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Africa Subsaharan

How to fit Russian interests into Iran's African strategy

2024-05-04

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Viktor Vasiliev [REGNUM] The second Iran-Africa International Summit took place last week. The Islamic Republic hosted economic ministers from more than 30 African states. Nevertheless, non-economic methods remain Tehran’s main means of influence on the Black Continent. IRANIAN INTEREST In recent years, Iran, along with Russia, has begun to pay significant attention to Africa. Thus, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi toured Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe in July 2023. The trip to the African continent was the first of its kind by an Iranian president to Africa since 2012. Of course, Iran had and still has an African strategy. But its current activation became possible only after reconciliation with Saudi Arabia. Because until recently, the Iranian presence on the Dark Continent was largely a competition with the Saudis. Thus, in March 2005, the country signed an “agreement on assistance for $1.5 million to the budget of the Ghanaian state.” In 2017, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif opened a hospital in Kampala, Uganda, partially funded by the Islamic Republic. The country also spends significant sums on building social and health infrastructure, particularly through the Red Crescent. The Red Crescent originally being the Ottoman empire’s counterpart to the International Red Cross of Christendom. Iran used to have the Red Lion and Sun, but when the Mullahs took over they traded it in for the Ummah’s Red Crescent. It’s interesting that both Iran and Turkey are willing to beggar themselves tossing alms to indigent Moslem nations in competition with the oil sheikdoms, tossing bad money after worse. Iran, which at one stage benefited from high oil prices, also provided financial and economic support to Sudan, Somalia, Senegal, Ethiopia and DR Congo. Of course, Iran is rapidly developing economic relations. Among the areas of cooperation between Iran and African countries are car assembly plants, oil supplies, gas production, electricity, and consumer goods. Iran is gradually increasing its trade with Africa. According to Masoud Kamali Ardakani, former director general of the Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Iran office for Arab and African countries, trade between Iran and Africa reached a record US$1.2 billion in 2017 and 2018. But despite this growth, trade with Iran in 2018 accounted for only 0.12% of Africa's total trade with the world. Iran's main market in recent years has been East Asia, especially China. Iran's Africa policy is a side project linked to the larger project of competing with the United States (and, until recently, Saudi Arabia). The Soviet Union used to try to compete with America on spending. We all know how that went. IRAN-AFRICA SUMMIT Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, who attended the summit, addressed the African guests. “It is necessary to develop a clear program both for the entire African continent and for each African country with a specific schedule. The first step between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the African continent is will, fortunately this will exists and this meeting is a symbol of the will of African countries and Iran to expand economic relations,” Raisi said. The summit program, including the participation of guests in the 4-day exhibition of the export potential of the Islamic Republic of Iran "EXPO 2024", was quite practical. According to Mohammad Nematzadeh, Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade of the Islamic Republic of Iran, trade between Iran and Africa could potentially reach $5 billion. Currently, relevant departments estimate the annual trade turnover between Iran and African countries at $1.278 billion. Representative of the Trade Development Commission Hane Samat recorded that direct export of Iranian goods has been established with 39 countries of the African continent. Among the systemic measures to intensify cooperation with African countries are the dispatch and work of 12 business consultants, the opening of Iranian houses of innovation and technology, as well as the opening of export centers on the African continent. Iran and African countries also created a joint committee on agricultural cooperation. The head of the foreign trade department of the Organization of Rural Cooperatives of Iran, Seyed Ruhollah Latifi, said during the summit: “ Iran can, given the African continent's need for fuel and energy, technology and mechanization of agricultural production, investment, design and construction of infrastructure such as mining, dams, road construction and construction projects, oil refinery overhauls, gas production, etc.” IRAN'S TRADITIONAL STRATEGY IN AFRICA The Islamic Revolution of 1979 was not only a turning point in the history of Iran, but also radically affected Tehran's relations with the African continent. The new Iranian government sought to export the Islamic revolution and was distinguished by its ardent anti-imperialism. Anti Christian imperialism, anyway. They’re just fine with Iranian imperialism. These two factors were reflected in a special way in relations with African countries. For a long time, Tehran’s African vector remained a continuation of the Cold War with Saudi Arabia. Iran, which has 25 embassies in Africa, has faced stiff opposition from the kingdom. The Sunni state has an extremely negative attitude towards the presence of Shiite Iran in Africa. As a consequence, countries such as Egypt and Morocco also became concerned about Iranian proselytism. Morocco has twice severed relations with Iran. The first time in 2009, condemning Tehran's religious "activism"; the second in 2018, accusing Iran of supporting the Polisario rebel movement in Western Sahara through the Lebanese Hezbollah. Senegal severed diplomatic relations with Iran after the seizure of an arms shipment in Lagos in 2010. And after the execution by Saudi Arabia of the Shiite sheikh Nimr Bakr al-Nimr in 2016, Djibouti and Somalia also announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Iran. Sudan, Tehran's longtime ally, did the same. As for anti-imperialism, the Islamic Republic participates in the non-aligned movement and acts as a defender of oppressed countries in the face of Western (primarily US) domination. Iran is trying to show that the country is not isolated on the international stage and that it is not the only country having problems with the United States. There will definitely be points of contact between Pan-Africanism and the image of Iran as a fighter against Western hegemony. It can be predicted that the Pan-African public will soon have flags of Iran and portraits of Ayatollah Khomeini, along with the Russian tricolor and the image of Putin and Che Guevara. Angels of light, all three. It is these two key trends that are supported by Iran’s humanitarian and economic initiatives in Africa. Among the areas of interest for Iran on the continent are agriculture, the security sector and religion (in Nigeria, for example, there is a Shiite community). Part of the conductor of Iran's interests is the Lebanese community, which is ubiquitous in African countries. MATING POINTS At the moment, there is a third characteristic feature of the Iranian presence on the Dark Continent: coincidence with Russian interests. The most active actions of the Iranians practically coincide with Russian activity in Africa. In particular, the Alliance of Sahel States raised the flag of resistance to Western hegemony and objectively found itself in the same boat with Iran. For the Islamic Republic, the emergence of new military authorities in Africa has opened up an opportunity to expand influence on the continent and support the overall process of returning to the international stage. Given the threats of jihadism, arms exports are also relevant, especially against the background of the winding down of military partnerships with the United States and France. The last track common to Russia and Iran fell on Niger. According to many experts, it was Niger’s decision to get closer to Iran that led to a conflict situation with the United States and the decision to quickly curtail military-technical cooperation with Washington. Allegedly, according to intelligence data, the American side learned that Tehran was negotiating with Niamey to purchase 300 tons of uranium. Africa Intelligence in a recent publication reveals confidential negotiations between the Nigerian junta and the Iranian government on the supply of 300 tons of uranium. As is known, the US attempt to limit Niamey in the choice of partners ended with the demand of local authorities to leave the country and the simultaneous arrival of military specialists from the Afrika Korps of the Russian Defense Ministry. DIVISION OF LABOR At the moment, there is no coordination between Tehran and Moscow in the African direction. But this could be a logical step. Because both Russian and Iranian strategies are quite niche, but at the same time not conflicting with each other - in some places they are competing, and in others they are complementary. In a narrow circle of allies (including Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea), Russia could build an extremely effective and independent strategy, completely “working” and interesting for all African countries. From a distance, this could resemble the activities of the Warsaw Pact countries on the Dark Continent. Yes, there was strong competition between the countries, not to mention friction with communist China or Yugoslavia. But overall, this provided a good range of opportunities for African countries and effective tools to counter the influence of France and other Western states. Such cooperation can give a synergistic effect by using the strengths of each of the countries friendly to Russia. For example, Iran is excellent at organizing the formation and subsequent effective work with proxy forces - we are talking about the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In Africa, this niche can be filled by certain groups of pan-African activists. And even the military-technical side of Iran’s presence may be familiar to us from the Northern Military District. It is also necessary to understand that the UAV market in Africa will be occupied, if not by Iran, then by Türkiye. The first partner, of course, is more preferable for us.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: December 2nd 2023

2023-12-03

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title. [Korrespondent] 19:44 The Armed Forces of Ukraine went into “active defense” in the Bakhmut direction, said the speaker of the Ground Forces, Vladimir Fityo: “Battles are taking place in the south and north of Bakhmut. Our military are in active defense, but with the best opportunity they switch to attack actions and improve their tactical position ". 18:17 The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that air defense forces allegedly destroyed two Ukrainian S-200 missiles, converted to hit ground targets, over the Sea of ​​Azov. 17:36 Germany transferred another package of military assistance to Ukraine, which included, in particular, four 8x8 HX81 tractors and semi-trailers for them; two vehicles for the border service; five drone detection systems; 3840 artillery ammunition; 15 HLR 338 sniper rifles and 60 thousand rounds of ammunition for them. 16:59 Zelensky said in an interview with AP that prisoner exchanges sometimes take place right on the battlefield: “Over the last six months, we have returned a little, up to 100 people. Over the entire period, several thousand people have been returned. Very often we exchange prisoners of war not so loudly, not so publicly ". I'll be honest - we change them right on the battlefield. When we have ten of their prisoners, and they have several of our guys - and we change them. It happens in different ways." 15:07 The Russians fired at the border Semenovskaya community of the Chernihiv region, two people were wounded, said the head of the OBA Vyacheslav Chaus. 13:41 Russian public pages write that in Simferopol, two saboteurs poisoned 35 Russian military personnel, to whom they brought vodka and food poisoned with arsenic “as a sign of gratitude.” As a result, 24 people died, another 11 were hospitalized, and the “criminals” could not be found. 12:56 The second group of 70 Ukrainian military personnel was trained in Germany on the Patriot air defense system, said the commander of the multinational training command, Andreas Marlov. The training lasted six weeks and included experienced Ukrainian military personnel, many of whom had experience working with Soviet S-300 systems. 11:38 Ukrainian resistance forces in Melitopol killed several Russians and disabled an enemy tanker, reports the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. The attack took place on December 1 at the entrance to the occupied city, on Bohdan Khmelnitsky Avenue, 115. The occupation administration is trying to hide the consequences of the attack because it is afraid of the reaction of the Kremlin intelligence services. 10:51 The Russians fired missiles at the Dnieper region. No people were injured, the consequences of the attack are being clarified, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak. 09:57 Another blackout has occurred at the Zaporozhye NPP, there is a threat to radiation safety, Energoatom says. Due to the complete blackout, Zaporizhia NPP switched to powering its needs from diesel generators. The greatest security threat in this state exists at the fourth power unit, which the occupiers used with violations and kept in a hot state. The block requires urgent transfer to a cold state. Through the efforts of Ukrainian specialists, on the morning of December 2, communication with the Ukrainian energy system was resumed. 09:16 The International Red Cross suspended the membership of Belarus because the Belarusian CC did not remove Secretary General Dmitry Shevtsov from his post, who admitted participation in the deportation of Ukrainian children and traveled to occupied Lugansk and Donetsk. Shevtsov is also being investigated for his claims about nuclear weapons. 09:13 Russia uses about 300 combat aircraft and helicopters out of one and a half thousand in Ukraine, Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said in an interview with Dmitry Gordon. According to him, the planes carrying out strikes on Ukraine are located at 30-40 airfields, of which five are in Crimea. 09:08 The German concern Rheinmetall wants to build the first armored vehicles in Ukraine in 2024. We are talking about two models - the Fox wheeled armored personnel carrier (Fuchs) and the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle. The head of the concern, Armin Papperger, said that production of Fuchs in Ukraine will become possible from the end of the summer of 2024, Lynx - from the summer of 2025. According to him, Rheinmetall does not plan to build new plants in Ukraine, but will rent existing ones. 08:53 In the Odessa region, during a night attack, a fire occurred as a result of hitting an infrastructure facility, which was promptly extinguished. No people were injured, the Southern Defense Forces said. 08:31 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of December 2: personnel - about 331,110 (+1070) people, tanks - 5571 (+7), armored combat vehicles - 10,385 (+13), artillery systems - 7941 (+10), MLRS - 913 (+1), air defense systems - 602 (+0), aircraft - 323 (+0), helicopters - 324 (+0), UAV of operational-tactical level - 5994 (+18), cruise missiles - 1568 (+1), ships/boats - 22 (+0), submarines - 1 (+0), automotive equipment and tank trucks - 10,410 (+11), special equipment - 1138 (+1). 07:54 At night, air defense destroyed 10 of 11 Shahed attack UAVs and an X-59 guided missile, the Air Force command reported. Russia attacked with drones from the Crimean Cape Chauda, ​​and with a missile from the airspace of the occupied Zaporozhye region. The missile was shot down in the Dnepropetrovsk region, the drones in the Odessa region. 07:27 Over the past 24 hours, 84 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In particular, in the Avdeevsky direction, the Defense Forces repelled 21 attacks (in the areas south of Novokalinovo, Stepnoe, Avdeevka, Severny, Pervomaisky of the Donetsk region) and the same number in the Bakhmutsky direction (in the areas of Grigoryevka, Bogdanovka, Ivanovsky, Kleshcheevka and Andreevka of the Donetsk region). In addition, in the Kupyansk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled enemy attacks in the areas of Sinkovka, Kharkov region, and Stelmakhovka, Lugansk region; on Limansky - in the Serebryansky forestry area of ​​the Lugansk region; on Maryinsky - in the Novomikhailovka area of ​​the Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - in the Rabotino district and west of Verbovoy, Zaporozhye region. The enemy did not conduct offensive operations in the Shakhtarsky direction. At the same time, the Defense Forces continue the offensive operation in the Melitopol direction, assault operations south of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, and in the Kherson direction they hold occupied positions on the left bank of the Dnieper. 04:10 If the US Congress does not pass a bill to allocate funds to help Ukraine by the end of the year, it will be very difficult to continue supporting Kiev at the required level, said John Kirby, coordinator of the White House National Security Council. He added that due to delays in funding, the Biden administration is already forced to limit the volume of supplies to Ukraine. 03:23 Most Russian oligarchs have been able to increase their wealth since the beginning of 2023, even under the conditions of the introduction of sanctions against the Russian Federation, writes Bloomberg. In total, they were able to replenish their accounts by $38.575 billion. The overall ranking of 500 billionaires includes 25 Russians. And six Russians made it into the top hundred rich people in the world , ranking from 47th to 88th place.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: June 9th, 2023

