Kremlin website (machine translation), 4/26/25

The Supreme Commander-in-Chief heard via video link the report of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov on the completion of the defeat of the Ukrainian formations that invaded the Kursk region.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Valery Vasilyevich, I know that you have information on the latest developments in the Kursk direction. What are the results of combat work over the past day and for the entire previous period?

Vladimir Gerasimov: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief,

Today, the last settlement in the Kursk region – the village of Gornal – has been liberated from Ukrainian units.

At the same time, units of the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 72nd Division, the 810th and 40th Separate Marine Brigades, the 177th Separate Marine Regiment and the 1427th Motorized Rifle Regiment distinguished themselves.

Thus, the defeat of the armed formations of the armed forces of Ukraine, which invaded the Kursk region, has been completed. The plans of the Kyiv regime to create a so-called strategic bridgehead and disrupt our offensive in the Donbass have failed.

На начальном этапе операции продвижение противника вглубь нашей территории было остановлено с последующим сокращением площади вклинения, украинские подразделения вынужденно перешли к обороне. В дальнейшем нанесением встречных ударов с флангов вдоль государственной границы двумя десантными дивизиями, 76-й и 106-й, а также действиями 155-й и 810-й бригад морской пехоты основная группировка вооружённых сил Украины была изолирована, а в последующем рассечена и уничтожалась по частям.

The most active phase of the operation began on March 6 of this year. As a result of the offensive actions of the units and military units of the Kursk group simultaneously in all directions, as well as the breakthrough into the enemy’s rear by the underground landing force consisting of the Veterans volunteer formation, personnel of the 11th airborne assault brigade, the 30th motorized rifle regiment and the Akhmat special forces unit through the gas transportation system pipeline, the defense of the Ukrainian armed forces collapsed. A chaotic retreat of the Ukrainian units began. And within five days, the area of ​​the wedged-in area decreased by 2.5 times.

During the subsequent actions, the few remaining Ukrainian elite units were defeated and driven out of the Kursk region.

During the operation, the enemy suffered significant losses, in order to maintain the number of his group at the level of about 60 thousand people, he was forced to constantly transfer reserves and units from other sectors to the Kursk direction. The total losses of the formations of the armed forces of Ukraine amounted to more than 76 thousand people, servicemen, killed and wounded. In fact, one composition of the original enemy grouping and even more was knocked out. Over 7,700 units of military equipment were destroyed, including 412 tanks, 340 infantry fighting vehicles, 314 armored personnel carriers, and about 2,300 other armored combat vehicles.

I would like to note separately the participation in the liberation of the border areas of the Kursk Region of the military personnel of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, who, in accordance with the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our countries, provided significant assistance in defeating the wedged group of the Ukrainian armed forces. Soldiers and officers of the Korean People’s Army, performing combat missions shoulder to shoulder with Russian servicemen, during the repulsion of the Ukrainian invasion, showed high professionalism, showed resilience, courage and heroism in battle.

Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief!

Currently, in the liberated areas of the Kursk region, measures are being taken to identify single servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine trying to take refuge on Russian territory. Forest areas, basements and abandoned buildings are checked. Local authorities are being assisted in restoring peaceful life. Engineering units of the Sever group and the International Mine Action Center of the Military Engineering Academy are conducting complete demining of the territory and the destruction of explosive objects. 19 settlements were fully checked and cleared. 110 demining groups are involved in these works, this is more than 1000 personnel.

In accordance with your instructions, the creation of a security zone in the border areas of the Sumy region of Ukraine continues. Four settlements were liberated. The total area of the controlled area is more than 90 square kilometers.

In addition, in the Belgorod region, units of the North group of troops completed the destruction of Ukrainian sabotage groups in the area of the village of Popovka. The search and elimination of individual servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hiding in the border forest belts is being carried out.

In other directions, the Joint Group of Troops (Forces) continues to perform tasks in accordance with the plan of the special military operation.

I have finished my report.

В.Путин: Валерий Васильевич, на протяжении нескольких месяцев Вы регулярно докладывали мне о ситуации в Курской области и отмечали наиболее эффективно действовавшие наши подразделения. Не могу не назвать их сегодня еще раз.

These are the 76th Airborne Division, the 234th Airborne Assault Regiment of this division, the 237th Airborne Assault Regiment and the 104th Airborne Assault Regiment of this division; the 106th Airborne Division and its 119th Parachute Regiment, the 137th Parachute Regiment, and the 51st Parachute Regiment. These are the 56th Airborne Assault Regiment of the 7th Airborne Assault Division; two Akhmat regiments – the 204th Special Purpose Regiment Akhmat and the 1434th Motorized Rifle Regiment Akhmat; The 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 72nd Division, the 11th Airborne Assault Brigade, the 83rd Separate Airborne Assault Brigade. Finally, our Marines, glorious Marines – the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, the 810th Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet. And of course, you just mentioned it, the volunteer formation “Veterans”, who carried out a daring underground landing in the Sudzha area and created the conditions for its complete liberation.

