Press digest – Ukraine
42nd day of the heroic resistance of Ukraine against the Russian military invasion
Every morning, starting March 17, a nationwide minute of silence has been declared
throughout Ukraine at 9:00 am Kyiv time.
“We will remember the Ukrainians who gave their lives, all the military, civilians and children” (c) President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
DESTRUCTION AND LOSSES
📌 Due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine 167 children died, and 279 got injuries of different severity.
Children suffered the most in Kyiv region – 78, Donetsk region – 81, Kharkiv region – 64, Chernihiv region – 49, Mykolayiv region – 39, Luhansk region – 31, Zaporizhzhia region – 22, Kherson region – 29, the capital of Ukraine – 16, Sumy region – 16, Zhytomyr region – 15.
📌 Russian mobile crematoria have started operating in Mariupol. The Russian military has started burning the killed residents of Mariupol. Special brigades of “DNP (Donetsk People’s Republic)” terrorists were also involved in this cleanup.
📌After the international widespread of genocide in Bucha, Russia’s top leadership ordered to destroy any evidence of its army’s crimes in Mariupol. According to preliminary data, there are at least 5,000 civilians are dead. But given the size of the city, catastrophic destruction, the duration of the blockade and fierce resistance, the real number of victims of the occupiers could be tens of thousands of Mariupol residents.
📌 The Russian military continues to forcibly deport children from the temporarily occupied settlements of Ukraine to the Russian Federation. From the medical institution, “Regional Children’s Bone and Tuberculosis Center of Mariupol” the soldiers of the Russian Federation forcibly took out 12 children who were there for treatment. The teacher of the Family-type orphanage was also forcibly taken from Mariupol, Donetsk region, to the city of Saransk in Russia.
📌 The Russian military fired jet artillery at a humanitarian aid distribution point in Vugledar. According to preliminary data, 2 people were killed and 5 others were injured.
📌 In Rubizhne during the day on April 6 as a result of constant shelling 5 people were injured and 1 person died. 11 houses were destroyed in the Luhansk region.
📌 On the night of April 6, the Russian occupiers struck about 27 strikes from various weapons in residential areas of Kharkiv. The city is shelled using multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortars.
📌 The Russian military fired on Severodonetsk. 10 high-rise buildings caught fire. The number of injured people is being clarified, — said the head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, Sergiy Gayday. Another department of one of the factories in Lysychansk and a house in Rubizhne also got under fire.
📌 On April 6, Russian troops again dropped phosphorous bombs on Mariupol. Also, according to the mayor of Mariupol Vadim Boychenko, almost 50 people were burned alive as a result of the bombing of one of the city’s hospitals by Russian troops.
📌 In the Dnipropetrovsk region, in the city of Novomoskovsk, the Russian military fired from the air at an oil depot, and also shelled the plant, which caused a fire. As a result of the shelling, all 6 fuel and lubricant tanks were destroyed.
📌 Harmful substances were found in the Ikva River in Rivne Region after a downed Russian missile hit a reservoir.
📌 Agricultural machinery of 1.5 million euros stolen by Russian military looters in Melitopol was spotted in Crimea and Chechnya. The machinery was equipped with GPS navigators, so it was possible to track it.
📌Hero of the day
Nina Kvasha, combat medic. She died during the defense of the city of Gostomel, Kyiv region
RUSSIAN CONTEXT
⚠️ The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation made payments on Eurobonds in rubles, as the correspondent bank did not allow payments in dollars. Russia considers “fulfilling” its commitments. However, in most cases, foreign creditors do not recognize the Russian currency to repay foreign currency debt. If the situation is repeated with the payment on April 11, it will mean a technical default of the Russian Federation.
⚠️ According to the Security Service of Ukraine, cadets of the Moscow Higher Military Command School fought in the units of the Russian army that were destroyed in the Donetsk region. According to the found documents, they were sent to Ukraine for an internship.
⚠️ The Russian military is kidnapping civilian Ukrainians, who are now portrayed in the Russian media as “captives” from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said Ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova.
