[Korrespondent] 22:47 The Foreign Ministry accused the Vatican of trying to equate the victim and the aggressor after on Good Friday during the procession in Rome, its organizers again placed a Ukrainian and a Russian side by side - this time two teenagers. "We are disappointed that the Holy See did not take into account the arguments of the Ukrainian side about the offensive nature of such a gesture," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
21:26 In the battles for Bakhmut, the Russian Federation attracts its most professional units - these are not only Wagner PMC mercenaries, but also special forces and air assault units, said Anna Malyar, Deputy Defense Minister. According to her, in Bakhmut the enemy shows a high intensity of actions, uses maximum efforts, but suffers significant losses.
"This requires appropriate defense measures on our part and prompt decisions. The situation is currently under control. The command is constantly working in the combat zone. Headquarters work around the clock. Decisions on the situation are made 24/7," Malyar said.
20:51 Zelensky said in an evening video message that this week is ending with good results for Ukraine - "in arms, in international support, in expanding our ties with the world, in our movement into NATO." The President listed the main achievements of the week:
- Visit to Poland and agreements with it: "Poland has fulfilled everything declared on tanks - they are already in Ukraine, in particular Leopards. There are new agreements on infantry fighting vehicles - more than a hundred vehicles. On armored personnel carriers - Rosomak - 200 vehicles (100 now and 100 later). More self-propelled mortars, additional missiles, MiGs..."
- 35th defense package from the USA: missiles for Hymars and air defense, shells for artillery, for protection against armored vehicles, etc.
- Germany is investing another 200 million euros in Ukraine - in particular, these are projects of German companies that will help economic and, therefore, social stability.
- The Netherlands has announced an aid package worth more than 270 million euros - recovery, humanitarian support, non-lethal support for defense, and support for justice.
- Denmark and Norway are working on a joint assistance package with shells for Ukrainian artillery.
- New sanctions decisions of Australia and New Zealand.
- Lithuanian Seimas announced the need to invite Ukraine to become a member of NATO - at a summit in Vilnius in July.
20:23 The Russians fired on the Kupyansky district of the Kharkiv region: two people were killed in the village of Dvurechnaya, in the village. Podoly one person was injured, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.
18:52 The leadership of the RF Armed Forces decided on April 29 to release cadets of higher military educational institutions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kostroma, Penza, Omsk, Tyumen, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Volsk and Blagoveshchensk ahead of schedule. At the same time, graduations from universities that train specialists for military units of the Strategic Missile Forces, the Aerospace Forces and the Naval Forces will be carried out in accordance with previously planned schedules, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in an evening summary.
17:34 In the occupied territory of the Zaporozhye region, the Russians dug a large number of trenches, the length of which in some places reaches 70 km, and installed concrete "dragon's teeth," Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov said and showed a photo. In addition, the occupiers mine the fields, and also set up training grounds for the mobilized right in the middle of the field. Fedorov emphasized that as a result, chemical pollution of land and groundwater occurs.
15:46 Another 31 deported children have been returned to Ukraine, said Mykola Kuleba, executive director of the Save Ukraine charity. He specified that this was already the fifth rescue mission, and during the fourth, 18 Ukrainian children were returned.
| God be thanked, and those who accomplished these missions, and those who permitted the missions to be accomplished. |
14:21 Russia is producing a new type of aerial bombs weighing one and a half tons, which Ukraine has nothing to shoot down yet, said Yury Ignat, speaker of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He recalled that recently Shoigu defiantly went to an enterprise where such bombs are produced. They will probably also be equipped with wings and GPS navigation, Ignat added.
“One and a half ton bombs are already three times as powerful. The means that can counter them are Patriot, SAMP / T systems from the ground. And best of all, modern F-16 aircraft or other 4+ generations capable of resisting Russian aviation on distant approaches "The enemy is using these bombs remotely. So far, with impunity. It must be understood that such bombs strike from a distance of 50+ km and along the line of a military clash or state border. Therefore, there is nothing to get them yet - it is the planes that launch them," Ignat explained.
13:15 The court sentenced to eight years in prison a GRU informant who corrected enemy shelling of civilian infrastructure facilities in the Nikolaev region. On his "tip" the Russians launched a missile attack on two local schools. The former head of the security service of one of the infrastructure facilities of Nikolaev turned out to be the spotter.
