Trump rejects Iran peace proposal, oil rises; Israeli base allegedly found in Iraqi desert; South Korea condemns Hormuz attack on Korean ship.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Four mothers at The Counteroffensive are raising children during the war. One calls explosions thunder, another shows her daughter photos of Shaheds. This Mother's Day, they share what it's like to explain the unexplainable.

Good morning to readers. Oil prices are at $102 per barrel (+41% compared to pre-war). Making underground films in Iran brought Hamed a world of trouble, but the war only made it worse. But when a strike blew out his windows, he fled Iran. He is still trying to finish his film.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. On Friday, Zelenskyy - always the comedian - issued a formal decree just to troll Russians. The decree 'permits' Russia to hold its 'Victory Day' parade on Ukrainian terms and with the parade's GPS coordinates listed.

NEWSFLASH: Trump declares a 3-day Ukraine-Russia ceasefire. The ceasefire is set to start on the day of Russia’s WWII Victory Day Parade and include a prisoner exchange.

U.S. hits tanker and targets in southern Iran; Trump: strikes were “just a love tap”; UAE reports fresh Iranian attacks.

Good morning to readers. Oil prices are at $101.92 per barrel (+ 39.87% compared to pre-war). Roya grew up in luxury in Mahshahr, a Iranian city built around the oil and shipping industry. But the war has turned the city of Roya's memories into a shell of what it once was.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Amidst student debt and unaffordable rent, communist ideals are gaining popularity amongst Gen Z in the West. Serafima tells us about the reality of living under communism and what it did to her family.

Good morning to readers. Oil prices have surpassed $114.03 per barrel (+56,48% compared to pre-war). Attacks on Iran's industrial base have sent the rate of unemployment skyrocketing. For young people like Nami, their only option is to leave Iran and start their lives anew.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Recent mass shootings in Kyiv have sparked debate over whether to legalize firearms for civilians. Oleksandr and Viktor have both served in the military but this is an issue they can't agree on.

NEWSFLASH: Iran, U.S. launch strikes as ceasefire frays Strikes at sea and in the Gulf signal the April truce is breaking down.

Trump, U.S. ‘Operation Freedom’ to rescue stranded ships in Hormuz; Tanker struck after Trump’s ‘Operation Freedom’ announcement; U.S. Central Command, U.S. warships crossed Hormuz Strait.

In January, when the U.S. removed Maduro from power, a new freer future become possible. But 4 months later, Venezuela's political prisoners are still waiting behind bars. Gloria traveled 200 miles to protest outside the prison where her son has been held for six years.

Good morning to readers; Oil prices have rebounded to above $111,34 per barrel (+52,8% compared to pre-war). Lilian’s aunt went back home to southern Lebanon, found half of her house on the ground, grabbed what she could, and left again. Her family doesn’t trust this “ceasefire.”

New peace proposal from Iran may emerge today; Hormuz blockade opens alternative trade routes; Trump considers Italy, Spain troop cuts. Meanwhile, U.S. Navy seeks AI mine solutions and Southern Lebanon is under attack by Israel.

Good morning to readers. Oil prices have surpassed $111 per barrel (+52% compared to pre-war). Sami has spent nearly a decade delivering aid to Yemen through the Bab Al-Mandeb strait. Now Iran is threatening to close it — and he fears what comes next.

NEWSFLASH: Oil prices soar above $120 per barrel. The last time this happened was after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Brent crude peaked at $139.13 per barrel in March 2022.

Good morning to readers. Oil prices have surpassed $101.85 per barrel (+39.77% compared to pre-war). The absence of regime change in Iran puts LGBTQ people under deadly life threats. AnyFox, a gay man from Iran, has had to hide his identity and eventually flee the country.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Kateryna spent every summer in Tuapse, Russia as a child. Today, she woke up to news that Ukrainian drones hit the city's oil refinery again and felt nothing but satisfaction. She explains why. www.counteroffensive.news/p/why-i-am-h...

Iran’s foreign minister visits Putin; Iran seeks Hormuz deal first; Israeli strikes kill 14 in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Iran may be burning oil to manage output and the U.S. blockade has turned around 38 ships.

Good afternoon to readers. Oil prices have surpassed $99 per barrel (+36% compared to pre-war). As talks resume in Islamabad, the Kurds are, once again, left out. Our reporter Christopher, who was there back in 2003, has seen this before.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Yana comes to the Kyiv Reservoir to relax, but there is always a risk. 40 years after Chornobyl, a scientist warns that one Russian strike on the dam could send radioactive sediment down the Dnipro to the Black Sea.

