The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the war in Ukraine, and elsewhere on the frontlines for democracy. Issues 3x a week...

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DOG OF WAR:

Zhuzha often attends trainings and conferences with her owner, a Ukrainian human rights defender. It’s windy outside, so she is wearing her stylish warm sweater.

Ukraine launches terror investigation after a gunman killed 7 and took hostages in Kyiv supermarket | CNN Seven people are dead and more than a dozen others were injured after a man opened fire on civilians in a street in Kyiv on Saturday before taking hostages in a supermarket, Ukrainian authorities said...

NEW DETAILS ON THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN KYIV: The gunman who opened fire in Kyiv posted anti-Ukrainian and anti-Semitic messages, denied Ukraine’s right to exist, and expressed a desire for Russia to have occupied Bakhmut sooner.

Russia begins development of major manganese deposit in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast Russia is moving to develop a major manganese deposit in occupied parts of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian media reported on April 17.

RUSSIA MOVES TO EXPLOIT OCCUPIED UKRAINE’S MINERALS: A Russian company affiliated with the state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec has been granted a license to develop one of the world’s five largest manganese deposits in the occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region.

Мадяр заявив, що «не знає правди» щодо викраденого майна «Ощадбанку». Про це хоче говорити Зеленський Петер Мадяр — очільник партії «Тиса», яка здобула перемогу на парламентських виборах в Угорщині, — готовий обговорити з Україною конфісковане майно «Ощадбанку» після вступу на посаду прем'єра.

HUNGARY’S NEW PRIME MINISTER READY TO DISCUSS STOLEN FUNDS: Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, who won Hungary’s parliamentary elections, is willing to discuss the confiscated assets of Oschadbank with Ukraine after taking office as prime minister.

Ukraine Sees Druzhba Oil Return Tuesday, Paving Way for Loan Ukraine expects oil to resume flowing through the Druzhba pipeline as soon as Tuesday, clearing the way for the European Union to unblock a much-needed €90 billion ($106 billion) loan for Kyiv.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

DRUZHBA OIL PIPELINE TO BE RELAUNCHED: Ukraine is planning to resume oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline on Tuesday, anonymous sources told Bloomberg.

Foreign fighters risk prison back home Some foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine may face legal charges in their home countries for unauthorized military service abroad — yet they keep coming. Yu, a South Korean veteran, is one of them.

If you want to know more about foreign fighters in Ukraine, read our lastest story via the link.

This drone operator who fought against Russian forces and returned home to Australia in January 2026 can now face up to 20 years in prison for violating domestic laws.

Yu’s fears are well-grounded. Earlier this month, Australian police charged a citizen for serving in the Ukrainian military without governmental authorization.

Yu knew it might be a one-way ticket, that he might never return home if the authorities found out he had joined the Ukrainian army. He could easily face real prison time. In his country, simply visiting Ukraine could be considered a crime.

“If they knew, they might call the police…I will probably go to prison,” said Yu.
Once a South Korean former Marine Corps sergeant and a Korean Army reservist, he crossed the Ukrainian border in 2023 to fight against Russia.

KYIV, Ukraine — Yu* keeps a big secret. He has been carefully hiding it for three years, even from his friends, whom he left thousands of miles away without any explanation.

Foreign fighters risk prison back home Some foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine may face legal charges in their home countries for unauthorized military service abroad — yet they keep coming. Yu, a South Korean veteran, is one of them.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

Yu, a South Korean Marine, risks ending up in prison for joining Ukrainian army.

He believes what started in Ukraine might spread to Korea, and he wants to defend it from afar.

Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak | Substack A publication to report on the war in Iran through the stories of people on the ground. Click to read Iran War Dispatches with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

It’s Monday… and the weekend of war news was a wild one. Our roundups are here to help you stay up to speed.

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First Iranian ship seized by U.S. blockade; Iran rejects peace talks; Israel tightens control in Lebanon Meanwhile, Iran rejects Trump’s claim that they have agreed to collaborate on a uranium transfer, and the UAE turns to the U.S. for a financial backstop.

Also in today's news:
UAE turns to U.S. for financial backstop; energy markets surge, again;
Qatar resumes international flights.
Find out more via the link!

