Press digest – Ukraine

40th day of heroic resistance of Ukraine against Russian military invasion

DESTRUCTION AND LOSSES

Concentrated evil has come to our land. And the whole world already knows that. Responsibility cannot be avoided. Every culprit will be found and punished.

📌A number of settlements in the Kyiv region were affected by the actions of the Russian occupiers. Many have tens or even hundreds of victims.

📌 The Russian military terrorizes civilians of Mykolayiv. On April 4 Mykolayiv was fired onto with the forbidden cluster munitions. The city hospital, regional hospital, center for preventive diseases, orphanage, 11 kindergartens, 12 schools, 1 vocational school, and 2 branches of out-of-school educational institutions were shelled. Ten civilians were killed and 46 others were injured, including children.

📌Ukrainians have spent 67% of the time since the Russian invasion on February 24 in bomb shelters. As of April 4, almost 4,800 air sirens sounded throughout Ukraine, most of them at night.

📌As of April 4, 2022, more than 425 children have become victims in Ukraine as a result of armed aggression by the Russian Federation. 161 children died, and more than 264 children were wounded.

📌 Russian troops continue to launch missile strikes on critical infrastructure throughout Ukraine. On the night of April 4, explosions were heard in Odesa, Ternopil, Rivne, Mykolayiv, Ochakiv, and Kharkiv.

📌 As a result of a rocket attack by Russian troops on residential buildings in the Slobidsky district of Kharkiv, about ten houses and a trolleybus depot were damaged. Seven people died, 34 people were injured, including 3 children.

📌In the temporarily occupied Izyum, the Russian occupiers conduct filtration measures and forcibly deport local residents to the Russian Federation.

📌 The Russian Army continues to blockade and attack Mariupol. The city has been under siege and constant shelling for more than a month. At least 100,000 residents are trapped in the city in a state of humanitarian crisis. Intelligence from the British Ministry of Defense calls Mariupol a key target of the Russian invasion — its capture should provide a land corridor from Russia to the occupied territory of Crimea.

📌 Conflict Intelligence Team investigative journalists have received confirmation that Russia is transferring troops from the Kyiv region to the Donbas area. On April 2, an echelon of airborne infantry fighting vehicles (BMD-2) was filmed in Belarus. According to the database of the Russian Railways, it goes to the station Novy Oskol in the Belgorod region, which is not far from the border with the occupied part of the Kharkiv region.

📌 Two volunteers were killed during a mortar attack in Novodruzhesk, Luhansk region. They provided humanitarian aid to local residents.

📌 Russians mined the inner territory of the central district hospital in the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhia region, in the town of Polohy. Staff and patients were warned not to return to the hospital. The wounded occupiers were placed in the hospital.

📌 Around the temporarily occupied Nova Kakhovka, the Russian military is tightening the checkpoint at checkpoints, detaining civilians and forcing them to help equip the positions. Cases of illegal seizure of vehicles from the locals have become more frequent.

📌 Since the beginning of the military aggression, Russia has been trying to physically destroy communications and TV infrastructure during attacks. In a month of the war, according to preliminary estimates, Russian troops damaged infrastructure worth more than UAH 600 billion.

📌 869 educational institutions were damaged by the bombing and shelling of the Russian occupiers. 83 of them were completely destroyed.

RUSSIAN CONTEXT

⚠️ The current Prime Minister of Hungary and a fan of Russia Victor Orban remains the head of government for a fifth term. During his speech after the announcement of the results, Orbán managed to discuss Soros’s influence in the Hungarian elections and called Zelensky the opposition.

⚠️ Russian Federation has started a covert mobilization of reservists. Privates, sergeants and officers are subjects to mobilization. The main regions for mobilization are Krasnodar Krai, Perm Krai, the Republics of Dagestan, Ingushetia, and Kalmykia. The command of the armed forces of the Russian Federation expects to involve about 60 thousand people during the mobilization.

⚠️Belarusian media published photos of the Russian soldiers who after leaving Bucha, Irpen, Borodyanka and other cities of the Kyiv region registered and sent the looted property to Russia by mail.

⚠️ Bucha “in Russian” vs. real Bucha. The Russian search engine Yandex does not display current photos of the city destroyed by Russian troops and killed residents, only archival pre-war photos.

DEFENSE UPDATES

📌 Estimated losses of the Russian Federation Army in Ukraine:

📌 Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated Kolychivka, Yahidne and Ivanivka in the Chernihiv region.

📌 As of April 4, Russian occupation forces were driven out of the Zhytomyr region. During the withdrawal, the occupiers mined private homes and surrounding forests.

Ukrainian artists turn to the historical memory of Western nations and created the project “Never Again Gallery”

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATES

HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS AND EVACUATION UPDATES

📌 On April 3, 2,694 people were evacuated through humanitarian corridors.

📌 On April 3, 7 buses accompanied by a delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross arrived in Mangush. The working group is negotiating with Russian troops there, so that on April 4 the column can continue its movement to Mariupol.

 📌 1,467 people were evacuated from the Lysychansk, Severodonetsk, Rubizhne and Kreminna in Luhansk region.

📌 On April 4, 3,376 people were evacuated through humanitarian corridors.

📌 About 600 Russian soldiers are in Ukrainian captivity.

 

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s daily statements

📌 President Zelensky initiated the creation of a special mechanism of justice in Ukraine to investigate and prosecute every crime of the Russian occupiers in our country. This mechanism will unite the efforts of national and international experts: investigators, prosecutors and judges to bring the perpetrators to justice.