I congratulate all personnel of all military units that took part in the defeat of neo-Nazi groups that invaded Russian territory in the Kursk region.

The Kyiv regime’s adventure has completely failed, and the enormous losses suffered by the enemy, including among the most combat-ready, trained and equipped forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including those with Western equipment – and these are assault units and special forces – will undoubtedly be reflected along the entire line of combat contact.

The complete defeat of the enemy in the Kursk border region creates conditions for further successful actions of our troops in other important areas of the front, and brings the defeat of the neo-Nazi regime closer.

I congratulate all personnel, all fighters and commanders on this success, on the victory. I thank you for the courage, heroism, for serving our Fatherland and the people of Russia.

Thank you.

V. Gerasimov: I serve Russia!

YouTube link here.

In an interview with David Frost 25 years ago, Putin said “I cannot imagine my own country in isolation from Europe.”

Russia Matters, 4/25/25

1. Trump wrote on Truth Social on April 20, 2025 that he hoped Russia and Ukraine “will make a deal this week,” and then told Time on April 22 that he thinks such a deal is possible with  Zelensky remaining in power. Trump also told Time that “Crimea will stay with Russia” and that “I don’t think they [Ukrainians] will ever be able to join NATO.” The next day saw Trump lash out at Zelenskyy’s refusal to recognize the loss of Crimea, arguing that that “Crimea was lost years ago,” claiming that “nobody is asking Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian territory,” according to Reuters. In his turn Putin has reportedly offered to halt his invasion across the current front line and said he was open to direct talks with Kyiv on a peace deal, according to FT and NYT. Putin stated his readiness for direct talks prior to hosting Steve Witkoff for the fourth time to discuss the direct talks. The two had a 3-hour conversation in the Kremlin on April 25 in what “allowed Russia and the United States to further bring their positions closer together, not only on Ukraine but also on a number of other international issues,” according to ,Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov. Shortly after the Moscow meeting ended, Trump said he heard that his envoy and Putin had “a pretty good meeting,” according to Reuters.  
2. Ukrainian and European officials pushed back this week against some U.S. proposals on how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, making counterproposals on issues from territory to sanctions, according to the full texts of the proposals seen by Reuters. The sets of proposals from talks between U.S., European and Ukrainian officials in Paris on April 17 and in London on April 23 laid bare the inner workings of the shuttle diplomacy under way as Donald Trump seeks a quick end to the war, Reuters reported. See RM’s comparison of the two proposals in Table 1 below:

Table 1

The U.S. proposal for Russian-Ukrainianpeace discussed by the high-ranking U.S., European and Ukrainian officials on April 17 in Paris.	The  European-Ukrainian proposal for Russian-Ukrainian peace discussed by the lower-level U.S. officials with European and Ukrainian officials on April 23 in London.
The U.S. proposal calls for a “de jure” U.S. recognition of Russian control in Crimea plus “de-facto recognition” of the Russia’s occupation of nearly all of Luhansk oblast and the occupied portions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. (Reuters, 04.25.25, Axios, 04.23.25)	The Ukrainian-European proposal defers detailed discussion about territory until after a ceasefire is concluded, with no mention in the document of recognizing Russian control over any Ukrainian territory. (Reuters, 04.25.25)
The U.S. proposal calls for the return of the small part of Kharkiv oblast Russia has occupied. It also calls for the unimpeded passage of the Dnieper River, which runs along the front line in parts of southern Ukraine.(Axios, 04.23.25)	We could not find any language in descriptionsof the proposal, but assume that a European-Ukrainian proposal would welcome return of Ukrainian territory to Kyiv’s control.
On Ukraine’s long-term security, the U.S. proposal states Ukraine will have a “robust security guarantee” with European and other friendly states acting as guarantors. It gives no further detail on this but says Kyiv will not seek to join NATO. (Reuters, 04.25.25, Axios, 04.23.25)	The Ukrainian-European proposal says  there will be no limits on Ukrainian forces and no restrictions on Ukraine’s allies stationing their military forces on Ukrainian soil — a provision likely to irk Moscow. It proposes robust security guarantees for Kyiv including from the United States with an “Article 5-like agreement,” a reference to NATO’s mutual defense clause. (Reuters, 04.25.25)
The U.S. proposal notes that Ukraine could become part of the European Union. (Axios, 04.23.25)	We could not find any language in descriptionsof the Ukrainian-European proposal, but assume that a European-Ukrainian proposal would reaffirm Ukraine’s path to EU.
The U.S. proposal says that sanctions in place on Russia since its 2014 annexation of Crimea will be removed as part of the deal under discussion. (Reuters, 04.25.25)	The Ukrainian-European proposal says that “US sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014 may be subject to gradual easing after a sustainable peace is achieved” and that they can be re-instated if Russia breaches the terms of the peace deal. (Reuters, 04.25.25)
The U.S. proposal says Ukraine will be compensated financially, without giving the source of the money.   (Reuters, 04.25.25, Axios, 04.23.25)	The Ukrainian-European proposal proposes Ukraine receives financial compensation for damage inflicted in the war from Russian assets abroad that have been frozen (Reuters, 04.25.25)
The U.S. proposal calls for Russia’s enhanced economic cooperation with the U.S., particularly in the energy and industrial sectors. (Axios, 04.23.25)	We could not find any language in descriptionsof the Ukrainian-European proposal, but assume it won’t contain such a call.
The U.S. proposal calls for he Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to  considered as Ukrainian territory but operated by the U.S. (Axios, 04.22.25)	We could not find any language in descriptionsof the Ukrainian-European proposal, but recall that Russia has in the recent past rejected offers of U.S. operation of this NPP.

