From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / April 30, 2025
As Moscow Declares Victory Day Ceasefire, Kremlin Officials Reveal Unchanged Maximalist Demands While Russia Intensifies Attacks in Three Directions and Strikes Kharkiv
Summary of the Day – April 29, 2025
Russia’s true intentions came sharply into focus today as Security Council Secretary Dmitry Medvedev demanded “victory” and “destruction” of Ukraine’s government, while Lavrov declared Putin’s three-day May ceasefire the “beginning of direct negotiations.” Russian forces intensified operations in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, pushing toward Dnipropetrovsk Oblast as drone strikes injured 47 civilians in Kharkiv. Families evacuated from eastern villages as Russian troops closed in. The UN Security Council convened on Russian aggression while Ukraine’s Defense Ministry appointed three deputy ministers. U.S. Special Envoy Kellogg dismissed Russia’s truce as “absurd” and revealed a 22-point peace plan, as European officials feared Trump’s administration might abandon negotiations despite Putin’s insistence on controlling four Ukrainian regions.
“Victory and Destruction”: Medvedev Reveals Kremlin’s True War Aims
Russian Security Council Secretary Dmitry Medvedev stated bluntly on April 29 that Russia’s war in Ukraine must end in Russian “victory” and the “destruction” of the current Ukrainian government. This declaration, alongside other statements from senior Kremlin figures, signaled that Russia’s territorial ambitions extend beyond currently occupied territories, particularly regarding regions bordering the Black Sea.
Voice of Ukraine 