Wednesday, April 12

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen ride on a YPR-765 armored personnel carrier (APC) on a road near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, on April 11, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)

Zelensky: Ukraine at critical juncture in war, important not to lose sight of victory. Ukraine is at a critical juncture in the war and both the country and its allies must not lose sight of the path to victory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on April 11.

Military: Wagner mercenaries will last only 2 more months in Bakhmut if tactics unchanged. Wagner mercenaries fighting in Bakhmut will only last two more months if their tactics remain unchanged, Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian military’s Eastern Operational Command said on April 11.

Russia strikes front-line towns in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Russian troops carried out an air strike on the front-line towns of Orikhiv and Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on the morning of April 11, according to the regional administration.

General Staff: Ukraine repels 72 Russian attacks over past day. Russian forces are concentrating their efforts on conducting offensives toward Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka in Donetsk Oblast, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in its morning update.

Eurocontrol predicts restrictions on Ukrainian airspace to remain until 2029. According to a seven-year forecast by the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol), restrictions on flights over Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and Moldova will remain until 2029.

Washington Post: Leaked document reveals US doubts about Ukraine’s counteroffensive. According to a U.S. intelligence alleged assessment from one of the possibly secret documents said to be leaked, Ukraine’s problems with the accumulation of troops, ammunition, and equipment could allegedly lead to its military falling “well short” of Kyiv’s initial goals for the expected counteroffensive, the Washington Post reported on April 10.

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Guardian: Leaked Pentagon document suggests Western special forces in Ukraine this year. Leaked U.S. military intelligence documents indicate that over 90 special forces from NATO countries were deployed to Ukraine, the Guardian reported.

Media: Volyn Oblast Council votes to ban Moscow Patriarchate church. The Volyn Oblast Council banned the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) from operating in the region, Suspilne news outlet reported on April 11.

Minister: Russia violated Black Sea Grain Initiative on April 11. Russia blocked inspections of ships transporting grain scheduled to leave Ukrainian ports on April 11, deputy minister Yuriy Vaskov told the Guardian.

Next Ramstein summit to take place on April 21. The 11th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group will take place at the Ramstein Air Base on April 21, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on April 11.

European Parliament, Verhkovna Rada to hold historic joint session on April 12. The European Parliament announced that it will be holding a joint hybrid session on April 12 with the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, to discuss the nature and challenges of Ukraine’s EU accession process.

10 popular misconceptions about Ukrainian history, debunked

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Human cost of Russia’s war

General Staff: Russia has lost 179,320 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on April 11 that Russia had also lost 3,644 tanks, 7,038 armored fighting vehicles, 5,620 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,765 artillery systems, 535 multiple launch rocket systems, 282 air defense systems, 307 airplanes, 293 helicopters, 2,332 drones, and 18 boats.

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‘They crawl forward 24/7:’ On the zero line with Ukrainian infantry north of Bakhmut

Here, battles are fought at close quarters, as Russian forces, primarily those of the notorious Wagner paramilitary group, mount daily assaults on Ukrainian lines in an effort to overrun the northern flank of the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut, around 20 kilometers to the south, and push deeper into Donetsk Oblast.

Photo: Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent

Bulgarian FM says relations with Russia ‘frozen,’ yet military aid to Ukraine remains in limbo

In an exclusive interview with the Kyiv Independent, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov said on April 4 that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has accelerated his country’s effort to eliminate Russia’s lingering reach.

Photo: Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

International response

Denmark says West may decide on fighter jets for Ukraine ‘before summer.’ Acting Defense Minister of Denmark Troels Lund Poulsen said on April 11 that the West could make a decision on the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine “before the summer” following the delivery of MiG-29 aircraft from Poland and Slovakia.

Germany delivers ammunition, reconnaissance drones to Ukraine. The German government reported transferring a new military aid package to Ukraine, which includes eight reconnaissance drones, another 23,520 rounds of 40-mm ammunition, and eight mobile antenna systems.

Canada announces new small arms package for Ukraine. Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand announced a new military aid package for Ukraine on April 11 in cooperation with firearms manufacturer Colt Canada.

In other news

Russia conducts test launch of intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile was reportedly launched from the Kapustin Yar rocket launch complex in Russia’s southern Astrakhan Oblast and hit a target at a training ground in Kazakhstan, Russian state-controlled media reported on April 11.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Toma Istomina, Dinara Khalilova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Oleg Sukhov, Francis Farrell, Kate Tsurkan, Anastasiya Gordiychuk, Anastasiia Malenko, and Lili Bivings.

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