2023-06-10

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Korrespondent] 23:20 OSINT investigator Benjamin Pittet determined the approximate location of the hit on the Arabat Spit - this is the headquarters of the Russian troops Dnepr, where Putin allegedly came in April. 22:47 Iran provides Russia with a constant stream of weapons and ammunition that are used to kill civilians in Ukraine, said British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley. 21:54 The Russians again fired at Kherson during the evacuation activities - three people were injured, including one minor, the Office of the Prosecutor General said. 21:15 Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives, representing the Democratic and Republican parties, announced the introduction of a resolution calling for the Biden administration to transfer long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. The co-author of the resolution, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, Republican Michael McCole said that if the United States does not provide Ukraine with all the necessary weapons, it will help prolong the war. 21:06 Lukashenka was ready in December 2022 to give the order to start the invasion of Ukraine, but he could not persuade the army, Valery Sakhashchik, a member of Tikhanovskaya's cabinet and the founder of the Belarusian airborne assault group as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told Espresso. According to him, the soldiers began to ask a large number of questions to the command: they say, why should they go to Ukraine, why did the Ukrainian people suddenly become an enemy. The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus tried to intimidate the military, but nothing came of it, Sakhashchik noted: “The KGB almost in full force spent almost a week in the troops, blackmailed, frightened, talked with the military - it didn’t work. They reported to the top leadership that the Belarusian army was not ready for conducting hostilities in Ukraine, so the order was not issued." 20:57 Approximately 1 billion euros are needed for the restoration of the Kakhovskaya HPP, and about the same amount for related work, Shmyhal said. The prime minister added that the authorities had already agreed with the World Bank on an early assessment of damage and needs after the disaster. 20:24 The UN stated that it has been present in Ukraine "since the beginning of the conflict" and provides humanitarian assistance to the victims, but does not engage in "physical rescue" of people. The UN said in a statement that the organization had received neither permission nor security guarantees from Russian forces for personnel and people to carry out the evacuation. The UN noted that they donated food for 18,000 people, more than 100,000 bottles of water, cash for 5,000 victims, thousands of hygiene kits, and also provided mobile medical and psychosocial support. 20:08 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he had held a meeting of the Headquarters, the main focus was on the situation on the front line: "Attention is focused on all areas where our actions are needed and where the enemy can suffer certain defeats. Our defense actions, active actions, our achievements on the front line. We discussed in detail the supply and distribution of ammunition, the strengthening of our artillery and air defense." 19:59 32 countries have joined the lawsuit of Ukraine against Russia in the UN court on the convention on genocide. By the votes of 14 judges of the International Court of Justice against one, 26 EU member states (except Hungary), as well as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Liechtenstein and the United Kingdom joined the Ukrainian claim at the stage of preliminary hearings. 19:56 Undermining the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station by the Russians led to a real disaster. However, the construction of a hydroelectric power station in the 1950s was also called a disaster. Therefore, now there are different opinions about whether it is worth restoring the station and its reservoir. For more details, see the material The Future of the Kakhovskaya HPP . 19:48 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, thanked for the humanitarian assistance to eliminate the consequences of the Russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka dam, discussed the continuation of cooperation in the field of security, in particular, the training of Ukrainian pilots and the strengthening of Ukraine's air shield. 19:45 Putin said that the Ukrainian offensive has begun, this is allegedly indicated by "the use of strategic reserves." He claims that all counteroffensive attempts made by Kiev failed, "but the offensive potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is still preserved." The head of the Kremlin also admitted that Russia still lacks modern weapons, but "the defense industry is developing rapidly," and all the tasks assigned to it will be completed. 19:39 In the territories flooded as a result of the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station by Russians, various diseases can occur, primarily associated with limited access to clean water: hepatitis A, salmonellosis, shigellosis, acute intestinal infections, botulism. The Ministry of Health also admits the possibility of an outbreak of cholera. Under the threat - Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson regions and Crimea. Read more in the material How to protect yourself . 19:22 In Arapovka, Lugansk region, about 90 Russian servicemen deserted and left their combat positions without permission, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. 19:15 American spy satellites recorded explosions before the collapse of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam, writes The New York Times, citing sources. Satellites equipped with infrared sensors have registered thermal signals indicating a massive explosion. Experts believe that a deliberate explosion inside the dam is the most likely cause of its collapse. American intelligence believes that Russia is behind the destruction of the dam. However, they still do not have enough evidence to unequivocally state this. 18:51 The Belgian government will allocate 32.4 million euros for the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine, said Defense Minister Ludwin Dedonder. The 105 mm munitions in question will be purchased from the Belgian industry and will be delivered "as quickly as possible". This purchase is part of the 14th military aid package provided by Belgium to Ukraine. The total amount of assistance reached 92 million euros. 18:28 Iran provides Russia with equipment for the construction of a plant for the production of Shahed kamikaze drones, said John Kirby, coordinator of the US National Security Council at the White House. According to him, the plant can be put into operation before the end of next year, it is planned to build it on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan. In return, Russia is offering Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including missiles, electronics and air defense, Kirby added. "This is a full-scale defense partnership that harms Ukraine, Iran's neighbors and the international community. We continue to use all tools to expose and stop these activities, including through public awareness, and we are ready to do even more," he added. 18:17 The Pentagon announced the provision of another $2.1 billion military aid package to Ukraine. It will include, in particular, critical air defense systems and ammunition: additional ammunition for Patriot air defense systems; HAWK air defense systems and missiles for them; 105 mm and 203 mm artillery shells; Puma unmanned aerial systems; ammunition for laser-guided missile systems; training, maintenance and support. 17:39 The SBU arrested the Ukrainian assets of the deputy head of the Belgorod Regional Duma of the Russian Federation, the owner of the Agro-Belogorye group of companies, Vladimir Zotov, for more than 180 million hryvnias. First of all, we are talking about the assets of the agricultural holding controlled by Zotov, which is located on the territory of the Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions. In Russia, Zotov, in particular, launched an information campaign, during which he widely publicized the provision of food "humanitarian aid" to the Russian military at the front on behalf of his enterprises. 17:10 In the Kiev region, all entertainment events must end no later than 21:00 - this decision was made by the operational headquarters of the OVA. At the same time, the curfew continues to operate from 00:00 to 5:00 - for this period, all entertainment establishments, without exception, must stop their work. Compliance checks in the region will be carried out regularly with the involvement of police officers. 16:46 IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced the launch of a program of assistance to Ukraine in connection with the spill of the Kakhovka reservoir. In particular, the agency, through the use of nuclear techniques, will determine the impact of flooding on drinking water, human health, soil and water management, and assess the integrity of critical infrastructure. 16:43 Estonia has banned Patriarch Kirill from entering the country. 16:41 As of 14:00, the level of the Kakhovka reservoir in the Nikopol area is 11.45 meters. Hydroelectric power plants are operating at a reduced capacity to reduce the consequences of the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, Ukrhydroenergo reported. 16:38 Borrell is sure that Russia is behind the blowing up of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station: "The dam was not bombed. It was destroyed by explosives installed at the locations of the turbines. This territory is under Russian control. I was not there to find out who did it. But everything points to the fact that if this happened in the territory under the control of Russia, it is hard to believe that it could be anyone else." 16:32 In Kursk, a drone fell near the oil depot, there is no damage or destruction, Governor Roman Starovoit said. In Belgorod, a drone fell on an office building and caught fire, there were no injuries, the roof and two cars were damaged, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. 16:26 Adviser to the Mayor of Mariupol, Petr Andryushchenko, announced a "bavovna" on the Arabat Spit. Russian media reported, citing emergency services, that the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck, allegedly with Storm Shadow missiles, allegedly at a "children's recreation center" on the Arabat Spit in the Genichesk district. 15:57 Kiev was not informed about the negotiations between the Hungarian and Russian sides on the transfer of Ukrainian prisoners of war, Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said. According to him, because of this, Hungary's Charge d'Affaires was invited to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry today for a substantive discussion. Ukraine asks to provide detailed information about its citizens and immediately provide access to them for the Ukrainian consul to get acquainted with their state of health and provide consular assistance. During the meeting, they especially noted the need to coordinate interaction on such sensitive issues as the release of prisoners of war. 15:29 The reason for the destruction of the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station is not yet clear, Jeremy Lawrence, spokesman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said: “The circumstances that led to the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station are still too unclear to qualify this incident as a war crime. There needs to be an independent investigation." 15:25 The Russians are shelling Kherson again, hitting the coastal areas, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. 14:46 Putin said at a meeting with Lukashenka in Sochi that the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus will begin immediately after the completion of the preparation of facilities for them on July 7-8. 14:38 Over the past day, Ukrainian troops have advanced 1.2 km in some areas in the Bakhmut area, said the speaker of the Eastern Group of Forces Serhiy Cherevaty. According to him, the Defense Forces have been storming the positions of the Russians for several days. The regular Russian units that enter Bakhmut instead of the Wagnerites do not know the area well and are not well coordinated, which plays into the hands of the Ukrainian troops. 14:32 The Russians fired on a hospital in Hulyaipole, Zaporozhye region: it is known about two dead hospital workers, two more people were injured, the President's Office reported. 14:25 In the Bakhmut direction, the Russians are drawing up reserves and trying to hold their positions. They make attempts to attack, but to no avail. Currently, the Defense Forces are actively fighting in several sectors of the Bakhmut direction, said Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar. In the Zaporozhye direction, according to her, the enemy is defending, positional battles are going on. Malyar also said that Russian troops are equipping defensive lines with the help of "dragon's teeth" on the outskirts of the Crimea, in the depths of the occupied territory, at a certain distance to the current line of combat. In particular, there is information about their installation in the Perekop direction. According to Malyar, this indicates that the military leadership of the Russian Federation is considering the possibility of retreating to distant borders, in particular, deep into the Crimea. "And the Russian servicemen who are on the line of combat confrontation and behind whose backs they are equipping defensive lines are probably in danger of death," she added. 14:08 The Russian Orthodox Church announced the day before that with its participation, Russia handed over to Hungary a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Transcarpathia. The transfer of prisoners of war allegedly took place at the request of Budapest. Today, Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Shemien confirmed this information. According to him, we are talking about 11 Ukrainian soldiers of Hungarian origin. The Ukrainian side has not yet given official comments, but the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Andrei Yusov, said that intelligence is checking the information. 13:40 Russia used a new tactic of rocket fire this night, Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said. According to him, the missiles were programmed in such a way that they "wound circles around cities." The goal is to disperse the attention of air defense, to identify its weak points. Shahed drones are used to deplete ammunition, probing for weaknesses in the air defense system. Ignat said that Russia is trying to confuse Ukrainian air defense by launching missiles in one direction, then changing it, and then turning it back to where they originally flew. Also, the speaker of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that this night the Russian Federation again used a nuclear carrier, but without a warhead, the Kh-55 missile. Probably, such "dummy" should have forced Ukraine to spend air defense missiles and ammunition, or the goal was to test the ability of Ukrainian air defense to shoot down such missiles, Ignat said. 13:36 In the Kherson region, as a result of the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, 48 settlements were flooded, 34 of them (3625 houses) - in the territory controlled by Ukraine, 14 - in the temporarily occupied, said Interior Minister Igor Klimenko. 2412 people were evacuated. Four people were killed, 11 were injured as a result of shelling during evacuation activities. 13 people are listed as missing. In the Nikolaev area 23 settlements are flooded, 825 people are evacuated, one person was lost. 13:28 The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced that after a drone hit a residential building in Voronezh, a case of a terrorist attack was opened. According to the investigation, "acting in the interests of the military-political leadership of Ukraine carried out an attack using a UAV equipped with an explosive device." 13:03 During the night attack, two gas production facilities and power lines in the Zhytomyr region were damaged, and there was also a hit in one of the facilities of the GTS Operator in the Zaporozhye region, the Ministry of Energy reported. 12:51 The Supreme Court of the Netherlands, after almost nine years of legal battles, decided to return the "Scythian gold" to Ukraine. The court completely rejected the cassation appeal of the "Crimean museums" and upheld the decision of the appeal, which satisfied the claims of Ukraine. 12:36 In Kiev, it is planned to equip about 3,000 shelters with an automated opening system so that access to them during an air raid is guaranteed. Also, the city authorities plan to purchase and install about 200 modular reinforced concrete rapid deployment shelters as additional ones, the Kyiv City State Administration reported. The city council decided to allocate an additional 750 million hryvnias for the repair and arrangement of shelters this year. An unscheduled inventory of the existing basements and basements will also be carried out in order to supplement the fund of protective structures with them, where it is technically possible. 12:28 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, spoke about the catastrophic consequences of Russia's undermining the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the situation at the front and the next intensification of Russian missile terror against Ukraine. The parties discussed further support from Japan in the field of security, the restoration of Ukraine, steps to implement the Ukrainian peace formula and preparations for the Global Peace Summit. 12:11 In the occupied territory of the Zaporozhye region, a "people's militia" was created, whose members will patrol the settlements together with the "police" and the "commandant's office", said the "acting governor" Evgeny Balitsky. 11:50 Sweden will allow NATO to station troops on its territory before officially joining the Alliance. The government said the decision sends a clear message to Russia and strengthens the country's defenses. 11:34 Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said that all Crimean reservoirs are filled with water, there is a reserve for 500 days. According to him, the catastrophe at the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station allegedly will not affect the supply of drinking water to the peninsula. 11:21 The Russians launched a missile attack on the outskirts of Kharkov, previously, from the S-300 complex. People were not injured, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said. 11:13 Reznikov believes that a "zone of possible agreement" with Russia could emerge if the Kremlin reconsiders its publicly stated invasion goals. "The interest of the Russians was voiced in the so-called SVO - this is" denazification "," demilitarization "," deNATOization ". That is, in fact, to wipe the Ukrainian nation off the face of the earth, because supposedly from their point of view we do not exist ... If the interest of the Russians has changed, then the zone of possible agreement becomes clear, and if not... let them leave first." 10:52 China for the first time supplied Russia with military equipment for the war, Bild military observer Julian Repke reports. He came to this conclusion after a video published by Kadyrov, in which he shows Chinese armored vehicles from Shaanxi Baoji Special Vehicles Manufacturing, which entered the Akhmat battalion. Kadyrov drove himself behind the wheel and said that combat vehicles would be used in Ukraine. It is not yet clear whether a formal agreement has been signed between Moscow and Beijing, but without the approval of the Chinese Communist Party, this could not happen, so this is hardly a private purchase, the observer adds. 10:44 In Voronezh, a drone fell, an apartment building was damaged, two people were injured, Governor Alexander Gusev said. 10:41 The water level in the cooling pond of the Zaporozhye NPP remains stable at 16.66 meters, despite the drop in the water level in the Kakhovka reservoir. This is quite enough to meet the needs of the station, said Energoatom. The company recalled that ZNPP power units have not been operating since September 2022, and therefore there is no active evaporation of water from the cooling pond. 10:37 The SBU intercepted the conversation of the Russians, confirming that the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was undermined by a Russian sabotage group. In particular, one of them says that they wanted to scare the Ukrainian side by blowing up the dam, but “it didn’t go according to plan, but more than they planned.” 10:19 The night attack by the Russians with missiles and drones was stretched out in time, and the trajectory of the missiles indicated that the enemy was trying to deplete both the population of Ukraine and air defense, said Natalia Gumenyuk, speaker of OK Pivden. 09:44 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed (in Maksimilianovka), seven more were injured. In the Kherson region, two people died and 17 were injured, according to the IVA. 09:42 At night, the Russians attacked the infrastructure facilities of the Bogodukhovsky district of the Kharkiv region with Shahed-type drones. Fires broke out, one person was injured, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said. In addition, during the day the enemy fired on the city of Volchansk, Chuguevsky district, two people were injured. 09:40 Not a single NATO country has expressed its desire to send its military to Ukraine, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said. According to her, such an issue was not even discussed: “All states provide this or that assistance to Ukraine. But not a single country has declared its desire to intervene in this war, send its military to it, I have not heard of such plans.” 09:38 Russia has prepared another informational special operation to discredit Ukraine and its military-political leadership, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. Within its framework, a series of provocative materials have been prepared, which should shift the responsibility for undermining the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station to Ukraine and create the preconditions for a political crisis. Comments from fake accounts will be placed under each article, allegedly on behalf of Ukrainian and foreign readers. The budget of the Russian project is about 6 million dollars with the possibility of further increase. 09:26 Scholz, Macron and Duda will hold a meeting in Paris on Monday, June 12, where they will discuss Ukraine's aspirations for NATO membership and security guarantees ahead of the Alliance's summit in July, Politico writes, citing French officials. 09:22 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) claims that the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out a limited but significant offensive in the Zaporozhye direction on the night of June 8: Russian troops defended themselves and restored their initial positions. According to analysts, the Ukrainian counter-offensive will consist of many activities of various sizes, so the latest attacks do not reflect the full potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukraine has formed 12 brigades for the counter-offensive - according to ISW, this is only part of a large reserve of forces, so damage to Western equipment should not be considered as a measure of the remaining effective combat capability of Ukrainian forces. At the same time, analysts note that the troops of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation deployed in this area are of a higher quality grouping than in other sectors of the front. 09:14 The water level in the Kakhovka reservoir continues to decline and at 8:00 is 11.74 meters in the Nikopol area, Ukrhydroenergo reported. During the day, the water level in the Kakhovka reservoir dropped by another meter, and on the morning of June 6 it fell by 4.7 meters. More than half of the station building is under water. The earth insert between the lock and the station is also under water and continues to collapse. Hydroelectric power plants continue to accumulate water to the maximum in the upper reservoirs of the Dnieper. This is necessary in order to have a summer reserve for ecological passes after the end of the operation of the Kakhovka reservoir. 09:03 In the Kherson region, the level of flooding is decreasing - in the morning on the Right Bank, the water is at around 5.38 meters, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin. 3624 houses were flooded in 32 settlements. 2352 people and about 550 animals were evacuated. 08:52 The State Emergency Service specified that as a result of the fall of rocket fragments in the Zhytomyr region, four houses were destroyed, 30 were damaged, one person died and three were injured. 08:37 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of June 9. personnel - about 213,770 (+1010) people liquidated, tanks - 3901 (+10), armored combat vehicles - 7600 (+24), artillery systems - 3702 (+34), MLRS - 599 (+4), air defense systems - 359 (+4), aircraft - 314 (+0), helicopters - 299 (+0), UAV operational-tactical level - 3247 (+13), cruise missiles - 1171 (+0), ships/boats - 18 (+0), automotive equipment and tankers - 6410 (+26), special equipment - 502 (+2). 08:10 The Russian army continues to focus its main efforts on the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions, there are heavy battles. Over the past day, 43 combat clashes took place in these sectors of the front, the General Staff reported in the morning report . In the southwestern part of Donetsk, the location of the Akhmat unit was noted. They are engaged in the robbery of the civilian population and shoot staged videos of the fighting. On Tuesday, June 6, as a result of a strike by the Defense Forces on the militant concentration area in the training camp, the enemy's losses amounted to 56 people dead, sanitary losses are being specified. In Crimea, in particular in Simferopol, there is a tendency for local media to hush up the fact of the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and the consequences of this disaster. The local occupation authorities fear a possible panic among the population. 07:58 In the Zhytomyr region during a night attack, according to preliminary data, one missile was shot down by air defense forces. As a result of the fall of debris in the city of Zvyagel, one residential building was destroyed and 12 were damaged, one person died, three were injured, said Vitaly Bunechko, head of the OVA. 07:36 At night, the Russians attacked Ukraine with Iranian Shahed-136/131 drones and X-101/X-55 air-launched cruise missiles, aimed at military installations and critical infrastructure facilities. During the attack, up to 16 strike UAVs and six air-launched cruise missiles were launched. Of these, ten strike drones and four cruise missiles, as well as four reconnaissance UAVs, were destroyed by air defense forces, the Air Force command said. Launches of "shaheeds" were carried out from the south, cruise missiles - from the region of the Caspian Sea, from four Tu-95ms strategic bombers. Also the day before, at about 20:00, the enemy launched strikes from the Black Sea with two Caliber missiles at one of the civilian facilities in the Cherkasy region. 06:33 The Pentagon intends to announce on Friday, June 9, the provision of a long-term military assistance package to Ukraine, including air defense systems, writes Bloomberg, citing its own sources. The total cost of the new package is $2 billion. The funds will be allocated, in particular, for the purchase of launchers and Hawk missiles, as well as GEM-T and PAC-3 missiles for Patriot air defense systems. 01:25 The next meeting in the Ramstein format, the 13th in a row, will be held on June 15 in Brussels, said Pentagon Speaker Patrick Ryder. At it, the parties will discuss the creation of a coalition of combat aircraft "heavenly shield of Ukraine." 00:41 Zelensky, in an evening video message, accused the ICRC of inaction in overcoming the consequences of the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station: "There is the presence of international organizations on our free territory, concrete assistance. In particular, this is the Ukrainian Red Cross and many others. And it is obvious that the absence of some international organizations in the disaster zone right now in the occupied territory - the same International Red Cross - the lack of their assistance to our people in the occupied territory for such organizations, it seems to me that this is wrong and is simply self-destruction. The President stressed that the Russians are trying to further aggravate the situation that they have caused with their ecocide - they deliberately continue to shell Kherson and the flooded communities of the region, they even shell evacuation points. In addition, the occupiers completely abandoned people on the left-bank part of the Kherson region, where the catastrophe has only been expanding for the second day. "And this is also an absolutely conscious choice of the Russian leadership. There are no those in the world now who would not see that Russia is led by non-humans. Non-humans, who personally are the biggest disaster on the planet today," Zelensky stressed.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Tactical successes