DEFENSE UPDATES
📌 Estimated losses of the Russian Federation Army in Ukraine:
📌 The National Guard of Ukraine has taken over the Chernobyl NPP. The Ukrainian military will check the radiation condition of the premises and facilities of the station where the occupiers were located.
📌 The heads of the military administrations of the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions urge the residents to leave the regions due to the intensifying of the situation. So that people won’t come under fire and fall victims to the atrocities of the Russian army.
📌 Despite the shelling, the evacuation of large predators from the eco-park near Kharkiv started – four animals have already been evacuated, said the founder of the eco-park Oleksandr Feldman.
📌 Two Belarusian citizens were detained in Poland on suspicion of espionage. They collected data on military and civilian facilities that are crucial for Poland’s defense.
HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS AND EVACUATION UPDATES
📌As a result of the humanitarian corridors for April 6, 4,892 people have been evacuated.
📌 3,686 people traveled from Mariupol and Berdiansk by their own transport and buses to Zaporizhzhia. 1,171 of them were from Mariupol and 2,515 people from the cities of Polohy, Vasylivka, Berdyansk, Melitopol and Huliaipole.
📌 A convoy of 11 buses left Zaporizhzhia today to evacuate residents of Melitopol and Tokmaka. The buses are now in Vasylivka and will continue tomorrow morning.
📌 Also tomorrow buses from Zaporizhzhia will depart to evacuate people from the city of Berdiansk.
📌 In Luhansk region 1,206 people were evacuated from the cities of Lysychansk, Severodonetsk, Rubizhne, Kreminna and the village of Hirske.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s daily statements
📌 President Zelensky during his speech at the UN Security Council called for the transformation of the Organization and also suggested convening the UN Global Conference in peaceful Kyiv.
📌 In the coming days, the President of Ukraine is preparing to meet in Kyiv the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Head of European Diplomacy Josep Borrell.
📌 Volodymyr Zelensky stated that so far there has been no joint meeting of countries that can become guarantors of security for Ukraine. However, several countries are ready to go to the so-called negotiation, including the United States, Britain, Turkey, Poland, Germany, France, and Israel. All countries have different views on these same guarantees. Some are ready for full support and some for only partial support, so a meeting is needed at the level of advisers to discuss the document. And when there is a vision that suits everyone, a meeting with representatives of the Russian Federation can take place.
PUBLIC AND BUSINESS SUPPORT
📌 The Lithuanian corporation Viciunu grupe, which makes products under the Vici brand, will leave the Russian market within three to four months.
📌 The American company Intel has terminated all business operations in Russia.
📌London Marine Insurance Market has declared all Russian maritime waters, including the Baltic and ports of the Far East, a “war zone”. This means that the owner of a ship bound for such territory is obliged to notify his insurer and pay a special “military premium” of up to 5% of the value of the entire vessel. Thus making any cooperation with Russia as unprofitable as possible.
📌 Instagram and Facebook will no longer block hashtags about Bucha. Meta Platforms Inc. stated that the hashtags #Bucha and #Buchamassacre on Instagram and Facebook were blocked automatically, but this shortcoming has been eliminated.
📌 Ivo Lukačovych, the founder of the Czech search engine Seznam.cz, donated 100 million Czech crowns from his personal funds to the needs of the Ukrainian army. The businessman explained that he was shocked by the massacre in Bucha.
📌 Fortnite’s charitable initiative raised $144 million for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Fundraising lasted from March 20 to April 3.
📌 The National Gallery in London changed the name of Edgar Degas’ painting “Russian Dancers” to “Ukrainian Dancers”. After mass reports of Ukrainians on social networks, a representative of the gallery stated that the title of the French Impressionists’ work has been changed.
📌 The Embassy of Ukraine in Yerevan is covered with flowers.
📌 An action in support of Ukraine took place in New York again.
📌 In Canada, in front of the Russian embassy an action of “empty carts” was held and photo confirmations of the crimes of the Russian army were posted on the walls.
📌 An installation in the form of a children’s mass grave was created in Budapest. More than 500 Ukrainian and Hungarian mothers marched through the city’s main streets, holding dolls in bloody sheets, symbolizing hundreds of child deaths from the hands of the Russian military.
