Friday, April 7

Russia’s war against Ukraine

An activist with a Ukrainian flag, supporting the expulsion from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, walks at a compound of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on April 6, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Roman Pilipey/Getty Images via Getty Images)

New York Times: Pentagon investigating classified Ukraine war document leak.

Secret American and NATO plans for supplying aid to Ukraine ahead of its expected upcoming offensive were posted on social media earlier this week, prompting an investigation by the Pentagon, senior Biden administration officials told the New York Times.

High-level Ukrainian priest of Moscow-linked church charged for his pro-Russian statements. The head priest of the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Cherkasy Oblast was charged with justifying Russian aggression against Ukraine, the State Security Service (SBU) reported.

Mayor: Moscow Patriarchate church no longer exists in Lviv. Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) has ceased its existence in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said on April 6.

Official: ‘No more than 5 people’ have information on Ukrainian counteroffensive plans. “No more than five people” are filled in on Ukrainian plans for a counteroffensive operation in the next few months, National Security and Defense Council head Oleksii Danilov said on April 6.

Official: Ukrainian border forces sustain more than 1,800 Russian attacks in March. More than 900 clashes between Ukrainian border guards and Russian forces took place during the month of March, an 11% increase compared to the month before, Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, said.

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ISW: Putin likely creating conditions for further repressions in occupied territories. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s recent comments on “terrorism” and threats to Russian security are likely meant to set the conditions for further repressions in occupied territories of Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update.

UK Defense Ministry: Russian Defense Ministry has ‘highly likely’ dismissed high-ranking commander. As a result of heavy losses in the Eastern Group of Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry has “highly likely” dismissed Colonel-General Rustam Muradov as commander, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on April 6.

Russian forces withdraw military equipment from depot in northern Crimea. The satellite imagery shows that the depot used to store tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery, but was emptied at some point between Feb. 11 and March 16.

Ombudsman: Over 2,500 Ukrainian captive civilians deported to Russia. Over 2,500 Ukrainian civilians have been deported in custody to Russia from the occupied territories, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said during a press conference on April 6, as reported by Ukrinform.

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Ukraine war latest: Wagner admits Ukrainian forces not retreating from Bakhmut; Macron calls on Xi to ​​’bring Russia to senses’

French President Emmanuel Macron held one-and-a-half-hour talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on April 6, during which Paris likely hoped to discourage Beijing from its support for Moscow.

Photo: Ng Han Guan/Getty Images via Getty Images

Human cost of Russia’s war

Russia’s attacks on Donetsk Oblast kill 5 people in past 24 hours. Five people were killed and nine were injured by Russia’s attacks on Donetsk Oblast over the past 24 hours, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on April 6.

Update: Russian attack on Kherson Oblast injures 7 people. An updated assessment of Russia’s April 6 attack on Kherson Oblast indicates that at least seven people were injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

Opinions and insights

Valeriia Voshchevska: International organizations and Ukraine – a case for empathy

Former Global Head of Digital Engagement at Amnesty International weighs in on the importance of empathy and overcoming divisions within the movement.

Photo: Firas Abdullah/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Roland Freudenstein: Russia’s war and the Global South – a way forward for the West

Roland Freudenstein, Vice President of GLOBSEC, offers insights into the non-Western perspective on the war, development of counter-narrative to Kremlin’s agenda, and next steps.

Photo: Indonesian Presidential Secretariat/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

International response

Politico: EU joint plan to purchase ammunition for Ukraine hits roadblock over contract disagreements. The European Union’s proposed plan to supply Ukraine with one million rounds of ammunition over the next year stalled during meetings with EU ambassadors on April 5, Politico reported, citing several unnamed diplomats familiar with the negotiations.

Bulgaria tightens entry restrictions around ports. Bulgaria’s ports will be closed off to ships certified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping from April 8 “regardless of their flag of registry”, the Bulgarian Maritime Administration reported on April 6.

Ukraine to co-produce tank shells with Polish Armaments Group. Ukraine’s state-owned defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom and the Polish Armaments Group came to an agreement regarding the production of 125 mm tank shells, Ukroboronprom announced on April 6.

Lithuania to send $44 million worth of military aid to Ukraine. The Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas on April 6 announced that his country will provide Ukraine with a new military package that will amount to 41 million euros ($44 million).

EU chief says China’s Xi willing to speak with Zelensky when ‘conditions and time are right.’ Chinese leader Xi Jinping “reiterated his willingness to speak” with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on April 6, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after her talks with Xi.

Reuters: China ready to work with France on Ukraine peace. During their talks in Beijing, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to “work hard” on achieving a negotiated end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, Reuters reported on April 6, citing a French diplomatic source.

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