12:24 "Head" of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov said that a missile allegedly launched from Ukraine was shot down over Feodosia. Rocket fragments fell in one of the Crimean settlements, there were no casualties or destruction.
11:47 Podolyak said that "leaks" of secret documents are the work of the Russian special services: "The purpose of" leaks "of secret data is obvious: 1. To divert attention. 2. Sow doubts and mutual suspicions. 3. Introduce splits... This is a standard game You take open briefings, add fictitious information or individual elements of intercepts and publish them on social networks, legalizing the "leak".
11:22 The Russians have been shelling the civilian sector in Orekhov and Gulyaipole, Zaporozhye region since the morning, one person was wounded, the OVA reported.
10:35 British intelligence states that over the autumn and winter Russia failed to bring the unified energy system of Ukraine to collapse, and now this campaign has actually been curtailed.
Ukrenergo reported that the Russians fired more than 1,200 missiles and drones at key energy facilities, more than 250 of them hit the target. 43% of backbone networks were damaged. All thermal and hydroelectric power plants were fired upon and received varying degrees of damage.
09:38 The Times writes, citing sources, that at the end of October 2022, Ukrainian troops tried to land troops and storm the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, but failed. Official Kyiv does not confirm this information, however, Ukrainian special forces, representatives of intelligence and the Navy, on condition of anonymity, disclosed to journalists the details of the operation.
According to the newspaper, on the night of October 19, 600 Ukrainian soldiers on 30 boats tried to land on the left bank of the Dnieper. They had heavy machine guns, MK-19 grenade launchers and anti-tank weapons. However, the Russians pulled up tanks and artillery and began to fire at the commandos right on the water. Then HIMARS began to work on the positions of the Russians, and a small group of Ukrainian military nevertheless managed to get to the coast. They engaged in a three-hour skirmish with the Russian army in the vicinity of Energodar, but were then forced to retreat.
09:33 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, four people were killed (three in Bogorodichny and one in Torsk), another person was injured. In the Kharkov region, one person died as a result of shelling with. Borodyanka. In the Kherson region, eight people were injured, including two children, according to the IVA.
09:14 Russian officials have been banned from leaving the country, writes The Bell, citing two sources. According to them, travel permits for the entire leadership of the government - including ministers, chiefs of staff, their deputies and heads of departments - must be agreed and signed personally by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. At the same time, no such restrictions were introduced for employees of the presidential administration. One of the sources explained this by Mishustin's "special diligence".
08:52 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of April 8.
- personnel - about 177,680 (+570) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3636 (+3),
- armored combat vehicles - 7020 (+4),
- artillery systems - 2727 (+5),
- MLRS - 533 (+0),
- air defense systems - 282 (+1),
- aircraft - 307 (+1),
- helicopters - 292 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2298 (+7),
- cruise missiles - 911 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 5599 (+12),
- special equipment - 304 (+0).
08:31 The Russian army continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions. Over the past 24 hours, more than 60 enemy attacks were repelled in the indicated directions, the General Staff reported in the morning summary .
In the occupied territories of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, the Russians stepped up preparations for the evacuation of the local population to Crimea. In particular, in Melitopol and Skadovsk, the invaders organized a survey of the local population about a possible evacuation. During the survey, the presence of a Russian passport, residence permit and level of education are checked. There is a periodic departure of buses with those wishing to evacuate. The occupiers warn that the forced evacuation of the civilian population will begin from the end of April.
06:19 Blinken said that at the moment negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are impossible: "For some, the idea of ​​a ceasefire may be tempting - and I understand this. But if this means the actual ratification of Russia's seizure of significant Ukrainian territories, then this will not be a just and lasting peace."
According to the US Secretary of State, Russia can use the ceasefire to regroup its troops in order to attack again some time later. "Russia must get to the point where it is ready for constructive negotiations. The goal must be a just and lasting peace," he added.
03:46 The United States announced a new leak of a batch of secret documents that describe the principles of US national security. The documents relate to the war in Ukraine, China and the Middle East, writes The New York Times. Analysts believe that the leak could cause huge damage to US national security.
Mick Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official, said the leaked classified documents represent a significant security breach that could hinder Ukraine's military planning. "Because mostly photos of the documents were released, it appears that this was a deliberate leak by someone who wanted to harm the efforts of Ukraine, the US and NATO," he said. At the same time, he called the published documents "the tip of the iceberg."