📌 The water in the pond near the Russian Embassy in Vilnius was painted blood-colored in protest of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The action was coordinated with nature protection inspectors, so the paint is not harmful to animals and plants.
📌 Over 6,000 users of the Preply language learning platform left wishes for Ukrainians. Messages from 84 languages have been translated into Ukrainian and broadcasted on digital billboards at Warsaw Central Station and on the facade of the local business center.
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE
📌 The Czech Republic sent T-72 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
📌 The EU imposes a fifth package of sanctions against Russia for its brutal war in Ukraine. New restrictions include a ban on imports of coal worth 4 billion euros a year from Russia and a ban on Russian ships entering EU ports.
📌 The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions against the Russian darknet Hydra Market as part of a coordinated international effort to prevent the spread of cybercrime, dangerous drugs and other illegal “offers” from this Russian site.
📌 The United States announced a new package of sanctions against Russia: the blockade of Sberbank and Alfabank, a ban on investment in Russia. The sanctions also affected the daughters of Russian President Putin, the wife and daughter of Foreign Minister Lavrov, Dmitry Medvedev, Mikhail Mishustin and members of the Russian Security Council.
📌 44 US congressmen sent a letter of appeal to US President Joe Biden calling for additional military assistance to Ukraine and provided a list of necessities.
📌 The Lower House of the Czech parliament unanimously passed a resolution condemning war crimes committed by the Russian military in Ukraine.
📌 Estonian Ambassador to Ukraine Kaimo Kuusk is preparing to return to Kyiv.
📌 The Turkish Embassy in Ukraine, which was temporarily relocated to Chernivtsi, returned to Kyiv and continued its work in the capital on April 6.
📌 The United States, in coordination with Ukraine and other UN member states, demands the suspension of Russia’s membership in the UN Human Rights Council. The vote will take place on April 7.
📌 Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, and Romania announced the expulsion of dozens of Russian diplomats on April 5. Also, 19 Russian diplomats declared the EU persona non grata for activities contrary to their diplomatic status.
📌 Norway expels 3 Russian diplomats as a result of horrific revelations about Russian military crimes against civilians, particularly in Bucha.
📌 The Greek authorities have declared 12 members of the diplomatic and consular missions of the Russian Federation accredited in Greece non grata.
📌 Romania declares 10 Russian diplomats persona non grata. The Foreign Ministry informed the Russian ambassador about the condemnation of Russia’s war crimes in Bucha and other Ukrainian territories.
📌 Following the United States, Britain is imposing new sanctions on Russia. These include a complete freeze on the assets of Sberbank and the Moscow Credit Bank, a ban on imports of Russian iron and steel goods, a ban on new investments in Russia, and a ban on exports of oil refining equipment to Russia. Also, 8 other Russians were subjected to personal sanctions, including Mikhelson, Dyukov and Kantor.
📌 On April 5, the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine launched three new investigations into war crimes during the war in Ukraine involving persons covered by the protection and legislation of France.
📌 Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić called for an urgent and complete investigation of war crimes committed in the Kyiv region.
📌 The United States prohibits Russia from using frozen foreign currency accounts in US banks to repay sovereign debt, as it was previously possible, the White House said.
📌 The United States will allocate an additional $100 million for the purchase of anti-tank systems for Ukraine, said US Secretary of State Blinken.
📌 The Energy Community has set up a Fund for Ukraine to rebuild the energy infrastructure destroyed by the Russian war, the donors mainly will be the EU member states.
📌The European Commission will soon trigger a powerful new mechanism to cut funding to Hungary for eroding the bloc’s rule-of-law standards.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba’s daily statements
📌 The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba met with the Arab Contact Group. “Russia must unblock Ukrainian seaports to allow the export of agricultural products to world markets, especially to Arab countries,” he said.
📌 Tweet of the day
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The time will come and the whole line of the state border of Ukraine will be restored. And for this to happen sooner, we must all be focused, ready to boldly face evil and respond to every criminal act against Ukraine, against our people, against our freedom. Evil will be punished.