Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky hits out at Moscow’s ‘Easter escalation’ as strikes kill at least five peoplenewsline24

Ukraine has brought back eight children and teenagers from occupied territories, a Ukrainian humanitarian NGO has announced.

Mykola Kuleba, the founder of Save Ukraine, said they had all been living in conditions of pressure and fear, and their lives were under constant threat.

One 14 year old, Zoryana, was among those rescued. Mr Kuleba said she had been separated from her father by Russians, who was stripped of his documents and deported.

The girl was forced to study in a Russian school, where she was told about the greatness of Russia and taught to use weapons, he said.

Mr Kuleba wrote: “They are all in our Hope and Recovery centers and are receiving psychological support, documentation assistance, housing, and care — everything to help them regain a sense of security and start building a future.

“But thousands of children still remain under occupation. They are forced to be silent, conformed, and prepared for war. But we are not stopping.”

Volodymyr Zelensky called on lawmakers to pass key legislation next week to avert a funding crisis, help Ukraine fight the war against Russia, and enact key reforms ⁠required for European Union accession.

Due to lagging reforms and slow legislative progress in late 2025 and early 2026, Ukraine missed deadlines to unlock billions from its key lenders, economists said.

With the need for external financing standing at $52 billion this year – equivalent to around a quarter of annual economic output – the budget situation is desperate.

Zelensky said: “I ⁠have a list of key draft laws that ​are ⁠critical for securing funding.” They range from strengthening the court system to reforming energy sector procedures.

“I believe that members of parliament from ⁠all parties must understand the importance of these bills for Ukraine’s budget,” said Zelensky.

David Arakhamia, ‌head of the ruling Servant of the People faction, said lawmakers planned to meet on Monday to discuss the legislation with the key ministers. Voting is planned for 7 and 8 April.

Ukraine depends ‌on Western financial support as it fights a bigger and ‌better-equipped enemy. Since the 2022 invasion, Kyiv has received about $174 billion in economic aid.

But this year, key funding has been stalled after Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban, who maintains close ties with Moscow, blocked a 90 billion euro loan to ⁠Ukraine. By contrast, Russia will benefit from the surge in global oil prices due to the war in Iran.

Russia has issued a stark warning to its citizens, advising them against travel to countries with extradition treaties with the United States.

In a travel advisory on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry stated that “the intensity of Washington’s punitive justice” has increased since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It cautioned that individuals risk lengthy prison sentences if extradited to the US.

“With numerous extraterritorial sanctions ⁠targeting strategic segments of the domestic ​economy, ⁠many Russians, without even realising it, risk finding themselves in the crosshairs of American law enforcement and ⁠intelligence agencies,” the ministry said.

It said, without providing evidence or ​examples, ⁠that “U.S. intelligence agencies often engage ‌in fraudulent schemes to lure Russian citizens abroad with lucrative commercial or tourist offers”.

• Russia made no frontline gains in Ukraine during March, marking the first time in two and a half years, with Ukrainian forces recapturing 9 square kilometres.
• The slowdown in Russian advances is attributed to Ukrainian counteroffensives and communication issues, including Russia’s ban on Starlink terminals and attempts to restrict Telegram.
• Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Donald Trump’s threat to withdraw from NATO, citing a lack of support for his war in Iran, appears to be ‘Putin’s dream plan’.
• Trump indicated he was ‘seriously considering’ Washington’s withdrawal from the military alliance, claiming members ‘were not there for us’ during his conflict in Iran.
• Ukraine’s military has refuted Russia’s assertion of having taken complete control of the eastern Luhansk region, reporting no significant changes on the battlefield.

A large-scale daytime Russian strike killed at least two people in Ukraine on Friday, officials said, in what President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced as an “Easter escalation,” as ⁠Moscow shifts tactics to avoid Ukrainian air defences.

Since the beginning of the war more than four years ago, Russia has mainly carried out major drone and missile strikes at night. In recent weeks, it has repeatedly sent hundreds of drones and missiles during the daytime, setting a record for the number of weapons used in one such strike on ⁠March 24.

On Friday, drones struck residential and civilian infrastructure ​in ⁠central Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions, killing one person in each, their governors said on the Telegram app.

“Essentially, the Russians have only intensified their strikes, turning what should have been silence ⁠in the skies into an Easter escalation,” Zelensky said on X.

On Friday evening, the governor of the ​eastern ⁠Donetsk region, Vadym Filashkin, said a Russian bomb ‌strike killed three people in Kramatorsk, a frequent target in four years of conflict.

Ukraine has brought back eight children and teenagers from occupied territories, a Ukrainian humanitarian NGO has announced.

Mykola Kuleba, the founder of Save Ukraine, said they had all been living in conditions of pressure and fear, and their lives were under constant threat.

One 14 year old, Zoryana, was among those rescued. Mr Kuleba said she had been separated from her father by Russians, who was stripped of his documents and deported.

The girl was forced to study in a Russian school, where she was told about the greatness of Russia and taught to use weapons, he said.

Mr Kuleba wrote: “They are all in our Hope and Recovery centers and are receiving psychological support, documentation assistance, housing, and care — everything to help them regain a sense of security and start building a future.

“But thousands of children still remain under occupation. They are forced to be silent, conformed, and prepared for war. But we are not stopping.”

Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Pope Leo on Friday as Russia attacked Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles.

The Ukrainian president said the two spoke on the phone about the ongoing negotiations with the US and thanked him for helping returning abducted children and for the humanitarian aid provided by the Vatican.

“Today I spoke with Pope Leo XIV. Right during this conversation, the Russians attacked Ukraine again—hundreds of “Shaheds” and dozens of missiles against our cities and communities,” he said.

“In fact, the attack has been ongoing in waves since the night, and at least five regions have already come under fire.

“Not a single hour of peace for our people, and this is Russia’s response to our proposal for a ceasefire at Easter. In fact, the Russians have only increased the intensity of the strikes and, instead of silence in the skies, are staging an Easter escalation.

“I am especially grateful that the Pope remembers Ukraine, Ukrainians, and prays for peace for our people.”

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had foiled an ⁠attack planned by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) against a senior law enforcement official ⁠near ​a business ⁠centre in Moscow, state-run RIA news ⁠agency reported.

The ⁠FSB did not give details on the intended target or when the attack was due to ‌take place, but said in a statement on Friday: “The SBU ​planned to ⁠remotely detonate ‌the explosive device during the target’s visit to ‌the business centre, ‌having identified him through organized video surveillance.”