Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:04 Ukraine has begun negotiations on a security treaty with the Czech Republic, the Presidential Office reported.
22:00 The G7 countries are considering $300 billion of frozen assets of the Russian Federation as collateral for loans to Ukraine, said Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis. According to him, discussions are still ongoing, but a decision should be made in the first half of the year.
21:39 Ukraine is launching mass production of an analogue of the Chinese DJI Mavic drone, Forbes writes. According to the publication, already in the summer the Ukrainian army may receive the first batches of the domestic analogue of the Chinese UAV. It was developed by a Ukrainian company that has been mass-producing drones for various purposes since 2017, in particular copter-bombers. The design of the UAV is resistant to damage, it can be repaired and serviced in the field. The most important advantage of the Shmavik is its protection from enemy electronic warfare. The drone kit costs about $3,500.
20:46 The Netherlands is not the only state that is ready to buy the Patriot system for Ukraine, Kuleba said.
20:18 Switzerland will allocate more than 5 billion euros for the restoration of Ukraine until 2036, the country’s government reported. The phased approach assumes that support for Ukraine until 2028 will amount to about 1.5 billion euros.
20:06 In Germany, two men were again arrested, suspected of planning sabotage on behalf of the Russian secret service. The German publication Der Spiegel reports, citing the German prosecutor's office, that those arrested tried to undermine Berlin's support for Ukraine. Read more in the article Spies from the "DPR" in Germany.
19:58 Ukraine may receive six more Patriot air defense systems, Scholz said. According to him, six systems can be supplied by NATO partners, and Berlin has already decided to transfer one more. "We have heard about seven additional systems. One of them is ours, and we hope to find six more in the NATO context, and I have again used this opportunity in many negotiations to make this point," the chancellor said.
19:07 Ukraine has new models of drones that can fly over a distance of more than 3,000 km and reach Russian Siberia, writes The Economist.
18:25 Law enforcement officers detained a Polish citizen who wanted to help the Russian Federation commit an attempt on Zelensky, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported. According to the investigation, the suspect, on his own initiative, established contact with the command of the Russian Armed Forces and announced his readiness to work for Russian military intelligence. His tasks included collecting and transmitting information about the security of Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in Poland. This was, among other things, to help the Russian intelligence services plan an attempt on Zelensky’s life during his stay in the country. The Russian special services agent was identified and detained on Polish territory.
17:58 The first F-16 fighter with trained Ukrainian pilots will arrive in Ukraine before the end of spring, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said.
17:19 Kiev must provide itself with soldiers, Stoltenberg said: “It’s not for me to go into details, but I am sure that Ukraine will make the necessary decisions to mobilize the required number of people.”
17:04 If a shortage occurs in the energy system during the repair campaign at power plants in the spring and summer, schedules for limiting industrial consumers will be applied, said the head of Ukrenergo Vladimir Kudrytsky. He explained that in the Ukrainian energy system, after large-scale attacks, a repair campaign has already begun at power plants, including nuclear ones, and an increasing number of generating capacities will need to be taken out for repairs, so shortages will arise from time to time. It will be covered by imported electricity, and if it is insufficient, restriction schedules for industry may be applied.
16:56 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution dedicated to the death of Navalny. PACE stated that it does not recognize the legitimacy of Putin as president of the Russian Federation and calls on other European countries and observers to sever all contacts with him, “except for contacts with humanitarian goals and goals aimed at peace.”
16:27 Ukraine received the first decision on the purchase of Ukrainian weapons for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the expense of its Western partner - Denmark, said the head of the Ministry of Strategic Industry Alexander Kamyshin. According to him, we are talking about approximately $28 million, which are provided for in the new aid package from Denmark.
The minister emphasized that the Ukrainian defense industry has already developed so much that the state budget cannot load manufacturers with orders at maximum capacity: “The capabilities of the Ukrainian defense industry are about 20 billion dollars. At the same time, Ukraine has only 6 billion for the purchase of weapons. Roughly speaking, only a third of all the machines that exist in the country - because there is not enough money to provide the rest with orders."
According to Kamyshin, the best way out of this situation is to convince partners who are ready to buy weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to do so in Ukraine. For this purpose, a global fundraising campaign ZBROYARI was launched, the goal of which is to raise $10 billion for the production of Ukrainian weapons this year. Money from Denmark is the first contribution within this platform.
15:59 In the border Novgorod-Seversky district of the Chernihiv region, the Russians targeted with drones a civilian car of a bakery that was delivering bread - the driver was injured, the store premises were damaged, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.
15:20 Russian diesel fuel exports fell by a quarter in April due to drone attacks, and oil refining rates are near an 11-month low, Bloomberg writes.
14:54 Chechen authorities said that Palestinian refugees will be employed at the Chechenavto plant, which produces so-called “jihad machines,” Russian media write. The Russian army uses these vehicles in the war in Ukraine.
