On the 1125th day of war, there was no talk of observing any ceasefire.
Russia launched overnight the third consecutive aerial attack on Kyiv, resulting in casualties. On Sunday, Russian drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital killed at least three people and injured 10.
Additionally, another attack took place on Sunday evening in the Zaporizhia region in southeastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Kherson region is facing massive Russian attacks, but thanks to an electronic dome, over 80% of drones are being shot down, with the number increasing, according to a Ukrainian official.
The Russian army launched 99 drones over Ukraine last night, but 93 missed their target. In return, Russian air defense systems destroyed 28 Ukrainian drones.
Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznitsia) announced that on Monday morning, it was hit by a large-scale and sophisticated cyber attack, with the restoration of all systems currently underway. However, trains are running without delays as the operator had backup protocols in place.
Across the border, the Atesh partisan group claims to have sabotaged a railway in the Smolensk region, disrupting the transport of military cargoes to Bryansk and the Kursk region. Ukrainian special operations forces destroyed four helicopters, including one with a HIMARS launcher, in the Belgorod region.
Moscow is increasing financial incentives for military recruits due to a severe lack of new volunteers. The new recruitment efforts are targeting individuals with financial difficulties and easily influenced young radicals swayed by propaganda.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed satisfaction with the Sunday evening meeting between the delegations of Ukraine and the US in Saudi Arabia, describing it as "constructive and beneficial," noting progress on key issues.
On Monday, an American delegation is also in Saudi Arabia holding discussions with Russian officials, aiming to make progress towards a ceasefire in the Black Sea and a broader cessation of hostilities.
Frontline Developments
- The third night of attack on Kyiv - Russia launched the third consecutive overnight aerial attack on Kyiv, injuring one person and damaging several houses in the region around the Ukrainian capital. A person was injured by shrapnel in the upper body and head, said Governor Mykola Kalashnik in a post on Telegram.
- Nearly 100-drone attack - Russia launched 99 drones last night, with 93 missing their target, announced this morning by the Ukrainian Air Force. 57 drones were destroyed in the south, north, west, and center of the country, while 36 decoy drones disappeared from radar without negative effects, as reported by the source. The regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kirovohrad, and Zaporizhia were targeted in this attack.
- Black toll in the capital - Russian drone strikes targeting the Ukrainian capital on Sunday evening killed at least three people and injured 10, authorities reported. "The youngest victim was... only 11 months old," announced the military administration of the city of Kyiv on Sunday via Telegram. The drones targeted several neighborhoods of the capital, mainly hitting residential buildings and causing large fires. Last week, just before Kremlin envoys met on Monday with an American delegation in Saudi Arabia for peace talks, Russia used over 1,580 guided bombs, nearly 1,100 strike drones, and 15 various types of missiles against Ukrainian civilians. Dozens were injured, and hundreds of homes were destroyed, as noted by Kyiv Post.
- Attack in Zaporizhia as well - Another attack took place on Sunday evening in the Zaporizhia region in southeastern Ukraine. A woman was injured, and the windows of several multi-story residential buildings were damaged, the regional administration reported.
- Electronic dome in Kherson - The Kherson region is facing massive Russian attacks, but thanks to an electronic dome, over 80% of drones are being shot down, with the number increasing. Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, head of internal and informational policies at the Kherson Regional Military Administration, spoke about the anti-drone system on Ukrainian television: "Every day, the region faces massive drone attacks from enemy drones. However, the defense system is functioning better and better. Thanks to the creation of an electronic warfare dome over the Kherson region, we are now able to shoot down up to 80% of Russian drones, and this figure is increasing."
- Massive cyber attack on the railway - Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznitsia) announced that on Monday morning, it was hit by a large-scale and sophisticated cyber attack, with the restoration of all systems currently underway. The company's website and application became unavailable on Sunday due to a "technical issue," the company previously stated, as reported by Kyiv Independent. The attackers failed to disrupt rail traffic, as trains ran without delays, Ukrzaliznitsia mentioned. Due to previous cyber attacks, the railway operator had backup protocols in place. Ukrainian Railways stated that the attack was "systemic and at multiple levels" and said it was orchestrated by an "enemy." Online ticket purchases remain unavailable, and the company will operate offline on Monday. Company specialists and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) are working to restore backup data.
