Ukraine Daily

Thursday, 21 April 2022

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

European Council President Charles Michel (C) and Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna visit Borodyanka, 40 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, on April 20, 2022. (European Union)

Russia says it test-launched its intercontinental ballistic missile, threatens West. Russian Defense Ministry says it launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile “Sarmat.” Russian President Vladimir Putin said the missile will “strengthen the combat potential” of Russian forces and will “ensure the security of Russia from external threats.”

Danilov: Russia’s large-scale offensive in Donbas has not yet begun. According to National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov, Russia’s recent offensive in Ukraine’s east have been “trial” operations to test Ukraine’s defenses and it is “only a matter of time” before a “so-called full-scale offensive” begins. Danilov also cautioned against reports that the Battle of Donbas will be the last and most decisive as Russia still has time to amass new resources and reserves.

Zelensky: Ukraine liberates 934 settlements from Russian forces. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address on April 20 that law enforcement has resumed operations in 435 settlements, local government in 431, and humanitarian headquarters have been established in 361 settlements.

Five Eyes: Intelligence suggests Russia may launch cyberattacks against countries supporting Ukraine. The members of the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance – the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and New Zealand – have warned that Russia may also engage cybercrime groups in incursions against states, institutions, and businesses.

Head of Ukrainian Orthodox Church asks to refrain from Easter services in Ukraine’s war zones. Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv says that, although they have asked Russia “to stop shelling” on April 24, the Orthodox Easter, he does not believe Russia would actually follow the ceasefire, Ukrainska Pravda reports. Therefore, he urged religious institutions in Ukraine’s “dangerous areas” not to hold Easter services.

Ukraine confirms receiving aircraft spare parts, components from allies, but not new aircraft. Despite the Pentagon’s earlier claim that Ukraine received new planes as well as spare parts to be more effective in the air, Ukraine’s Armed Forces said that the country “did not receive new aircraft from partners.”

US defense official: Ukraine’s Air Force adds around 20 operational aircraft due to ‘influx of spare parts.’ An unnamed senior U.S. defense official said on April 20 that the U.S., as well as other undisclosed countries, worked “to get them [Ukraine] the parts they need to get them in the air,” CNN reports. According to the official, Ukraine now has more aircraft than it did just three weeks ago. The official also implied that at least one country was considering sending Ukraine more aircraft.

Governor: Russian forces control 80% of Luhansk Oblast. Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai said that the area controlled by Russia increased after the capture on April 18 of Kreminna, a city with a population of more than 18,000 people. In the temporarily-occupied territories, the Russian military “continue to intimidate the local population,” Haidai said.

IMF expects Ukraine’s debt to reach 86% of GDP in 2022. The International Monetary Fund predicts Ukraine’s government debt to increase to 86.2% of the country’s GDP in 2022 due to Russia’s war. The country’s budget deficit will reach 17.8%. In 2021, Ukraine’s government debt reached 49% of the country’s GDP, which peaked at $181 billion.

UN Secretary-General requests face-to-face meeting with Putin in Moscow to ‘end war.’ The letter with Antonio Guterres’s request for a meeting was handed to Russia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. The Ukrainian mission received a separate letter with a proposal to organize a meeting between Guterres and President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

Ukraine’s intelligence: FSB arrests Russia’s proxy in occupied parts of Luhansk Oblast. Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intelligence said that Moscow began to “clean up” its proxies in occupied parts of Donbas for “failures at the front.” “Interior Minister Major General” of Russia’s proxies in Luhansk Igor Kornet is currently being held in a detention center in Rostov-on-Don in Russia.

Russian media publishes list of Ukrainian celebrities, influencers allegedly banned from entering Russia for 50 years. Several Kremlin-linked media outlets reported that 31 Ukrainian celebrities, TV presenters, and influencers are now banned from entering Russia for 50 years. The list includes singers Dmytro Monatik, Jamala, the lead singer of the rock band Okean Elzy Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, and more. All of them called out Russia for its war against Ukraine.

Zelensky: Ukraine ready for any format of people exchange in Mariupol. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine was ready to exchange captured and killed Russian soldiers Ukrainian civilians in the largely ruined and partially-occupied city of Mariupol. In a briefing with President of the European Council Charles Michel in Kyiv, Zelensky said that the situation in Mariupol is deteriorating. Up to 22,000 civilians have been killed, according to an estimation by local authorities.

NATO allies could be involved into safe passage of civilians, wounded soldiers from occupied Mariupol. Victoria Nuland, the U.S. under-secretary of state for political affairs, said there “was some hope that the Russians might allow” safe passage for civilians and wounded soldiers from Mariupol. Previously, such attempts have failed.

Ukraine’s intelligence: Russia plans forced mobilization in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson regions. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Directorate says Russia plans to carry out forced mobilizations in the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts and send Ukrainians to fight against their own country.