14:16 In April, ten Bogdan self-propelled guns will be produced in Ukraine for the first time, and from next month this figure will increase, Zelensky said following a daily report on the security situation. According to him, the share of domestic production is constantly growing, the state concludes with Ukrainian enterprises “serious, long-term contracts that provide predictability, the opportunity to recruit people and attract investments.”
In addition, the president heard reports from the commander-in-chief and intelligence agencies, who reported on the results of the strike on Russian targets in Crimea. “We are still waiting for final data, but it is already clear that the occupiers suffered painful losses. Also, according to intelligence reports, after our actions in the Black Sea, Russia is moving ships, including Caliber carriers, to the Caspian Sea,” Zelensky added.
13:52 As a result of a missile attack in the Dnieper region, an infrastructure facility and an enterprise were damaged, and two fires are still ongoing, said the head of the Air Defense Forces Sergei Lysak.
13:38 Ivano-Frankivsk was the enemy’s main target during today’s night attack, said Air Force spokesman Ilya Yevlash. According to him, the Russian suicide bombers flew along standard routes and tried to bypass air defense in hard-to-reach areas. They also tried to bypass Ivano-Frankivsk and attack the city from different sides. They also walked in a line to make it more difficult to hit them.
13:10 As a result of the successful operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the Dzhankoy military airfield in Crimea on April 17, four S-400 air defense missile launchers, three radar stations, an air defense control center, as well as Fundament-M air surveillance equipment were destroyed or critically damaged. The number of enemy aviation targets hit or destroyed and the number of casualties among Russian army personnel is being clarified, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported.
13:03 In the Rostov region, drones attacked the Kamensky chemical plant, the opposition Russian publication Astra reported. According to sources, the enterprise was attacked by three UAVs - all of them were shot down, but one fell onto the territory of the plant, damaging the administrative building. The Kamensky plant is one of the largest chemical enterprises in the south of Russia. In particular, they produce fuel for rocket engines there.
Astra also reported that on April 17, the village of Borovko, Klimovsky district, Bryansk region, was shelled - three servicemen from Chechnya were wounded, and there were no casualties among civilians.
12:39 The Russians launched a missile attack on the Dnieper region. According to preliminary information, two people were injured and there were several fires, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak.
12:16 South Korea will provide $200 million worth of humanitarian aid to Ukraine this year as part of the promised package totaling $2.3 billion, Finance Minister Choi Sang Mokk said. He clarified that the remaining $2.1 billion will be provided in the form of long-term, low-interest loans through the Economic Development and Cooperation Fund starting in 2025. In addition, South Korea will donate $50 million each to the World Bank and the EBRD for their assistance projects to Ukraine.
12:01 Ukraine will receive another - already the fourth - Iris-T air defense system in the next few weeks, the head of the manufacturing company, Helmut Rauch, said during a visit to Kiev. “Three of our systems are already in Ukraine, and even more will be delivered this year. The next one is in just a few weeks,” he noted.
11:53 In German Bavaria, two agents were detained who worked for the Russian intelligence services and intended to carry out sabotage at military infrastructure facilities in order to undermine military support for Ukraine, writes Der Spiegel.
11:30 Trump the night before during a private dinner with Polish President Andrzej Duda in New York discussed the war in Ukraine and defense spending of NATO countries, the US presidential candidate's campaign said.
11:02 Kiev does not rule out that Russia will attack Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Zelensky said during an address to the countries participating in the meeting of the European Council. According to him, the Russian Federation destroyed almost all Ukrainian thermal power generation. The Russians are also hitting dams, hydroelectric power equipment and gas infrastructure. Moscow also does not refuse radiation blackmail, so it is possible that not only the infrastructure of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is under threat.
"This can only be stopped by the power of air defense - specific Patriot, IRIS-T, SAMP/T, NASAMS systems. Systems that are at your disposal. They are needed in Ukraine right now. They are needed so that Putin is deprived of the habit of relying on terrorist methods, and this, in particular, is your need for security,” the president emphasized.
10:55 In the Kherson region over the past 24 hours, 16 people were injured as a result of Russian shelling, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. The Russian army shelled Mikhailovka, Berislav, Novotyaginka, Chaikino, Antonovka, Zmievka, Gavrilovka, Ivanovka and the city of Kherson.
10:48 In the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed in Selidovo, two more were wounded in Krasnohorivka, Pokrovsky district, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.
10:24 Following the summit, the EU called for speeding up the delivery of weapons and strengthening the air defense of Ukraine. "The European Council emphasizes the need to urgently ensure Ukraine's air defense and to accelerate and intensify the delivery of all necessary military assistance, including artillery ammunition and missiles," the statement said.
09:57 Syrsky said that he had a telephone conversation with the head of the European Command of the US Armed Forces and the Supreme Commander of NATO Allied Armed Forces in Europe Christopher Cavoli. He informed about the developments at the front and the urgent needs of Ukraine, in particular for modern air defense systems, artillery and ammunition, as well as heavy armored vehicles.
