Press digest – Ukraine

63rd day of heroic resistance of Ukraine against Russian military invasion

#ArmUkraineNow

DESTRUCTION AND LOSSES

📌  More than 500 injured Ukrainian defenders are blocked at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, — MFA of Ukraine. They need urgent medical treatment, as every hour is crucial for saving their lives.

The plant is almost destroyed. Russia’s bombs and airstrikes have killed dozens of Ukrainian soldiers who had been defending Mariupol. They need to be buried appropriately.

By blocking humanitarian corridors, Russia shows its inhuman attitude and disregard to international law, international humanitarian law and laws of warfare. Russian actions pose a grave threat to international peace, as well as European and global security.

📌More than 610 children were injured in the war in Ukraine. The Russians killed 217 and injured more than 393 children in Ukraine.

The most affected children were in: Donetsk region — 129, Kyiv region — 114, Kharkiv region — 93, Chernihiv region — 66, Kherson region — 44, Mykolaiv region — 43, Luhansk region — 37, Zaporizhia region — 27, Sumy region — 17, Kyiv city — 16, Zhytomyr region — 15.

📌9- and 8-year-old children were injured during the shelling by the invaders of Mariupol, after which the enemies took them to Russia. Presently, they have returned to Ukraine and are being treated at the Okhmatdyt NCSH (National Children Specialized Hospital).

📌1508 educational institutions were damaged as a result of daily bombings and shelling of Ukrainian towns and villages by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. At the same time, 102 of them were destroyed.

📌A local died during the shelling of Pryvillya. The missile of the invaders fell in the yard of a private house where a 68-year-old man stayed at the time. Earlier, the enemy fired on one of the schools in Lysychansk, in the basement of which 23 people were hiding, including children. Fortunately, no casualties.

📌The Russian military forces hit Avdiivka twice with phosphorous missiles. The first blow took place last night near the by-product coke plant, and this morning — in the city center.  Several fires broke out. Following the second shelling, the Russians launched an air strike on Avdiivka, aiming at a high-rise building. At least one wounded is reported. In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled an attempt of the Russian troops to break through in this direction.

Source: Head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko.

 

📌Russians shelled the hospital in Severodonetsk, where there were wounded.

According to Serhiy Haidai, Head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, the occupiers knew that there were patients in the hospital, but that did not stop them. “In fact, the orcs wanted to kill the wounded and kill those who helped the locals survive”, — he said. The destruction of the building is significant. Several floors were affected. Unfortunately, one woman died.

📌 In Donetsk region, Russians shelled 11 settlements during the day. At least 35 civilian buildings were destroyed – homes, a hospital, a school, a cinema, utilities and railways.

📌 Photo of the day

RUSSIAN AND BELORUSSIAN CONTEXTS

⚠️Lukashenko introduces the death penalty for plotting terrorist attacks. The Belarusian parliament has approved the bill and you can be executed for attempting to carry out a terrorist attack, as well as for disabling railway tracks and strategic facilities. 

Belarus is the only country in Europe where the death penalty has not been abolished.

⚠️ In the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region, Russians are preparing for a “referendum”: ballots are printed, personal data of local citizens are specified. At the same time, Russian invaders continue to prevent civilians from leaving the occupied territory.

⚠️ In the temporarily occupied territory of Kharkiv region, near the village of Levkivka, Izium district, Russians organized a collection point for damaged equipment where it is repaired and restored. The Russians continue to carry out so-called “filtration measures” in some settlements, temporarily out of control of the Ukrainian authorities.

⚠️ In the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia region, Russians are looking for representatives of the security forces of Ukraine and conducting a census of the local population. Movement in the temporarily occupied territory without identity documents is prohibited.

⚠️ Men of conscription age are abducted en masse in the occupied territories. The occupiers are trying to replenish the exchange fund and prepare for May 9.

⚠️ Large-scale “filtration measures” are being carried out in the Russian-occupied territories of Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions. The victims of Russians are often men of military age. First of all – Joint Forces Operation veterans, former military and law enforcement officers, pro-Ukrainian activists.

⚠️ More than 300 pro-Ukrainian activists and Joint Forces Operation veterans are being interrogated and tortured in the Kherson pre-trial detention center.

⚠️ A filtration camp has been set up in the village of Velyka Lepetykha in the Kherson region. Recently, about 400 Russian servicemen dressed in Rosguard uniforms arrived there. They search for and detain men of military age. The detained Ukrainian men are being taken out en masse in the direction of the occupied Crimea.

The main purpose is to “replenish the exchange fund”. Ukrainian hostages are planned to be exchanged for Russian war criminals, even if Ukrainians did not take part in the 2022 hostilities.

It is also possible that propaganda “victory parades” with the participation of detained Ukrainians may be organized. According to the information received, they may try to pretend to be “prisoners of war” and be taken through the streets of occupied cities. Similar events took place in Donetsk in 2014. Then, after numerous instances of torture, Ukrainian heroes were forced to walk through the central street of Donetsk, where they were subjected to bullying and humiliation.

