Press digest – Ukraine
60th day of heroic resistance of Ukraine against Russian military invasion
#ArmUkraineNow
📌In Mariupol, more than 20,000 civilians have died since the start of the full-scale war and constant shelling by Russians. More than 100,000 people remain in the besieged city. The Russians are blocking humanitarian corridors and preventing any aid to the city.
📌 As of 8 o’clock on April 24, 2022, more than 602 children were injured as a result of a full-scale armed invasion of Russia. The official number of child death is 213. The number of wounded is 389.
The children suffered the most in: Donetsk region — 122, Kyiv region — 114, Kharkiv region — 91, Chernihiv region — 66, Kherson region — 44, Mykolaiv region — 43, Luhansk region — 37, Zaporizhzhya region — 27, Sumy region — 17, Capital — 16, Zhytomyr region — 15.
📌2 children died on Easter morning in Donetsk region. In the Ocheretyn community, on the morning of April 24, the Russian invaders destroyed a house on Myru Street where the family lived. Girls aged 14 and 5 have died, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk RSA.
📌It’s convenient to close your eyes and pretend nothing is happening, especially when you’ve been lining pockets with Russian money for years, — Adviser to the Head of the President’s Office Mykhaylo Podolyak replied to Thomas Geisel.
Valeria Glodan and her 3-month-old daughter. They were killed on April 23, during Odessa shelling
📌 This evening, 9 Russian missiles hit the infrastructure of Kremenchuk in Poltava region. Source: Dmytro Lunin, Head of the Poltava Regional Military Administration.
📌Three missiles struck the Pavlograd district (Dnipropetrovsk region). The missile hit the railway infrastructure. A 48-year-old man died. 8 buildings have been destroyed. Two missiles hit an industrial enterprise. Destroyed production building.
📌There was shelling in Kharkiv at night, in Slobidskiy and Kyiv districts — three victims.
📌In the Lugansk region, the hot spots were Horne, Zolote and Lysychansk settlements. Eight dead, two injured, destruction of at least seven houses and a police station.
📌During the day on February 23 in the territory of the Mykolaiv area because of armed aggression of the Russian Federation 12 people were wounded, children are among them.
📌Russian troops continue fighting in the Azovstal area, Mariupol. Bombs are dropped every three minutes. Air strikes were carried out on certain objects of civil infrastructure. The power of shelling was increased on Sunday.
📌The President’s Office proposes three steps to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Mariupol
- Declare a real Easter armistice over Mariupol.
- Immediately provide a humanitarian corridor for civilians.
- Agree to a “special round of negotiations” so that we can take out / exchange soldiers.
Source: Adviser to the Head of the President’s Office Mykhaylo Podolyak.
📌Russian occupiers are shelling settlements in the Kherson region from tanks under Ukrainian flags, reports OK Skhid. Thus, the enemy is trying to simulate the presence of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the territories they’re occupying.
📌Russia is holding captive Ukrainian soldiers in penal colonies in the Rostov region, without having converted them into prisoner of war camps. This is another violation of the Geneva Convention by the occupiers.
📌The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine staff were taken as prisoners by the Russian military in eastern Ukraine. Work on releasing them is carried out.📌In Rubizhne, Luhansk region, Russian war criminals used the “UR-77 Meteorite” mine clearing vehicle on residential buildings.
📌 Photo of the day
The rescuer in Chernihiv is resting after another call.
Photo: Emilio Morenatti
RUSSIAN CONTEXT
⚠️Despite some “successes” of the Russians to capture settlements, the Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted significant losses on Russian troops. The combat effectiveness of the invaders is likely to decrease.
⚠️ Roskomnadzor blocked one of the most popular chess sites chess.com. Judging by their strategic thinking to ban the chess site is the only “Queen’s Gambit” the Russians can afford.
⚠️Ukrainian intelligence reports that the occupiers are trying to introduce Russian rubles in the occupied Kherson region. Also, Russian tanks under Ukrainian flags fire on settlements. The occupiers are trying to simulate the presence of Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the occupied territories and discredit the Ukrainian military. Besides, in the occupied territories of the Kherson and Nikolaev areas, the Russian military continues to agitate locals in favour of creation of pseudo-republics.
DEFENSE UPDATES
📌 Estimated losses of the Russian Federation Army in Ukraine:
📌On April 23, 17 air targets of the Russian invaders were hit. Military transport, fighter, bomber, assault aircraft of the Air Force of Ukraine continues to perform tasks in the airspace of Ukraine, provides support and cover for ground troops, inflicts fire damage on the positions of the Russian military forces.
📌On April 23, at about 22:00 in the Odesa region, two Russian cruise missiles were shot down, which were fired from the Black Sea and headed in the direction of the “Southern” port — Air Command “South” reported.
📌Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he did not regret of his position on Russia and considered it necessary to maintain relations with Russia despite the war. According to him, if he distanced himself from Russia now, he would “lose the trust of the only person who can stop the war.”
📌Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg believes that Ukraine should not be offered EU membership. According to the Minister, there should be other models than Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
“We are disappointed by the statements of the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria about the European future of Ukraine. We consider them to be strategically short-sighted and not in the interests of a united Europe. It seems that the current war, casualties and destruction are not enough for them. To continue to postpone Ukraine’s EU membership or to seek an alternative to it under various pretexts means indulging Putin’s aggressive plans and slowing down the strengthening of the European Union by including Ukraine’s capabilities.”
HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS AND EVACUATION UPDATES
📌Russia again disrupted the evacuation of people from Mariupol and did not confirm the guarantee of a ceasefire. The attempts to open a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol continue.
📌16 residents of Popasna (Luhansk region) were evacuated on Easter. This was announced by the head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration Serhiy Haidai.
Residents left by bus, which brought humanitarian aid to the community in the morning. “We sent cars after them, but the shelling started. One car was cut down by shell fragments”, Serhiy Haidai said.
PUBLIC AND BUSINESS SUPPORT
📌A rally in support of Ukraine took place in New York. Protesters are chanting “Azov” (a special unit, which now holds the defense of Mariupol).
📌 Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani donated $ 8.7 mln to Ukraine.
📌A painting by Maria Primachenko was sold at the Benefit for Ukraine’s People & Culture charity auction for € 110,000. All funds will go to help Ukrainian culture.
📌A bicycle demonstration in support of Ukraine took place in Berlin. A convoy of Ukrainian cyclists rode along Tempelhofer Feld directly to the Brandenburg Gate. The rally also emphasizes that Ukraine is a country with European values, which now defends not only its own freedom, but also the freedom of other states. It also reminds: Ukraine is still at war, so we still need help.
📌The British band The Tiger Lillies together with the Ukrainian band The Hypnotunez released the single “I’m A Star” about Putin. For this track, 17 Ukrainian animators created a video showing the death of the dictator.
📌American director and producer Doug Lyman, known for his projects “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, “Swingers”, “The Bourne Identity”, etc. came to Ukraine to shoot a documentary. “I make films about ordinary people under unusual circumstances. And there are 40 million such stories here.”
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT OF UKRAINE
📌”Hamburg will help rebuild Kyiv after the war,” said Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The cities have signed an agreement on mutual strategic partnership. This means that Hamburg will also step up its humanitarian aid efforts.
📌The British government will send 20 self-propelled artillery units AS-90 and 45,000 shells to Ukraine, the Daily Express reported, citing sources. AS-90 is capable of firing at a distance of up to 24 km and launching three shells in less than 10 seconds.
📌 Tweet of the day