Peace Negotiations
- No sign of any ceasefire - The attacks occurred after a Ukrainian delegation met with American officials for peace talks in Saudi Arabia and ahead of US-Russia talks taking place on Monday in that country to discuss ways to ensure the safety of maritime transport in the Black Sea. The United States is pushing for a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia and aims to reach a broad ceasefire by April 20, as reported by Bloomberg News. However, despite peace efforts, both sides reported continued strikes.
- Progress on key issues - President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed satisfaction with the meeting between the delegations of Ukraine and the US in Saudi Arabia, describing it as "constructive and beneficial," noting progress on key issues. "Our team is working in a very constructive manner, and the discussions have been extremely beneficial. The work of the delegations continues," said Zelensky. Chief of the Presidential Administration Andriy Yermak echoed this sentiment, adding that the discussions were focused and useful for advancing Ukraine's strategic goals. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, said the talks involved representatives from the military, diplomatic, and energy sectors. "The conversation was constructive and significant - we discussed key topics, including in the energy sector," wrote Umerov on Facebook.
- Zelensky's appeal - Zelensky called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia to reach a ceasefire. "Since March 11, there has been a proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, which would have stopped such attacks. But Russia is the one continuing all of this. Without pressure on Russia, Moscow will continue to treat real diplomacy with contempt and destroy lives. Regardless of what we are discussing now with our partners, Putin must be forced to issue a real order to stop the strikes: the one who started this war must be the one to end it," said President Zelensky, as quoted by Kiev Independent.
- US-Russia negotiations - An American delegation will have discussions with Russian officials on Monday in Saudi Arabia, aiming to make progress towards a ceasefire in the Black Sea and a broader cessation of hostilities in the Ukraine war. The so-called technical talks are taking place as Donald Trump intensifies efforts to halt Russia's assault on Ukraine. Last week, he spoke with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A source familiar with the planning of the talks stated that the American side is led by Andrew Peek, a senior director at the White House National Security Council, and Michael Anton, a senior official at the State Department. Russia will be represented by Grigory Karasin, a former diplomat who currently serves as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, and Sergei Beseda, advisor to the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB).
What's Happening in Russia
- Railway sabotage - The Atesh partisan group sabotaged a railway line in the Smolensk region of Russia, disrupting the transport of military cargoes to Bryansk and the Kursk region. A volunteer from the group allegedly destroyed a transformer on the railway line, causing logistical delays for Russian forces on the front line, as reported by Atesh. "We will continue to hit targets in Russia and provide information to the Ukrainian Defense Forces," the group stated in a social media release. The Atesh movement frequently carries out sabotage attacks in Russia and in the occupied areas of Ukraine, as noted by Kiev Independent.
- Helicopters destroyed with HIMARS - Ukraine's special operations forces destroyed two Russian Ka-52 helicopters and two Mi-8 helicopters with rocket strikes in the Belgorod region. Russian forces had established a landing site for aircraft - a camouflaged position for rapid aerial operations and surprise attacks on Ukrainian forces, reports Kyiv Post. According to the special forces, the helicopters were destroyed far behind the front line with rocket strikes, including those fired from a HIMARS rocket launcher. The Ka-52 "Alligator" helicopter is designed for reconnaissance and precision strikes, while the Mi-8 is used for transport and versatile attacks. Both were actively used against Ukraine.
- Drones destroyed - Air defense systems destroyed 28 Ukrainian drones, the Russian Ministry of Defense communicated on Telegram. 12 drones were shot down in the Bryansk region, and 12 in the Rostov region. Two were shot down in Crimea, one in Krasnodar Krai, and one in the Sea of Azov.
- Kremlin increases recruitment bonuses - Russia is increasing financial incentives for military recruits due to a severe shortage of new volunteers, announced the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (GUR) cited by Kyiv Independent. The Kremlin has raised payments for signing the first contract to over 2 million rubles (23,800 dollars) in several regions, recruits from the Samara region are offered nearly 4 million rubles (47,600 dollars), according to the cited source. The new recruits are primarily targeted at individuals with financial difficulties and radicalized youth easily influenced by propaganda. In July 2024, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin signed a decree establishing a one-time signing bonus of 1.9 million rubles (22,600 dollars) for city residents enlisting in the army. According to Rosstat, the Federal State Statistics Service of Russia, the average monthly salary nationwide in 2024 was approximately 87,700 rubles (1,044 dollars).