Author’s articles
On 30 April, the Verkhovna Rada ratified the Convention on the Establishment of an International Compensation Commission for Ukraine (Registry No. 0371). The decision forms part of the establishment of an international mechanism for compensating Ukraine for the damage caused by the Russian Federation’s armed aggression.
Ukraine plans to enhance the capabilities of its strike drones in the near future – both in terms of striking targets 100–150 km from the border and carrying out long-range attacks.
One person was killed and five others were injured as a result of an attack by Russian forces on the Dnipro district on 30 April. The strike caused a major fire, damaged a residential building and a shop, and destroyed several vehicles.
Anna Popova, head of Rospotrebnadzor, has stated that there is no health risk to residents of the Russian city of Tuapse, where ‘oil rain’ fell following damage to an oil refinery.
During the night of 30 April, Russian forces launched several waves of attacks on Odesa using strike drones. Residential buildings, a nursery, a hotel, an administrative building, car parks and other civilian facilities were damaged.
The Cabinet of Ministers is proposing to introduce a 20% VAT on most international parcels, including purchases from AliExpress and Temu, with an exemption remaining only for non-commercial gifts worth up to €45. The decision is one of the IMF’s conditions for continuing to provide funding to Ukraine, but due to its unpopularity, it may be postponed until at least 2027.
Since the outbreak of the war with the US and Israel, Iran’s system of government has undergone changes, with key decisions increasingly concentrated in the hands of the military leadership. The role of the Supreme Leader has weakened, whilst the influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has grown.
Belarus has launched a joint border control centre with Russia, and Russian conscripts subject to a travel ban are no longer being allowed to leave the country.
Ukraine has officially approached Israel through diplomatic and legal channels, requesting that action be taken regarding the vessel Panormitis, which delivered grain stolen from the occupied territories to the port of Haifa.
The German public prosecutor’s office in Berlin has arrested a Kazakhstani national who was leaking information to Russia about military aid to Ukraine.
On the morning of 29 April, a unit of the Ukrainian Navy struck the MARQUISE, a vessel subject to sanctions. The strike was carried out by two unmanned naval craft.
In May 2026, Ukrainians will traditionally celebrate two public holidays: Labour Day on 1 May and the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in the Second World War on 8 May. In peacetime, Ukrainians would have had the days off from 1 to 3 May, as well as from 8 to 10 May inclusive. However, due to the imposition of martial law, the rules regarding public holidays have been temporarily amended.
