Steve Capus

I’m spending this week once again in Ukraine, a place I strongly support and will always hold close to my heart. 🇺🇦 People here are strong, determined, filled with national & personal pride—while enduring a bitterly cold winter. Here’s some of what I’ve seen this week: 🧵1/7

Russia Is a Terrorist State.

It was a Kh-101 missile that struck a residential building in Kyiv, according to preliminary data. The missile was manufactured in the second quarter of this year. This means Russia is still importing the components, resources, and equipment necessary for missile production in circumvention of global sanctions. Stopping Russia’s sanctions evasion schemes must be a genuine priority for all our partners.

A new proposal from @AtlanticCouncil’s @andrew_danieri & @MKSapuppo calls on the U.S. government to work towards the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan — including unjustly imprisoned @RFERL journalist Farid Mehralizada and VOA journalist @UlviyyaAli. atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/now…

As of now, already 5 people have been reported killed in Kyiv as a result of last night’s Russian attack. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Around 40 people have been injured in the capital, and another 7 in the Kyiv region. There are already 28 injured in Kharkiv. And two people have been injured in the Odesa region. In total, 180 sites have been damaged across the country, including more than 50 ordinary residential buildings. A search and rescue operation is still ongoing in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district. Efforts continue to find people under the rubble. More than 10 people are reported missing. All necessary services are also operating in the Obolonskyi district. And recovery efforts are underway after Russian strikes in the Poltava region. Overall, more than 750 personnel of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and nearly 750 police officers have already been engaged across the country to eliminate the consequences of the attack. I am grateful to all who help the rescuers and the police Also, earlier today, during a humanitarian mission in Kherson, the Russians twice attacked a vehicle of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs with FPV drones, and the Russians could not have been unaware of which vehicle they were targeting. The Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and eight other staff members were inside. Fortunately, no one was injured. The mission personnel have been evacuated. Even so, a significant number of missiles and drones were shot down during these attacks – the overall interception rate is over 93%. Of course, it needs to be higher. And of course, the most difficult challenge is defending against ballistic missiles. I thank everyone who is helping us with this. There must be a just response to all these strikes. And pressure on Moscow must be such that they feel the consequences of their terror there. It is important that global sanctions against Russia remain in place. Russia’s accountability for this war, and our sanctions pressure, must work at full strength. And it is also very important that the world does not stay silent about this terror and stands with Ukraine.

CPJ is grateful to @SenatorDurbin and @SenTedCruz for leading the effort to pass the unanimous bipartisan U.S. Senate resolution calling for the immediate release of Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai. Journalism is not a crime, and Jimmy Lai must be freed immediately and unconditionally. Read the resolution: congress.gov/bill/119th-con…

Truly journalists of moral courage !!

"... freedom for one must never mean forgetting the others still behind bars. Today, I fight for my RFE/RL colleagues still unjustly imprisoned – Nika Novak in Russia, Farid Mehralizada in Azerbaijan, and Reza Valizadeh in Iran. Today, I fight for every American still wrongfully detained." @AlsuKurmasheva and @PashaButorin accept the @JamesFoleyFund World Press Freedom Award for their unwavering advocacy on behalf of journalists imprisoned by repressive regimes.

Deeply honored to receive the @JamesFoleyFund World Press Freedom Award together with @PashaButorin this week. To @FoleyDi , thank you for this honor in Jim’s name. We honor Jim’s legacy by refusing to look away until every family can be whole again.

🤭

Heja Sverige 🇸🇪! 🍦

Standing with @HaroldJezler and his family means everything. Thank you for your kind words - the honor is mine. As a survivor of wrongful imprisonment in Russia, I know exactly what Olga and her loved ones are enduring. Let’s bring Olga home @StateDept @StateSPEHA @POTUS @SebGorka

So proud of my @RFERL colleagues @AlsuKurmasheva & @PashaButorin who turned a dark year of their lives into a motivating factor to become 2 of the world’s foremost advocates for an end to journalists’ imprisonment. Thanks @FoleyDi @JamesFoleyFund for bestowing this honor

Today is Europe Day. And Ukraine is marking it not formally or through sloganeering, but fully aware that we are already an inseparable part of the European family. We are defending Ukraine, our independence, our future – and in doing so, we in Ukraine are defending our Europe. A Europe of which Ukraine has been and will remain a part. From the first days of the full-scale war until today, Europe has stood with Ukraine. And this is not charity – it is a choice made by Europeans: to stand on the same side as the brave and the strong – the Ukrainians who are fighting today for peace and true protection against tyranny, not only for themselves, but for the entire continent. And we will inevitably defend our state, our people, and our right to freely choose our future – a future in Europe. Glory to Ukraine!

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi is in critical condition in Iranian custody, her family says time.com/article/2026/0…

Ukraine’s long-range strikes are reshaping the war, with Russia’s Leningrad Oblast now declared a "frontline" region. @RFERL’s @RadioSvoboda and @SvobodaRadio track how targeted drone attacks on critical oil and military infrastructure are impacting Russia's strategic depth. Read more: rferl.org/a/ukraine-russ…

Today is the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism. The day when all of Europe marks the end of the most terrible war of the 20th century. A war after which there should have been only genuine peace. That was the dream back then, when the guns of World War II began to fall silent. That war turned our land into a battlefield of brutal fighting, abuse in occupied territory, and the mass destruction of people and life. The losses of the Ukrainian people were among the greatest in World War II. And the contribution of Ukrainians to the defeat of the Nazis was also among the greatest. Millions of Ukrainians, serving in various armies of the Anti-Hitler Coalition states, fought against Nazism. Millions of Ukrainians were among the victors, having done everything in their power to ensure that absolute evil was defeated. Unfortunately, 81 years later, we are once again forced to stop evil – evil that is just as absolute. Evil that brings nothing but ruins and abuse. And evil based on a similar ideology of enmity. An updated version of Nazism, marked: made in Russia. Today, such Russian aggression can and must be defeated by the united free world. And I am grateful to everyone who helps us defend life. I am grateful to everyone who is not allowing this Russian regime to dictate to the world what comes next. Defending people’s lives and the freedom of nations from Putin is an absolutely dignified way to honor the memory of those who did not allow Hitler to subjugate Europe and the world. Eternal gratitude to all who fought against Nazism and liberated people! Blessed memory to all innocent victims of World War II! Glory to every defender of life! Glory to Ukraine!

A kindergarten! How many horrific attacks on innocents of Ukraine does the world have to witness? Russia has the ability and responsibility to end this senseless civilian carnage.

Czechia has long supported every effort to stop the killing and achieve a lasting peace. Despite not having started the war, Ukraine has repeatedly shown its readiness for an immediate ceasefire. Today’s declaration is further evidence of that. The ball is now in Russia’s court. Chance to show it’s about more than just enjoying the parade.

As of today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media. We believe that human life is far more valuable than any anniversary “celebration”. In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 on the night of May 5–6. In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect. We will act reciprocally starting from that moment. It is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end their war, especially since Russia’s Defense Ministry believes it cannot hold a parade in Moscow without Ukraine’s goodwill.

In the #WorldPressFreedomDay edition of Journalists in Trouble: Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court rejected @RFERL journalist Farid Mehralizada’s appeal, upholding his unjust nine-year sentence. Former @RFERL journalist Reza Valizadeh was recognized by @OneFreePress as one of the most urgent cases for journalists under threat. And more: about.rferl.org/article/journa…