[Korrespondent] 22:34 The death toll as a result of the Russian strike on Sloviansk, Donetsk region, has risen to eight people, 21 are injured, five more are probably under the rubble , said the head of the OVA, Pavel Kirilenko. He clarified that the Russians fired at least seven missiles at the city, previously S-300s, six of them hit the residential sector, and one more hit the territory of the landscape park. Among the dead was a two-year-old child.
The blow damaged five high-rise buildings, five private houses, a school, a recreation center, an administrative building, a shop, an economic center and 12 cars. All information provided is preliminary.
21:39 Putin signed the law on the unified register of conscripts, which provides for the introduction of electronic subpoenas. The law, among other things, introduces a ban on leaving the country for citizens who have received a summons before their visit to the military registration and enlistment office, restricts the right to drive a car if the dodger has not come to the military enlistment office within 20 days. The Russian Ministry of Digital Development specified that the full register of persons liable for military service will be launched no earlier than the autumn draft.
21:35 Ukraine will not be satisfied with any decision of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, except for real steps towards its membership in the alliance, Kuleba said: "If the allies decide that they will simply confirm the open door policy on the issue of NATO membership for the 130th time , then for Ukraine this is an unacceptable result of the summit."
19:43 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he held a meeting today on Euro-Atlantic integration - "on the inevitability of combining the potentials of Ukraine and NATO": "It is obvious that Ukraine's place is in NATO. A legitimate place. And I don't want outdated illusions to still hindered our joining the alliance, even now they continue to take the time of Ukraine and partners. We are developing appropriate steps."
The president also held a meeting on the reconstruction of the country after the hostilities: "We discussed infrastructure, the economy and many other issues that need answers. We work both within the country and with partners."
In addition, during the day, Zelensky held a meeting with the head of the SBU Vasily Maliuk, as well as with the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kirill Budanov: "The key is the constant destruction of the occupiers, this is minus their logistics, any potential in the occupied territories, this is the preparation of our active operations, this is a counter-assault Job".
19:29 All eight Leopard 2 tanks that Canada promised to Ukraine have arrived in Poland, Defense Minister Anita Anand said.
19:13 The Ukrainian military completed training on the Caesar self-propelled guns in Denmark, the country's Ministry of Defense reported. At the beginning of the year, the Danish government decided to transfer all 19 French-made CAESAR artillery mounts to Ukraine. This is a newly developed artillery system that has been introduced into the Danish defenses so far. This meant that a number of technical problems arose with the system, which had to be solved in cooperation with the manufacturer and the Ukrainians, the Danish Ministry of Defense noted. The cars are planned to be sent to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
19:02 They have been talking about the counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for so long that the West is increasingly doubting the success of this operation. European officials involved in efforts to support the Ukrainian military told Bloomberg reporters that they are holding back their expectations and are considering intense fighting in 2024. Read more in the material Fracture not in 2023?
18:58 The Russians are trying to launch a narrative that supposedly the Ukrainian military command does not spare the lives of the military in Bakhmut, although their losses in this area are many times higher, said Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar. According to her, there are days when the difference in losses reaches 1:10.
"This is not the first time that the Russians take away our texts about them and pass them off as their own. The purpose of such Russian stuffing is to undermine confidence in the decisions of our military command and provoke discontent in the Ukrainian society. Those who give the command to attack our land and who concentrated the greatest efforts in Bakhmut to take control of the city at any cost. We defend ourselves and stop the enemy from moving deep into the territory," Maliar stressed.
18:38 As a result of the Russian strike on Slavyansk, five people were killed and 15 were injured. There is a possibility that seven people, including one child, are under the rubble, said Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA. According to preliminary data, the strike was carried out by S-300 missiles. Five high-rise buildings and five private houses were damaged.
17:42 The Russians fired at Slavyansk, Donetsk region, delivered several blows at once to the residential areas of the city, said the head of the OVA, Pavel Kirilenko. According to preliminary data, one person died, six were injured, the OP specified. One house was partially destroyed, fires broke out in two. The rescue operation continues.