2022-08-01

Translated via Google Translate. Edited. Commentary by Russian blogger Donetsk. [DONRF] The battles near Donetsk, of course, are not of a strategic nature, and they do not lead to a common Victory, except as one of the steps towards it, but what is happening there is the pinnacle of both the professionalism and heroism of the Donbass infantry. Peski, Marinka, Krasnogorovka, Avdievka ... suburbs of a huge metropolis left in 14. Abandoned due to lack of forces and under the Minsk agreements. The Ukrainians have been strengthening there for eight years. And from there the artillery terror of the city was and is being carried out. There is no Peski anymore, the liberators even dismantled houses for building materials, ours went to Maryinka twice - in 2015 and at the beginning of the NWO. Avdievka... the city of coking industry and the railway station, it became the scene of constant battles and artillery duels. And now the Corps, with the help of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, are taking their own. Difficult. Meter by meter. The fact that the politicians gave in an attempt to solve. And blood. The enemy does everything in order to finally kill and destroy as much as possible. This night MLRS Hurricane from Avdievka mined the center of Donetsk with PFM-1 mines Lepestok. Already on the Web, a video with a blown up civilian car. Nevertheless, our troops are advancing, and have already left to the north of Avdievka, the fighting is going on in Sands, the Corps has wedged between Maryinka and Krasnogorovka. Slowly and step by step. Heavy price. The towns turned into fortified areas are doomed to destruction, but there is no choice, the militants doomed Donetsk and Makeevka. And they don't negotiate with terrorists. Especially with those who burn their prisoners alive: Russia officially invited experts from the UN and the International Red Cross to investigate the attack on the pre-trial detention center in Yelenovka. And they will answer. For everything you have done on this earth. And the fact that this is not a strategy, everything is just beginning, but one small republic will finally get silence. First silence since 2014. And this is also a lot for those who live there. As a Russian, I understand that this is an episode of a long and bloody confrontation, as a Donetsk resident ... Donbass needs peace. At least partial. Without artillery terror and mining. Roadblocks that divided families and permanent funerals.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Look for who benefits from it (c)

2022-08-01

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. Commentary by Russian military blogger Andrey Chervonets [Chernovec] Former French Ambassador to Russia Sylvie Bermann, in an interview with the BFM television channel, expressed her opinion about the shelling of the pre-trial detention center in Yelenovka. She is sure that the Russians or their allies had no reason to “bomb the prison under their control”, it is much more profitable for them to hold a trial with confessions of the accused than to destroy them in this way. A retired French colonel who was also in the studio supported the ex-ambassador. The upcoming process "would give an opportunity to show the presence of Nazis in the ranks of the Ukrainian army." Shame on Ukrainian and Western propaganda. In their inside-out view, did the DNRs fire at their colony, hitting exactly the center of the building from HIMARS without firing from the first shell? And then they couldn’t finish off the survivors, taking them to the hospital and starting to treat? Orcs - are they cunning? Seriously, to purposefully destroy their own military prisoners of war - even Hitler could not think of this at one time. Zelensky surpassed the former artist and this shelling will forever remain on the conscience of the former comedian. How it will remain on his conscience to hit the center of Kramatorsk with "Tochka-U" to inflate the hype around Ukraine on the day of the arrival of the highest European commissioners in Kyiv. The situation with targeted shelling and destruction of their own, who were taken prisoner, speaks volumes. On the one hand, the circus Ukrainian leadership takes revenge on its warriors for surrendering and frank stories on camera, which upsets and spoils the reputation of Vovochka, and on the other hand, Zelensky and his combat sixes in general's shoulder straps demonstrated their real attitude towards their own soldiers and officers - they are just dumb meat. Vovochka is a tell-all book about Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, published in 2015 By the way, Russia invited experts from the UN and the International Red Cross to participate in the investigation of the attack in Yelenovka. It is also necessary to demand an investigation into the shelling of Donbass and the total mining of anti-personnel mines by the Ukrainian military throughout the territory of Donetsk and other cities. Anyone who had the idea to give the order to bombard the whole of Donetsk with anti-personnel mines in order to maim women and children will stop at nothing. This is evidence that Ukraine is a typical terrorist structure. Like the Caucasus Emirate or ISIS. What were far-sighted in their time those who deprived Kyiv of nuclear weapons.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: July 2nd, 2022

2022-07-03

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Korrespondent] 23:54 Zelensky, in an evening video message, said that since February 24, the territory of ten regions has suffered from hostilities - during this time, 1,027 cities and towns have been liberated, another 2,610 are under Russian occupation. 23:36 Washington is studying the possibility of sending inspectors to Ukraine in order to directly receive information about the use of US-provided weapons, Jed Royal, deputy head of the US Pentagon Agency for Defense Cooperation, said. 23:33 Zelensky said in an evening video message that Ukraine is actively preparing for the start of a special conference in Lugano in Switzerland dedicated to the restoration of the country. The event starts on Monday, July 4th. "It is necessary not only to restore everything that the invaders destroyed, but to create a new basis for our life, for Ukraine - safe, modern, convenient, barrier-free. This requires huge investments - billions, new technologies, best practices, new institutions and, of course, reforms. In fact, this is the largest economic project of our time in Europe and an extraordinary opportunity to show itself for every state, for every company that we invite to work in Ukraine," the president said. 23:26 Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated Ivanovka, Kherson region, Zelensky said. 22:53 Zelensky, in an evening video message, recalled that the war has not ended: “Many rear cities now feel relaxed, but the war has not ended, its cruelty sometimes only grows, and we must not forget about it. Therefore, be sure to help the army, help volunteers, help everyone left alone at this time. Spread the truth about the war and the crimes of the occupiers. No matter how difficult it is today, we must remember what will happen tomorrow. And that tomorrow should bring maximum benefit to Ukraine - each and every one should do everything for this possible". 22:47 Arestovich also denied the capture of Lisichansk by the Russians, previously voiced by a number of enemy sources: "The Russian side, represented by a well-known tiktoker, claimed that they took Severodonetsk about 45 days ago. It took a month and a half ... They are not in the center of Lisichansk, they are not took it under control. But the situation there is threatening. Everything will be decided in a day or two." 21:51 Biden sent letters to the US Congress on the admission of Sweden and Finland to NATO, the White House said. 21:35 To date, the enemy has destroyed more than 15 million square meters in Ukraine. m of housing, more than 220,000 people submitted applications to the Diyu, Elena Shulyak, deputy head of the parliamentary committee on the organization of state power, said on the air of the telethon. According to her, about 800 thousand people were left without housing or it is badly damaged and requires serious repairs. 20:14 On the beach in Karolino-Bugaz, Odesa region, one vacationer died when he hit a mine while swimming to a depth, the second was injured, the press center of the Defense Forces reported. 19:51 In the village of Sergeevka, Odessa region, rescue work has been completed, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. A total of 20 people died (16 people - in a residential building and four people - at the recreation center, one of them is a child). 38 people were injured, all of them in the hospital. 19:29 Lukashenka said that he had given an order to the military "to target the decision-making centers of Minsk's opponents." According to him, a few days ago, Ukrainian troops tried to strike at military facilities in Belarus, but all the missiles were allegedly intercepted. Lukashenka stressed that Minsk does not want to fight in Ukraine, "not a single Belarusian soldier is there." Lukashenka also claims that neither he nor Putin "is blackmailing anyone with nuclear weapons." At the same time, Minsk and Moscow "should be ready to mirror the aggressive actions of the West within 24 hours." 19:00 In the Bakhmut direction in the areas of Kodema and Berestovoye, the invaders tried to conduct reconnaissance in force, but suffered losses and retreated, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. 18:58 Kuleba said that he discussed with Borrell the upcoming steps of Ukraine on the way to the EU, as well as the preparation of the seventh package of sanctions against Russia. 18:56 The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the removal of the rubble of the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchug was completed, 29 body fragments were found under the rubble, 21 people died and 66 people were injured, of which 26 were hospitalized. More than 1,060 people and about 140 pieces of equipment were involved in the elimination of the consequences. 18:52 As of July 2, six officials of the Kherson region's local self-government bodies are in Russian captivity, including Kherson Mayor Igor Kolykhaev. The Association of Ukrainian Cities appeals to international organizations for the protection of prisoners. 18:33 Today, there is no threat of encirclement of Lysichansk, but the danger of capturing the Luhansk region is high, Vadim Denisenko, an adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said in a commentary to RBC-Ukraine: "As of now, the probability of capturing the Luhansk region is very high, unfortunately. We are defending Lisichansk, the situation very complex, especially with such a superiority in technology and manpower. " As for the Donetsk region, according to Denisenko, it will be much more difficult to capture it: "There are, in fact, two fortresses there - Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, especially Kramatorsk. Therefore, I don't think it's that simple." 18:24 In the Donetsk region, the duration of the curfew is being reduced, said the head of the OVA Pavel Kirilenko. From Monday, July 4, it will be valid from 22:00 to 4:00. 18:15 The Russians launched a missile attack on Pavlovgrad, Dnepropetrovsk region, the City Council reported. 17:46 Mayor of Nikolaev Alexander Senkevich reported that today's shelling of the city early in the morning was conducted on industrial enterprises. Most of the missiles fired by Russian troops fell on the outskirts of the city. There are no victims. 17:11 Romania is ready to help the victims of the rocket attack in the Odessa region, said Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu. According to him, the strike on civilian targets in the Odessa region once again confirms that this war is not only illegal, but also immoral, and must end as soon as possible. 16:58 More than 10 thousand Mariupol residents are in the prisons of the so-called "DPR". According to the Mariupol City Council, people live in terrible conditions, they are closed in cramped cells and receive almost no water and food. Mariupol residents do not have access to medical care and are subjected to various forms of torture. "I call on the International Red Cross and the UN to pay attention to the illegal detention of civilians in the city," Mayor Vadim Boychenko said. 16:37 There are fierce battles near Lisichansk, but the city itself is not surrounded, it is under the control of Ukrainian troops, National Guard spokesman Ruslan Muzychuk said on the air of the telethon. In turn, the "LPR" states that the center of Lisichansk has been captured, the city has been encircled. 16:23 Zaluzhny posted a video of the drone working on Russian targets on Snake Island. "Yesterday, the invaders tried to bomb their positions with the help of air strikes, but traditionally they failed to cope with the task. Therefore, we decided to help them finally evacuate the island," the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine wrote. 15:12 In Kremenchug, rescuers completed search and rescue operations at the site of the Amstor shopping center destroyed by a Russian missile. The final death toll is still being established, said Dmitry Lunin, head of the Poltava OVA. 14:57 Ukrainians in Poland will be able to get ID-cards and passports, said First Deputy Interior Minister Yevgeny Enin. A corresponding pilot project has already started in Warsaw. It will be possible to receive the first documents in early August. Taking into account the logistics in wartime, the term for the production of urgent documents will be up to 20 days, and in the usual manner - up to 40-45 days. 14:44 Mayor of Lvov Andrei Sadovyi held an operational meeting with the participation of the military and civilian leadership of the city to determine a plan of action in case of escalation from Belarus. According to him, a defense headquarters will be set up in each district of the city and additional training will be conducted for members of volunteer terrorist defense units. The option of forming reserve volunteer battalions from employees of the city council and public utilities is also being considered. 14:19 Ukrainian border guards in the Chernihiv region found a hard drive with data on Russian occupiers, some of which were classified as "secret". The carrier contains more than a hundred gigabytes of data about the anti-aircraft artillery unit of the Russian Federation from near Moscow: a staff list with biographies of the Russian military, technical documentation of weapons and military equipment. 13:50 Near the occupied Tokmak, Zaporozhye region, a conflict broke out between the Russian military, which escalated into an armed skirmish, as a result, four occupiers were killed and about ten were injured, the OVA reported. According to the regional administration, the number of such armed clashes between the occupying forces is increasing. The main reason is inter-ethnic conflicts and the division of the stolen property of Ukrainians. 13:33 In Kiev, the director of one of the schools is suspected of coordinating the activities of a group collecting intelligence about the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Troops in Kiev. According to the SBU, the director was promised the position of "Minister of Education" in the event of the capture of the capital. 13:10 The families of the victims of the shelling of the shopping center in Kremenchug will be paid compensation in a double amount, the mayor of the city Vitaliy Maletsky said: “We are doubling the assistance to the families of the victims in the Amstor shopping center. We have decided to increase the payment from the entire Kremenchug society from 50,000 to 100,000 hryvnia to each family of the deceased in this terrible tragedy. The city council also allocated funds to pay for the funeral of all the dead. 12:17 The Podolsky court of Kiev arrested the corporate rights of the Brocard perfumery chain. The corporate rights of Brocard-Ukraine belong to the Cypriot company Indenon Holding Limited, and through it - to the owner of the Russian network of perfume shops L'Etoile, Russian woman Tatyana Volodina. The arrest was imposed as part of criminal proceedings on the appropriation of property and financing of aggression against Ukraine. 11:38 The Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive the weapons promised by the West within one to three months, Podolyak said in an interview with Channel 24. According to him, there are two problems with the supply of weapons, the first of which is bureaucracy: “There you need to sign a certain number of documents, in particular, how we will use it, how we will pick it up, where we will deliver it. This part no longer exists. There is no bureaucracy for Ukraine. in terms of arms supplies from our partners." The second problem, according to the adviser to the head of the OP, is the stocks of weapons in warehouses: “It needs to be completed, because no one has collected as much as Russia. Therefore, now it is being finalized, something will be reopened in warehouses, and it will quickly go to Ukraine - a month , two three". 11:12 Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Nikolay Solsky said that more than 20 companies are already planning or have begun construction of transshipments in areas where new logistics routes pass: "We expect about 2 million tons of grain exports this month, which have already passed through new logistics routes. routes: Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia. And there is potential for more. We are negotiating with the EU, and at the end of July there will be a separate meeting with a wide range of participants at the ministerial level." 10:31 The National Guard, who committed atrocities in Bucha, has been put on the international wanted list, the prosecutor's office of the Kiev region said. According to the investigation, the commander of the Russian National Guard unit in the Ulyanovsk region, Sergey Kolotsey, was involved in the murder of four men on Yablonskaya Street in Bucha. His involvement in other murders is being verified. 10:27 British intelligence reports that Russian troops continue to make minor gains around Lysychansk, but are likely to be blocked on the southeastern outskirts of the city. Analysts also note that Russia is using Kh-22 anti-ship missiles to strike land targets due to a likely reduction in stocks of more accurate modern weapons. The Russians launched Kh-22 missiles on June 30 in the Odessa region. And in Kremenchuk, it was not X-22, but its modernization X-32, that got into the Amstor shopping center - this is indicated by the results of the analysis of CCTV camera recordings, experts said. 10:24 In the Kharkiv region, four people were injured over the past day - two in the Izyum district, one each in Kharkiv and Lozov. The most active hostilities in the region are taking place in the Kharkiv and Izyum directions, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. 10:21 In Mariupol, resistance is slowly but gaining momentum. According to the adviser to the mayor of the city, Petr Andryushchenko, because of this, the occupiers began another wave of checks and filtering. When entering Mariupol from the Zaporozhye region, even those who have already passed the filtration are subject to additional interrogation by the FSB. There is a wave of searches and inspections in the Mariupol district, next week they are moving to the city. 10:15 Propaganda Russian media reported, citing the country's Ministry of Defense, that the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov arrived in the occupied territory of Ukraine. He allegedly worked at command posts and checked the Russian units involved in the “special operation” zone in Ukraine. 10:07 Russian media report that the sunken landing ship Saratov has been raised in Berdyansk. The "administration" of the Zaporozhye region confirmed that the ship sank as a result of shelling from Ukraine. 10:04 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy on the morning of July 2. The enemy suffered the greatest losses in the Bakhmut direction. personnel - about 35,870 (+120) people liquidated, tanks - 1582 (+5), armored fighting vehicles - 3737 (+1), artillery systems - 800 (+4), MLRS - 246 (+0), air defense systems - 105 (+0), aircraft - 217 (+0), helicopters - 186 (+0), UAV operational-tactical level - 653 (+8), cruise missiles - 144 (+1), ships/boats - 15 (+0), automotive equipment and tankers - 2614 (+4), special equipment - 61 (+0). 09:26 The head of the Nikolaev OVA Vitaly Kim said that yesterday morning Russia launched 12 missile strikes on Nikolaev. The port infrastructure and private enterprises were shelled, among them the production of perfumes and lime. One of the enemy missiles was shot down. 09:09 The Pentagon says that the Ukrainian military has achieved "significant success" using American HIMARS on the battlefield: since this is a high-precision system with a significant range, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are capable of systematically delivering accurate strikes against carefully selected targets, significantly undermining the combat capability of Russian forces. The Ukrainian military themselves, who use HIMARS, told The Wall Street Journal that the weapon is already beginning to change the balance of power in the Donbass, where Russia has a significant advantage in artillery. According to them, they destroyed ten important Russian facilities, including the headquarters of the Russian army in Izyum. The publication notes that the goals of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are carefully selected, since one HIMARS missile costs 155 thousand dollars. So far, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are chosen mainly by Russian headquarters, weapons depots and military barracks. 08:43 In the Lugansk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled two massive offensives of the Russians - in the direction of Verkhnekamenka and the gelatin plant, where the enemy tried to conduct reconnaissance in force. In both cases, the occupiers withdrew, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Gaidai. According to him, the Russians are attacking from different sides, a large number of military and equipment have been involved. 08:40 In Slavyansk, four civilians were killed yesterday, seven were injured, Mayor Vadim Lyakh said. The Limany microdistrict, Barvenkovskaya, Podgornaya, Danilevsky streets came under shelling. The city was bombarded with cluster shells. 08:38 In Belarus, as part of the exercises, the delivery of subpoenas continues, and doctors are forbidden to leave the country, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. 08:17 In the Kherson region, Russian invaders and collaborators are afraid of the resistance of the local population - the leadership of the invaders moves with a large number of guards in armored vehicles and body armor. Local residents continue to offer total resistance, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. 08:06 The Ukrainian army continues the operation to clean up Zmeiny Island. Thus, over the previous day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to detect and destroy the Grad multiple launch rocket system, the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system, three units of armored and automotive equipment, a tank truck and a shelter area for other equipment on the island. According to OK Pivden, no signs of the presence of the enemy were found. 07:59 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes about a new bill obliging Russian enterprises to support the so-called "special and anti-terrorist operations", and workers to work at night or on holidays for the needs of the state. So the Kremlin is preparing for a long war in Ukraine, creating conditions for the support of its army by the Russian economy. As for the situation at the front, according to ISW, Russian troops were unable to surround Lisichansk . They also failed to capture the Lisichansk gelatin plant, although they had already announced this. 06:21 Washington believes that Russia does not have enough forces in Kherson to effectively continue the occupation and control the region, especially after the withdrawal of part of the forces from this area for military operations in the Donetsk region, writes CNN with reference to unnamed representatives of the US administration. 01:34 Borrell condemned Russia's missile attacks on the Odessa region, calling them a war crime and demanding an immediate halt to strikes against the civilian population: "Persons responsible for actions that are war crimes will be held accountable in accordance with international law." 00:27 Paramedic Yulia "Taira" Paevskaya, released from captivity, spoke in an interview with Deutsche Welle about the conditions in which she was kept by the Russian occupiers: "Less, you won't be able to die of hunger. But in the last week they didn't even give us soap. There are 22 women in the cell, a cell of three by six meters, ten beds. Others also had no information about their families and children. Their psychological state was simply terrible , but most of them behaved very dignifiedly." According to Taira, these are fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard, girls from the Azov Regiment and civilians, she was also a doctor in her seventh month of pregnancy. Paevskaya said that the invaders used physical and psychological violence. 00:14 The Pentagon hosted a closed media briefing on the war in Ukraine. Foreign Policy journalist Jack Detsch publishes the highlights: Washington believes that the Armed Forces of Ukraine made it "very difficult" for the Russians to stay on Zmeiny Island, including the last hit of Harpoon missiles on the tugboat. After the liberation of the island, it will be much easier for Ukrainians to defend the Odessa region; Ukraine has had significant success with HIMARS, in particular by attacking Russian command posts; The United States is transferring two batteries of NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine switch to Western weapons. One battery is nine launchers; Now Washington is focused on supplying Ukraine with 155-mm artillery shells for howitzers and ammunition for HIMARS. The US is also trying to get Soviet-era 152mm artillery ammunition for Ukraine, but Western stocks of such ammunition are running out; Russian troops are conducting a "limping" offensive in the Donbass, suffering heavy casualties and setbacks as they advance. They started the battle for Donbass 72 days ago.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: April 20th, 2022

