers sparked outrage
Russian forces launched more than 600 drones and 47 missiles across Ukraine overnight, the country’s air force said on Saturday.

At least four people have been killed and more than 30 wounded across Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said, calling for “ immediate and decisive action” from partners.

Two Royal Air Force jets were scrambled in the early hours of Saturday morning to respond to the threat of Russian drones on the Nato border.

Romanian defence ministry said two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets –part of a British air-policing mission in Romania – were scrambled to monitor from the air after drone fragments from a Russian attack on Ukraine were recovered.

Authorities began an evacuation in the area as the fragments could contain an explosive charge.

It comes as Ukraine sacked a military commander after images of severely undernourished frontline soldiers sparked outrage across the country.

Russian bank lowers interest rates for third time this year and eighth time in 12 months, ISW reports
On Friday, the Russian Central Bank announced that it had lowered its key interest rate from 15 to 14.5 per cent, which marks the third time the institution has done so this year, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

The last time the Bank lowered its key interest rates was on 13 February and 20 March 2026.

This is in contrast to Russian attempts to portray the economy as stable.

“The Russian Central Bank claimed that Russian unemployment remains at historic lows and that wage growth continues to outpace productivity growth,” the ISW wrote in an update on Friday.

“The Russian Central Bank claimed that Russia’s annual inflation as of April 20 was 5.7 percent.

The Russian Central Bank acknowledged that the Russian economy slowed and that core inflation rose in the first quarter of 2026 but claimed that the rise in inflation was due to ‘one-off factors.’”
Russian Central Bank Chairperson Elvira Nabiullina said that the move to increase interest rates was motivated by “significantly” increased inflationary risks due to the conflict in the Middle East and potential changes to Moscow’s fiscal policy.

“Elevated Russian oil revenues may enable the Kremlin to continue to finance its war against Ukraine in the medium term but are unlikely to reverse the years of poor economic policy,” the ISW said.

RAF fighter jets scrambled to threat of Russian drones on Nato border
Two RAF jets were scrambled in the early hours of Saturday morning to respond to the threat of Russian drones on the Nato border.

The Romanian defence ministry said it recovered drone fragments in the southeastern city of Galati after an overnight Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine , with an electricity ​pole and a household annex damaged.

The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Azerbaijan for meeting with Aliyev, spokesperson says
President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Azerbaijan on Saturday for a meeting with his counterpart Ilham Aliyev, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian leader told reporters.

It is the leader’s first visit to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan escalated over the last year after the deaths of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russia, reportedly rounded up by police in connection with decades-old murder investigations, alongside Baku's accusation that Moscow was responsible for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet.

President Vladimir Putin later admitted that Russian air defences were to blame for the crash, which killed 38 people.

Breaking: Ukraine ready to hold peace talks with Russia in Azerbaijan, says Zelensky
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine is ready to hold peace talks with Russia in Azerbaijan as he visited the country on Saturday.

US-brokered trilateral negotiations have largely faltered since America attacked Iran on 28 February and has been embroiled in a war with the country ever since.

Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s president, said that talks with Zelensky had focused on energy and military-industrial cooperation.

US arms keep flowing to Ukraine as Kyiv steps up deep strikes inside Russia
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said US weapons deliveries have continued despite the Iran war, as Kyiv intensifies long-range attacks on Russian infrastructure.

“Of course, we are hitting what is painful for Russia, and it is very painful,” he said, claiming the strikes have caused tens of billions of dollars in losses.

Russian officials say key oil and industrial facilities have been hit, including targets more than 1,000km inside the country.

Ukraine says it is in ‘strongest frontline position in a year’ as Russian advance grinds to a halt
Ukraine’s foreign minister has said the country’s frontline position is the “strongest” it has been in a year.

Andrii Sybiha credited the progress to Kyiv ’s superiority in drone warfare and air defence, which he claimed had the ability to shoot down up to 90 per cent of attacks.

“We have minimised the Russians’ advantage in manpower through the use of drones,” Mr Sybiha said on Thursday.

