Sunday, April 2

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A damaged residential building following a Russian attack in Donetsk Oblast on March 31-April 1, 2023. (Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko/Telegram)

Moscow-backed Orthodox priest under house arrest. A Kyiv district court placed Russian-led Orthodox Metropolitan Pavlo (Petro Lebid) under house arrest. He is charged with inciting hatred and justifying Russia’s war against Ukraine. The arrest will last for 60 days.

Kuleba: Russian UN Security Council presidency ‘a slap in the face to the international community.’ Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged the UN Security Council members to “thwart any Russian attempts to abuse its presidency.”

Zelensky criticizes UN for allowing ‘terrorist state’ to chair Security Council. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that with Russia chairing the UN Security Council, “it is hard to imagine something more evident that proves the complete bankruptcy of such institutions.”

General Staff: Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka under heavy fire. The General Staff reported on April 1 that the fiercest battles take place in Donetsk Oblast, near the strategic city of Bakhmut, as well as Avdiivka and Marinka.

Yermak: Russia hits Avdiivka, damages civil infrastructure. The Russian army launched two missile attacks on the front-line city of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, causing significant damage to infrastructure, according to President’s Office Head Andriy Yermak.

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Guardians who refuse to evacuate children from Sloviansk to lose custody.

Guardians of children who have not yet evacuated from Sloviansk, located in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast and the site of constant Russian assaults, will lose custody and children will be forcibly evacuated, according to a decision by the city’s commission for the protection of children’s rights.

Shmyhal: Bucha could be a trial site for ‘Russian war criminals.’ Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 1 that the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, which endured a brutal weeks-long Russian occupation in spring last year, should be considered a trial site for “Russian war criminals.”

Russian Defense Minister says ‘measures being taken’ to increase ammunition stocks. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on April 1 that “necessary measures are being taken” to increase the Russian army’s ammunition stocks for its war against Ukraine.

Ukraine to buy 100 Polish Rosomak armored vehicles. The Polish-made Rosomak will be bought with U.S. and EU funds, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Twitter on April 1.

Zelensky imposes sanctions on 650 Russian officials, collaborators, companies. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed two decrees to impose sanctions on more than 650 individuals and legal entities “working for Russian aggression,” as well as those connected to the Russian military industry.

Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly – Issue 81

Pre-trial restraint imposed on two defendants charged with being involved in stealing Hr 500 million from UMCC and Odesa Portside Plant. Read more in our repost of Ukrainian SOE Weekly.

Photo: Ukrposhta/Facebook

Human cost of Russia’s war

Russia attacks civilians in 8 Ukrainian regions, kills 5-month-old baby in Avdiivka. Russian forces attacked eight regions across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, killing at least five people and wounding 10, according to regional governors’ reports on April 1.

Russian shelling of Kherson Oblast kills 1, wounds 1. One person was killed on April 1 by Russian shelling of Kherson, President Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, reported on Telegram.

Russia shells Beryslav in Kherson Oblast, 2 injured. Russian forces shelled the city of Beryslav and its outskirts in Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast on April 1, the head of the regional administration Volodymyr Litvinov reported on Telegram.

Minister: Russia’s war has killed over 200 Ukrainian athletes. Russia’s war has killed 262 Ukrainian athletes and destroyed 363 sports facilities in Ukraine, Youth and Sports Minister Vadym Gutzeit said during a meeting on April 1 with Morinari Watanabe, president of the International Federation of Gymnastics, and President’s Office Head Andriy Yermak.

General Staff: Russia has lost 173,990 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. According to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russia has also lost 3,616 tanks, 6,981 armored fighting vehicles, 5,528 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,683 artillery systems, 527 multiple launch rocket systems, 279 air defense systems, 306 airplanes, 291 helicopters, 2,248 drones, and 18 boats.

Opinions and insights

Burkovsky, Zolkina: How Ukraine and the West can stop Putin’s nuclear blackmail

Putin is testing the international community’s reaction to see whether his nuclear threats can influence the West’s resolve to support Ukraine’s counteroffensive and liberation of territories Russia has occupied since 2014.

Photo: Alexey Danichev/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

International response

German defense minister: NATO countries to send total of 160 tanks to Ukraine. NATO countries plan to send two battalions of German Leopard-2 battle tanks and four battalions of Leopard-1 tanks to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told Die Welt. kThe 160 tanks account for roughly half the 300 tanks requested by Ukraine for its counteroffensive.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Toma Istomina, Asami Terajima, Alexander Query, Francis Farrell, Oleksiy Sorokin, Natalia Datskevych, and Lili Bivings.

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