Simultaneously with Slavyansk, the Russians attacked Kramatorsk and Konstantinovka - according to preliminary information, there were no casualties there.
17:19 Zelensky replaced the head of the Center for Special Operations for Combating Terrorism, Protecting Participants in Criminal Proceedings and Law Enforcement Officials of the SBU. Instead of Sergei Dusik, Evgeny Khmara was appointed to this position.
16:58 Russian aviation hit an industrial enterprise in the Semenovsky district of the Chernihiv region with guided bombs, one person was injured, OK Pivnich reported.
16:55 More and more Chinese components are found in Russian weapons, Vladislav Vlasyuk, Zelensky's senior adviser on sanctions policy, said in an interview with Reuters: "In weapons found on the battlefield, we continue to find various electronics. We find many different things made in China."
16:46 The Russians fired at a medical facility in Volchansk, Kharkiv region, one person was injured, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said. Also, two people were blown up by enemy mines.
16:28 The Russians have already evacuated several hundred teenagers from the occupied cities of the Zaporozhye region, Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, told Radio Liberty. According to him, the occupiers are once again going to recruit at least 200 children allegedly in the camps. "We clearly understand that this is not about recovery and not about education. Unfortunately, there are cases when not all children return," he said. Moreover, parents in most cases are not asked if they agree to let their children go.
16:02 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: "We talked about the situation at the front, our defense needs and increased support, about planned international events."
15:41 If PMC Wagner continues to use the same tactics at the front as it is now, and given their problems with replenishment from prisons, "in the medium term, it will be possible to talk about the end of the inglorious history of this terrorist group," said Sergei Cherevaty, a representative of the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine .
15:18 Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki does not rule out that the war in Ukraine may last for several years: "We do not calculate any date, but simply observe what is happening at the front, on the battlefield. And in accordance with this, we try to adapt to the situation work through our diplomacy with our partners in Western Europe to support Ukraine."
At the same time, Morawiecki believes that Ukraine has the right to strike at the territory of Russia, and such actions do not violate Kyiv's agreements with Western partners. He also said that there is no need to worry about a possible NATO war with Russia, because Russia will lose it.
14:39 The Chinese company Quzhou Nova is buying copper from the Russian-occupied Debaltseve Metallurgical Engineering Plant, Reuters reports. Reporters found that from October 2022 to March 2023, Quzhou Nova purchased at least 3,220 tons of copper alloys worth $7.4 million. Western sanctions prohibit any international trade with the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. Quzhou Nova said that the company allegedly does not import and export copper at all.
14:17 Foreign Ministry Speaker Oleg Nikolenko called Orban's statement that Ukraine "financially does not exist" cynical, since Hungary itself receives a lot of money from the EU to maintain its economic stability. "We urge Viktor Orban to face the truth: supporting Ukraine is not charity. By supporting Ukraine, Europe invests primarily in its own security. At the same time, the Hungarian authorities should be grateful that against the backdrop of unprecedented Russian aggression, Ukrainians lives, keep a peaceful sky over Budapest and other European cities," Nikolenko stressed.
13:52 In the Zaporozhye region, the Russians attacked the settlement of Orekhov from Su-35 aircraft - private houses and the building of the Youth Sports School were damaged, the President's Office reported.
13:31 The Russians are preparing to block personnel at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Energoatom said. The company explained this by the shortage of professional nuclear scientists needed to operate the station, as well as the expectation of a Ukrainian offensive. In particular, the invaders have already brought a large amount of provisions and water to the territory of the nuclear power plant. They probably won't let the station staff go after one of their regular work shifts.
Energoatom recalled that the invaders had already performed a similar trick at the beginning of a full-scale invasion, when they closed the shift of workers at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Then they did not let the staff go home for about a month, holding people hostage until the de-occupation.
13:26 A Russian woman suspected of corporate espionage was detained at an oil refinery in Gothenburg, Sweden, TV4 Nyheterna reports. The police have not commented on the case, as the investigation has not yet been completed.
12:57 The National Military Memorial Cemetery on Brovarsky Prospekt in Kiev will be opened at the end of autumn, at the same time the first burials of the dead soldiers will take place, First Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs Oleksandr Porkhun said. He clarified that the process of completing the construction of the memorial complex will take place in parallel.