 

DEFENSE UPDATES

📌 Estimated losses of the Russian Federation Army in Ukraine:

📌 Shyroke, Lyubyne and Novopetrivka are Ukraine. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have regained full control over three villages near Snihurivka in the Zaporizhzhia region, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

📌The invaders suffer significant losses in their positions. Our soldiers have hit 7 air targets the day before, a Su-25 plane, a Ka-52 helicopter, 3 operational-tactical UAVs and 2 cruise missiles.

📌 In the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, 9 enemy attacks were repulsed; 9 tanks, 11 artillery systems, 4 units of special and 17 units of armored vehicles, 3 units of special engineering and 16 units of motor vehicles, 4 fuel tanks and one anti-aircraft gun were destroyed.

📌 9 enemy attacks were repulsed on the front line of Luhansk and Donetsk regions — 9 tanks, 11 artillery systems, 4 units of special equipment, 14 units of armored vehicles, 3 combat armored vehicles, 3 units of special engineering equipment, 16 units of automobiles, 4 fuel tanks and one anti-aircraft gun were destroyed. Air defense units shot down 3 “Orlan-10” unmanned aerial vehicles.

📌The Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked Russian positions on Zmiinyi Island. Invaders have lost the “Strela-10” air defense system and gained a reduction in the fleet group.

📌In Kherson, people once again took to a peaceful demonstration against the occupation. They chanted, “Kherson is Ukraine!”. Russians decided to disperse the protesters by using tear gas and stun bombs.

It became known about four people injured: a man with an open leg fracture, a woman with burns and a ruptured lung, two more men received eye and nasopharyngeal burns, — reported in the emergency medical center.

📌 Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Vladimir Putin may meet in the coming days. This was stated by Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.  

“President Erdoğan has repeatedly met with Putin and Mr Zelenskiy. At these meetings, the president is trying to get a ceasefire as soon as possible and sit down at the negotiating table. We hope that, despite some difficulties, the two leaders may be able to come together in the coming days,” — Akar was quoted by his press service.

📌Ukraine can win war with Russia, U.S. defense secretary says according to Reuters. “Ukraine clearly believes that it can win, and so does everyone here,” — said U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the meeting with 40 defense ministers in Germany. 

“Your resistance has brought inspiration to the free world,” — said Austin.

📌Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal: 

“EU has proposed to suspend for a year all import duties on all Ukrainian exports. The EU has never taken such large-scale trade liberalization measures towards any country. This opens up additional opportunities for our business, and our products become more competitive in the European market.” 

 

The government is currently negotiating with Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Germany and other countries to launch Ukrainian exports through these ports.

📌UN Secretary General António Guterres arrived in Ukraine.

“I arrived in Ukraine after visiting Moscow. We will continue our work to increase humanitarian support and ensure the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. The sooner this war ends, the better – for Ukraine, Russia and the world,” he wrote on Twitter.

📌 Today the United States will vote for the land lease for Ukraine. This was reported by the White House. Voting should take place at 21:00 Kyiv time. If the land lease law is passed, it will expand Biden’s powers to provide weapons to Ukraine and significantly speed up the supply of weapons, food, etc. to Ukraine from the United States (for rent or free of charge).

 

PUBLIC AND BUSINESS SUPPORT

📌  The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has deprived Russia of the right to host the 2023 World Championship in the elite division. 

📌Lithuanian Post announces the winner of the competition for a sketch of a stamp to support Ukraine. The winning stamp depicts people who are embracing each other. This is how the creator of the illustration, Egle Kirlite, would like to embrace Ukraine. 

📌American actress Jamie Lee Curtis posted a story about Ukrainian volunteer Oksana Hnatiuk. Now she is a medic in the Territorial Defense Forces.

“If I die, I die, and it’s not a thing I can change. So I am just living and doing my job. I’m feeling like I’m in the right place at the right time.”

 Oksana Hnatiuk, 30, from Kyiv, is a PhD and a medical doctor. 

📌Crypto fund AidForUkraine has managed to supply our defenders with 5 additional pickup trucks, — Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation.

“Overall 23 vehicles were funded. These cars will contribute to the mobility of soldiers and as a result to greater achievements”, — he wrote. 

📌“Anonymous” gained access to 229 thousand e-mails and 630 thousand files of the St. Petersburg “Social Commercial Bank” – one of the 100 largest Russian banks in terms of net assets.

📌The US Embassy is preparing to return to Kyiv. On April 26, American diplomats visited Lviv, where they met with the Ukrainian Minister of the Foreign Affairs. The Americans have announced “resumption of work in the capital as soon as possible,” but there is no exact date of return yet.

📌British rock musician Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon are planning to return to the UK and are ready to provide housing on their estate in Buckinghamshire to 2 Ukrainian families escaping Russian aggression.

