Wednesday, April 3

Russia’s war against Ukraine

An educational institution came under a Russian missile attack in Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, on April 2, 2024. (State Emergency Service)

Ministry: Ukraine destroyed record 976 Russian artillery systems in March. Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed 976 Russian artillery systems in March, a record number in a single month since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported on April 2.

NGO: Ukrainian teenager illegally deported by Russia returns home. A 17-year-old boy previously illegally deported to Russia from then-occupied Kherson returned to his family in Ukraine, Save Ukraine, a Ukrainian humanitarian NGO that arranged the return, reported on April 2.

Zelensky signs several laws on mobilization, making younger men eligible for draft. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed three laws introducing changes to mobilization, according to the website of Ukraine’s parliament on April 2.

Government allocates additional $144 million for fortifications. Ukraine will allocate an additional Hr 5.6 billion ($144 million) to fortify Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Sumy oblasts, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on April 2.

Ukraine launches digital war damages register as basis for future reparations. Ukrainians whose property has been destroyed or damaged by Russia can now submit applications for compensation via an international digital register, which will be used “as the basis for future reparations” from Russia, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on April 2.

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Putin appoints new Black Sea Fleet commander. Russian leader Vladimir Putin appointed Vice Admiral Sergey Pinchuk as the new commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, state news agency RIA Novosti reported on April 2.

Russia claims drone attack damages residential buildings in Kursk. A fire broke out in Russia’s city of Kursk late on April 2, according to videos sent by eye-witnesses to several Telegram monitoring channels. Kursk Oblast Governor Roman Starovoit claimed that four drones were shot down over the city and surrounding areas.

Source: Ukraine hits oil refinery in Russia’s Tatarstan with long-range drone.

During an April 2 attack on industrial facilities in Russia’s Tatarstan, a Ukrainian long-range drone targeted one of the country’s largest oil refineries, located in the city of Nizhnekamsk, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent.

US not supporting Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, Blinken says. “We have neither supported nor enabled strikes by Ukraine outside of its territory,” Blinken said, responding to a question from a journalist about the Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.

CNN: Ukraine reportedly using AI to help target drones. The AI-powered drones have reportedly been used as part of Ukraine’s ongoing campaign to target the Russian energy industry.

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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine hits drone factory, oil refinery deep inside Russia

Ukraine targeted industrial facilities in Russia’s Tatarstan on April 2, around 1,300 kilometers from the Ukrainian-Russian border, a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency told the Kyiv Independent.

Photo: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Lukashenko tightens grip on power as regime prepares for new elections

Elections in Belarus, similar to those of neighboring Russia, are little more than a formality. Opposition parties are banned, their leaders are in exile or imprisoned. The people and local authorities know the elections are sham.

Photo: LightRocket via Getty Images

Why some far-right Republicans are hell bent on ending further aid to Ukraine

Two years of grueling fighting later, U.S. support for Ukraine has dropped significantly, but a majority of Americans – 58% – still want their country to send weapons and money to Ukraine to aid it in its war effort.

Photo: Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attack in Kharkiv Oblast kills man, injures boy. A Russian attack on the village of Novoosynove in Kharkiv Oblast killed a man and injured an 11-year-old boy, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on April 2.

Update: Russia’s missile attack against Dnipro injures 18, including 5 children. An educational institution was damaged as a result of the attack but children were hiding in a bomb shelter when it occurred, according to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak.

Russian attack kills elderly man in Kherson Oblast. A Russian attack on the village of Tokarivka in Kherson Oblast killed a 79-year-old man in Kherson Oblast, the Kherson Regional Military Administration reported on April 2.

International response

White House dismisses linking Ukraine aid to reversal of natural gas policy. The Biden administration has rejected an agreement with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to connect Ukraine aid with lifting the Biden administration’s pause on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export licenses.

Bloomberg: Biden calls Xi, Ukraine likely on the agenda. A senior administration official told reporters at a briefing that Biden would reiterate “that China should use its leverage with Russia and Iran to enhance stability, both around the war in Ukraine and amid turmoil in the Middle East.”

Bloomberg: NATO considers establishing $100 billion fund to aid Ukraine over 5 years. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg suggested creating an allied fund worth $100 billion over five years for Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on April 2, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the issue.

Media: Estonia considers joining Czech-led initiative to buy artillery shells for Ukraine. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that Tallinn is considering joining the Czech-led initiative to buy critically-needed artillery shells for Ukraine, Czech media outlet Ceske Noviny reported.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: What’s left of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet?

“Russia’s war against Ukraine is shattering the conventions of warfare in many ways. One of the most illustrative examples is the systematic destruction of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF) by Ukraine, a country that has virtually no navy of its own,” writes military historian Andrii Kharuk.

Photo: Maria Antonova/AFP via Getty Images

In other news

Zelensky says government to tighten control over online gambling. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on April 2 that the government is preparing to tighten control over the online gambling industry “and help protect the interests of the society.”

Former advisor to presidential office charged with embezzling almost $2.5 million from Ukrainian Railways. The case was reported by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), but it did not disclose the name of the suspect. Ukrainska Pravda, citing unnamed sources, wrote that it was Artem Shylo, a former advisor to the president’s office.

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