12:33 SBU urges Ukrainians not to attend any mass gatherings on Easter, to observe curfew, not to ignore air raid signals, not to linger in churches during the consecration of the Easter basket unnecessarily, and also to inform law enforcement agencies about suspicious objects and persons who may arrange provocations or pose a potential threat.
12:19 According to secret Pentagon documents, the GRU special forces of the Russian Federation lost about 90-95% of the fighters in Ukraine, it will take up to ten years to recover, writes The Washington Post. In the United States, it is believed that the Russian command overly relied on special forces and used them as part of advanced infantry formations, which suffered huge losses. As a result, four out of five special forces brigades suffered significant losses.
12:08 China will not supply weapons to any of the parties in Russia's war against Ukraine and will monitor the export of dual-use goods, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said at a press conference with his German counterpart Annalena Burbock. In turn, Burbock stressed that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has a special responsibility in resolving the situation around Ukraine.
Qin Gang stressed that China would like to assist in finding a peaceful solution to this problem, but, in his words, "without recognizing the security interests of any particular party, crises and conflicts are inevitable."
12:05 Ukraine returned the bodies of another 82 dead defenders, the Ministry of Reintegration reported.
11:56 Shoigu announced the start of a surprise check in the Pacific Fleet, which was alerted in full force and began to be brought to the highest degree of combat readiness. The main goal is "to increase the ability to solve tasks to repel the aggression of a potential enemy." In particular, according to the head of the Russian Defense Ministry, during the inspection of the Pacific Fleet, it is necessary to work out actions to "repel enemy landings on the southern Kuril Islands and Sakhalin."
11:35 Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov planned to sabotage the war against Ukraine, writes DW with reference to secret Pentagon documents. So, they wanted to end the war on March 5, secretly from Putin, who was allegedly supposed to start a course of chemotherapy that day. However, later Gerasimov abandoned his plans.
11:28 Borrell warned that the position and actions of China in relation to the war in Ukraine is one of the factors that will determine the future relations between Beijing and Europe: "I am not going to lecture China or give advice, because I respect the independence and sovereignty of China. However, I must say in a friendly way: it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the EU to maintain a trusting relationship with China - which I would like - if China does not contribute to the search for a political solution based on the fact that Russia withdraws from the territory of Ukraine.
The chief EU diplomat emphasized that neutrality in conditions where there is a violation of international law does not inspire confidence: “We are not asking anyone to join our position. We only ask to recognize that in this case we are talking about a gross violation of international law. Therefore, I think that it would be good if President Xi spoke to President Zelensky and China provided more substantial humanitarian aid for war-torn Ukrainians."
11:14 According to secret Pentagon documents, Hungary could secretly help Ukraine with the delivery of weapons, writes Politico. Thus, one of them states that Hungary could allow its partners and Ukraine to use its airspace to move weapons. In the published data, it was said that Ukrainian pilots would fly on helicopters transferred by Croatia "through the airspace of Hungary."
Earlier in Budapest, they repeatedly stressed that they would not help Kyiv with weapons and would not be allowed to transport them across the country.
10:42 Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu will pay an official visit to Russia from April 16 to April 19, and will hold talks with the leadership of the Russian army, Russian media report.
10:36 In Mariupol, according to confirmed data, more than 20 thousand people died, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said in an interview with Radio Liberty: "According to our official confirmed data, more than 20 thousand people died. This is what we managed to count. We first tried and write it down. Then there was no longer such an opportunity, because there was a very dense fire - they used aircraft, and the ships entered the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. " Boychenko specified that this figure is "very cautious."
10:33 France informed Italy that the SAMP / T anti-aircraft missile system, which the countries agreed to jointly transfer to Ukraine, would be ready for shipment no earlier than June, Politico writes, citing secret Pentagon documents. It was previously assumed that the SAMP / T air defense system would be delivered to Ukraine in the spring.
10:26 Ukraine will attract world companies with advanced technologies in this area to demining its territory. The pilot project, initiated by the UN Development Program, will be implemented at one of the training grounds, remote from the war zone, in May, the Ministry of Economy reported.
