Press digest – Ukraine

45th day of heroic resistance of Ukraine against Russian military invasion

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DESTRUCTION AND LOSSES

📌 Photo of the day

The tragedy of Mariupol may surpass anything we have seen so far. The photo shows an underground passage near Sadkiv, on the outskirts of Mariupol. Here, the Russian military set up a point for the bodies of the Mariupol people they killed

📌 The tortured and burned bodies of three people, one of them was a child, were found in the Izyum district of Kharkiv region.

📌 The number of dead as a result of the shelling of the Kramatorsk railway station has risen to 52 people, 109 were injured, — said the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko. The Pentagon confirmed that the missile strike on the railway station was by Russian troops, namely the 18th Motorized Rifle Division of the Russian Armed Forces.

📌 As a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, 176 children died, more than 324 were wounded.

📌 A shot car, where a family with a one-year-old child was killed, was found near Gostomel, Kyiv region.

📌 As a result of daily bombings and shelling, 928 educational institutions were damaged. 84 of them were completely destroyed. 307 health care facilities were also damaged.

📌 As a result of the occupation of the village of Yagidne near Chernihiv since the beginning of March by Russian troops, about 130 people were locked in a basement of 65 sq. m. After the occupiers left, 12 bodies were found in the basement.

📌 On the night of April 9, Russian troops shelled Myrhorod. The missile was struck at civilian infrastructure. According to preliminary data, 2 people were wounded.

📌 Former head of the regional state administration Andriy Putilov was abducted in Kherson. His whereabouts remain unknown. The adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko reported.

📌 Since March 14, the Russian occupiers have abducted 106 people in the Zaporizhzhia region, 63 of them are still in captivity. Among those abducted were 21 local officials and two journalists.

📌 More than 15,000 people have been missing in Ukraine since the beginning of the war — Ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova reported. 

☢️ A nitric acid tank was hit again near the Rubizhne during the shelling by Rusiian Troops.

📌 According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the main efforts of the Russian army are focused on the capture of Mariupol and the attack near the city of Izyum.

❗️ Europe paid Russia €37 billion for energy during the first 40 days of the war in Ukraine.

 

RUSSIAN CONTEXT

⚠️ During an evening briefing on April 8, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the SSU was preparing a provocation at a chemical plant near Kharkiv. However, the plant was closed almost 10 years ago and exists only on maps.

⚠️ Due to the current legislation, the Ministry of Justice of Russia announced the cancellation of the registration of 15 representations of international organizations. Among them are human rights activists – Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

 

DEFENSE UPDATES

📌 Estimated losses of the Russian Federation Army in Ukraine:

📌 By order of President Zelensky, the third exchange of prisoners took place on April 9. Twelve Ukrainian servicemen are returning home, including one female officer. 14 civilians, including 9 women, were also released.

📌 The Sapphire rescue ship captured by Russian troops in the first week of the war was returned to Ukrainian control. It is towed to a raid of the Romanian port of Sulina.

📌 In Ukraine, the commander of the 59th Guards Tank Regiment, Colonel Oleksandr Bespalov, was eliminated. This was reported in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

📌 To obtain the status of a candidate for EU membership, Ukraine still has to submit about 30% of the information to the European Commission.

📌 The Romaniv Bridge in the city of Irpin, which was destroyed in the first days of the war, will open tomorrow, said the Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak. Initially, it will be temporary to allow traffic for the provision of humanitarian aid. A photo of the bridge with Irpin residents waiting to be evacuated has spread around the world.

CYBER-RESISTANCE AND DIGITAL VICTORIES

📌 Face recognition technology and artificial intelligence will help to find and punish the Russian occupiers in a few hours, said Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov.

 

HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS AND EVACUATION UPDATES

📌 As of April 9, 4,532 people had been evacuated through humanitarian corridors. 3425 people were evacuated from Mariupol and Berdyansk by their own transport and buses to Zaporizhzhia. 192 of them are from Mariupol.

➡️ 3233 people left the cities of the Zaporizhzhia region – Pologi, Vasylivka, Berdyansk, Tokmak, Melitopol and Energodar.

➡️ Also the seized buses were freed and people from the city of Melitopol evacuated. 529 local residents were deported to Zaporizhzhia.

➡️ Buses to evacuate people from Berdyansk, Tokmak and Energodar had to return to Zaporizhzhia because the occupying forces refused to let them through the previously agreed route. Tomorrow there will be another attempt to reach these cities to evacuate our citizens.

➡️ 578 people were evacuated from the cities of Lysychansk, Severodonetsk, Rubizhne, Kreminna and Popasna Luhansk regions.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s daily statements

📌 President Zelensky met with Austrian Chancellor Karl Negammer in Kyiv. During the meeting they discussed the strengthening of sanctions pressure on Russia, support for the energy and oil embargo on the aggressor, and Ukraine’s membership in the EU. The world must do everything possible to stop the war.