2022-04-21

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Korrespondent] 23:29 On the night of April 20, during the rocket attack on Nikolaev, Russian troops attacked the infrastructure of the Nikolaev branch of the Public Broadcaster. This is reported by the management of the branch. There are no dead or injured. 23:15 The heroic defense of Mariupol has been going on for almost two months. The city has been destroyed, but Ukrainian troops are still holding the line at the Azovstal metallurgical plant, where there are about a thousand military personnel and civilians. Details about what is happening there - in the material Hell on Earth: how to save people in Mariupol . 22:50 The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine received an audio interception of the conversation of the occupiers, which refers to the order to kill all prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Popasna Lugansk region. 22:48 Arakhamia also confirmed that he was ready to arrive in Mariupol together with Podolyak to negotiate with the Russian side on the evacuation of the Ukrainian military garrison and civilians. He also assured that representatives of the Ukrainian delegation are in constant contact with the defenders in Mariupol. "Today, in a conversation with the defenders of the city, a proposal was made to hold a round of negotiations on the evacuation of our military garrison right on the spot. For our part, we are ready to leave for such negotiations at any time, as soon as we receive confirmation from the Russian side," Arakhamia said. 22:40 The mayor of Zelenodolsk, Dnepropetrovsk region, Dmitry Nevesely, reported on the shelling of the city, according to him, there were no victims. 22:34 Pentagon spokesman John Kirby refuted his statement yesterday that Ukraine received planes from US allies: "I was given to understand that this was actually decided, but it's not. They didn't receive whole planes from other countries" . At the same time, he confirmed that the Ukrainian military nevertheless "increased the size of its fleet" after receiving spare parts and repairing damaged aircraft. 22:30 Podolyak confirmed that he was ready to go to negotiations with representatives of the Russian Federation in Mariupol: "Yes. Without any conditions. We are ready to hold a special round of negotiations in Mariupol. One on one. Two on two. To pick up our guys, Azov people, the military ", civilians, children, the living and the wounded. Everyone. Because they belong. Because they are in my heart. Forever. No options." 22:28 Over the past 24 hours, Russia has introduced four more battalion-tactical groups into Ukraine, and over the past week - 17 BTGs, writes CNN with reference to a Pentagon representative. In total, according to US estimates, there are now 82 Russian BTGs in Ukraine. 22:26 Zelensky: "I am very happy to say with cautious optimism that our partners have begun to better understand our needs, understand what exactly we need. And when exactly we need it all. Not in a week, not in a month, but immediately. Exactly now that Russia is trying to step up its attacks." He also said that one of the topics in negotiations with Western partners is the restoration of Ukraine: "To resume the export of Ukrainian agricultural products and block the possibilities of Russian exports is a common goal for all of Europe." 22:22 Zelensky said that 934 settlements have already been liberated in Ukraine, the police have resumed work in 435 settlements, local self-government has started working in 431 communities, humanitarian headquarters - in 361 settlements. At the same time, he acknowledged that the situation in the east and south remains difficult: "the invaders are trying to achieve at least some kind of victory." 22:04 The President of the European Council Charles Michel announced that the trust fund for solidarity with Ukraine will begin work on May 5. 22:00 Denisova said that at the moment 878,000 Ukrainians have been forcibly taken to Russia, of which 164,000 are children. According to the Ombudsman, she does not know the whereabouts of these people - perhaps they are in filtration camps or temporary premises. She also stressed that the International Red Cross "does not fulfill its mandate" - "no matter how much I wrote to the Red Cross, not a single answer came." 21:54 Ukrzaliznytsia reported that on April 20, the second Intercity train from Kiev to Polish Przemysl began to run, which will depart daily at 17:00 and arrive in Poland at 05:00 (departure back at 08:00, arrival in Kiev at 20 :43). Tickets for Ukrainians (except for men from 18 to 60 years old) are free. 21:50 Zelensky said he did not know when the Armed Forces of Ukraine would be able to unblock Mariupol. According to him, the situation in the city is deteriorating, in the hands of the defenders of Ukraine hundreds of wounded who protect women and children. "All the guys in Mariupol want our victory. Nobody is going to surrender to the enemy. These are their inner feelings," the president said. 21:48 Among the NATO countries, "there are forces" that are interested in continuing the war in Ukraine and "weakening Russia," Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said in a telephone conversation with Lavrov. 21:46 Moscow stated that "Kyiv disrupted the humanitarian operation announced by the RF Armed Forces on April 20 at Azovstal, no one used the open corridor." 21:42 The Maritime Guard of the State Border Service has banned fishing and navigation in nine estuaries of the Danube River because of the danger of undermining ships on drifting mines laid in the Black Sea by the Russians. 21:40 The head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Erdogan's telephone conversations with Zelensky and Putin are planned "in the coming days." 21:37 The United States is concerned that China supports Russia's actions in Ukraine, said Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. 21:34 The battle for Donbass may not be the last, and a big offensive in the East has not yet begun, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov said in an interview with NV. According to him, there can still be many different things ahead: "This is not, as they used to say, the last and decisive battle. This is one of the battles on the territory of our country since 2014." He also believes that for the next two to four weeks the Russian Federation can still pull up new resources and reserves: "In no case should we underestimate the strength of our enemy: a big country, a lot of people, not quite smart." 21:32 The heads of the Senates of the Czech Republic and Poland appealed to the parliaments of all civilized countries with an appeal to urgently provide weapons to Ukraine. "After visiting Bucha, Irpen and Borodianka, the speakers are convinced that the crimes of the Russian invaders in Ukraine are genocide," Ukrainian Ambassador to the Czech Republic Yevhen Perebiynis said. 21:28 The United States has introduced a new package of sanctions against Russia, which includes about 30 individuals associated with Otkritie Bank and another 40 legal entities. 21:25 Director of the Central Naval Museum Sergei Voronov told TSN that the cruiser Moskva sank in the exclusive economic waters of Ukraine - 50 miles from the coast, therefore, according to the UNESCO International Convention of 2006, it is now officially considered Ukrainian property, and appears in registers under titled Underwater Cultural Heritage Site No. 2064. According to Voronov, Ukrainian specialists will study the cruiser after the war. Of particular interest is a part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, which was allegedly kept in Moscow as a talisman. They will not raise the ship from the bottom, because there are too many explosives and fuel on it, but even novice divers will be able to see it, because it sank at a depth of about 50 meters, being itself 45 meters high. 21:18 G20 finance ministers and central bank governors left the meeting today as Russian officials began speaking, writes Bloomberg. 21:16 The head of the patrol police of Mariupol, Mikhail Vershinin, said that several hundred civilians are hiding on the territory of Azovstal. 21:05 Deputy commander of the Azov regiment Svyatoslav Palamar announced the conditions for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the territory of Azovstal. According to him, the military do not agree to surrender, but are ready to evacuate to a third country or with its assistance, keeping personal small arms. Also, one of the conditions is the opportunity to pick up the bodies of the dead. Podolyak and Arakhamia agree to come to Mariupol if their Russian colleagues Medinsky and Slutsky arrive there to resolve the issue of the exit of the garrison and civilians, he added. 21:02 Gaidai denied the information spread in Russia that Ukrainian troops are retreating from Lisichansk and Severodonetsk, and the army of the Russian Federation and the "LNR" completely took Rubizhne. "The line of defense is from Rubizhne to Popasna," the head of the Luhansk OVA said. 20:59 The head of the Kiev OVA Oleksandr Pavlyuk signed an order to transfer three churches from the UOC to the OCU. Another such order, which will affect three parishes, he plans to sign by Easter. "If there are legal grounds and the desire of the religious community to move, we will do it. The regional military administration acts exclusively in the legislative field in the interests of its residents and the Ukrainian state," Pavlyuk stressed. 20:51 The humanitarian corridor from Mariupol did not work as planned today, Vereshchuk said. According to her, due to the lack of control over their own military on the ground, the invaders were unable to ensure a proper ceasefire. "Also, due to the inherent disorganization and slovenliness, the occupiers were unable to ensure timely delivery of people to the point where dozens of our buses and ambulances were waiting. Tomorrow morning we will resume our efforts in the Mariupol direction. I appeal to our people in Mariupol: we will fight for everyone of you!" Vereshchuk emphasized. 20:41 Some of the planned buses with evacuated residents of Mariupol are moving towards Zaporozhye along a route determined by Russia, said the head of the Donetsk OVA Pavel Kirilenko. According to him, compared with the declared number of buses, there were much fewer of them. People gathered at the collection points, but few people got on the indicated buses. Now some of these buses go along a route determined by the Russian Federation. 20:30 Military equipment with V marks appeared in Mariupol, which probably used to take part in the battles near Kiev, said the deputy commander of the Azov regiment Svyatoslav Palamar: "This indicates that they transferred fresh forces here and, probably, this is the same bastard , which was near Kiev, because their equipment had the identification of the letter V". 20:22 About 85 percent of Russian military equipment has been withdrawn from Belarus, and there are almost no planes and helicopters of the Russian Armed Forces left at Belarusian airfields, reports Belaruski Gayun. In recent days, only single trucks have been observed in Osipovichi, Kolodishchi, Khoiniki, Rechitsa, Kalinkovichi, Kozenki (Mozyr). However, the loading of broken equipment on platforms at the railway station in Yelsk continues. At the same time, there are practically no Russian aircraft at the airfields, but single attack aircraft, bombers and drones could remain, so it is too early to announce a complete withdrawal of troops. The publication notes that Russia was forced to transfer almost all military equipment from Belarus to the Donbass. 20:15 Japan expelled eight Russian diplomats, NHK reports. 20:07 Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready for any format of exchanging its civilians and military blocked by Russia in Mariupol for Russians: "We are ready for various formats of exchanging our people for Russian people, Russian military, whom they abandoned. Both the corpses were thrown and the wounded they abandoned people. Therefore, for the sake of our people, both military and civilian, we are ready for any format of exchange." 20:04 American shells for Howitzer howitzers arrived in Europe to be sent to Ukraine, writes CNN with reference to the Pentagon. In total, they plan to send 40,000 pieces. The US Department of Defense also reported that the training of Ukrainians in howitzer handling has begun - 50 people are being trained outside of Ukraine. 20:02 Since the beginning of the war, Ukrzaliznytsia has evacuated 500,000 Ukrainians abroad. At the same time, the company is seeing an increase in demand for return flights. So, from April 1 to 9, 4,000 people returned to Ukraine from Poland by rail, while from April 10 to 18 - 50% more, 6,000 passengers. After the end of hostilities, Ukrzaliznytsia promises to organize routes for the return of Ukrainians home. 20:00 About 80 percent of the territory of the Lugansk region is under the control of the Russian Federation, the governor of the region Serhiy Gaidai said on CNN. He also stressed that "Russia, of course, is not going to stop there and will try to move on." 19:58 The European Commission will publish its opinion on Ukraine's accession to the EU at the end of June, European Council President Charles Michel said. 19:56 The "DNR" reported that 127 residents of Mariupol were "evacuated" from the area of ​​the Azovstal plant to Bezymennoye, which is under the control of militants, along the gum corridors. 19:53 The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been going on for almost two months. Bloomberg found out how Putin made the decision to attack Ukraine and why he does not abandon his absurd idea. Read more about this in the article How Putin Decided to Attack Ukraine . 19:48 US NATO allies may be involved in the operation to safely exit civilians from Mariupol, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said in a comment to CNN. According to her, "there was a certain hope that the Russians could allow" a safe exit for civilians and wounded soldiers from Mariupol. In her opinion, "NATO allies can be involved in this if this happens." 19:33 The UN Secretary General submitted a request to the Russian Permanent Mission to receive him in Moscow, a similar request was sent to the Ukrainian side about a visit to Kiev, the office said. In particular, he would like to discuss with Zelensky and Putin any "urgent steps" to end hostilities in Ukraine. 19:05 Kadyrov said that the city of Rubizhne, Luhansk region, has come under the final control of Russian troops. The Russian media are publishing a video where the militants set the flags of the Russian Federation and the "LPR" at the entrance to the city. Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that the Russians tried to gain a foothold in the western and northwestern parts of Rubizhne, but failed. 18:59 Zelensky does not confirm that Ukraine received a draft document from Russia as part of the negotiations. He also commented on Peskov’s words that now “the ball is on the side of Kyiv”: “I, in principle, played football well before. What are the rules there: you need to have two teams and have a ball. Here it seems to me that Peskov he plays football with himself.<...> We will definitely show how we hit the goal as soon as they give us the ball. " 18:57 Germany will stop importing Russian oil until the end of 2022, Reuters reports citing German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock. 18:54 The Ukrainian military portal Defense Express reports, citing its own sources, that the remains of the cruiser Moskva are in approximate coordinates 44°56' N 31°44' E, at a depth of 50-60 meters. The publication also became aware of the anomalous activity of rescue and diving ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet 75 km southwest of Cape Tarkhankut. 18:46 Zelensky said that about a thousand civilians are hiding at Azovstal in Mariupol. The president also said that he was still ready to exchange Russian prisoners of war for safe passage for civilians and Ukrainian troops in Mariupol. 18:43 Ukraine supports the initiative of the UN Secretary General to introduce a four-day Easter humanitarian pause in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said. 18:41 Kiev took advantage of the opportunity of the presidency in the European Energy Community, which Ukraine received for 2022, and formally submitted a proposal to the organization to introduce a ban on the purchase, import, transfer and transportation of energy products produced or processed in Russia. We are talking about all oil and oil products, coal and other types of solid fuels, liquefied natural gas. According to Yermak, this means that now the EEC, on the basis of Ukraine's proposal, must make a decision that will be sent to all members of the organization. 18:35 In the Zaporozhye region, the Russians, with the support of artillery fire, resumed their offensive in the direction of the village. Temirovka, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 18:33 According to the General Staff, the Russians are reconnoitring advance routes and preparing for further offensive operations in the direction of the settlement. Estuary and exit to Slavyansk from the northeast. In this direction, the enemy continues to increase the grouping of troops: units from the 90th Tank Division, the 41st Combined Arms Army and the 232nd Rocket Artillery Brigade of the Central Military District have been moved from the territory of the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, the BTG from the 150th motorized rifle division lost its combat capability and was withdrawn to the recovery area. The enemy also tried to gain a foothold in the western and northwestern parts of Rubizhne, but failed. Assault actions in the direction of Novotoshkovsky were also unsuccessful. 18:27 On the territory of the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, the equipment of helicopter landing sites has been completed, where more than 90 attack and multi-purpose helicopters are concentrated, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports. The enemy regrouped troops in the Izyum direction. In the area of ​​​​the settlement of Dibrovnoye, Chernihiv region, the Russians carried out offensive operations, achieved partial success. In the area of ​​N. p. Staraya Gnilitsa, Kharkov region, the offensive was not successful; as a result of a fire defeat, the enemy suffered losses and retreated. In addition, the attempt to take control of the village of Dovgenkoye in the Kharkov region failed: the enemy retreated with losses. In this direction, the Russians were dressed in Ukrainian military uniforms. At the Kupyansk-Sortirovochny railway station, an unloading of a Russian echelon with weapons and military equipment and the movement of artillery units was recorded. 18:24 The enemy is trying to continue the offensive in the Eastern Operational Zone, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports in the evening call. In particular, the enemy stepped up the use of operational-tactical aviation and air reconnaissance. Inflicts systematic air strikes on military and civilian targets, including long-range aircraft. 18:08 Zelensky is confident that the West will impose an oil embargo on Russia - he told reporters about this after a meeting with Charles Michel. The President of Ukraine stressed that without oil, the sixth sanctions package "will not be powerful, but will be empty." 17:49 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the successful test launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, "which has no analogues in the world." Putin said that the Sarmat missile system will ensure the security of Russia and "make those rabid who are trying to threaten her think." The Russian Defense Ministry also stated that Sarmat has "unique characteristics" that allow it to "guaranteedly overcome any missile defense systems." 17:45 All Ukrainian military, police and rescuers during martial law and a year after its end will be able to be treated free of charge in medical institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defense - this decision was made by the Cabinet of Ministers. 17:41 The international expert group of Yermak-McFaul presented the Action Plan to increase sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation. A group of Ukrainian and international experts analyzes the real impact of anti-Russian sanctions. The document will become the basis for the further work of the Ukrainian government to increase sanctions pressure on Russia. 17:37 In the Kiev region, 1045 bodies of dead civilians have already been found , said the head of the regional police department, Andrei Nebitov. According to him, 50-75% of these people were shot with automatic weapons, or with a sniper rifle, or shot in evacuated cars from machine guns. Others died from mines, explosions, hail, etc. The final number of deaths in the cities of the Kiev region previously captured by the Russians is unknown. The bodies of the dead are found in wells and cellars, sometimes up to ten bodies at once. 17:33 The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow handed over to Kiev its proposals for an agreement on April 15, but has not yet received a response. 17:20 Israel will provide Ukraine with helmets and body armor, said the country's ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Brodsky. According to him, the ministers of defense of Israel and Ukraine agreed on this today during a telephone conversation. 17:13 The procedure for compensating Ukrainians for damaged or lost housing has not been finally determined, but it is possible and necessary to record losses and report them now. More about this in the material Compensation for destroyed housing: what needs to be done . 17:11 The state debt of Ukraine in 2022 will grow by 37% due to the war, the IMF predicts. According to his data, by the end of the year, the public debt will increase to 86.2% of GDP after falling from 61% to 49% of GDP last year. In subsequent years, public debt will remain at a high level due to a sharp expansion of the state budget deficit and a fall in GDP. 17:09 Servicemen of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, together with other units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard, successfully carried out a special operation to evacuate border guards and policemen to the Azovstal plant, one of the officers of the 36th Marine Brigade told Crime.NO . According to him, the Nikolaev marines and the military personnel of Azov went out on armored vehicles to the territory of the seaport, where there were fighters of the State Border Service and several units of the National Police, who were running out of ammunition. The servicemen fought their way to the fighters of the State Border Service and the National Police and transported about 500 fighters of the State Border Guard Service and the NPU to the territory of Azovstal. During the implementation of the special operation, the manpower of the invaders was seriously damaged. 17:04 Zelensky said that he had discussed with the President of the European Council Charles Michel sanctions against Russia, defense and financial support for Ukraine and answers to the questionnaire on compliance with EU criteria. 16:54 A bomb weighing 250 kg was defused in Irpen without casualties or destruction, Mayor Alexander Markushin said. 16:50 Andryushchenko told how the Russians organized the "evacuation" of civilians from the territory of Azovstal on April 19. According to him, the occupiers announced a "silence regime", rounded up the press along the conditional evacuation route and began to publish a video where they were allegedly "waiting for civilians from Azovstal." "At the same time, artillery was brought up and shelling of the Azovstal zone was launched. Under such conditions, even if desired, the evacuation of civilians was impossible. But at the end of the day, propaganda showed that "no one wanted to evacuate because the Ukrainian military would not let him in," he said. advisor to the mayor of Mariupol. 16:45 Ukrainian border guards have reached the state border in all directions in the Kiev, Sumy and Chernihiv regions and are restoring the arrangement of positions, press secretary of the State Border Guard Service Andriy Demchenko said. 16:39 Since the beginning of the intensification of the Russian offensive in the Donbas, according to the United States, Russia has not received any significant territorial gains, writes CNN, citing two officials. According to one of them, Washington has recorded several new attacks by Russian troops, which are apparently test attacks to test the Ukrainian defense. 16:28 The IMF is discussing with partners assistance to Ukraine, whose economy, according to the Ukrainian government, requires $5 billion a month to function. 16:24 The Russian Foreign Ministry admitted that "with the help of the weapons supplied to Ukraine by the West, the territory of Russia will also be shelled." They also said that the United States supplied Ukraine with Russian Mi-17 helicopters, which were previously ordered for the Afghan army. 16:21 The Russian Foreign Ministry said that negotiations with Kiev are ongoing, but the Ukrainian negotiators "are trying to drag out the negotiation process, refusing to be constructive on priority issues." Moscow calls on Kyiv to "start looking for realistic options for agreements with the Russian Federation." 16:17 In the Kharkiv region, the SBU found a secret warehouse with ammunition and components for military equipment worth $200 million. According to preliminary data, the spare parts were intended for damaged Russian equipment, which the enemy was going to repair during the offensive. All equipment has already been transferred to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 16:15 In the forest of the Kiev region, two foresters were blown up by an anti-tank mine, which the Russians hid on a forest road. One of them died, the second was hospitalized. Rescuers ask Ukrainians to be extremely careful and, if possible, avoid hiking in the forest, since the invaders left a lot of mines and stretch marks. 16:08 The decision to invade Ukraine was made by Putin in a narrow circle of "hawks", among whom were Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, writes Bloomberg. According to the publication, a growing number of officials in Moscow believe that the continuation of the war will lead to a long-term isolation of Russia and destroy its economy. But officials do not believe that Putin will change course. He is isolated in a small circle of advisers, they say, and rejects any attempt to warn him of the consequences of the war in Ukraine. 15:59 Russia will increase the production of Caliber missiles. According to InformNapalm analyst Anton Pavlushko, the UEC-Saturn plant in the Russian city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region, is recruiting up to 500 new employees due to "growth in production volumes." It is at this plant that engines for Caliber rockets are produced. 15:53 ​​The manufacturer of kamikaze drones Switchblade donated one hundred Quantix Recon drones to Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported. The UAVs will be provided independently of other company systems supplied to Ukraine by the US government. The drones will be shipped out during the current week, with other deliveries to follow. 