Good morning to readers. Oil prices have surpassed $102.44 per barrel (+40.58% compared to pre-war). As the death toll in Iran exceeds 3,000, people have nowhere to hide from attacks. Without proper shelter, Maryam used to spend hours in her tiny bathroom, counting the strikes.

Good morning to readers. Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. For the 3rd anniversary of The Counteroffensive, we invite you behind the scenes of our daily work. In this issue, learn more about us and our most memorable stories.

Good morning to readers. Oil prices have surpassed $95.25 per barrel (+30.71% compared to pre-war). The U.S. and Israel claim they destroyed Iran's weapons, but it has plenty. Peyman is used to missiles flying overhead towards underground storage units across his native town, Isfahan.

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.

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.

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.

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.

NEWSFLASH: Terror attack in Kyiv. A gunman opened fire on pedestrians in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district, killing at least five. The shooter barricaded himself in a supermarket.

Good morning to readers; Oil prices have rebounded to above $90 per barrel (+24% compared to pre-war). A Ukrainian drone maker and a former US Special Operations Forces operator explain what intelligence Russia is transferring to Iran during four years of war in Ukraine.

NEWSFLASH: US renews sanctions waiver for Russian oil. Late on Friday night – apparently to escape public notice – the Trump administration reversed their pledge, renewing lapsed sanctions waivers for Russian oil.

NEWSFLASH: Iran says Strait of Hormuz open for business. The move, in response to yesterday's Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, immediately sent crude prices down.

Iran may offer safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz; Israeli and Lebanese heads of state to meet today; Israel destroys last link to southern Lebanon.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Russia targets Ukrainian kids online. Security trainer Vasyl Filonenko teaches children to spot and avoid Russian online traps.

Good morning to readers. Oil prices have surpassed $95.30 per barrel (+30.78% compared to pre-war). Taiwan's famous night markets are next to feel the Iran war. As prices for plastic bags, gas and even vegetable oil spike, A-Chan does all he can to save his family’s tofu shop.

Good morning to readers. Oil prices are at $111 per barrel (+47% compared to pre-war). The Strait of Hormuz has turned into a trap at sea. Mohamed receives desperate pleas to repatriate stranded crew caught in the crisis.

NEWSFLASH: Orbán concedes election, Hungary gets new government. J.D. Vance’s last-minute campaigning did not move the needle; Hungary will replace its government with one that is more friendly to Ukraine and the European Union.

Hi from Budapest, I’ll be discussing the Hungary election results shortly with @anneapplebaum and my colleague Mariana Lastovyria here! open.substack.com/live-stream/...

Magyar says Orban has conceded

U.S.-Iran peace talks fail; Trump announces U.S. blockade in Strait of Hormuz; death tolls in Iran, Lebanon reach thousands. Meanwhile, tankers in Hormuz make last-minute u-turns, and Iran’s internet shutdown breaks global records.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Right now, Hungarians are voting in the parliamentary election that can transform the government for the first time in 16 years. Norbert, a Roma and an LGBTQ person, is hoping for a change.

Our reporter, Mariana, is on her way to Hungary to cover the elections this weekend. This Sunday, April 12th, Me, Mariana Lastovyria and Anne Applebaum will host a Substack livestream!

Good morning to readers. Oil prices are at $111 per barrel (+47% compared to pre-war). Isfahan civilians are trapped between airstrikes and Basij checkpoints amid inflation and fear. Mehrdad says there is no love lost for the regime in Isfahan.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Orbán’s anti-Ukraine rhetoric divides families; Christian Shkiryak is ethnically Hungarian and a Bucha survivor, remains definitive in his pro-Ukrainian position, despite the rhetoric.

Iran says Israeli strikes render peace talks meaningless; Europe condemns Israel’s attacks; U.S. to keep troops in place until ceasefire agreement is clear.

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Ukrainian drones now strike deeper in Russia. Serhii Okhotnik’s drone designs keep Ukrainian soldiers safe, trading Chinese Mavics for a Ukrainian design.

NEWSFLASH: Iran ceasefire unraveling, Hormuz closed The fragile agreement made between the U.S., Israel and Iran—mediated by Pakistan—already seems to be falling apart.

NEWSFLASH: Vance insults Zelenskyy as he endorses Hungary’s Orban Vance promoted the pro-Kremlin candidate in Hungary’s upcoming Sunday election on the second day of his visit to the country.

Good morning to readers. Oil prices have surpassed $94 per barrel (+31.25% compared to pre-war). As the U.S.–Iran truce holds, heavy anticipation fills the Middle East. For those fleeing, the silence is too fragile to trust. Is this peace or just a pause before the unknown?