Photo: Oleg Kiper/Odeska ODA (OVA) / Telegram On the night of April 30, the Russian military launched a series of drone strikes in Odessa. Local authorities report at least 20 casualties. Among the wounded is a 17-year-old teenager. Two people are in intensive care in serious condition. The police clarified that private houses, a kindergarten, a hotel and several infrastructure facilities were damaged.

Negotiations were held in Montreal to agree on the charter of the new Defense, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB). According to the Canadian Ministry of Finance, the organization's headquarters will be in Canada. The DSRB would have to help fund the rearmament of countries that face increased geopolitical risks. “We are very pleased with the progress made during the recent negotiations in Montreal to create a Defense, Security and Resilience Bank.

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a lengthy statement in which he demanded the withdrawal of US troops from the region and promised that Iran would maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz, The New York Times reports . The announcement was timed to coincide with Gulf National Day, an Iranian public holiday commemorating the victory over Portugal at the Battle of the Gulf in 1622.

Vladimir Putin announced that the head of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, is leaving his post and “moving to another job.” The president announced this at a meeting with representatives of the republic, reports RIA Novosti and TASS . Melikov's term of office expired in September 2026.

The UK has set out plans to create an alliance of “northern navies” to strengthen defenses in northwestern Europe and the Arctic, according to a report by The Times citing remarks by First Sea Lord Gwyn Jenkins, the head of the Royal Navy, at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). A full transcript of Jenkins’ speech was published on the UK Government’s website.

The US Supreme Court handed down a 6:3 decision yesterday in the case of Louisiana v. Calles, significantly limiting the ability of racial minorities to challenge discriminatorily drawn electoral maps. From now on, it is not enough for them to show that the map actually dilutes their votes; they must prove that the state did it intentionally. The case grew out of a years-long dispute over the redrawing of Louisiana's districts after the 2020 census.

The police of Karachay-Cherkessia detained 16 local residents under the article of organizing the activities of an extremist organization. This was reported by a source of the SOS Crisis Group. All of the defendants were members of a queer dating group on VKontakte—according to available data, one of the few such communities in the region that escaped blocking.

The entire international jury of the 61st Venice Art Biennale resigned on April 30, nine days before the opening of the exhibition, scheduled for May 9. The jury included President Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Diangani Ose, Marta Kuzma and Giovanna Zapperi. In a statement published on the E-flux Instagram account, the jury members referred to their position presented on April 22, without providing further clarification.

In Dagestan, security forces detained 11 residents of the village of Gubden, Karabudakhkent district, who are suspected of having actually established their own “religious order” in the village for more than ten years, since 2015. According to investigators, all this time the group operated almost openly, organizing a system of control over residents.

The EU has suspended all development plan payments to Serbia due to lack of progress in reforming the judicial system. This was stated by the European Commissioner for Enlargement of the European Union, Martha Kos, at a conference in Friborg: “At the moment, we have suspended all payments under the development plan, as there is again a rollback [of reforms] in the judicial system.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has requested the transfer of Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles to the Middle East. Bloomberg writes about this with reference to sources. CENTCOM justified this request by arguing that Tehran had moved its launch sites deeper into the country. They are now located beyond the range of the missiles currently in service with the army in the region. The Dark Eagle missiles themselves are not yet in service with the United States.

The UK will create an alliance of “northern fleets” to strengthen defenses in north-west Europe and the Arctic. According to The Times, this was stated by the Commander-in-Chief of the British Navy, Gwyn Jenkins, speaking at the Royal United Institute for Defense Studies: “Rearmament and increasing the country’s combat readiness have become an absolute necessity. Simply maintaining the status quo of combat capability is not enough.

The most dangerous regions for journalists remain Eastern Europe and the Middle East, as they were 25 years ago. An example is Russia, which dropped one position in the ranking over the course of the year, to 172nd place: “Vladimir Putin's Russia has become an expert at using counter-terrorism, separatism and extremism laws to restrict press freedom.

The Insider verified that the streamers' accounts were indeed banned. Their Alabuga banners have been removed. On April 25, Twitch blocked about 15 channels that advertised Alabuga. Sports publications wrote that we were talking about a blocking for 30 days, but it lasted only three days. "Alabuga Polytech" is located in the special economic zone "Alabuga" in Tatarstan.

Since the outbreak of war with the Israeli-US coalition, Iranian authorities have executed at least 21 people on charges related to national security violations. More than 4 thousand more people were arrested throughout the country. Reuters writes about this with reference to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. He clarifies that at least nine people were executed in connection with the protests that took place in the country in January.