Ukraine Daily

Monday, 25 April 2022

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier walks past the debris after yet another Russian shelling hit Kharkiv. The second-biggest city in Ukraine is now under constant threat of Russian bombardment and airstrikes. (Getty Images)

Russia claims it forcibly deported almost one million Ukrainians. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that since the start of a full-scale invasion, 951,000 Ukrainians had been forcibly deported to Russia from occupied Ukrainian territories, including those taken before Feb. 24. This number reportedly includes 174,689 children.

Mariupol Defenders post new video of civilians trapped in Azovstal. Shot on April 24, the video shows Azov fighters bringing food to civilians, mostly women and children, who have been sheltering in the basements of the Azovstal steel plant for two months. In the video, one woman says they only have enough water left for another week. Another says toddlers are sleeping in diapers made of plastic bags and fabric. Despite Putin’s statement to stop shelling the plant on April 21, Russia has violated the ceasefire several times.

Investigation: Russian Orthodox Church helps resettle illegally deported Ukrainians. According to journalists at Slidstvo.info, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations cooperates with the church on resettling deportees. The church accommodates Ukrainians in its churches and monasteries. In total, about 600,000 civilians were deported to Russia, including 117,000 children, according to the investigative project.

Official: Russians prepare to attack Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s home town. Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the Kryvyi Rih’s military administration, said that the offensive is expected in the coming days, but the city is “fully prepared.”

Reuters: Blinken, Austin pledge return of US diplomats, more security assistance to Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin used the first official U.S. visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded two months ago to announce a gradual return of U.S. diplomats to the country and the nomination of a new ambassador. The officials also pledged new assistance worth $713 million for Ukraine’s government and countries in the region.

9 Russian missiles hit infrastructure in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast. Governor Dmytro Lunin previously reported five missiles launched at Poltava Oblast on the evening of April 24, the day when many Ukrainians celebrate Orthodox Easter.

Ukrainian forces prevent Russian troops from moving towards Mykolaiv Oblast. The Ukrainian Operational Command South reported early on April 25 that the Ukrainian military prevented Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups’ advance towards southern Mykolaiv Oblast, causing heavy losses of personnel. The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify this claim.

Russia concentrates forces near Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. According to a Zaporizhzhia Oblast military administration spokesperson, Russian forces are building up command structures and air defense systems towards Huliaipole, 82 kilometers east of Zaporizhzhia, and continue to fire on Ukrainian army positions with mortars, artillery and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

10 people remain hospitalized after deadly Russian airstrike in Odesa. Two victims will have to undergo surgeries, Mykola Turchyn, chief physician of one of the municipal clinical hospitals, said. “Everyone is in stable condition. There are severe and medium injuries,” he added. Seven Russian missiles targeted Odesa on April 23, with one of them hitting a residential building and killing eight people, including a three-month-old baby.

Zaporizhstal steel mill restarts production at 50% of capacity after stopping for over a month. “After the front line was moved away from Zaporizhzhia, we could resume production,” Oleksandr Mironenko, CEO of Zaporizhstal plant said. Zaporizhstal is one of Ukraine’s largest steel makers. It is owned by oligarchs Rinat Akhmetov and Vadym Novynsky.

Oil storage depot in Russia’s city of Bryansk catches fire. A large fire was reported early on April 25 at an oil storage facility in Bryansk, Russian news agencies reported, citing the emergency services ministry. There are no further details at the moment. Bryansk, the administrative centre of a region bordering Ukraine, is located about 380 kilometers southwest of Moscow.

UK intelligence: Russia planning staged referendum in Kherson. According to latest British Defense Ministry update, the city is “key” to Russia’s objective of establishing a land bridge to Crimea and dominating southern Ukraine. Russia previously held an illegitimate referendum on the accession of Crimea into the Russian Federation in 2014 to retrospectively justify its land grab.

FT: Putin shifts to land-grab strategy in Ukraine. Citing an undisclosed source, the Financial Times reported that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who considered a peace deal with Ukraine last month, had lost interest in diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine. “He wants to win big,” the source said.

Russian shelling of Chuhuiv, Kharkiv oblast injures 3 people, including child. Mayor Halyna Minaeva told Suspilne media outlet that high-rise buildings and the private sector were damaged as a result of the attack.

Five Russian missiles hit infrastructure in Poltava Oblast. Governor Dmytro Lunin said that the number of casualties and the damages caused by the evening strike were being verified.

Read our exclusive, on the ground stories

April 24 marks two months since Russia began its war against Ukraine. The unprovoked Russian aggression has already cost Ukraine a devastating price, and it continues to rise every day. The Kyiv Independent takes a look at 2 months of Russia’s devastating war in before and after photos.

The Kyiv Independent talked to some of Kharkiv residents about their life in the city which became an early strategic target in Moscow’s advance. Read our story here.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Ombudsman: Russian forces kill 213 children in 2 months of invasion, injure 389. Ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova said it’s impossible to establish the actual number of dead and wounded children in areas where hostilities are ongoing and in the occupied areas. The figures are expected to be higher.

Five civilians killed in Donetsk Oblast on April 24. According to Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, as a result of Russian attacks five civilians were killed and five others injured.

Two people killed, 14 wounded in Kharkiv Oblast by Russian shelling on April 24. According to governor Oleh Synehubov, one civilian was killed in Kharkiv, another one in the town of Chuhuiv. The official said that an 11-year-old child was among the injured.

Russian Easter shelling kills two children in Donetsk Oblast. Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on April 24 that two girls, aged five and 14, were killed in Ocheretyne, Donetsk Oblast.

International response

The Times: European Commission considers ‘some form’ of oil embargo on Russia. Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commission executive vice-president, told The Times the EU would soon present a sixth package of sanctions measures against Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that would include “some form” of an oil embargo amid pressure for the bloc to deprive Moscow of energy revenues.

West Virginia to send armored personnel carriers to Ukraine. West Virginia Governor Jim Justice announced on April 22 that the state will provide Ukraine with an undisclosed number of M-113 Armored Personnel Carriers “as part of a drawdown of Department of Defense inventories to support the country.”

Red Cross calls for immediate evacuation corridor from Mariupol. In a statement on April 24, the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed deep concern for civilians in Mariupol, noting that “unhindered humanitarian access is urgently needed,” including from Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant.

WSJ: Belgium blocks export of 8,000 luxury cars to Russia. The cars, which include some of the latest models of Lexus, Cadillac, and Mercedes, were stopped in Bruges due to an EU-sanctioned ban on the export of cars to Russia worth over $54,000.

Switzerland vetoes German request to re-export ammunition to Ukraine. Swiss SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported that German arms deliveries to Ukraine are halted because Switzerland refuses to re-export ammunition used in the Marder infantry fighting vehicles. Switzerland rejected a similar request from Poland last month.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Asami Terajima, Natalia Datskevych, Thaisa Semenova, Teah Pelechaty, Olena Goncharova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Olga Rudenko, Toma Istomina, Lili Bivings and Brad LaFoy.

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