📌 April 3 is the fourteenth anniversary of the NATO Summit in Bucharest. There was a chance to take Ukraine out of the gray zone in eastern Europe. From the gray area between NATO and Russia. 14 years after that miscalculation, Ukraine survived the revolution and 8 years of war in the Donbas. And now Ukraine is fighting for its life in the worst war in Europe since World War II.

📌 The President confirmed that war crimes in Bucha and other cities during the Russian occupation will be the subject of consideration by the UN Security Council on April 5.

📌 President Zelensky’s live interview for the American channel CBS about the terrible war crimes of the Russian army, the need to punish Russian military commanders and why their actions in Ukraine are genocide.

“With my own eyes I saw Bucha, Irpin, Stoyanka after the occupation. We will do our best to bring them back to life as soon as possible.”

 

PUBLIC AND BUSINESS SUPPORT

📌 Russia and Belarus have been excluded from participating in 90-95% of world sports competitions. Moreover, all world competitions, which were to take place in Russia in 2022-2024, were transferred to other countries.

📌 President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on April 3 in a pre-recorded video. In his speech, he called on the world to tell the truth about the war between Russia and Ukraine.

📌 The American licensing company of foreign doctors ECFMG denies Russians certificates.

📌 Irish food company Kerry Group has stated that it has completely stopped working in Russia and Belarus.

 

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT OF UKRAINE

📌 The world is shocked by the atrocities of Russian invaders in the Kyiv region. The EU and the US will assist Ukraine in documenting the crimes of the Russian military.

📌 Poland demands immediate convening of an EU summit on Russian military crimes in Ukraine and further sanctions against Russia. Polish President Andrzej Duda said that the photos from Bucha prove the fallacy of the belief that a compromise should be sought at any cost. According to him, the Ukrainian army needs three things: “weapons, weapons and weapons again.”

📌 UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an independent investigation into the mass killings of civilians in Bucha and the prosecution of those responsible.

📌 President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called for an urgent investigation into war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.

📌 The US Department of Commerce implements additional sanctions on the Russian and Belarusian defense, aerospace, maritime and other strategic sectors in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

📌 Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have completely stopped importing Russian natural gas.

📌 German Defense Minister Christina Lambrecht called on EU countries to discuss an embargo on Russian gas supplies.

📌 Greece will join the reconstruction of Odesa after the war. “We will be part of this future, helping you to rebuild this city and make it even more beautiful, even better,” said Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.

📌 French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants to block Russia’s coal and oil exports to the European Union this week after revealing war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

📌 The UN Security Council will not convene an unscheduled meeting to discuss the “provocation of Ukrainian radicals in Bucha,” as demanded by Russia. Instead, the Security Council will convene on April 5 to discuss Russia’s war crimes.

📌 Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Mayo said that Italy would support sanctions against Russia, particularly in the energy sector.

📌 Slovakia has changed its previous decision to pay for gas in rubles. The country has refused such a request from Russia and will pay in euros. “In this situation, unity is key, and we insist on compliance with the terms of the contract and payments in euros,” said Prime Minister Eduard Heger.

📌 Denmark has imposed a moratorium on the purchase of Russian oil.

📌 Germany has announced that it is sending 40 Russian embassy staff in response to the mass killings of Ukrainians by Russians in Bucha. France also has made a similar decision to expel from the country a lot of Russian personnel with the diplomatic status of France whose activities are contrary to security interests.

📌 The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to reduce the level of diplomatic mission with Russia and ordered the Russian ambassador to leave the country. The Lithuanian government is also closing the consulate in Klaipeda.

📌 On April 4, the EU Council passed legislative changes that allow member states to redirect resources from the Cohesion Policy Funds and the Fund for the Most Deprived (FEAD) to help Ukrainians fleeing Russian military aggression.

📌 Following a conversation with the President of Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated the EU’s readiness to send joint investigation teams to document war crimes in coordination with the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine.

📌 The French Minister of Justice offered Ukraine assistance in documenting war crimes.

📌Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will begin the process of complete isolation from Russia in the next 48-72 hours. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Mustafa Nayem.

📌Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kisida spoke about the atrocities of the Russian military in Bucha: “I am deeply shocked by the fact that horrific atrocities are being committed against civilians on the outskirts of Kyiv. The killing of innocent civilians is a violation of international humanitarian law. This is absolutely unbearable and Japan condemns it in the strongest terms. Russia must be held strictly responsible for these actions.”

 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba’s daily statements 

📌 The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba held a joint briefing with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom Liz Truss. “Ukraine’s victory will be a victory for justice for Europe and the world,” he said.

📌 Ukraine and the EU coordinated further sanctions pressure on Russia and weapons supplies to Ukraine. Russia must be stopped immediately after the massacre in Bucha. Sanctions against the G7 and the European Union must have a devastating effect. Ukraine must get all the necessary weapons.

 

📌 Quote of the day

Joe Biden for CNN: 

“You may remember I was criticized for calling Putin a war criminal. Well, the truth of the matter, you saw what happened in Bucha. This warrants him — he is a war criminal. We have to gather information. We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue to fight, and we have to gather all the details, so this could be an actual war-crime trial. This guy is brutal, and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous, and everyone’s seen it. I think it is a war crime. I’m seeking more sanctions, and I’m going to continue to add sanctions.”