15:50 Hundreds of people remain under the rubble in Mariupol, said the deputy commander of the Azov regiment Svyatoslav Palamar. According to him, the Russians dropped a super-powerful aerial bomb, according to some reports weighing up to three tons, in the area of ​​​​the field hospital and in places where civilians, including children, were located. As a result, people were left under the rubble, how many of them - it is impossible to determine. 15:44 Italy will accept 500 Ukrainian athletes in 20 sports and provide them with training grounds until the end of the war. According to the National Olympic Committee, all expenses will be covered by the Italian side. 15:41 In the Kherson region, the Russian occupiers are preparing a pseudo-referendum, which they plan to hold in early May, said the head of the OVA Gennady Laguta: "Unfortunately, there have been such conversations that the occupiers are preparing something for the first days of May - either a "referendum", or how else to call it..." At the same time, he assured that "the entire Kherson region is waiting for liberation, it is Ukrainian." 15:39 Podolyak, in a commentary to the UP, said that the state has a strategy for the de-occupation of all cities and villages in southern Ukraine: "Firstly, the army. Briefly and clearly. Secondly, more than 90% of ordinary people in the occupied territories clearly declare their pro-Ukrainian position. Therefore, there will be no freezing of the conflict, there will not even be a temporary occupation, there will be no fake "KhNR" or something like that. There will be only the Kherson region of Ukraine." 15:35 Johnson urged Russia to treat British prisoners in Ukraine "humanely and with compassion". 15:33 The war in Ukraine has upset the market balance, so you need to be prepared for the fact that food prices will rise, warned the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solsky. According to him, today the supply on the world grain markets has fallen significantly, and it is possible that high prices for grain will remain for another 3-5 years. He also said that the most important support that the Ukrainian agricultural business expects from the EU countries is the revision of export quotas and their maximum reduction. In addition, Ukraine requested to simplify transit conditions in order to be able to use ports in the Baltic Sea and Romanian ports in the Black Sea. 15:20 In three cities of Poland, three monuments to the Red Army were dismantled. The monuments were dismantled with the participation of the President of the Institute of National Remembrance in Sedlec, Greater Poland Voivodeship. 15:17 The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine now has requests for more than 20,000 dead or captured Russians - these are personal requests from relatives who contact hotlines and telegram channels. And there is only one official request - for the return of the bodies of six military men, said Viktor Andrusiv, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs. "These six dead were not identified by us. We published on telegram channels, their relatives recognized them and apparently began to put a lot of pressure on their departments, and now we received this request. In fact, this is how a certain channel is established," Andrusiv said. 15:08 The mayor of Irpin, Alexander Markushin, said that a powerful air bomb was found in the area of ​​​​a military hospital, which cannot be taken away. Around 16:00, sappers will neutralize it, so all residents are asked to leave this part of the city. 15:06 The State Special Communications Service spoke about the recent decrease in the number and quality of Russian cyber attacks on Ukraine. The department attributes this to the fact that the enemy now spends most of his time on defense, and not attack. 15:02 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation decided to classify data on the families of servicemen who died in the war against Ukraine. Data on the soldiers who died during "special operations" have been a state secret since 2015, but officials of district administrations issue benefits to members of their families. Now it is proposed to transfer these powers to the military registration and enlistment offices, which will make information about the dead soldiers even more closed, writes the BBC. 15:00 German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock promised that Germany would help Ukraine with military instruction and maintenance of military equipment. 14:58 In Berdyansk, the occupiers appointed Nikita Samoylenko, a janitor, who positions himself as a creative person and claims to see patterns in his sleep and talks with stones, as a "deputy mayor", Zaporozhye OVA reports. Immediately after the invasion of the Russian Federation, he voluntarily went over to the side of the occupying forces and agreed to cooperate. At the direction of his boss, the self-proclaimed "mayor" Saulenko, the former janitor is preparing the city for the May 9 Victory Day celebration - he decorates the flower beds and paints the borders. 14:54 France is ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees that Kiev asks for in exchange for a neutral status and refusal to join NATO, writes Politico, citing a source in the Elysee Palace. According to the publication, this option was supported by Paris on April 19 during a video conference of G7 leaders. Macron's diplomatic adviser said the leaders discussed security guarantees for Ukraine that would be "solid enough to avoid another war." He added that this "will require an international structure." 14:48 Since the beginning of the war, Russia has lost 3.5 times more military equipment than Ukraine, analysts of the Oryx project, which collects information about military losses from photo and video materials, have calculated. So, for 56 days of the invasion, the Russian Federation lost 2998 pieces of equipment, Ukraine - 845. Of the Russian equipment, 1558 units were destroyed, 46 damaged, 244 abandoned, 1120 captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Of the Ukrainian equipment, 389 were destroyed, 22 were damaged, 36 were abandoned, and 398 were captured. 14:31 Podolyak said that the "second phase of the special operation" announced by Moscow is the same as "we will take Kiev in 72 hours." He added that it does not matter for Ukraine what phases the Russian invaders divide the war into. "It's just that Russians love to tell fairy tales. But in reality, there will be only what Ukraine needs," he stressed. 14:28 In Berdyansk, Zaporozhye region, the Russian invaders have appointed a "director" of the house of culture and demand to prepare concerts for Victory Day. As told v.i.o. Mayor of Berdyansk Alexander Svidlo, people are outraged, and the invaders "make fake statements and insist on collaborations." 14:24 In Irpin, at least 2,000 families were left without apartments, said the governor of the Kiev region Alexei Kuleba. According to him, work is now underway to clear mines and clean up the city, it is too early to return. 14:21 The situation in Kharkov remains tense, the enemy is shelling the city from the air and the ground. As mayor Igor Terekhov said, the geography of shelling has shifted slightly: if earlier shelling was in areas adjacent to the ring road, now they are shelling the center as well. He asks the residents of the city not to go outside. 14:19 According to the UN, the number of Ukrainians who left the country due to the Russian invasion has exceeded 5 million people. Of these, more than 2.8 million people crossed the border with Poland. 14:17 Putin said that "the tragedy in the Donbas forced Russia to launch a special military operation in Ukraine." According to him, Russia will act consistently and ensure that "life in Donbas returns to normal." 14:15 The Ministry of Health refused to purchase vaccines against COVID-19 due to the war in order to direct resources to purchase goods for wartime medical needs, Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said. However, he added that vaccination in the country continues. 14:11 Arestovich said that the aircraft fleet of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "slightly increased." Also at the briefing, he said that fighting was going on in the Kharkiv region, several settlements had been liberated. The enemy tried to storm Rubizhne and Popasnaya, but was repulsed. In the Zaporozhye direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are "conducting an active mobile defense," and in the Kherson direction, the enemy is trying to advance towards Nikolaev. Equipment from Western partners continues to arrive. 14:07 The National Commission for Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum and Postal Services has made the first decision to fully legalize the use of Starlink technology in Ukraine. For the period of martial law, the use of SpaceX Starlink terminals is allowed for all categories of users, said Mikhail Fedorov, head of the Ministry of Digital Development. 13:58 Podolyak commented to the country on Peskov's statement that Moscow handed over to Kiev a draft document on a peace agreement and is waiting for an answer: "The Russian Federation loves to make loud statements in order to put pressure on this or that process. This is their traditional tactic. The essence is always simpler "During the Istanbul round, the opponents were given the formulaic position of the Ukrainian side. They studied it and now they just gave their counter positions. Nothing more." 13:53 Bloomberg writes that instead of direct deliveries of heavy weapons to Kiev, Germany will transfer modern tanks to Eastern European countries that are ready to send Soviet-era weapons to Ukraine. 13:50 Over the week, Russian oil supplies by sea fell by 25 percent, flows through the Black Sea decreased the most, writes Bloomberg. 13:43 Russia plans to carry out forced "mobilization" in the occupied territories of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, pseudo-referendums in these areas are aimed at announcing forced "mobilization". Then the FSB of the Russian Federation plans to throw "mobilized" Ukrainians to storm the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the control of barrage detachments. In fact, this is an attempt to destroy Ukraine with the hands of Ukrainians. To conduct "referendums", personal data of the inhabitants of the occupied territories are collected in advance, ostensibly to receive "humanitarian aid" or social benefits. On the day of "voting" FSB officers will fill out the ballots, using the information received, without the consent and physical presence of the Ukrainians themselves. 13:26 The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, visited Borodianka, Kiev region, destroyed by the Russians. "History will not forget the war crimes that were committed here. There can be no peace without justice," he wrote. 13:22 About 40 percent of the population left Nikolaev, the mayor of the city Alexander Senkevich reported. At the same time, he clarified that such statistics are not kept on purpose, "but in terms of the amount of garbage collected and the use of drinking water, 40% of the inhabitants have already left the city." 13:20 Kuleba visited Bulgaria, discussed the need to strengthen agricultural supply chains to maintain global food security. 12:58 Russia's offensive on the Dnieper is unlikely, as well as repeated attempts to capture Kiev, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine: "I don't want to make any assessments. But, obviously, the enemy will focus on the goals that have now been officially announced Russian authorities. At least in the near future. The seizure of new territories will lead to numerous dispersal of forces, which will become more difficult to manage and more difficult to provide." 12:53 Ukrposhta has stopped selling stamps with the "Russian warship" in the offices. In total, about 700,000 units were sold. Another 100,000 stamps will be allocated to the online store, the rest of the circulation will be sent to official delegations, museum funds, as well as philatelic subscriptions. In addition, every employee of Ukrposhta will be able to receive a stamp. 12:49 Peskov said that Russia handed over to Ukraine a draft document "with clear wording worked out, the ball is on the side of Kiev." He also added that the work of the Ukrainian side "leaves much to be desired, they do not seek to intensify the process." 12:47 A square of Ukraine will be created in Tallinn. Most likely, she will appear in Lembitu Park, which is located behind the Foreign Ministry building, local media write. 12:44 The Ministry of Justice will return the possibility of conducting transactions and registering the purchase and sale of real estate within a month, said the head of the department, Denis Malyuska, in an interview with Radio Liberty. 12:36 In Estonia, from April 26 to May 10, public gatherings with the use of St. George ribbons, flags of Russia and the USSR were banned in order to avoid provocations on May 9. 12:27 Residents of Odessa heard explosions, OVA speaker Sergei Bratchuk said that it was the air defense forces that were working. 12:21 In the Luhansk region, the occupiers are taking out the corpses with KAMAZ vehicles and abandoning the equipment, Gaidai said. According to him, hospitals are filled with wounded Russians. On the night of April 20, fewer enemy attacks and shelling were recorded in the region. This is probably due to the fact that the invaders are suffering huge losses among the personnel. 12:13 Energy, gas and water supply in the cities of Popasnaya, Rubizhne and parts of the villages of the community in the city of Gorskoye, Lugansk region, will not be restored before the end of the war, said the head of the OVA Serhiy Gaidai. 12:10 The court issued permission for a special pre-trial investigation against Kiva, suspected of public calls for a violent change of power, encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, treason and war propaganda. The former People's Deputy is on the international wanted list, the Office of the Prosecutor General said. 12:06 Podolyak said in an interview with NV that the agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine is being finalized by legal subgroups that take part in negotiations with Russia. 11:53 Mayor of Mariupol Vadim Boychenko called on Mariupol residents to evacuate the city. He once again confirmed that the evacuation from Mariupol to Zaporozhye would begin on April 20 at 14:00. The route of the column: Mariupol - Mangush - Berdyansk - Tokmak - Orekhov - Zaporozhye. 11:36 In Ukraine, agricultural production will be reduced by 40-70 percent, said the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solsky: "Now we already understand that the sowing will decrease by 20-30 percent. Accordingly, this will lead to a lower quality of sowing, and hence According to preliminary estimates, 20-30 percent of the sown area will remain unsown. 11:34 The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow "through bilateral channels warned Sweden and Finland about the consequences of their entry into NATO." 11:32 According to the UN, 12 million people left their homes in Ukraine. Another 13 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. About 7 million became internally displaced persons, 5 million went abroad. 11:30 Sergei Gaidai announced the detention by the counterintelligence of the SBU of an agent of the FSB of the Russian Federation, who was surrendering positions to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and correcting fire on cities. 11:28 Abramovich's main task in the peace talks with Ukraine is "smoothing the corners", as the Russian side continues to claim that it is engaged in "denazification", Podolyak said in an interview with NV. 11:26 Russia is trying to completely seize the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and not only by May 9, says the speaker of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk. 11:04 Hundreds of Ethiopian men were seen queuing in front of the Russian embassy in the capital Addis Ababa. According to The Addis Standard, this may indicate the recruitment of local mercenaries by Russia for the war in Ukraine. The Russian Embassy assures that African men are standing in line to "express solidarity with Russia." 11:00 The Russian Defense Ministry announced the strikes on the areas of Novovorontsovka and Kiselevka in the Kherson region - they report the destruction of "up to 40 Ukrainian soldiers, seven units of military equipment." 10:56 The Russians forcibly resettled more than 500,000 Ukrainians, including 121,000 children, to the territory of the Russian Federation, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN Serhiy Kislitsa said at a meeting of the UN Security Council. At the same time, according to him, Ukrainians are given documents prohibiting them from leaving the Russian regions for two years. 10:53 Israel confirmed its readiness to host a possible meeting between Zelensky and Putin in Jerusalem, the Israeli ambassador to Russia said. 10:51 It is planned to evacuate 6,000 people from Mariupol along the agreed humanitarian corridor, Mayor Vadim Boychenko said. At the same time, he added that this is a preliminary figure, and "more work is needed to make the corridor work." According to him, there are now more than 100,000 people left in the city who are waiting to be evacuated. 10:48 Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs and ex-Minister of Economy of Germany Sigmar Gabriel admitted that he was wrong in promoting the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project . It was a mistake, he said, not to listen to Eastern European objections to the pipeline. Gabriel explained that many then hoped to integrate it into European institutions through close trade relations with Russia. But that was an illusion, he admitted. 10:46 Cyber ​​police blocked about 2,000 enemy resources with a total audience of over 17 million users, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. 10:44 Against the background of failures at the front, Moscow began purges of the leaders of the "LNR". According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, "Minister of the Interior of the LPR, Major General" Igor Kornet was arrested by the FSB and is currently being held in the FSB detention center in Rostov-on-Don. The arrest of the "Minister of Internal Affairs of the LPR" caused a negative reaction in the power structures and the political leadership of the "republic", which regarded this step as the beginning of changes in the power bloc of the quasi-state. The leader of the "LPR" Leonid Pasechnik is making every effort to release Kornet and reinstate him in his post. 10:32 The General Staff named the estimated losses of the enemy on the morning of April 20: personnel - about 20,900 people liquidated, tanks - 815, armored combat vehicles - 2087, artillery systems - 391, MLRS - 136, air defense systems - 67, aircraft - 171, helicopters - 150, automotive equipment - 1504, ships/boats - 8, tanks with fuel and lubricants - 76, UAV operational-tactical level - 165, special equipment - 27, launchers OTRK / TRK - 4. 10:28 Russia's statements about several stages of the "special operation" in Ukraine were false, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Colonel Alexander Motuzyanyk said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine: "A lightning offensive, the capture of large Ukrainian cities including the capital, the overthrow of the Ukrainian and the establishment of a government controlled by the Russian Federation and, finally ", the return of Ukraine to the sphere of Russian control. That is, the destruction of Ukrainian statehood as such. This, in fact, was the main goal of the aggressor. And they planned to do this in one stage." 10:24 The command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that Ukraine did not receive new aircraft from partners. With the assistance of the US government, Ukraine received only spare parts and components for the restoration and repair of the existing fleet of aircraft. 10:19 In the Zaporozhye region, Russian soldiers staged a riot and wanted to escape, but the instigators were killed by the Kadyrovtsy, said Ivan Arefiev, speaker of the Zaporizhzhya OVA. According to him, the Russian servicemen under Pologa refused to fight and rebelled because they did not receive the money promised by the state. Three rebels, who were ready to hand over their weapons and go home to Russia, were brutally killed by the Kadyrovites. 10:14 President of the European Council Charles Michel announced that he had arrived on a visit to Kiev. 09:58 The decisive battle for Ukraine has already begun, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine: "Now we can say that this decisive battle has already begun, judging by the activity and nature of the invaders' offensive in the East and South of Ukraine." According to him, the goal of the Russians is clear: to push the Ukrainian forces beyond the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and to keep the land corridor to the Crimea. It is also obvious that in the future they will try to develop the offensive in other areas, in particular in Kherson, in order to capture as many territories as possible. 09:53 The Government of Latvia has finally decided on the date of the complete refusal to purchase Russian gas and will stop buying it until January 1, 2023. Estonia also plans to phase out Russian gas from 2023. 09:50 The leaders of the United States, Britain, Poland, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Romania, as well as the leaders of the EU and NATO discussed the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine after the war with Russia, Reuters reported. 09:33 Britain has allocated 400 million pounds of aid to Ukraine and guarantees a World Bank loan of $1 billion. London will also provide 220 million pounds for humanitarian needs to countries hosting Ukrainian refugees. 09:12 Vereshchuk said that today they managed to tentatively agree on a humanitarian corridor in Mariupol for women, children and the elderly. 09:07 Norway will send about 100 Mistral anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, the country's Ministry of Defense said. 09:05 One of the surviving sailors of the cruiser Moskva told his mother that the ship was heading to Odessa to participate in the operation to land paratroopers who were supposed to capture the city, Radio Liberty writes. 09:03 British intelligence warns that Russian attacks on the cities of Ukraine indicate the intentions of the Russian Federation to prevent the movement of Ukrainian reinforcements and weapons to the east of the country. The Russian military presence on the eastern border of Ukraine continues to grow. 08:55 Occupants in Mariupol have moved from "soft" proposals to wear white ribbons to civilians as a mark of "friend or foe" to direct threats to open fire to kill anyone who will be on the street without such ribbons, said adviser to the mayor of the city Petr Andryushchenko . 08:46 There are already more than 500 wounded and hundreds of civilians at Azov, said the commander of the 36th marine brigade Sergei Volyn. He called on Ukraine, the United States, Turkey and Britain to save the remnants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the plant. 08:42 In the area of ​​​​Izyum, Kharkiv region, 12 Ukrainian soldiers had breathing problems and reddened eyes after an attack by the Russian army, Arestovich said. According to him, it was "some kind of chemical substance", but they cannot determine it, because there is no laboratory there. 08:29 In the Lugansk region, the enemy continues offensive operations in order to move deep into Popasna. After attempts by the Russian invaders to storm Rubizhne and Severodonetsk, about 130 wounded Russian military personnel of the enemy were admitted to the hospital in the city of Novoaydar, said the head of the Luhansk OVA, Sergei Gaidai. At night, the enemy fired at Novodruzhesk, located close to Lisichansk. After midnight, the Russians opened fire on residential buildings. Several times during the night, the enemy also fired at. Mining. 08:16 The United States does not rule out that Russia will attack the routes of arms supply, CNN reports citing a Pentagon spokesman. Russian troops don't often strike moving targets like convoys or railroads, he said, but they may try to destroy bridges, roads and rails that are used to transport weapons and supplies to Ukraine. The Pentagon noted that even if the Russians manage to attack these routes, they will not be able to completely stop the supply, because there is a lot of cargo coming in. 08:02 Wikipedia has an article on rashism translated into 25 languages. 07:59 Relatives of the Ukrainian servicemen began to receive suspicious phone calls and messages. The attackers offer to facilitate their release from captivity for a monetary reward. They are also trying, allegedly for the purpose of clarifying, to find out the personal data of Ukrainian defenders. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine states that representatives of the Marine Corps Command or other military command or government agencies do not collect funds. Issues of the release of prisoners of war are within the exclusive competence of state authorities. There can be no collection of funds from family members and relatives. 07:45 The United States regularly monitors the nuclear threat from Russia and believes that there is no reason to change the readiness status of its nuclear forces yet, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. "We monitor this every day, we saw no reason to change the approach to the use of strategic deterrence. We remain confident that we have the ability, if necessary, to protect the territory of the country, our allies and partners with the current state of the strategic deterrence forces," he said. 07:33 Russian troops are trying to continue the offensive in the Eastern Operational Zone in order to establish full control over the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and also do not stop inflicting missile and bomb attacks on military and civilian infrastructure facilities throughout Ukraine, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said . 06:36 The IAEA can again contact the Chernobyl nuclear power plant when necessary and fully control the situation. According to the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, by the end of this month, a mission of experts will visit the station to assess the situation. 06:19 An Ipos survey conducted in 27 countries showed that 61% of the world's inhabitants believe that Russia's actions in Ukraine directly threaten their country. At the same time, 17% of respondents support sending their own troops to Ukraine, from 57% to 77% of respondents regularly follow the news from Ukraine: most of all in Japan (89%) and Sweden (83%). 00:05 The EU plans to create a solidarity trust fund to finance the reconstruction of war-torn Ukraine. More about this in the article How Ukraine will be rebuilt . 00:03 The Biden administration will announce a new military aid package for Ukraine this week, NBC News reports. Its size will be similar to 800 million dollars - as in the previous time. The aid will include "more artillery and tens of thousands of shells" "which will likely be critical to the upcoming battle in Donbas." 00:01 Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denis Monastyrsky said that the proceeds from the arrest and sale of Viktor Medvedchuk's property will be transferred to the needs of the army.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: March 28th, 2022