UK Defense Ministry: Fighting in Donbas intensifies as Russian forces try to break through Ukrainian defense. While building up its military presence on Ukraine’s eastern border, Russia carries out attacks on cities across Ukraine to disrupt the movement of Ukrainian reinforcements and weaponry to the east, the recent U.K. intelligence update says. Russian air activity in northern Ukraine seems unlikely but the risks of precision strikes against priority targets throughout Ukraine still exist.

Ukraine wins three more medals at Invictus Games held in The Hague. Swimmer Andriy Badarak won gold in 50-meter backstroke. Swimmers Ivan Lepekha and Oleksiy Bobchynets won bronze medals in 50-meter freestyle race and 50-meter backstroke race, respectively.

Read our exclusive, on the ground stories

EU Council president visits Russian war crime scenes, says EU must do more for Ukraine. Walking through the town of Borodyanka, 40 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, European Union Council President Charles Michel wasn’t hiding his grief. Visiting the largely destroyed Ukrainian town that he has likely never heard of until recently, the official was trying to carefully pick words of support. The lack of unity inside the EU limited the promises he could make. Read our story here.

‘Hide the girls’: How Russian soldiers rape and torture Ukrainians. A week before she would have turned 23, Karina Yershova was killed by Russian soldiers in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv. They tortured her and most likely raped her, Karina’s stepfather Andriy Dereko told the Kyiv Independent. Then, they shot her in the head. Read our story here.

Ukraine needs Western aircraft to put an end to massacre of civilians, achieve victory. Despite heavily outnumbering Ukraine’s air force, Russia has failed to achieve total air supremacy, with the skies over Ukraine still being contested. And yet there is one aspect in which Russia’s air force, along with other branches of the military, has been effective – the indiscriminate killing of civilians with bombs and rockets. Read our story here.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Prosecutor General’s Office: Russia’s war kills 205 children, wounds 373. The actual numbers are likely significantly higher as workers are still finalizing the count in recently-liberated settlements and data from Russian-occupied territories is unavailable. At least 118 children were killed or injured in Donetsk Oblast, 91 in Kharkiv Oblast, 57 in Chernihiv Oblast, 43 in Kherson Oblast, 40 in Mykolaiv Oblast, 36 in Luhansk Oblast, 25 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, 16 in Kyiv city, 16 in Sumy Oblast, and 15 in Zhytomyr Oblast.

Ukraine’s military: Russia has lost 20,900 soldiers as of April 20. Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported that Russia also lost 815 tanks, 2,087 armored personnel carriers, 1,504 vehicles, 391 artillery systems, 136 multiple launch rocket systems, 67 anti-aircraft defense systems, 150 helicopters, 171 aircraft, 76 fuel tanks, 165 UAVs and 8 boats.

International response

G20 members condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine, some stage walkout. Top officials from the U.S., U.K. and Canada walked out on Russia’s representatives at a Group of 20 meeting on April 20 and many members condemned Moscow’s war in Ukraine, Reuters reports. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she strongly disapproved of a senior Russian official’s presence at the meeting before walking out, two sources told Reuters.

G7 finance ministers promise over $24 billion in support for Ukraine. In a statement the ministers said they are also prepared to do more for Ukraine as needed, Reuters reports. “International organizations and multilateral fora should no longer conduct their activities with Russia in a business-as-usual manner,” the ministers said.

US announces new sanctions against Russia. The sanctions target Transkapitalbank, more than 40 individuals and entities associated with sanctioned Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev, as well as Russian-owned Bitriver AG, one of the largest crypto-mining companies in the world. The U.S. Treasury said the sanctions target those involved in attempts to evade sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its partners.

Norway sends around 100 air defense systems to Ukraine. Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said his country had donated French-made Mistral short-range missile systems to Ukraine, which are no longer used by the Norwegian Armed Forces but are still “a modern and effective weapon that will be of great benefit to Ukraine.”

White House: US sends five planes with military aid to Ukraine, more weapon deliveries to come. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing on April 20 that the shipments arrived within the last few days and another half dozen planes carrying military equipment are set to arrive in the near future.

Russian, Belarusian tennis players banned from Wimbledon tournament. The oldest tennis tournament in the world with a total prize pool of $43.2 million starts on June 27. The decision would be reconsidered “if circumstances change materially between now and June,” the statement said.

Japan lifts Russia’s ‘most favored nation’ trade status due to invasion of Ukraine. On April 20, the Japanese parliament officially lifted the status in response to Russian atrocities against civilians in Ukraine. Now Japan will be able to impose higher duties on most goods imported from Russia, except for crude oil, liquefied natural gas and palladium.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Natalia Datskevych, Daria Shulzhenko, Asami Terajima, Teah Pelechaty, Oleksiy Sorokin, Olga Rudenko, Toma Istomina, Lili Bivings.

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