📌 The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson – one of the most ardent opponents of the Russian invasion, a leader in sanctions pressure on Russia and defense support for Ukraine – arrived in Ukraine and met with President Zelensky.

PUBLIC AND BUSINESS SUPPORT

📌 On April 8, the global Stand Up For Ukraine fundraising campaign in support of Ukrainians started. This was in response to a call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for support for Ukraine and Ukrainians. Artists and musicians from around the world joined to the initiative: singers Katy Perry, Celine Dion, Madonna, American actress Ellen DeGeneres, rock musicians Ozzy Osbourne, Lenny Kravitz, Irish rock band U2 and others.

📌 Ukrainian Mykolayiv is on the cover of British Vogue.

📌 People brought items stolen by the Russian occupation forces in Ukraine to Russian consulates in Lviv and London. The citizens brought things and household appliances as a symbol of looting by the Russian army in Ukraine and covered them with red paint.

📌 Olympic swimming champion, Lithuanian Ruta Meylutite, supported Ukraine. The swimmer starred in a video of a protest against Russia’s war called “Swimming Through”. Meilutite floats through a red lake that mimics blood. The lake is located near the Russian Embassy in Vilnius. The street near it is now named after the Heroes of Ukraine.

📌 Three Ukrainian films will be screened at a charity film marathon in Turkey: Toloka, Anna and On My Own Land. Viewers will watch Ukrainian-language movies with Turkish subtitles.

📌 The film festival “From Lviv to the Urals” has been canceled in the French city of Nantes. Ukrainian culture has nothing to do with Russian propaganda.

📌 The Czech Republic has issued a collection banknote called Sláva Ukraině. All the funds from the sale will be transfered to help our country.

📌Victoria’s Secret model Maggie Rawlins flew to Poland to work as a nurse and help Ukrainian refugees.

📌 The winner of Eurovision 2021, Måneskin, recorded a video in support of Ukrainians: “Refugees in Ukraine and around the world need urgent humanitarian assistance. We use our voice to act, and so can you.”

📌 Poets from 53 countries supported Ukraine. A collection “Poetry for Ukraine” will include 254 authors. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to charity in favor of Ukraine.

📌 On April 9, the international rating agency S&P Global Ratings downgraded Russia’s foreign currency ratings to “selective default”.

 

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT OF UKRAINE

📌 In addition to the previously announced military aid, the United Kingdom will provide Ukraine with another 120 units of armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems. Ukraine will also receive $500 million in loan guarantees from the World Bank.

📌 Poland freezes relations with Hungary because of its position on Ukraine. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Jaroslav Kaczynski: “Orban needs an ophthalmologist to see Bucha. Restoration of relations is possible only after a change in assessments of the war in Ukraine!”

📌 Austria will provide Ukraine with equipment for the SES. This was reported after the meeting of the Federal Chancellor of Austria Karl Negammer with Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on April 9.

📌 The fifth package of EU sanctions against Russia includes restrictions against 217 individuals and 18 companies. Among them are the oligarchs the Rothenberg brothers, Oleg Deripaska, the daughters of Russian President Putin and the VTB Bank.

📌 The International Monetary Fund has opened a special account for direct financial assistance to Ukraine from donor countries. Canada will be the first to transfer 1 billion Canadian dollars to it.

📌 Due to the sanctions against Russia, the Cayman Islands, one of the largest offshore centers, froze $7.3 billion in assets.

📌 During the visit of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to Ukraine together with the High Representative / Vice-President Joseph Borrell, the European Commission announced the allocation of a grant of 120 million euros to Ukraine.

📌 US President Joe Biden has signed two bills passed by Congress to impose additional sanctions on Russia and Belarus, according to the White House. One bill suspends normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, by paving the way for higher tariffs on imports from them. The other prohibits energy imports from Russia, including oil, coal and natural gas.

📌 After the missile attack on the Kramatorsk station, France is ready to ban the import of Russian oil, said Finance Minister Bruno Le Mer.

📌 According to new EU sanctions, trucks from Russia and Belarus must leave the EU by April 16 and will no longer have the right to enter the European Union. At least until the end of Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine. For almost a month, activists blocked the Polish-Belarusian border to attract the attention of politicians and ban the transportation of goods to and from Russia and Belarus.

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

📌 An online archive of war crimes committed by Russia was created in Ukraine. The evidence tells the world the truth about the atrocities of the Russian army in Ukraine and guarantees the inevitability of punishment for Russian war criminals.

📌 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called on international structures to immediately facilitate the return of Ukrainians from Russia to Ukraine or to the other democratic states that launched powerful Ukrainian refugee support programmes.

📌 Tweet of the day