2022-03-28

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited [Korrespondent] 22:14 Baykar Makina, the creator of Bayraktar, announced a new MIUS UAV equipped with the Ukrainian AI-25 engine. 22:11 In Lutsk, local residents heard a strong explosion, the mayor of the city, Igor Polishchuk, asks local residents to stay in shelters and not publish photos and videos. 21:46 In the occupied part of Irpen, 50 people got in touch, they will be evacuated soon, the mayor of the city Alexander Markushin said. According to him, people tried to get out on their own, but returned because the invaders fired at them. Markushin said that fighting was going on in the city, the Ukrainian military were going on a counterattack. 21:32 Korea has imposed a ban on the export of 57 types of non-strategic goods to Russia and Belarus. As reported in the Ministry of Finance of the country, the supply of technologies such as semiconductors and computers is prohibited, in particular. 21:31 The British Ministry of Defense announced that a batch of Starstreak man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems has already been transferred to Ukraine. 21:25 Zelensky said that he offered the military in Mariupol to leave the city, but they refused. 21:23 Zelensky said that one Ukrainian soldier beats ten Russians, because they do not know what they are doing here, and ours understand very well why they are fighting. 21:18 Erdogan's office announced that a new meeting of the delegations of Ukraine and Russia will be held in Istanbul. 21:16 Russian human rights activist Mark Feygin says that the corpses of Russian soldiers are burned in smelting furnaces. According to him, some of the bodies are handed over to relatives, but some are simply destroyed near the border. Mobile crematoria are not doing well, so the occupiers use smelting furnaces in Rostov. 21:07 Zelensky announced Ukraine's military goals for today: minimize the number of casualties; shorten the duration of this war; to withdraw Russian troops to compromise territories - and this is all that was before February 24, 2022. "I understand that it is impossible to force Russia to completely liberate the territory - this will lead to World War III ... That's why I say - this is a compromise. Go back to where it all started, and there we will try to solve the difficult issue of Donbass," the president explained. 21:06 The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation announced that it would check the content of the statements in Zelensky's interview with Russian journalists and the fact that the interview was published in the media. 21:03 Zelensky about chemical laboratories in Ukraine: "This is a joke. We would be happy, but we don't have any of this." He once again stressed that there are no chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in Ukraine. "If at the time when the interests of Ukraine were surrendering, there was a person like me in power ... I would not give it all up so easily," Zelensky added. 20:53 Zelensky said he "does not fully understand" Duda's proposal to send peacekeepers to Ukraine: "We do not need a frozen conflict on the territory of our state ... This is our country, I am the president, and it is up to us to decide what forces will come to us come in". 20:38 Zelensky said that to all Russian businessmen who are ready to financially help the Ukrainian army today, "we are ready to ensure security, his work, business development." 20:36 Zelensky said that "not a single guarantor will sign security guarantees while Russian troops are in Ukraine." Therefore, the Russian proposal "First the treaty - then the withdrawal of troops" is impossible to implement even from the point of view of the law. "Therefore, first we need to agree with the President of Russia, and in order for us to agree, for this he will have to step out from where he is and come to meet me anywhere in the world except Belarus, Russia and Ukraine," Zelensky explained. . 20:34 A referendum in Ukraine on security guarantees will be held within a few months after such a decision is made, and changes to the Constitution will take at least a year, Zelensky said. Answering a question from journalists about whether refugees would take part in the referendum, Zelensky said: "Of course." At the same time, he believes that by that time most people will have returned. 20:28 The clause on guarantees of Ukraine's security in negotiations with Russia is clear to both sides, it is "deeply worked out," Zelensky said. According to him, the relevant agreement must be signed and ratified by the parliaments of the guarantor countries, and a referendum must be held in Ukraine. The security guarantees imply a neutral status, and it involves amending the Constitution, which is possible only through a referendum. Constitutional changes will require two parliamentary sessions, and it will take a whole year. 20:19 Zelensky on the status of the Russian language: "We need a mirror respect. If we open a Russian school, then you open a Ukrainian one." He stressed that this also applies to other national minorities, including Hungarians. The issue of language, according to the president, will leave the agenda if such agreements are signed. 20:16 Podolyak on Roskomnadzor's ban on Russian media from publishing Zelensky's interview: "The Russian Federation really wants to be an outcast. A full-fledged one. Everywhere." According to him, the behavior of Roskomnadzor itself "at least looks enchantingly cowardly and shameful." "Then why spend so much money on internal murderous propaganda, on all these fat late-night talk show propagandists, if their lies can be easily nullified with one interview with the President of Ukraine?" asks Podolyak. 20:12 The Ukrainian delegation does not discuss any "denazification and demilitarization" with the Russian one , Zelensky said: "I immediately said that we would not even sit down at the table if we were talking about some kind of demilitarization and denazification. For me, these are absolutely incomprehensible things ". 20:10 In the city of Snovsk, Chernihiv region, the invaders abducted seven people, including Mayor Alexander Medvedev, the city council said. 20:07 Kuleba called for a boycott of international companies that refuse to leave Russia. In particular, these are Auchan, Decathlon, Leroy Merlin, Alcampo. 20:05 Zelensky believes that Putin did the worst for the Russian language. Now many people outside of Russia will be embarrassed to speak Russian, this has already been shown by the practice of many other wars. And at least for a while it will last. In Ukraine, there has never been a rejection of the Russian language, but now hatred of everything Russian will undoubtedly grow. 19:47 In Energodar, the invaders may soon offer residents of the city "green corridors" for evacuation to Zaporozhye or the Dnieper. The authorities ask local residents not to trust such announcements, since such an "evacuation" may result in forced export to Russia, as was the case with the residents of Mariupol. 19:44 President's office published Zelensky's interview with Russian media: 19:41 Shariy complained that the Binance crypto exchange, at the request of the SBU, gave out his personal data. 19:39 Roskomnadzor warned the Russian media about the "need to refuse to publish" an interview with Zelensky. With respect to the media that interviewed, "a check has begun to determine the degree of responsibility and take response measures." 19:37 Pogrebinsky denied the information about his arrest, Venediktova also said that he was not detained. 19:36 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida believes that the situation in Ukraine could lead the world "to the greatest crisis" since World War II, and that the actions of various countries will determine the future of the international community. He stressed that "a unilateral change of the status quo by force should never happen in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in East Asia" and the security situation around Japan is becoming "more serious." In this regard, he said that the Japanese authorities plan to revise the national security strategy this year, while cardinal changes in the country's defense potential are possible. 19:27 The United States still sees no good reason to believe that Moscow will limit itself to the Donbass, said NATO Ambassador Julianne Smith. She noted that Russia is now reassessing the situation and plans to change tactics. The ambassador also said that NATO would not provide MiG fighters to Ukraine. 19:25 The UK stops funding scientific research projects with Russian state universities, research institutes and companies and will not launch new ones. London also announced that it would allocate three million pounds to support Ukrainian researchers. 19:22 Pasechnik said that preparations for a "referendum" on the entry of the so-called "LPR" into the Russian Federation are not currently underway. He clarified that it was his "personal opinion". 19:15 Biden wrote on Twitter: "My message to the people of Ukraine. We are with you. Period." 19:10 At anti-war rallies around the world, as well as in social networks and forums, the "new Russian flag" is increasingly being used - white-blue-white, that is, without "blood", like on the original flag of the Russian Federation. 19:05 Reznikov: "We have shown that there is no place for a dictator in the democratic world. Victory is ours! By the way, military diplomacy gives good results. To be continued." 19:03 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that the occupying troops are increasingly using old and substandard ammunition. This increases the risk of detonation even during loading and transport. 19:01 According to the General Staff, dozens of tons of shells and ammunition are daily transported by units of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces from the logistics base in the Narovlyansky district of the Gomel region of Belarus. 18:59 The ongoing militarization of the Chernobyl exclusion zone by the Russian occupation forces seriously increases the risk of damage to isolation structures, which will lead to a significant amount of radioactive dust entering the atmosphere and infecting not only Ukraine, but also other European countries, the General Staff warns. In the city of Chernobyl, the occupiers set up a temporary command post for the group of troops of the Eastern Military District, as well as a command post for the 38th separate motorized rifle brigade. 18:57 In the settlements of Ivankov and Oranoe of the Kiev region, the invaders, in connection with the violation of the logistics supply, ask the population for food, they do not behave aggressively, the facts of looting have not been recorded, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports. 18:37 After the defeat by the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of the invaders in Trostyanets, Sumy region, the commander of the 13th tank regiment, which is part of the Kantemirovskaya "elite" division, shot himself, and the commander of the 1st tank army of the Western Military District of the Russian Federation, which also includes Kantemirovskaya division, the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. 18:13 Medinsky said that a new round of Ukrainian-Russian negotiations will be held in person on March 29-30. 18:12 Georgia did not approve Danilov's call to open a second front and said that "starting a war against Russia is not in the interests of the Georgian people." 18:10 Borrell said that the EU countries will be able to refuse Russian gas supplies within two years. 18:09 Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that Russian assets worth millions of euros have been frozen in the country. "Prague plays one of the leading roles in Europe in terms of sanctions against Russia," he added and promised that the assets of the Russian Federation would continue to be arrested. 18:03 The SBU arrested in Kiev the pro-Russian political strategist Mikhail Pogrebinsky, an ally of Medvedchuk, the media write. He is suspected of high treason and illegal enrichment. 18:01 A new face-to-face round of talks between Ukraine and Russia will be held on March 28-30 in Turkey , Arakhamia said. 17:58 Canada has promised to provide more oil, gas and uranium to help resolve the global energy crisis. 17:49 Ukrzaliznytsia launches a full-fledged circular train route in Kiev. 17:33 Aksyonov said that "we, the Crimeans, fully support the desire of the heroic people of Donbass for unity with Russia." This is how he commented on the statement of the "LPR" about a possible imminent referendum on joining the Russian Federation. "I am sure that the inhabitants of all regions of our country will be sincerely glad to see our brothers return to the huge and friendly Russian family," the "head" of Crimea said. 17:28 Investigative journalist from Bellingcat Hristo Grozev said that since 2014 Moscow has spent billions of dollars on a network of pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine, but they were "just thrown." According to him, he and colleagues from The Insider are completing a large-scale investigation into how much money the FSB spent on organizing support for this war and an internal coup d'etat immediately after the invasion by some shadow political class in Ukraine. It was 150-160 highly paid FSB officers, each with an unlimited budget to recruit Ukrainians of any level. But the plan didn't work. 17:24 The resistance forces of the Siverschyna captured two practically new armored Urals of the Tornado-U model of 2021, the command of the Ground Forces reported. They also destroyed a Russian convoy consisting of two Tigers, a tank and two trucks with ammunition. 17:16 The Insider writes that yesterday Russia fired a record number of missiles at the same time on the territory of Ukraine: 52 missiles were launched from the ships of the Black Sea Fleet from the waters of Sevastopol and at least 18 from the territory of Belarus. Their total cost, according to the publication, exceeds $ 340 million in direct production costs. At the same time, the Ukrainian air defense forces also set a record: out of at least 70 Russian missiles, only eight reached the target, the rest were destroyed in the sky. 16:57 Usyk 's wife reported that their house in Vorzel was seized by invaders. 16:52 Denisova said that fires in the Chernobyl zone are fraught with the spread of radionuclides in Ukraine, Belarus and European countries. 16:49 Arestovich said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine "started small tactical counter-offensive actions" in the Sumy, Kharkiv, Kiev and Kherson regions. According to him, the main tasks of the enemy now are to surround the Ukrainian troops in the JFO zone, capture Mariupol and hold the defense in Kherson. "This gives us hope that we will get rid of the enemy in the Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv regions. On the other hand, a sharp complication is possible in Mariupol and the JFO zone. Therefore, the next week or two will be uneven," Arestovich specified. 16:32 In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russians fired today at one of the settlements of the Krivoy Rog region from the Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Russian occupiers used prohibited cluster munitions. 16:13 Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey and other countries should negotiate with Russia to help end the war in Ukraine. He believes that Ukrainians must be supported by all possible means, "but Russia must be heard one way or another, so that its discontent can be understood, if not justified." 16:09 Speaker of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleg Nikolenko said that no country in the world would recognize the forcible change of the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine, and Russia would receive an even more decisive response from the international community to the pseudo-referendum on joining the LDNR, which "will accelerate its fall into the abyss of global isolation ". 