Russian Oil: Some Flowing, Some Burning – Ukraine Latest, April 22

“Donnyland” in Donbas, the Druzhba paradox, and more Moscow visits – updates from Ukraine and beyond Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied This handout photograph taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on April 21, 2026, shows firefighters extinguish a fire following a Russian UAVs attack in the city of Sumy amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / STATE EMERGENSY SERVICE OF UKRAINE / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google It is somewhat ironic that paying Moscow is a prerequisite for Europe to approve a loan to Kyiv. Oversimplification that might be, but the EU is finally signaling progress on the long-delayed €90 billion ($106 billion) loan for Ukraine so Kyiv can pay the bills this summer – in exchange for Kyiv repairing the Druzhba pipeline so Hungary and Slovakia can keep buying Russian oil, which reportedly is already beginning to flow to Slovakia . Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . But just as the oil starts flowing again, Russia said Kazakh oil bound for Germany via the same pipeline will be halted due to unspecified “technical capabilities.” Otherwise, Kyiv’s attacks on Russian oil continued unabated – major fires broke out in Tuapse after refineries were struck (again), with some claiming oil was practically raining from the sky after the attack. In response to the intensifying strikes, Russia is now tightening centralized government control over domestic fuel supplies . Strikes on Crimea are also intensifying, with the Black Sea Fleet command hub struck overnight, paving the way to what some suspect to be Kyiv’s potential offensive against the occupied peninsula, though it is still too early to tell. But Russia’s daily drone strikes also show no signs of slowing, with 215 drones spotted overnight , hitting rail and port infrastructure across Ukraine. And with air defense still in severe short supply, Germany has asked the rest of Europe to step up support for Kyiv – but the production pace remains a key hurdle, alongside political will. Other Topics of Interest Moscow Confirms Russia Will Halt Kazakh Oil Flows to Germany via Druzhba Moscow said flows will be redirected from May, citing technical constraints after recent disruptions. Granted, Europe is also stepping up other non-military support for Kyiv – a meeting in Brussels on May 11 is set to address the return of abducted Ukrainian children , and the bloc is eyeing an entry ban for Russian war veterans. The developments in Iran, to put it diplomatically, are not very encouraging. US President Donald Trump is extending the two-week ceasefire , but his vice president’s trip to a planned peace talk is also called off. Meanwhile, Trump now says Iran is “ collapsing financially ,” while the US’s precision missile stockpile has reportedly been nearly halved because of Iran. To put things into perspective, the US reportedly fired 800 Patriot missiles within weeks in Iran, while around 620 Patriot missiles were delivered in 2025 – which was already an all-time high. Kyiv previously said the attacks on Russian oil are meant to pressure Moscow to the negotiating table – but now maybe Uncle Sam also needs to be pressured to the table – or visit Kyiv at the very least, with President Volodymyr Zelensky slamming US envoys’ planned visit to Moscow again without ever coming to Kyiv, which former US ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer told us is exactly why the negotiations are not working out . Even proposing to name parts of Donbas “Donnyland” has failed to win Uncle Sam over to Kyiv’s side, according to media reports. Interested in more updates like this? Subscribe to our daily newsletter here . Leo Chiu is a journalist and editor based in Eastern Europe since 2015. He has witnessed two presidential elections in Belarus and traveled widely to conflict zones and contested regions, producing reporting that bridges the gap between major developments and local realities.