Ukraine Daily

Monday, 4 April 2022

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

Satellite imagery shows 45-foot-long trench at mass grave in Bucha. Imagery by Maxar Technologies taken on March 31 show the trench dug into the grounds near the Church of St. Andrews and Pervozvannoho All Saints where a mass grave has been identified. European Council President Charles Michel on April 3 called Russia’s actions in Bucha a “massacre.”

Russian forces leave Sumy Oblast. Sumy Oblast Governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky reported on April 3 that Russian forces have been withdrawing from Sumy Oblast and taking their equipment with them. “Ukraine’s Armed Forces and territorial defense battalions have pushed them away through Chernihiv Oblast,” Zhyvytsky said, warning that small groups of Russians might still be around.

Ukrainian military: Russian forces attack Vasylkiv in Kyiv Oblast with missiles. According to Ukrainian Air Force Command, Russian missiles hit a local educational facility on April 3. The same site has been previously targeted. One person is in critical condition and several people have sustained injuries.

Vereshchuk: 11 Ukrainian mayors held by Russian troops. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on April 3 that Russia had held hostage mayors in Kyiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Donetsk oblasts.

Podolyak slams Western leaders for failing to help Ukraine. Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, posted photos of Russian atrocities in Kyiv Oblast, where hundreds of civilians have been killed. “The main thing, according to our European partners, is not to provoke the Russians, right?” he wrote, comparing the mass executions in Bucha to Bosnia’s 1995 Srebrenica massacre. “Hundreds, thousands killed, torn apart, raped, cuffed, raped again and killed again,” he wrote.

Zelensky: Around 150,000 people trapped in Mariupol. In an interview with CBS on April 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was not possible to reach an agreement with Russian occupying forces regarding humanitarian corridors out of Mariupol, nor to bring humanitarian aid in.

Deputy Mayor: 80% of Izium destroyed during Russian assault. Izium Deputy Mayor Volodymyr Matsokin said in an interview on April 3 that the city lacks electricity, heating, and water. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed on April 1 that Izium, a city east of Kharkiv with a pre-war population of 45,000, had been captured by Russian troops.

Ukravtodor: Russia’s war ruins 23,000 kilometers of roads, causing $3 billion in damage. According to Andriy Ivko, deputy head of the state-owned road construction agency Ukravtodor, Russia’s full-scale invasion has also destroyed 273 structures, including bridges and overpasses, as of April 3.

Russian military shave captured female Ukrainian soldiers’ heads. According to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, 15 female Ukrainian soldiers had their hair shaved off by Russian forces. They were among the 86 Ukrainian soldiers released from Russian captivity on April 1 in a prisoner exchange.

Chernihiv mayor: 70% of city ruined by Russian attacks. Businesses in Chernihiv are not operating and there is no revenue for the local budget, Vladyslav Atroshenko said on April 3 in a televised address on Ukrainian TV.

UK intelligence: Mariupol remains key objective of Russia’s full-scale invasion. According to the U.K. Ministry of Defense’s April 3 intelligence update, heavy fighting continues in the port city of Mariupol as Russia attempts to take the city, while Ukrainian forces maintain “staunch resistance.” The update added that Mariupol is “almost certainly” a key objective of Russian offensive, as it will secure a land corridor from Russia to occupied Crimea.

Russia blames Ukraine for Bucha atrocities. Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov on April 3 said to the Russian state-run TASS news agency that reports of Russian atrocities in Bucha are “false accusations,” claiming that Ukrainian forces launched artillery fire on Bucha following the withdrawal of Russian forces.

Zakarpattia resident sells fake certificates allowing men to leave Ukraine for 20,000 euros. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that authorities have uncovered a fraudulent scheme, wherein a suspect allegedly prepared fraudulent military medical commission certificates that purport that one is not fit enough to serve in the army. Under martial law, Ukrainian men aged 18-60 are banned from leaving the country.

The Guardian: Orban wins fourth consecutive term, includes Zelensky among opponents. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was re-elected on April 3 with 53.7% of the vote. In his victory speech, he listed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, alongside the “bureaucrats in Brussels,” the “Soros empire,” and “international media,” as his opponents.

Ukrainian artists, Zelensky address audience at the Grammys. President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on April 3 in a pre-recorded video, wherein he said: “We are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence. Fill the silence with your music.” His speech was followed by a performance of “Free” by singer John Legend, who was joined by Ukrainian singer Mika Newton, bandura musician Siuzanna Iglidan, and Ukrainian poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, who performed her “Prayer” poem in English.

Ukrainian servicemen stand on the destroyed Russian’s tanks in Dmytrivka village near Kyiv on April 3, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)

The human cost of Russia’s war

Prosecutor General: 410 civilian bodies removed from Kyiv Oblast. Iryna Venediktova said that Ukrainian prosecutors, investigators, and forensic experts are examining the bodies of those found in previously-occupied territories following the withdrawal of Russian forces to document Russia’s war crimes.

UN: 1,417 civilians killed, 2,038 injured in Ukraine, not including Mariupol and Irpin. According to the UN’s human rights agency a total of 3,455 civilian casualties have been recorded since Russia’s all-out war began, although it believes the figures to be considerably higher including in Mariupol, Irpin, Izium, and Volnovakha.

At least 7 killed, 34 injured by April 3 shelling in Kharkiv. Russian forces fired at a residential area in Slobidskyi district in Ukraine’s second-largest city at around 6 p.m., damaging 10 residential buildings and a trolleybus depot, according to the regional prosecutor’s office. Three children are among those injured.

Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravicius killed in Mariupol. According to Vitaliy Manski, a Russian documentary film director, Kvedaravicius, 45, was documenting Russian atrocities in Mariupol. He was best known for his documentary “Mariupolis,” which premiered at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.

International response

Michel: EU to help prosecute Russia for ‘Bucha Massacre.‘ European Council President Charles Michel said via Twitter on April 3 that he was “shocked by haunting images of atrocities committed by Russian army” in Bucha and other Ukrainian towns in Kyiv Oblast, promising further sanctions. Hundreds of civilians have been executed by Russian forces in the region.

Johnson vows to do everything possible ‘to starve Putin’s war machine.’ In a statement addressing Russia’s “despicable attacks against innocent civilians” in Irpin and Bucha, towns northwest of Kyiv, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Britain will step up sanctions against Russia. He added that the U.K. will also bolster military and humanitarian support to Ukraine.

Die Welt: Germany refuses to supply Ukraine with 100 requested tanks. Berlin has denied Ukraine’s renewed request to supply them with 100 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, according German newspaper Die Welt. The German Defense Ministry said that all German Marder vehicles are tied to NATO obligations, so the decision to supply them to Ukraine must be made within the alliance.

Stoltenberg: Finland, Sweden ‘very much welcome’ to join NATO. Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg told CNN on April 3 that, if these countries decide to become members, NATO will find a way to admit them in a relatively quick manner.

Media: Slovak economy minister says they are ready to pay for Russian gas in rubles. Richard Sulik said on April 3 that Slovakia will not replace one gas dependency for another, but they are working to diversify their supply. Sulik said that, “In order not to stop the flow of gas, we will pay in Russian currency, unless we agree otherwise,” as quoted by Aktuality.sk news website.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Asami Terajima, Daria Shulzhenko, Oleg Sukhov, Teah Pelechaty, Olena Goncharova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Olga Rudenko, Toma Istomina, Lili Bivings and Brad LaFoy.

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