Astronauts of the Artemis-2 mission have traveled the maximum distance from Earth in human history and are returning after a successful flyby of the Moon; Zelenskyy said that if Russia stops its attacks on energy, Ukraine will “respond in kind”; in March, Ukraine launched more drones into Russia than Russia into Ukraine; in Romania, two Ukrainians were accused of planting explosives in the Nova Poshta office — Suspilne collected the main news on the morning of April 7.
Artemis 2 mission returns to Earth
Astronauts of the Artemis II mission have traveled the furthest distance from Earth in human history, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on social media on April 6.
The crew of the mission, which flew around the moon, broke the record for the greatest distance that humans have ever traveled from Earth. The previous record was set by the crew of the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, when astronauts traveled about 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers). The crew of the Artemis 2 mission broke that record by about 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers).
Having successfully completed the lunar orbit, the crew has re-established radio contact with Mission Control after a 40-minute pause caused by radio shadowing, and is returning to Earth. Immediately after re-establishing contact, a mission participant made a statement.
“When we started this flight to the Moon, I said we are not leaving Earth, we are choosing it. And it is true. We will explore. We will build. We will build ships. We will revisit Earth. We will build scientific outposts. We will operate rovers. We will do radio astronomy. We will start companies. We will grow industries. We will inspire. But ultimately, we will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other,” Koch said.
Context: A four-member crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — were scheduled to orbit the moon during a 10-day mission. It was the first manned deep space flight since 1970, when the American Apollo mission made history by first setting foot on the lunar surface.
Zelenskyy — about strikes on the energy sector
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if Russia is ready to stop attacks on Ukrainian energy, Ukraine will also “respond in kind.” He said this during an address on April 6.
“If Russia is ready to stop attacks on our energy sector, we will be ready to respond to them in kind. And the Russian side has this proposal – through the Americans,” the head of state said.
Zelensky also said that the Ukrainian and American sides are currently “working on documents” regarding a peace agreement to end Russia's war against Ukraine. He stressed that it is important for Kyiv that its partners hear the Ukrainians' position and “that we continue to proceed productively in the negotiations.”
Context: the day before, Zelensky, based on the results of a report by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, and the Chief of the General Staff, Andriy Hnatov, reported that Ukrainian long-range strikes on the Russian oil infrastructure were reducing revenues to the Russian budget.
Ukraine overtook Russia in the number of drone attacks in March
In March 2026, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched more strike drones into Russia than Russia launched into Ukraine, ABC News reported.
Journalists analyzed daily data published by the Ukrainian Air Force and the Russian Ministry of Defense. Thus, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the shooting down of 7,347 Ukrainian drones in March 2026. This is an average of 237 devices per day. ABC News clarifies that the Russian Ministry of Defense publishes data only on downed drones, and also notes that it cannot independently verify the data of the Russian agency.
The media estimated that the Air Force reported the attack of 6,462 Russian drones and 138 missiles of various types in March 2026. Of these, the Air Defense Forces destroyed or intercepted 5,833 drones and 102 missiles. This is about 90% of the drones and about 74% of the missiles. On average, Russia attacked Ukraine with 208 drones per day during March.
ABC News reported that 6,600 Russian drones and missiles are a record number of weapons launched by Russia against Ukraine in a single month.
Accusations of Ukrainians in Romania
Romanian prosecutors have charged two Ukrainians with attempted sabotage as part of an alleged conspiracy linked to Russia, Balkan Insight reported.
According to Romanian law enforcement, two Ukrainians, aged 23 and 24, placed two packages containing a flammable substance in the premises of Nova Post, a courier service of Nova Poshta that operates abroad, in October.
The post office is located on the first floor of a seven-story apartment building in a central, densely populated area of Bucharest. Prosecutors believe the suspects thereby threatened Romania's national security.
The Ukrainians were taken into custody. They face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.