“We need leaders to stand up for refugees everywhere and contribute the billions needed to overcome this crisis.”

📌McDonald’s in each country launches a special menu that are designed to emphasize local culture. There used to be “Ukrainian burgers” in Ukraine, but now they are sold in Polish McDonald’s as a sign of solidarity.

📌 Russia was expelled from the World Tourism Organization. “The only destination for Russian war criminals should be The Hague,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.

📌 German vocalist Marlene Maas performed the anthem of the Sich Riflemen. She sang the world-famous song “Red Kalyna” in Ukrainian, German, English, and French: “I was deeply moved by this song. I wanted to translate so that more people could understand it.”

📌 Prominent Lithuanian pianist Darius Mažintas played Chopin’s nocturnes in the open air near the ruined House of Culture in Irpin. He called his speech a manifestation of love for Ukraine, deep respect for Ukrainian defenders and civilians of the city and the country.

📌 More than 550 craft breweries from Japan, India, USA, Canada, Great Britain, Poland, Finland and many other countries brewed beer dedicated to Ukraine.

📌 The owners of The Coffee Boutique in Toronto – Ukrainians Ella and Victor – sell coffee with Ukrainian symbols. The funds are transferred to the Come Back Alive Foundation in Ukraine: “We will sell our non-commercial coffee as much as needed.” Almost 4,000 Canadian dollars have already been transferred.

📌 In the yard of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas in the Australian capital created a cemetery with crosses, “dressed” in children’s bloody T-shirts. This is a reminder of Ukrainian children who have died at the hands of Russians over the past two months.

 

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT OF UKRAINE

📌 ​​The Netherlands has banned Russians from obtaining visas. This is a response to the expulsion of Dutch diplomats from Russia, according to the Foreign Ministry.

📌 Estonia has banned the display of Russian military symbols. Estonian President Alar Karis has signed a law banning the use of Russian symbols in support of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

📌Poland no longer intends to buy gas from Russia, said Piotr Naimski, a government spokesman for strategic energy infrastructure. At the same time, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that Austria has agreed to pay for Russian gas in rubles.

📌Chinese drone manufacturer DJI suspends operations in Russia and Ukraine. To aim fire at Ukrainian drone operators conducting reconnaissance using Chinese DJI quadcopters, the Russian military uses complexes of the same company.

📌Australia hands over 155-mm M777 howitzers to Ukraine.

📌Austria will not pay for gas in rubles — the Austrian Chancellor refuted the fake statements of the Russian media. On the morning of April 27, Russian media began to spread information that the Austrian company “OMV” had allegedly agreed to buy gas from Russia for rubles.

📌On April 27, the head of the Austrian government posted a message on his official Twitter page calling information about Austria’s purchase of gas for rubles another fake Russian propaganda. He underlined that “OMV” will continue to pay for energy in euros, as anticipated, by EU sanctions.

📌British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss intends to call on the allies to provide Ukraine with combat aircraft and heavy offensive weapons. This is stated in a press release of the Foreign Office, CNN reports. 

📌Tomorrow, Truss will deliver a keynote speech at Madison House in London, declaring the need to “double the support” of the Ukrainian armed forces. 

📌She intends to say that the global security system, “designed to guarantee peace and prosperity, has failed Ukraine,” and that a “new approach” needs to be developed.

📌Austria has returned its embassy to Kyiv after evacuating it due to the war.

📌 President von der Leyen delivered a speech on the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, addressing Volodymyr Zelensky and all Ukrainians.

“Soon, the time will come for Ukraine’s reconstruction. In fact, it begins in the liberated areas of Kyiv and elsewhere. Ukrainians are returning to their destroyed towns and villages to clean up ruins, rebuild homes and infrastructure, and rebuild the economy. This is a huge effort, and we must mobilize all available resources to rebuild Ukraine.

Therefore, I whole-heartedly support President Zelensky’s proposal to involve, through partnerships, the cities and regions of the European Union in these reconstruction efforts.

Europe’s strength is based on our citizens working tirelessly on improving daily lives and the future of our children in cities, towns, villages and neighbourhoods. Our cities and regions have experience and expertise when it comes to rebuilding and managing the daily lives of citizens. And we want to share this expertise with you.

You can count on the huge solidarity of European citizens in support of Ukraine. And I know that we can also count on the ‘European Committee of the Regions’ that is actively linking our local and regional networks in the European Union with their Ukraine counterparts.  We will help you to reconstruct your country and we will walk together with you on your European path.”

📌 Tweet of the day

Thanks to the bravery and wisdom of our defenders, thanks to the courage of all Ukrainian men and all Ukrainian women, our country is a true symbol of the fight for freedom. Everyone in the world – even those who do not openly support us – agree that it is in Ukraine that the fate of Europe, the fate of the global security, the fate of the democratic system is now being decided.