Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 9 that Ukraine is interested in purchasing a large package of weapons from the United States as security guarantees against a future Russian invasion. This will likely be part of a future mineral resources deal, News.bg reports.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukraine has recently proposed purchasing air defense systems and weapons worth between $30 billion and $50 billion. Kiev is ready to purchase these systems independently — either through a direct payment to the United States or through a fund created under a future U.S.-Ukraine mineral resources deal.
Zelensky has also recently discussed this proposal with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump.
Russia's continued unfounded accusations of ceasefire violations — related to energy strikes — despite the lack of a formal ceasefire agreement, show how Russia could act if it accepts the ground ceasefire that Ukraine and the United States have already approved.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed without evidence on April 9 that Ukrainian forces had carried out 32 strikes on energy infrastructure in — — "Russian regions" between April 4 and 7. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) also claims that Ukraine has attacked energy facilities in the occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, as well as in Krasnodar Krai and other regions.
It is unclear whether these energy facilities fall within the scope of a possible ceasefire, as the terms of the agreement have not been published. ISW continues to assess that Russia is using the lack of a clearly defined ceasefire agreement to portray Ukraine as a disingenuous participant in peace talks.
Russia continues to insist that Ukraine is violating the ceasefire, emphasizing the need for a signed and publicly available ceasefire agreement that includes monitoring and adjudication mechanisms.
The Kremlin is using bilateral talks with the United States to delay talks on the war in Ukraine, indicating that Russia remains uninterested in serious peace talks. American and Russian delegations met in Istanbul on April 10 to discuss the stability of their bilateral missions.
The Russian ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, announced that the United States and Russia had agreed on measures to facilitate the movement of diplomats and expedite the process of issuing diplomatic visas. The Russian delegation also pressed for the return of confiscated Russian diplomatic property in the United States.
Russia is reportedly using social media and financial incentives to recruit Chinese citizens to join the Russian military. Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Ukrainian authorities have identified 155 Chinese citizens fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine, but there are likely many more.
Russian forces are posting ads on TikTok and other Chinese social media to recruit Chinese citizens. Candidates undergo medical examinations and brief military training before being sent to the front in Ukraine.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that a Russian representative recruited a Chinese citizen who signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense upon his arrival in Moscow in February 2025.
Meanwhile, Russian forces recently executed a wounded Ukrainian prisoner of war in the Liman region. ISW has observed a sharp increase in such incidents in 2024 and 2025 and continues to assess that Russian military commanders are likely complicit in or directly allowing executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war in violation of international law.
The Kremlin has also used accusations of protecting Russian "compatriots abroad" and has actively interfered in the internal affairs of the Baltic states, accusing Estonia of persecuting Orthodox Christians. These accusations come after the Estonian parliament passed amendments to the Churches Act that would force the Estonian Orthodox Church to sever its ties with the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Kremlin continues to use the church as a tool for hybrid operations in Ukraine and the countries of the former Soviet Union, with the aim of suppressing religious freedom and promoting pro-Kremlin ideology.