16:06 A journalist from Donetsk Alexander Demchenko reports that some of the people who were taken out of the recently occupied territories were placed in the city's schools. Pushilin, the leader of the "DNR", was supposed to come to one of them under the cameras today. But the inscription "Glory to Ukraine" appeared on the school building in the morning, so the visit was cancelled. Eyewitnesses also report that people in Donetsk are walking around shouting "Glory to Ukraine." 16:00 Residents of Genichesk, Kherson region, set fire to the military registration and enlistment office, which housed the occupiers, said deputy of the Kherson Regional Council Serhiy Khlan. 15:58 Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Ruslan Martsinkiv said that he came under fire from Russian invaders when he was carrying humanitarian aid to Chernihiv. According to him, everyone is alive, but there are wounded. Help was delivered. 15:53 ​​British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace explained why Britain did not supply tanks to Ukraine: "The more weapons systems are improved, the more training is required to use them. That is why the main focus should be on helping Ukrainians upgrade or find Russian or Soviet equipment that they already have in their inventory. Providing British tanks isn't really going to work." 15:45 A traitor appeared in Energodar: collaborator Andrey Shevchik announced the creation and start of work of a pro-Russian "city self-organization council". Enlisting the support of the invaders, he headed the so-called "council" and is preparing to "help" the townspeople with Russian humanitarian aid, Energoatom reports. 15:26 Duda said he did not understand Orban 's position on Russia. "This policy will cost Hungary very dearly," Duda said. 15:11 The SBU urges Ukrainian and foreign journalists not to take photos and videos of the explosions, not to disseminate data on the places of shelling before official sources report it. Foreign journalists were warned about criminal liability for live broadcasts from the places where Russian missiles and shells hit. Foreign media in case of violation of these rules can be considered spies, the SBU said. 15:03 The Cabinet of Ministers has limited the deadline for submitting an application for financial assistance in the amount of UAH 6,500 through ePidtrimka until March 31, 2022. 15:01 In the Lugansk region, a Lviv videographer and photographer, an employee of Channel 24 and the ZAXID.NET website, Yuri Oleinik, was killed in a battle. He was a fighter of one of the brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 14:58 Zelensky gave an interview to Russian journalists for the first time since the beginning of the war - editors-in-chief of Meduza and Dozhd Ivan Kolpakov and Tikhon Dzyadko, writer and journalist Mikhail Zygar, and Kommersant correspondent Vladimir Solovyov spoke with him. According to Meduza, the conversation lasted almost two hours via video link. The publication promises to publish it without cuts in a few hours. 14:53 In the occupied Melitopol, Ukrainian mobile communications and the Internet have not been working since yesterday. 14:49 The Ministry of Culture published a sanctions list of 47 artists and politicians who supported the Russian regime. Among them, in particular, Baskov, Bilan, Gazmanov, Dzhigan, Dolina, Timati, Leps, Rastorguev, Mikhalkov, Mashkov and others. 14:27 Ukrainian traders have made the first rail shipments of corn to Europe as seaports remain blocked due to the Russian invasion, writes Reuters. 14:08 More than 500 local residents have been evacuated in the Luhansk region today, said the head of the regional administration Serhiy Gaidai. He stressed that the shelling did not stop for a minute, and at one of the intersections, an evacuation bus with wounded residents from the Rubizhne hospital barely passed the enemy infantry fighting vehicle. It was possible to organize an evacuation from Popasna, from where 20 people were evacuated, from Severodonetsk - 218, from Lisichansk - 120. Those who remained were brought several tons of humanitarian cargo. 14:06 In the Izyum district of the Kharkiv region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine today destroyed one of the newest fighters of the enemy army - the Su-34, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to hold positions near Kharkov and have launched a counteroffensive in some areas, driving the Russian invaders out of Gusarovka. 13:56 Slovakia has already accepted 280,000 Ukrainian refugees, Germany - almost 300,000. 13:50 In the Kiev region during the period of the Russian invasion, destruction was recorded in 34 out of 69 communities, the regional administration reported. 13:39 Russia has closed access to the websites of the German tabloid Bild and journalist Nevzorov. 13:21 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that the movement of Russian units to the territory of Belarus continues in order to rotate units that have suffered significant losses, strengthen existing groups, replenish food, fuel and ammunition, organize the evacuation of wounded and sick servicemen. Part of the units of the armed forces of Belarus continues to be at the training grounds. 13:13 Russian invasion of Ukraine could, among other things, cause destabilization in the Middle East due to food problems, the IMF said. 13:02 Now is "the wrong time" to hold a referendum on joining the "LPR" to Russia, Leonid Kalashnikov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, believes. 12:59 In Kherson and Nova Kakhovka, local residents took to the streets for Ukraine. 12:55 In the Kherson region, Russian invaders began to import goods from the Crimea and demand to pay for them in rubles, said the deputy of the Kherson Regional Council Sergey Khlan. According to him, the Russians are blocking the delivery of Ukrainian humanitarian supplies and are trying to replace them with goods brought from Crimea. Local entrepreneurs refuse to take them for sale. The deputy also said that they plan to pay the residents of the region "aid" in rubles and start transferring them to ruble social payments, for this they collect data from local residents. He urged not to take this "blood money". 12:27 Andrey Klishas, ​​head of the Federation Council committee on constitutional legislation, said that the "LPR" and "DPR" can decide to join the Russian Federation, "if it does not contradict their constitutions, Moscow has recognized their sovereignty." 12:13 The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov, believes that Putin may try to impose the "Korean" scenario on Ukraine - that is, to divide the unoccupied and occupied regions, thus creating "North and South Korea" in Ukraine. "After all, he is definitely not in power to swallow the entire state," the head of Ukrainian intelligence said. He is convinced that the issue of establishing a land corridor to Crimea is still relevant for the Kremlin. But there is a main problem for the implementation of this plan - Mariupol. "The occupiers will try to cobble together the occupied territories into a single quasi-state formation, which they will oppose to independent Ukraine. <...> They may want to bargain about this at the international level as well. But the resistance and rallies of our citizens in the occupied territories, counterattacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the gradual liberation are essential complicate the implementation of the plans of the enemy. In addition, the season of the all-out Ukrainian partisan safari is about to begin. Then the Russians will only have one actual scenario left - how to survive," Budanov summed up. 12:04 Sean Penn called for a boycott of the Oscar ceremony if Zelensky is not allowed to speak at it. According to him, it is much more important to let the leader of the country, which is on fire from the war, speak out to the widest possible audience, than glamorous stars once again beautifully walk along the red carpet. The award will be presented tonight Kiev time. 12:01 The leader of the "LPR" Pasechnik said that a "referendum" on joining Russia could be held in the illegal formation in the near future. 11:41 The head of the KOGA Oleksiy Kuleba said that not a single green corridor has been agreed in the Kiev region today. He warned that information about the green corridors in Slavutych is not official, and urged local residents to be extremely careful. 11:37 Since the beginning of the military invasion of Russia, the Lviv region has already sheltered 251,000 Ukrainians, Governor Maxim Kozitsky said. According to him, there are 18,000 more equipped beds in state and municipal institutions, a thousand in the private sector. 11:36 According to volunteer Roman Donik, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed two Russian battalions that were holding the village of Gusarovka, Kharkiv region, in occupation. Also, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the village of Olkhovka near Kharkov from the Russians. 11:34 The oil depot in Dubno was completely destroyed as a result of a Russian missile strike on March 26th. There are no human casualties, the Rivne OVA reported. 11:33 Patriot air defense systems from NATO partner countries began to arrive in Slovakia, Prime Minister Eduard Heger said. Earlier, Slovakia agreed to provide Ukraine with Soviet S-300 air defense systems if it receives American ones in return. 11:28 Arestovich reports that Ukrainian troops defeated Chernobaevka for the 11th time. 11:26 Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that his country would not mind if Russian oligarchs come to them to conduct any legitimate business. 11:25 In Kyiv, from tomorrow, the educational process resumes remotely. 11:01 Orban said that Ukraine is asking to stop the Hungarian economy with a request to abandon Russian energy sources. 10:55 The city council of Slavutych announced that today they plan to open a green corridor in the city for women and children to leave the city. There will be buses for this. 10:50 The Russian Federation began to destroy Ukrainian fuel and food supplies, as well as to pull new troops to the Ukrainian border, which may mean the imminent start of new attempts by the Russian army to move deep into Ukrainian territory, Vadim Denisenko, an adviser to the Interior Minister, said. 10:43 In total, 590 Starlink stations were handed over to Ukrainian hospitals. According to the Ministry of Health, the stations will be used when the main network is turned off. 10:22 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that on March 26, a large fuel base in the Lviv region, which provided fuel for Ukrainian troops in the western regions of Ukraine and near Kiev, was destroyed by a "high-precision weapon" with a "high-precision weapon". In addition, "high-precision cruise missiles" destroyed the workshops of the Lvov radio repair plant, where the Tor and S-125 complexes were being repaired. 10:19 The Ministry of Social Policy reported that Ukrainians participating in territorial defense will be able to retire at 55 years old (men) and 50 years old (women). A prerequisite - by this age, women must have at least 20 years of work experience, for men - at least 25 years. In addition, members of volunteer formations will receive increased pensions, as well as military personnel. The changes came into effect on March 21. 10:15 British intelligence notes that the Russian military is concentrating its forces on trying to encircle Ukrainian forces that are advancing from Kharkov and Mariupol. In northern Ukraine, the situation is virtually unchanged, with Ukrainian counterattacks hindering Russian attempts to reorganize forces. 10:02 In Lvov, a fire was put out all night on the territory of one of the industrial enterprises for storing fuel, where rockets hit yesterday. The State Emergency Service specified that the fire started yesterday at about 16:30 and was eliminated today at 6:49. 09:53 Kadyrov said that among the Chechens participating in the capture of Mariupol there is allegedly Ruslan Geremeev, who is considered the organizer of the murder of Nemtsov. According to Kadyrov, Geremeyev is in charge of "his unit", which "repulsed the Nazis and seized the administrative center" in Mariupol. 09:29 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the enemy on the morning of March 27: personnel - about 16,600 people, tanks - 582, armored fighting vehicles - 1664, artillery systems - 294, MLRS - 93, air defense systems - 52, aircraft - 121, helicopters - 127, automotive equipment - 1144, ships/boats - 7, tanks with fuel and lubricants - 73, UAV operational-tactical level - 56, special equipment - 21, launchers OTRK / TRK - 4. 09:24 Two humanitarian corridors agreed on March 27: Donetsk region: Mariupol - Zaporozhye (by private transport), from Berdyansk to Zaporozhye (by buses) Lugansk region: Rubizhne - Bakhmut 09:16 In the Zaporozhye region, the fighters of the territorial defense liberated two villages from the invaders - Poltavka and Malinovka. According to the regional administration, the fighters neutralized more than 80 Russians, several armored vehicles, seized documents and weapons of a motorized rifle unit of the Russian army. 09:12 A total of 139 Ukrainian children have already died at the hands of the Russian occupiers, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported. 08:56 In total, 50 percent of the population of 540,000 who lived before the war left Mariupol. Previously, Russia forcibly removed 20-30,000 people from the city, said Mayor Boychenko. He also said that in the area of ​​the village of Mangush there is a checkpoint where there are traitor policemen who have gone over to the side of the "DPR". 08:32 The mayor of Mariupol, Vadim Boychenko, said that the bodies of all the dead have not yet been recovered from the rubble of the Drama Theater due to constant shelling. The figure of 300 dead is a visual estimate, that is how many people were receiving food at the time of the air raid. They stood, ate, at that moment a bomb flew. 07:43 In Popasnaya, the enemy, with the support of artillery, tried to storm, but fired at his positions with mortar fire, said the head of the Lugansk OVA Serhiy Gaidai. Russian fire damaged three high-rise buildings and eight private houses in Severodonetsk, Lisichansk and Rubezhnoye during the day. Two people were injured, four were rescued from the rubble. 07:38 In Balakliya, Russians detained Deputy Mayor Sergei Poltorak and Oleg Bludov, head of the department for civil protection and interaction with law enforcement agencies. Also, mayor Ivan Stolbovoy was probably detained, since there has been no communication with him and his family for the second day, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv OVA, said. 07:07 Ukraine opposes the opening of the Red Cross office in Rostov-on-Don. Mikhail Radutsky, head of the Verkhovna Rada committee on the health of the nation, wrote an open appeal to the International Red Cross Society, in which he called on the organization not to legitimize "humanitarian corridors" to the territory of the Russian Federation, not to support the kidnapping of the population of Ukraine and its forced removal to the territory of the Russian Federation and to change its mind. 06:59 Russian servicemen who move in columns across the territory of Belarus often sell fuel and provisions or exchange them for alcoholic drinks, the General Staff reports. 06:57 According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, an average of 50 to 100 wounded arrive at medical facilities in Sevastopol daily. 01:00 The Command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine explained why Russia fired missiles at Lvov: “The Russian invaders fired six missiles at Lvov today, hitting the fuel storage base and the territory of the armored plant. However, it’s clear why Lvov became Putin’s target. an eloquent slap in the face to the President of the United States, who at that time was only ten minutes away from the attacked Lvov. 00:02 The Cabinet equated body armor and helmets to humanitarian aid. This means that in order to import them from abroad, you will need to fill out only one document - a declaration.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Military summary of the LDNR. The situation on the line of contact on March 6 (updated)