Update from Sanam Mahoozi

IRAN DENIES TRUMP’S URANIUM TRANSFER CLAIM: Iran said that the transfer of Iran’s uranium had never been discussed with the U.S. This directly contradicts Trump’s claim on Thursday that Iran had agreed to cooperate with the U.S. to remove their uranium and transfer it to the U.S.

Israel vows to counter threats in Lebanon with 'full force, both on the ground and from the air' On Sunday, the Israeli military published a map showing its 'forward defense line' and an area in red stretching the length of the south Lebanon border, where it said forces were operating to dismantl...

ISRAEL TIGHTENS CONTROL IN SOUTHERN LEBANON: The Israeli government has published a map with a ‘forward defense line marked on it,’ an area along Lebanon’s southern border that stretches 5-7 kilometers deep. Israel warned citizens that IDF forces were present in the marked area.

Update from Sanam Mahoozi

…. MEANWHILE IRAN REJECTS PEACE TALKS:

Following the U.S. seizure of the Iranian vessel, Iran has backtracked on its ambitions for peace talks with the U.S. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said Tehran has “no plans” to attend renewed peace talks with the U.S.

U.S. Fires on Iranian Cargo Ship in Arabian Sea

The latest news at this hour:

FIRST IRANIAN SHIP SEIZED BY U.S. BLOCKADE: The U.S. fired on and seized a cargo ship belonging to Iran after the vessel tried to ‘violate’ the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

First Iranian ship seized by U.S. blockade; Iran rejects peace talks; Israel tightens control in Lebanon Meanwhile, Iran rejects Trump’s claim that they have agreed to collaborate on a uranium transfer, and the UAE turns to the U.S. for a financial backstop.

First Iranian ship seized by U.S. blockade; Iran rejects peace talks; Israel tightens control in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Iran rejects Trump’s claim that they have agreed to collaborate on a uranium transfer, and the UAE turns to the U.S. for a financial backstop.

Once we were just kids with plans This month, The Counteroffensive turns three. We share our childhood dreams that shaped who they are today.

Congratulations to The Counteroffensive and @timkmak.bsky.social on their third anniversary. Compelling stories published under war time conditions, so a more lighthearted look at where who they were as kids and how they ended up in journalism today is a good way to celebrate.

The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the war in Ukraine, and elsewhere on the frontlines for democracy. Issues 3x a week...

Think you’ve seen it all? Ukraine has more to tell.

Follow human-centered reporting that goes beyond the headlines.

Subscribe through the link!

DOG OF WAR:
Oleksandra lives in a neighborhood where poodles are a rare sight, most frequently seeing corgis. But today was her lucky day.

Russia in no rush to resume Ukraine peace talks, Lavrov says "Resuming negotiations is not our top priority," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

RESUMING PEACE TALKS WITH UKRAINE IS NOT RUSSIA'S TOP PRIORITY: At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on April 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia is in no rush to resume negotiations with Ukraine.

UKRAINE HITS 4 RUSSIAN OIL SITES IN ONE NIGHT: Overnight on April 18, Ukraine's General Staff confirmed strikes on four Russian oil facilities in one night.

Gunman killed after opening fire in Kyiv supermarket; 6 dead, 14 injured A gunman who opened fire in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district on April 18 was killed by police after leaving at least six people dead and 14 others injured.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

6 DEAD, 14 INJURED IN KYIV SHOOTING: A 58-year-old man born in Moscow opened fire on pedestrians in Kyiv on April 18, killing 6 and injuring 14, including a child.

Once we were just kids with plans This month, The Counteroffensive turns three. We share our childhood dreams that shaped who they are today.

If you want to know more about attack, read our lastest story via the link.

For the third anniversary of The Counteroffensive, we gathered personal stories from our team — about who we imagined ourselves to be as children, how this journey has changed us, and which of those dreams survived when reality proved far more complicated.

Once we were just kids with plans This month, The Counteroffensive turns three. We share our childhood dreams that shaped who they are today.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

The Counteroffensive turns three. Meet the team as kids — a future priest, a candy thief, a girl who cried reading her own essay aloud.

Read about their goals from childhood to now, and how war changed everything.

The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak | Substack A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the war in Ukraine, and elsewhere on the frontlines for democracy. Issues 3x a week...

Read real stories directly from our on-the-ground team in Ukraine.

Be a part of our story – subscribe now for unmatched content.

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