Military personnel aged 18-25 will receive a one-year deferral after the end of their contract; hourly power outages will be in effect for all consumers on April 9; the head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Health sends a deputy to Ukraine who could not answer the question of who owns Crimea; the media published recordings of conversations between Szijjártó and Lavrov, in which they coordinate actions against the interests of Ukraine and the European Union — Suspilne collected the main news on the morning of April 9.
Postponement after “Contract 18-25”
Servicemen aged 18-25 who have signed a one-year contract with the Defense Forces will receive a guaranteed deferment from conscription for 12 months after their discharge, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced.
According to him, the Defense Ministry team, together with the Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, finalized the relevant resolution.
“The norm has been fully implemented. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the mechanism for its registration. Now it is a full-fledged tool that works in practice. The deferment is valid for 12 months after discharge. During this period, conscription is possible only with the consent of the military,” Fedorov noted.
According to the minister, this decision lays the foundation for a modern professional army, where service is a conscious choice.
Context: On February 11, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in its entirety Bill No. 13574, which provides for a one-year deferment for men who have served a year under the “Contract 18-24”.
Hourly power outages
Ukrenergo warns that due to the consequences of the Russian missile and drone attacks, electricity supply restrictions for industrial consumers and hourly outages for all categories of consumers will be applied. This is stated on the company's Telegram page.
Hourly outages for all categories of consumers will last from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and power restriction schedules for industrial consumers will last from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Ukrenergo emphasizes that the situation in the power system may change during the day, so current information about outages should be checked on the official pages of local regional power companies.
Deputy Head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Health is traveling to Ukraine
Lithuanian Health Minister Maria Jakubauskiene said she plans to send her new deputy, Arnomedas Galdikas, to work in Ukraine after he failed to immediately answer a question about who owns Crimea, LRT media reported.
“We will send our vice minister to work in Ukraine. I already told him yesterday that he will have to go,” said the head of the Ministry of Health.
According to Jakubauskiene, the decision was made after discussions with Prime Minister Inga Ruginene. The minister did not specify what exactly Galdikas will do and when he will leave for Ukraine.
The publication notes that the government official faced criticism after failing to clearly state in an interview with LRT that Crimea belongs to Ukraine. Journalists asked Galdikas this question several times, and he tried to avoid answering.
“I am not responsible for this political situation. We agreed to talk only about… this… medicine… I don't know what to do in this situation. Please don't ask me…. I don't know who Crimea belongs to,” he said.
He asked journalist Laima Karalyute what the point of the question was. She explained that she wanted to know his political views, and then Galdikas replied, “Okay, Ukraine.”
Context: Arnomedas Galdikas became Lithuania's Deputy Minister of Health on March 16 — he is a member of the populist Nieman Dawn party, which is part of the ruling coalition.
Media published recordings of conversations between Szijjarto and Lavrov
As investigators found, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó coordinated with Russia actions against the interests of Ukraine and the EU, in particular, he used the issue of the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine as a weapon to slow down negotiations on EU accession, and suggested that the Russian Foreign Minister send EU documents through the Hungarian embassy in Moscow. This is stated in the Vsquare material from April 8.
The material contains audio recordings of conversations between the Hungarian minister and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The recordings cover the years 2023-2025. They were received and confirmed by a consortium of investigative journalists, which includes Vsquare Frontstory.pl, Delfi Estonia, The Insider and the Jan Kuciak Investigative Center (ICJK).
According to investigators, Szijjártó's role as Lavrov's informant went beyond revealing sensitive discussions and protocols within the EU. During their numerous conversations, Szijjártó reportedly provided Lavrov with information about how the united Western coalition was preparing to increase pressure on Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
Context: On April 7, Bloomberg published a transcript of a phone call between Orbán and Putin on October 17, 2025, provided by a Hungarian government source. During the call, Orbán compared himself to a mouse helping a lion, referring to Putin, and said he was ready to be helpful “in any matter.”