2022-03-07

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [NewsFrontInfo] 23:35 In the sea not far from Odessa, a boat "Slov'yansk" was sent by missile attack to the sea bandera. This is how it looked before denazification. 23:30 In the LPR, two intelligence agents of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, who were planning terrorist attacks in the republic and Russia, were detained, the Ministry of State Security of the LPR said. 22:50 The Armed Forces of Ukraine struck at the part of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the DPR in Yenakiyevo. 22:46 As a result of the evening shelling of Horlivka from the positions of the VFU "Tochka-U" along Lvovskaya Street, 38, two citizens received injuries of varying severity: a woman born in 1946. and a man born in 1966 The injured were provided with medical assistance. 22:35 For 18 days of hostilities, 26 civilians of the DPR were killed, another 133 were injured of varying severity, the JCCC reported. 22:17 In Gorlovka, a building collapsed during the shelling, there are people under the rubble: the school building was damaged due to the shelling by “point-y”, three people under the rubble are the authorities. 21:55 Head of the DPR Pushilin: in Donbass, 26 civilians have died from shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the beginning of the escalation. 21:33 In Ukraine, radicals are carrying out ethnic cleansing, militants are taking people who do not have Ukrainian passports in an unknown direction. 21:26 Nazis hinder people's attempts to leave Mariupol through humanitarian corridors, up to the use of weapons. 21:15 Vladimir Putin, by his decree, awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously) to the commander of the Sparta battalion of the NM DPR, Vladimir Zhoge, "for heroism and courage shown in the performance of civic duty." 20:23 Horlivka City Hall damaged by shelling - Prikhodko. Other buildings in the city center also came under fire. 19:45 Groupings of troops of the DPR and LPR, with fire support from the Russian Armed Forces, continue offensive operations. DPR units are successfully developing an offensive in the city of Mariupol from the north-western and eastern directions - the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. 18:25 Food supplies in Mariupol are only enough for a few days - Basurin. 18:11 Anyone who knows what a "BATTLE LOG" is should understand what information has appeared at our disposal. All those who gave orders to shell our settlements, including with MLRS, will be punished. 17:41 Consequences of shelling of a kindergarten in Donetsk by the Armed Forces of Ukraine today. 16:50 The International Red Cross announced that the second attempt to evacuate 200,000 civilians from Mariupol failed again. This once again proves that the Nazis are holding on to a "human shield" from the civilian population. 16:10 In the Kiev region of Donetsk, a civilian was wounded. As a result of the shelling of the VFU in the Kievsky district of Donetsk, on the street. Polygraphic, a civilian was injured. The victim was hospitalized. A direct hit was recorded in kindergarten No. 392, located at the address: st. Aristova, 11. In addition, damaged houses in the Kuibyshev district, on the street. Nizhneangarskaya, as well as in the Petrovsky district, along the streets of Katasanov and Hugo. 15:44 The Armed Forces of Ukraine are holding the children in a boarding house in Slavyanogorsk. This was told to RT by a resident of the Donbass village of Nikolaevka. According to her, there are about 27 people. A similar situation developed earlier in Volnovakha - the children were taken from there to Kramatorsk. 15:33 VFU destroyed kindergarten No. 392 for the second time in the Kievsky district of Donetsk. In 2015, the VFU shelled and destroyed this garden. In 2020, the garden was completely restored and received 165 little pupils. 15:23 Ukraine again disrupted the exit of people along the humanitarian corridor from Mariupol and Volnovakha, refusing to guarantee their safety. The Azov* militants (a terrorist group banned in the Russian Federation) said that today they drove around the city of Mariupol and announced that people should not leave the bomb shelters and evacuate. This once again confirms the information that the national battalions are disrupting the evacuation in order to leave more civilians in the city, which serve as a deterrent effect. 15:21 A roar is heard in Lisichansk and Severodonetsk, social networks report. 15:19 The Russian Emergencies Ministry has started delivering about 300 tons of humanitarian aid to the residents of Donbass. 15:02 As a result of artillery shelling of the village of Aleksandrovka, on the southwestern outskirts of Donetsk, 5 civilians were injured of varying severity. 15:00 As a result of shelling of the VFU of Donetsk, a civilian was wounded. 14:54 Putin told Erdogan: the suspension of the special operation to protect the Donbass is possible only if the fighting is stopped by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the requirements of Russia are met. 14:26 The Ukrainian military fired eight mines at the settlement of Lugansk in the DPR. 14:24 The evacuation from Donetsk has been officially stopped, but people are trying to move deeper into the city because of the shelling - Basurin. 13:28 The evacuation from Mariupol has begun, more than 300 civilians have been evacuated through humanitarian corridors. This was announced by the Defense Headquarters of the DPR. 12:50 According to the Headquarters of the Territorial Defense of the DPR, as of March 6, 2022, 45 settlements that were previously under the control of the AFU have been liberated. 12:40 The DPR forces are already conducting a sweep in certain areas of Mariupol, Pushilin said. 12:28 Ukrainian forces tried to announce the evacuation of citizens from Mariupol towards Zaporozhye, but provocations are possible in this direction, Pushilin said. 12:13 Retreating Ukrainian troops are abandoning expensive equipment, also supplied by the West as part of military assistance to Ukraine. Among such samples, the most indicative are the Archer thermal imaging sights, which are found in large quantities by our servicemen at the positions of the Ukrainian security forces - the people's militia of the LPR. 11:36 On the operational line, information was received from the DPR Ministry of Emergency Situations about the shelling of the Chervonogvardeisky district of Makeevka, as a result of which a fire was recorded at the address of the street. Altaiskaya, 57, 53, 49. 11:34 As a result of the shelling of the VFU of the Kievsky district of Donetsk, damage was recorded at the following addresses: - st. Sobinova, 134, 136 (the gas pipeline was interrupted); - 36 Kievsky Ave., 36g. 11:12 DPR scouts broke up a convoy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was heading to Mariupol. Three MLRS "Hurricane" were captured, on which the letters "Z" were applied, but the color characteristic of the APU equipment remained. 11:11 People's militia of the DPR reports that information is being received about obstructing the exit of the civilian population from Mariupol by militants from Azov. 11:10 Fighters from ORB "Sparta" continue to clear Volnovakha. The day before, they defeated the 15th separate mountain assault battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 11:08 The City Council of Mariupol reported that the evacuation of the civilian population begins at 12:00. The evacuation will take place from three places by buses, it is also possible to leave the city by personal transport, the Ukrainian authorities of the city said. 11:00 Azov militants (a terrorist group banned in the Russian Federation) set about 10,000 mines in the residential areas of Mariupol, said the official representative of the NM DPR, Eduard Basurin. 10:50 APU shelling of the settlement Water - Donetsk, Kyiv region): 8 shells of 152 mm caliber were fired. 10:40 AFU shelled the settlement Krasnogorovka - Donetsk, area of ​​the village of Abakumov mine): 2 shells of 122 mm caliber were fired. 10:28 Information is confirmed about the mining by Azov militants * (a terrorist group banned in the Russian Federation) of residential buildings on the central streets of Mariupol, in areas of park areas on Moskovskaya Street and Pobedy Avenue. Nationalists randomly installed about 10,000 mines PFM-1 "Lepestok" - Basurin 10:27 Divisions of the armed forces of the DPR established control over the settlements of Peredovoe, Karernoe and Ravnopol. 10:26 At the moment, 54 settlements are under the full control of the LPR. 10:22 People's militia continues to liberate the territory occupied by Kiev. 10:16 Armed formations of Ukraine struck from the BM-21 Grad. Launched0 15 missiles Experienced - n.p. Donetsk, Kievsky district. 10:15 A grouping of troops of the Lugansk People's Republic, continuing offensive operations, took control of the settlements of Rubtsy, Karpovka, Makeevka, Novolobovka, Lipovoe, Sredne, Zelenaya Dolina, Zakablukhovka. 9:21 Over the past day, 13 civilians of the DPR were injured. 8:52 Shelling of the settlement Marinka - Donetsk, the village of the Trudovskaya mine: 3 shells of 122 mm caliber were fired. 08:45 AFU shelled the settlement Krasnogorovka - Donetsk (settlement of Abakumov mine): 2 shells of 122 mm caliber were fired; 8:43 As a result of the night shelling of the village of Aleksandrovka, three civilians received mine-explosive injuries: - a woman born in 1955: wounds of the left hand and left shin with the presence of foreign bodies; - a man aged 54 years: multiple shrapnel wounds to the face, chest and forearm; — 80-year-old woman: shrapnel wounds to both legs and a fracture of the femoral neck. The injured were taken to hospitals. In addition, a direct hit by a Ukrainian shell was recorded in kindergarten No. 35 on the street. School 162: damaged wall, roof, windows. Damaged residential buildings in the private sector: - st. Gorky: a direct hit on the house, the load-bearing wall was destroyed, the windows were damaged; - st. School, 163: a direct hit on the roof. 08:40 VFU opened fire on the settlement. Novotroitskoye - n.p. Dokuchaevsk: fired 10 mines in 120 mm caliber; 8:33 Humanitarian corridors will be reopened in Mariupol and Volnovakha on Sunday morning - Basurin. 8:04 It's been loud in Donetsk since the morning. Arrivals are reported in the western part of the city. 07:30 VFU opened fire on the settlement. Sands - n.p. Merry: fired 7 mines in 120 mm caliber. 01:33 Shelling of the settlement Novotroitskoye - n.p. Dokuchaevsk: 10 mines fired in 120 mm caliber. 00:30 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the settlement. Avdevka - n.p. Spartak: fired 6 mines in 120 mm caliber.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Military summary of the LDNR. The situation on the line of contact on March 5 (updated)

2022-03-06

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [NewsFrontInfo] 23:34 Another civilian was wounded in the DPR. 23:30 Since the beginning of the special operation, the people's militia of the LPR has liberated 58 settlements - LPR MFA 22:16 On Saturday, the DPR evacuated 84 people from Mariupol and the settlements of its suburban area, 21 of them were children, the headquarters of the territorial defense of the republic reported. 22:06 In Melitopol, residents begin to turn in weapons for a reward. 22:03 The commander of the military unit 08806 of the Guard, Colonel Vladimir Zhoga, is awarded the title of Hero of the DPRposthumously- Decree of Denis Pushilin. 21:50 Pushilin spoke about the situation in the Donbass: the DPR and LPR military gnaw out every meter of land. 21:30 Another party of nationalists passed denazification today in Volnovakha. Each flag from a military uniform is a destroyed fighter of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 21:20 The head of the DPR Denis Pushilin on Solovyov Live said that the ring around Mariupol is narrowing. 21:14 Ukrainian troops fired at Dokuchaevsk, including prohibited mines with a caliber of 120 mm. 20:54 The RF Armed Forces are inflicting powerful blows on the positions of the Nazis in the Kramatorsk region. Airfield strike. 20:05 Not a single civilian could get out of Mariupol and Volnovakha along the security corridors, the nationalist battalions took advantage of the “silence mode” to strengthen their positions - the Russian Defense Ministry. 19:17 The forces of the People's Militia of the DPR, with fire support from the RF Armed Forces, occupied six settlements in the Volnovakha direction over the current day, 31 armored fighting vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - Basurin were captured. 19:10 The representation of the LPR in the JCCC and in the negotiation process reported that as a result of the mortar shelling of the settlement. Donetsk, 5 residential buildings were damaged. 19:40 As a result of the shelling, Kalinin's hospital in Donetsk was damaged. There is no glazing, part of the hospital is de-energized. 18:44 The Armed Forces of Ukraine fled from Talakovka, shooting the civilian population. 18:26 In Berdyansk, the civilian population receives humanitarian aid from the armed forces of the Russian Federation. People lined up for humanitarian aid in a queue, dozens of people gathered on the street. 17:54 School No. 116, located in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk at the address st. Samara, 1. 17:50 In Mariupol, local residents insistently demand that the Ukrainian invaders remove the Grad MLRS away from residential buildings - where the installation arrived to hide behind a human shield. 17:38 Official statement from the International Red Cross on the situation with the evacuation from Volnovakha and Mariupol: there will be no evacuation today. 17:21 According to media reports, a civilian was wounded in Horlivka due to the shelling of the VFU. 17.20 Shelling of the LPR settlement Popasnaya - Pervomaisk: artillery gun 152mm (15 rounds) 17:20 VFU fired 4 mines with a caliber of 120 mm. according to n.p. Novomikhailovka - Donetsk, settlement, Trudovskoy mine. 17:06 As a result of the shelling, the infrastructure of the Ekos utility company located at the address: Yasinovataya, st. Gorky 36. There were no casualties. 17:01 On the territory of the Mariupol Metallurgical Plant, Azov* militants (a terrorist group banned in the Russian Federation) and members of the territorial defense forcibly hold workers in place. 16:37 Ukrainian social networks report that local authorities refused to take civilians out of Mariupol. At the same time, they confirm that the Russians wanted to liberate the city from all the inhabitants, and then cover the entire settlement with carpet bombing, completely destroying all the positions and heavy equipment of Azov * (a terrorist group banned in the Russian Federation) inside the city. In fact, it would have been certain death for the Nazis. 16:20 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Avdiivka - n.p. Yasinovataya: fired 4 mines with a caliber of 120 mm. 15:40 Shelling of VFU settlement Zaitsevo (northern) - n.p. n.p. Zaitsevo (southern): 6 mines fired in 120 mm caliber. 15:30 17 people, including children, were able to escape from Mariupol along the humanitarian corridor - Eduard Basurin. 15:12 It is reported that Andrey Kosyak, an observer of the JCCC of the LPR, captured by Ukrainian terrorists, has been released. He was kept in the pre-trial detention center in Starobelsk, which was recently released by the Russian Armed Forces. 14:53 According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, artillery fire from Mariupol was opened on Russian positions at 10.08, and continuous fire was fired from Volnovakha from 10.11 to 10.21, a residential building was blown up in Mariupol at 10.39, up to 200 people could be under the rubble, in including old people and children. 14:30 In total, three families got out of Mariupol, these people did not hear about any humanitarian corridor. The Kiev authorities did not notify anyone. They came out under the shelling of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Moreover, the nationalists mined roads and blew up bridges. 14:27 n.p. Novgorodskoye - n.p. Wide Beam: fired 6 mines in 120 mm caliber. 13:55 Meanwhile, queues of people lined up in Mariupol ready to evacuate. People have been unable to leave the city for an hour and a half, as Ukrainian nationalists have blocked humanitarian corridors. 13:49 On the initiative of the local authorities, intimidated by the Nazis, the evacuation of the civilian population of Mariupol was disrupted. 13:45 From the side of the armed formations of Ukraine shelling from the direction of N of the item is recorded. Katerinovka to the area of ​​N. p. Pervomaisk: 120mm mortar (10 min), 82mm mortar (6 min). 13:06 The nationalists refused to provide a humanitarian corridor to the residents of Mariupol. 13:00 VFU began shelling the village. Trudovsky. 12:56 The Azov* militants set off an explosive device in Mariupol on Meotida Boulevard, under the rubble in the basement, up to 200 people, including Pushilin's children. This information has been officially confirmed. 12:40 Shelling of VFU settlement Novotroitskoye - n.p. Dokuchaevsk: 2 mines of 120 mm caliber were fired. 12:30 Not a single person has left Mariupol along the gum corridor. ButauthoritiesThe DPR forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are ready to accept people and do everything for this. 11:48 A shell hit in the residential area "Komsomolets", Gorlovka. As a result of shelling at the addresses: st. 60 years of the USSR, 61, 63 glazing, double-glazed windows are damaged. The data is being specified. Emergency personnel are on the scene. 11:04 The military of the NM of the LPR, with fire support from the RF Armed Forces, reached the line of Boguslavka - Telmahovka - Kalinovka. Units of the NM DPR advanced 27 km overnight. Taken under control - Novogrigorievka, Novonikolaevka, Vishnevatoe, Volnoye, Listvyanka and Antonovka. 11:00 According to the information of the JCCC, as a result of the shelling from the side of the VFU, the settlement Golmovsky in the area of ​​the Church of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, three civilians were wounded in 1970, 1984, 1993. 10:11 The DPR forces continue to tighten the ring around Mariupol, the militants of Azov and Aidar (prohibited terrorist organizations in the Russian Federation) that have entered the city are firing from positions equipped in schools, hospitals, maternity hospitals and kindergartens. 10:10 Russian forces over the past day took control of the settlements of Priobrazhenka, Komsomolskoye, Zagornoye, Dorozhnyanka, Reshetilovskoye, Konstantinovka, Shevchenko, Chubarevka, Proletarskoye and Lyubimovka. 10:07 DPR forces advanced 27 km overnight, Novogrigorovka, Novonikolaevka, Vishnevatoe, Volnoe, Listvyanka and Antonovka were taken under control, LPR forces, with fire support from Russian forces, continued to reach the Boguslavka-Telmahovka-Kalinovka line. 10:05 The military of the DPR is squeezing the ring around Mariupol, the Russian Defense Ministry said. 09:10 Shelling of the settlement Zaitsevo - n.p. Golmovsky: fired 2 mines with a caliber of 82 mm. 09:10 AFU shelled the settlement Sands - Donetsk: 2 mines of 120 mm caliber were fired. 9:00 Shelling of the settlement was recorded. Novotroitskoye - n.p. Dokuchaevsk: fired 5 mines in 120 mm caliber. 8:30 As a result of the night shelling of the Kuibyshevsky district of Donetsk from the side of the VFU, a shell arrived on the street. Stepanenko, 26a - glazing was damaged in an apartment building, the head of Donetsk, Kulemzin, said. 8:10 Ukrainian Armed Forces are hitting Donetsk with artillery: 10 shells of 122 mm caliber were fired at the northern outskirts – SCK 03.00 From the side of the armed formations of Ukraine, 3 attacks were recorded on 2 settlements of the LPR. 0:58 According to preliminary information, as a result of shelling from the side of the VFU of the Kuibyshevsky district of Donetsk at the address st. Friendship, 82 recorded damage to the gas pipeline and power lines.

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Arabia

Soddy warbirds hit rebel positions in Hajjah

2017-09-05

Aden- Saudi-led Arab Coalition air forces, backing the official government in Yemen, pounded a military target in Hajjah governorate, said well-informed sources within the coalition. More importantly, the target destroyed was a telecommunications base used by Houthi militiamen, and was taken out two days after coalition forces destroyed a ballistic missile launchpad, delivering a severe blow to militia ranks. Sources also pointed out that the communications center was active at the time of targeting. “The center is a legitimate military target wedged in rural area in-between mountains, isolated on high altitude. Available intelligence showed that this center was being utilized by Houthi armed militias to direct combatants,” sources added. Coalition aircraft destroyed two days ago a platform to launch ballistic missiles, in the province of Hajjah northwest of Yemen. Sources pointed out that coalition forces launched several raids on putschist targets in that region, which compromised their military might and managed to exact losses among militia personnel. The ballistic missile launchpad was destroyed shortly after it had launched a projectile pointed towards Saudi borders. Despite camouflage, the missile launchpad was successfully taken out. The Yemeni army earlier announced the death of a high-ranking Houthi commander named Ali Abdul-Malik Sharafuddin, who was killed in a coalition airstrike alongside a number of his companions in Midi, another Hajjah governorate city. On the other hand, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement announced being deeply saddened by the death of Dr. Abdulah Alkhamesi, founder of the Yemen Red Crescent Society in 1973 and its leader for nearly three decades. Alkhamesi was known within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as a man with a deep belief in humanity, who worked tirelessly in the service of his fellow human beings. The death of Alkhamesi was hastened by a lack of essential medical supplies, yet another indication of the collapsing health system in Yemen—a direct consequence of the conflict and the debilitating restrictions on imports such as much-needed drugs and medical supplies. The situation in Yemen is dire, with less than half of the hospitals and clinics still open. Medical staff and Yemen Red Crescent staff and volunteers continue to carry out their tasks as best they can despite acute shortages. The Yemen Red Crescent Society (YRCS), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) continue to uphold the same humanitarian commitment that guided Alkhamesi throughout his life—to help and support the people living in Yemen, said the organization in a statement published to their official website.

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Arabia

Houthis kick out Sanaa hospital patients in favor of their wounded

2017-08-18

Behold the face of Single Payer Healthcare JEDDAH: Houthi militants are expelling civilian patients from hospitals in Sanaa and other provinces, sources told Arab News. The sick are being removed from their beds to make way for leaders of the so-called Houthi “popular committees” and their families, as well as injured militants coming back from the battlefield. Sources in Yemen said Houthi militants used weapons to expel patients from all departments of the largest Yemeni armed forces hospitals in Sanaa and Dhamar. They also threatened to kill doctors and nurses if they tried to protest or prevent them from expelling the patients. Sources also said that Houthi militias are stealing medicines destined for patients in order to sell them to pharmacies. Local sources in Al-Bayda province said that forces loyal to deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh had robbed a medical center and forbade staff from offering the most basic services to patients and those in need. Armed militants in Hajjah prevented local medical centers from receiving cholera patients, the sources said. Leaders of the “popular committees” are doing this to pressure people in these areas to send their sons to the battlefield, it was claimed. Meanwhile, an International Red Cross delegation to Marib province heard testimonies regarding human rights violations against civilians that were committed by Houthi militias and forces loyal to Saleh, Sabaa news agency reported Wednesday. Testimonies were heard from the mothers and wives of detainees in Houthi prisons. Houthi militias kidnapped their relatives from roads, markets and houses, and some died due to torture in prisons and detention centers, witnesses said. The militias raided houses without any legal justification, and arrested men, children and women, according to the testimonies. The militias terrified families, imposed compulsory taxes, conscripted children, blew up buildings and looted homes and stores, witnesses said. Separately, Reuters reported that the central bank of Yemen floated the national currency, instructing banks to follow the market rate in a move aimed at shoring up a financial system battered by war. A circular said the Aden bank had ditched the official rate of 250 riyals to the dollar in favor of “the exchange rate prevalent in the market... in accordance with the exchange rate lists issued by the central bank.”

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