Ukraine says it is in ‘strongest frontline position’ against Russia in a year’
Germany says no prospect of Ukraine’s 'immediate accession' to the EU
Germany has poured cold water on Ukraine’s hopes of fast-tracking EU membership, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying there is no prospect of “immediate accession”.

He suggested Kyiv could instead be brought into EU meetings without voting rights – a sign that integration may come in stages rather than swiftly.

The comments come as Ukraine pushes to accelerate its bid while fighting Russia’s invasion, with recent political shifts in Hungary raising cautious optimism about progress.

Meanwhile, German prosecutors have opened a spying investigation into phishing attacks targeting lawmakers on the Signal app.

Officials warn of a growing wave of cyber threats, espionage and sabotage attempts since the start of the war – allegations Moscow continues to deny.

EU finally approves €90bn Ukraine loan – how will it aid the fight against Russia?

The European Union formally approved on Thursday a €90 billion loan for Ukraine and new sanctions against Russia .

This decision came ahead of an informal summit in Cyprus, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The loan is set to cover two-thirds of Ukraine's needs for the next two years.

Economists had warned Ukraine would run out of money by June without the EU loan, necessitating deep cuts to public services.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen stated: "While Russia doubles down on its aggression, we are doubling down on our support to the brave Ukrainian nation enabling Ukraine to defend itself and putting pressure on Russia’s war economy." The move underscores the EU's continued commitment to Kyiv.

Zelensky seeks to develop security co-operation after Saudi visit
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday visited Saudi Arabia for the second time in a month, as Kyiv seeks to bolster security ⁠co-operation and advertise its battle-tested technology in the Middle East amid the Iran war.

Zelensky said he discussed defence, energy and food security co-operation during a "very productive" meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed ⁠bin Salman, as the ​sides seek ⁠to develop a security agreement signed earlier.

"There is a strategic security arrangement that we are actively ⁠developing across three key areas," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian ​leader ⁠said this included exports ‌of Ukrainian military expertise and air defence capabilities, energy co-operation to help Ukraine, and food security.

"Yesterday, at a meeting with European leaders, ⁠we secured financial guarantees for our resilience.

Today, we are advancing our agreements with Saudi Arabia in the areas of security, energy, and infrastructure," Zelensky said on X upon arrival.

Zelensky did not mention the city, but Saudi state TV said he arrived in Jeddah.

During his visit to ‌Saudi Arabia in late March, Kyiv and ​Riyadh reached an agreement on defence co-operation that ‌Zelensky described as laying a ⁠vast foundation for future contracts.

Zelensky has said ⁠Ukraine's assistance is delivering results in the Middle East, and also offered ‌Kyiv's expertise ​to help restore free navigation in ‌the Strait of Hormuz.

Two RAF jets shoot down Russian drone, report says
Two Royal Air Force jets on a Nato patrol shot down Russian drones for the first time, DailyMail reported.

Two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets - part of a British air-policing mission in Romania - were scrambled to monitor from the air, the Romanian defence ministry said.

Military radars detected drones near Romanian airspace in Tulcea County, prompting the scramble of RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets from a base in Fetești.

The aircraft tracked targets near Reni in Ukraine and were authorised to engage.

“On the morning of Saturday, April 25, Russian forces resumed drone attacks on civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania, in Tulcea County,” it said in a statement.

'Two Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft of the British Air Force from the Reinforced Air Police combat service took off at 02:00 from the 86th Air Base in Fetești.

“The National Military Command Centre notified IGSU [General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations] regarding the establishment of measures to alert the population in the localities of Grindu and Isaccea, in Tulcea County, and at 02:14, a RO-ALERT message was transmitted,” it added.

“The Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft had radar contact with a target located 1.5 km [1 mile] from Reni, above Ukrainian territory.

“The pilots had authorisation to engage the drones.”
It came as Romania recovered drone fragments in the southeastern city of Galati after an overnight Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine, with an electricity ​pole and a household annex damaged, its defence ministry said in a ‌statement.

There were no casualties, the ministry said.

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