09:29 House Speaker Mike Johnson said that aid to Ukraine is now “critically important”: “This is a critical time, a critical time on the world stage. I could make a selfish decision and do things differently, but I’m doing what I think it’s right. I think that providing weapons to Ukraine is critically important now. I really think so.”
He also added that he “would prefer to send bullets to Ukraine than to American guys,” and believes in the possibility of a Russian attack on NATO. "I really believe the intelligence and the briefings that we have been receiving. I believe that Xi, Vladimir Putin and Iran are an axis of evil. I think they are coordinating their actions. I think Vladimir Putin would continue to march across Europe if If only he would be allowed. I think he could go to the Balkans. I think he could have a showdown with Poland or one of our NATO allies,” the speaker noted.
09:18 Air defense at night destroyed all 13 attack UAVs of the Shahed-131/136 type, which Russia attacked from Primorsko-Akhtarsk and from the Crimean Cape Chauda, the Air Force command reported. Drones were destroyed in Kherson, Dnepropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Poltava, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.
09:15 In Chernigov, a search and rescue operation has been completed after yesterday's missile attack: 18 people were killed, 78 were injured. 37 people are undergoing inpatient treatment, said the head of the OVA, Vyacheslav Chaus.
09:09 German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck arrived in Kiev along with a delegation, German media write. The focus of his visit is Russia's massive attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and emergency assistance to the country in these conditions, as well as German assistance in strengthening the Ukrainian economy.
09:04 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of April 18:
- personnel - about 456,960 (+910) people,
- tanks - 7196 (+3),
- armored combat vehicles - 13,835 (+8),
- artillery systems - 11,637 (+13),
- MLRS - 1046 (+0),
- air defense systems - 760 (+0),
- aircraft - 347 (+0),
- helicopters - 325 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 9284 (+5),
- cruise missiles - 2093 (+0),
- ships/boats - 26 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 15,618 (+31),
- special equipment - 1915 (+5).
08:43 Over the past 24 hours, 87 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In particular, in the Bakhmut direction, 24 enemy attacks were repelled in the areas of Belogorovka settlements in the Luhansk region, as well as Vyemka, Razdolovka, Chasov Yar, Novy, Kleshcheevka in the Donetsk region. In addition, the enemy tried 23 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novopavlovsk direction - in the areas of Vodyanoye, Krasnogorovka, Pobeda, Novomikhailovka and Urozhaynoye in the Donetsk region. Another 19 attacks were repelled in the Avdeevsky direction - in the Semenovka, Novobakhmutovka, Ocheretino, Novokalinovo, Yasnobrodovka, Netaylovo, Pervomaisky and Novoukrainka districts of the Donetsk region.
In the Kupyansky direction, the Defense Forces repelled four attacks in the Novosergeevka area of the Kharkov region; on Limansky - three attacks in the Nevsky district of the Lugansk region and Ternov, Donetsk region; on Orekhovsky - five attacks in the Staromayorsky district of the Donetsk region; on Kherson - three attacks on the left bank of the Dnieper.
08:30 In the morning, the Russians attacked the Ivano-Frankivsk region with attack drones, targeting critical infrastructure. All drones were neutralized, but fires started as a result of falling debris. No people were injured, said Svetlana Onishchuk, head of the OVA.
07:29 As a result of yesterday's missile attack on Chernigov, 18 people were killed and 77 were injured (including four children), including three people rescued from the rubble. 71% of the destroyed part of the building has been dismantled, rescue work continues, the State Emergency Service reported.
07:18 As a result of Russian shelling of Ochakov, Nikolaev region, on the night of Wednesday, April 17, four people were injured - all of them sought medical help yesterday during the day, said the head of the OVA Vitaly Kim.
07:13 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that at night air defense systems allegedly destroyed two missiles, 19 rockets, 16 UAVs and two small-sized balloons over the territory of the Belgorod region, three more UAVs over the Rostov region, one UAV was intercepted and three balloons were destroyed over the Voronezh region region.
05:17 Budanov said in an interview with The Washington Post that Russia is preparing for another large-scale offensive in June. In particular, the Russian army will try to completely capture the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. At the same time, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate recalled that the Kremlin has repeatedly set the task for Russian troops to completely capture Donbass, but this has not yet happened.
Budanov also said that Ukraine has its own plan, “aimed at reducing Russian potential. It covers many aspects, for example, military industry, critical military facilities, airfields, control posts.” In particular, Ukraine is planning new cross-border attacks by Russian volunteers, as well as new drone attacks.
“The purpose of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory is to show that Putin cannot protect the population from war within the country... When you sit, say, in St. Petersburg, and see the war only on TV, you will always support. But people start to get nervous when some object is attacked near their home,” the intelligence officer explained.
05:06 The G7 countries intend to keep Russian assets frozen until they obtain payment from Moscow for the damage caused to Ukraine, the finance ministers and heads of central banks of the G7 countries said in a statement.