3. In the past month (March 25–April 22, 2025), Russia gained 166 square miles. (Area equivalent to about 1 ½ Nantucket island), according to the April 23, 2025 issue of the Russia-Ukraine War Report Card . In the past week Russia gained 40 square miles (the equivalent of about 2 Manhattan islands)—a slow down as compared to the previous week’s 50 square miles in the war, which “Ukraine’s ex-chief commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi has described as being in a “stupor.” According to Ukraine’s DeepState OSINT group’s map, as of April 25, 2025, Russian forces occupied a total 112,643 square kilometers of Ukrainian land (43,491 square miles), which constituted 18.7% of Ukrainian territory. In Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine gave up 14 square miles of control: down to only 5 square miles; nearly concluding its complete withdrawal from Russia.  
4. Britain is likely to abandon plans to send thousands of troops to protect Ukraine because the risks are deemed “too high,” according to The Times of London. Britain and Europe would no longer have a ground force guarding key cities, ports and nuclear power plants to secure the peace, this newspaper reported. Instead, the focus for a security commitment to Ukraine would be on the reconstitution and rearmament of Kyiv’s army, with protection from the air and sea, according to the Times story which appeared one day before Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu warned in an interview with TASS deployment of NATO troops in what this Russian state news agency described as “new Russian territories still controlled by Ukraine” can trigger World War III.
5. In its revised outlook IMF expects Russia’s GDP growth to exceed that of “Advanced Economies” in 2025 (1.5% vs 1.4%), but this growth rate is significantly slower than that of “Emerging Market and Developing Economies,” (3.7%) and it will slow down to 0.9% in 2026.

Harper’s Magazine, April 2025

From interviews given to a researcher by six Ukrainian women in May and June of last year and provided to Harper’s Magazine. The researcher’s identity has been withheld to protect the women’s safety.

i.

I’m from Kharkiv, a big industrial center in eastern Ukraine. It had been transformed in recent years, before the war—that means good roads, flower beds, lovely parks. It’s beautiful. It hurts me to know that missiles land in different parts of the city and people die. The people of Kharkiv are very tired. They’ve lived through war for more than two years. Kharkiv has filled up with people who came from small towns that were right in the line of military action. We are very close to the stations that launch missiles. So sometimes the missiles arrive first, and only then does the siren go off. No one pays attention to it anymore. People sitting in cafés keep on sitting there; people going to work keep on going to work. It is not normal for an ordinary person not to fear an explosion. People should live in peace, should develop, should go to work, should produce some products, should rest, should bring up children. Many of our children do not go to school, because there are so many destroyed schools. In addition, it is scary to send a child to school. There are only a few schools that have good bomb shelters where children study. They have even set up classrooms in the metro. Inside the subway, the passageway from one station to another is now taken up with desks.

It’s mostly older people, women, and children who ride the metro. There are very few men. It is very rare to meet a man of draft age. Recruiters go around all the places where you can meet people, handing out notices. Markets, stores, parking lots, parks, subways, buses, bus stations. These are all places where they can hand you a draft notice. Men are in the most powerless position. Because the only thing they are allowed to do is to go to war.

ii.

My friend sent me a photograph showing a vehicle belonging to the army recruitment division stopping cars and dragging out the men and taking them away. This is done by force. We call it “stealing people.” Women try to beat them back, mothers come to the enlistment center to get their sons, they make scenes, they fight. It’s led to such consequences: attacking the military personnel who are defending us, thinking that they work for the enlistment centers.