UNDP approached companies and private entrepreneurs with experience in unmanned mine-clearing technologies to participate in the project. As part of the pilot project, companies are asked to survey and map an area of ​​up to 50 hectares with mines (under the surface) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) on it (on the surface). The conditions of the project assume a difficult terrain with the presence of vegetation.
To date, about 174 thousand square meters. km of the territory of Ukraine are potentially contaminated, require non-technical and technical survey and, if necessary, demining.
10:08 Orban in an interview with Radio Kossuth called Ukraine "a financially non-existent country." According to the Hungarian prime minister, "we pay for Ukrainian pensions, salaries, health care - it is clear that this cannot continue indefinitely." He also believes that as soon as Europe and the United States stop "supporting" Ukraine, the war will end.
09:47 British intelligence reports that the regular army of the Russian Federation and PMC Wagner have improved cooperation in Bakhmut and resumed the offensive. In particular, the Wagner assault groups continue to advance in the central part of Bakhmut, and the Russian Airborne Forces cover them from the flanks - to the north and south.
Ukrainian forces are experiencing significant supply difficulties, but from the positions they were forced to cede, they retreated in an organized manner, analysts say. At the same time, intelligence clarifies that Ukrainian troops are still on the defensive in the western districts of the city, but in the last 48 hours they have been subjected to particularly intense shelling.
09:38 In Melitopol, an explosion occurred near the railway depot, where the Russians accumulate their equipment and set up a repair base, Mayor Ivan Fedorov said. Collaborator Vladimir Rogov said that it was a gas cylinder that allegedly exploded in one of the garages.
08:44 In the Kherson region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, two people were killed and four were injured. In the Kharkiv region, four were wounded, according to the OVA.
08:33 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of April 14.
- personnel - about 181,090 (+500) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3650 (+4),
- armored combat vehicles - 7069 (+16),
- artillery systems - 2784 (+7),
- MLRS - 535 (+0),
- air defense systems - 283 (+0),
- aircraft - 307 (+0),
- helicopters - 293 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2339 (+0),
- cruise missiles - 911 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 5640 (+3),
- special equipment - 321 (+1).
08:25 The Russian army continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions. The most fierce battles are for Bakhmut and Marinka, over the past day 49 enemy attacks have been repulsed, the General Staff said in the morning report .
In certain settlements of the Kakhovka district of the Kherson region, the invaders are forcing local residents to re-register vehicles in accordance with Russian regulations, for which the owners need to have Russian passports. Also, activities have intensified to speed up the issuance of Russian passports in the occupied territories of the Donetsk region - the departments of the migration service of the Russian Federation work seven days a week. Priority is given to civil servants and servicemen of the first army corps.
02:50 The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov, said in an interview with the ABC TV channel that Ukraine needs to show success in the counteroffensive, otherwise "questions will arise" regarding further support from the West: "The success of this offensive is extremely necessary ... Without victories, sooner or later questions will arise whether to continue support Ukraine.
At the same time, Budanov is convinced that the leak of secret Pentagon documents will not affect relations between Ukraine and the United States: "If there is a problem, it will be solved. If there is no problem, even better. This will not affect the real results of the offensive operation."
01:18 The Ukrainian military command has various scenarios for the development of events at the front, but everything will be decided at the last moment. Therefore, assumptions about a counteroffensive have no basis, said NSDC Secretary Alexei Danilov. "Our defenders have not one, not two, not three or four options for the development of events at the front, because it depends on many factors that are evaluated every day," he explained.
Danilov also acknowledged that now there are certain delays in the supply of weapons from Western partners: "We are waiting for the help that was promised and declared by our partners. I can see that, unfortunately, not all partners have responded yet. Deliveries are now underway - I can't say that they don't exist, but there are certain delays on certain issues. Let's assume that this is a temporary situation."
00:04 The Ministry of Sports banned the Ukrainian teams from participating in tournaments with representatives of Russia and Belarus. According to the published order, we are talking about Olympic and non-Olympic sports, as well as Paralympic ones.