There are horrible things. I know of a situation in which a student was asked by his teacher to come in earlier. This boy was always late, he was always getting yelled at, but this time his mother got him organized and said, “Go, at least you’ll be on time for once.” He went, they took him to war, and he was dead a week later. I don’t think it will happen in the big cities, but it happens in the small towns because they are less able to stand up for themselves, they are more subordinate to the authority of men in uniforms than city dwellers. The trouble is that some small towns already have no men left, and they have very many cemeteries, and the cemeteries are full.

iii.

We visited schools near the front line. In those areas where the line went right through a town, we had to go with the children because they were afraid to go to school. They were afraid of the military, afraid of the air strikes. We simply talked with the little kids. One time, we arrived at a school, and the head teacher, who loved us and always waited for us to come and talk with the kids, was in a very bad psychological state herself. We talked with her and learned what was wrong. The day before, there was a big air strike in the center of the town, and they saw it hit a house; she and her husband ran over to see if anyone was alive in the house, if they could help. As she was running, something squished under her foot. She shone her flashlight on it and saw that she had run atop the remains of her old schoolmate. One minute she had been talking with friends and the next she ran over the body of a friend she had known since childhood and had just been talking to. Just the thought was horrifying. This woman came to the school the next day to help us organize help for the children—but who was there to help her?

iv.

If there is a man at war in a family, that adds a burden on women. Every day is filled with fear that there will be bad news. They live under regular air raids and experience extreme emotional tension, fear, and trauma. I often think about how women will have to restore Ukraine, because we are losing men. But women are so exhausted now that they may not have the strength.

Of course, there are also women whose men are not fighting. They hide these men at home, afraid they will be drafted. The social roles change: before, the man was the breadwinner, and the woman ran the house. Now women must go to work. There are cases in which women are forced to have a third child, because men with three children are not drafted.

The war leaves a mark on the behavior and emotional state of people, and violence can appear in families where it had not existed before. Teenagers, especially girls, are more vulnerable, especially in low-income families that live near military bases.

v.

There used to be an online map that showed strikes and destruction in Luhansk. One night when I was away, I couldn’t sleep, and I kept a tablet under my pillow, on which I kept checking the situation. Suddenly I saw a strike right next door to my address. I kept trying to call my father and couldn’t reach him. For a few days I thought I would lose my mind. And then my father called, his voice was cheerful, and I said, “Papa, how are you there? What’s going on?” He said, “I’m in Petrovske.” That’s a village not far from Luhansk. He said that there was so much shelling that it was impossible to stay at home. The house that was hit, next door, was where a babushka lived. I said, “How is she?” He said, “She had made some soup and took it over to an ailing neighbor, and that saved her.” It was a miracle.

vi.

War changes people. People who should not have killed, and were not born to kill, have a completely different view now, after the war. I find it very hard to look them in the eye.

I want to go back to the life I had before, but it’s not like that and it will never be like that again, so I don’t know. Yesterday, my friend asked me what my plans are for the next couple of years, and I realized that I don’t know how to make plans. It’s enough for me that I have a plan at least for a week, for a month. This is the distance in time that I can control, I can keep, and I can manage, because everything beyond that is hard to predict. I have acquaintances who are still filled with hope, but I think my only hope is that we do not die of hatred.

The Moscow Times, 4/21/25

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday praised the late Pope Francis as a “defender” of humanism and justice and lauded his efforts to foster dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

“Pope Francis enjoyed great international respect as a devoted servant of Christian teachings, a wise religious and state leader, as well as a steadfast defender of the highest ideals of humanism and justice,” read Putin’s statement, which the Kremlin published shortly after the Vatican announced the Pope’s passing.

“Throughout his papacy, he actively promoted dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, as well as constructive engagement between Russia and the Holy See,” the statement added.

“I had the honor of meeting this remarkable man on multiple occasions, and I will always cherish the warmest memories of him,” Putin wrote in the statement.

The Kremlin leader met with Pope Francis in person three times — in 2013, 2015 and 2019 — and last spoke with him by phone in December 2021, just weeks before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Russian state media.

Pope Francis had repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine, although he stirred controversy last year after urging Kyiv to “raise the white flag and negotiate.” Ukrainian officials reacted to those remarks with fury, even while the Vatican insisted the words “white flag” were intended to mean a cessation of hostilities, not a surrender.

Russia’s Catholic Church announced Monday afternoon that its churches across the country would hold prayer services for the late Pope.

“Starting today, in all our churches in Russia, there will, of course, be prayers for Pope Francis. We will remember and pray here, locally,” Auxiliary Bishop of Mother of God at Moscow Nikolai Dubinin told state media.

In 2016, Francis met Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Cuba, marking the first-ever meeting between the heads of the two churches. The historic encounter concluded with a joint 10-page declaration, hailed at the time as a milestone in relations between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox branches of Christianity.