Ukraine in Brief:
Day fifty-fourth of the Ukrainian people’s heroic struggle against the russian military invasion continues.
The invaders continue striking industrial and civil infrastructure with missiles and bombs.
The main effort of the enemy is focussed on establishing full control over the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and on keeping the areas captured earlier. The aggressor has emboldened its offensive and storm actions in the Slobozhanskyi and Donetsk operation regions.
There have been no substantial changes in enemy troops’ activities in the north of Ukraine.
The enemy continues its partial siege of Kharkiv, destroying city’s residential quarters with artillery fire. A continuation of offensive attempts in the directions of Izyum-Slovyansk and Izyum-Barvinkove is expected.
Helicopter pads are being deployed in the immediate vicinity of the state border with Ukraine on the territory of Belgorod Oblast.
In the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, the occupying group persists in its attempts of capturing the population centers of Lyman, Kreminna, Popasna and Rubizhne and fully taking over Mariupol.
The fight for Mariupol continues. The enemy is storming the sea port area.
The enemy has emboldened its offensive in Severodonetsk, Popasna, Kurakhovo and Zaporizhzhya directions.
The enemy persists in its attempts to take under full control the territory of the Kherson Oblast. It is carrying out combat actions in the area of the population center of Oleksandrivka, though without success.
The enemy navy groups in the Black and Azov seas continue blockading the coastline of our state and carry out reconnaissance missions.
The invaders remain cynical in their blatant violations of the international humanitarian law; they block initiatives to evacuate civilians from the occupied population centers, refuse from allowing humanitarian routes and keep shelling areas around potential ‘green corridors’.
The enemy steals and takes to the territory of the russian federation the equipment, machinery and finished products from local companies and lays mines on agricultural lands.
Northern Oblasts
Kyiv Oblast
The AA defense has downed a russian missile over Vasylkiv today.
According to Bucha mayor, every fifth resident who had stayed in the town during the invasion was killed by the russian military. Of around 3,500 locals who had been in town during the invasion, 403 were tortured to death or cruelly killed by the invaders.
Streets in Bucha are being cleared from the burned russian military equipment.
Photo: Vokzalna St.
The police finished necessary investigations in Irpin. The bodies of 269 local residents were sent for forensic examination.
Zhytomyr Oblast
An air raid alert went off in the morning in the Oblast. The situation is relatively calm.
Zhytomyr paid last respects to 95 Paratrooper Storm Brigade serviceman Vyacheslav Chigasov.
An Open Charity Mini-Football Tournament in the Pulyn community collected UAH13,500. The money will be spent on goods needed by AFU servicemen.
Chernihiv Oblast
The invaders have left behind many landmines and UXOs. The mine danger led to closure of the Yartsevo Cemetery in Chernihiv. The rescuers are sparing no time to clear the area from mines. Blast technicians have identified and removed 347 UXOs in the past 24 hours.
Sumy Oblast
The city of Sumy is putting things in order. Utility companies clean the streets, take out the garbage and repair the water supply, sewerage, and heating systems.
In Okhtyrka, the blockages are being removed, work on the improvement of the city continues.
In Trostyanets, public utilities are working to eliminate the collapse of the sewer, as well as continue to clean the central part of the city and restore the lighting networks.
Eastern oblasts
Kharkiv Oblast
The Kharkiv Oblast received new off-road ambulances, as well as medicines and all the necessary equipment for the efficient work on the front line of defense of this oblast.
The invaders fired at a residential area in Kharkiv, and the shells hit the playground. Two people were killed.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have liberated several settlements near the city of Izium.
Izium and its environs are the sites of the largest concentration of russian army units. From here, the invaders will try to expand their offensive into Donbas.
Donetsk Oblast
Kramatorsk
The situation remains alarming. At night, the occupying forces attacked the city. As a result of the shelling, windows were broken in several houses.
No civilians have been reported injured so far.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine and Territorial Defense Forces are preparing to confront the enemy.
The mayor coordinates the work to eliminate the consequences of the shelling. The city has established a hotline for victims. Anyone who needs help with housing reconstruction can contact it.
More and more residents seek humanitarian aid.
The Regional Coordinator of the “Active Community” All-Ukrainian Initiative in Kramatorsk continues to work in the humanitarian aid center, providing relief supplies to the population of the city.
Pokrovsk and Pokrovsk District
On the line of demarcation in the Donetsk sector, the enemy is restoring combat capability and replenishing supplies. He is trying to improve the tactical position of his units and intensify hostilities. The enemy carried out unsuccessful assaults in the areas of Avdiivka and Marinka. Defenders of Ukraine have repulsed enemy attacks over the past 24 hours. Representatives of the local Territorial Defense units patrol the community around the clock.
Avdiivka is without electricity again, there has been no water for almost two months now. The main road connecting the city and the Avdiivka Coke Plant was attacked by enemy aircraft, and one of the industrial facilities was hit.
The past day in the Pokrovsk community was rather quiet. Utility companies and businesses continue to operate on a full-time basis. Most enterprises, shops and pharmacies are currently closed. Humanitarian aid is provided to pensioners.
Bakhmut
People are concerned, the situation is extremely tense due to the intensification of the operations of the russian troops in the east of the country. This was reported by Pavel Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration.
The coordinator of the “Active Community” All-Ukrainian Initiative advises the local citizens on receiving humanitarian aid and evacuation.
Mariupol
The defense of Mariupol continues. Despite the superior enemy forces, the fighters of the AZOV regiment launch a counterattack.
About a thousand civilians are hiding in the bomb shelters of the Azovstal plant. But for the second day in a row, the russian occupation troops have been shelling the building.
Luhansk Oblast
On the night of April 18, the russian military launched a large-scale offensive in the Luhansk Oblast., Popasna, and Rubizhne are under heavy shelling.
After fierce fighting, the russian invaders entered Kreminna. Street fights are taking place on the outskirts of the city. The Russians hit the Olymp sports complex in Kreminna, which caused a fire on an area of 2400 square meters. m. When local residents tried to evacuate from the city on their own, the russians opened fire on their cars. Four people were killed in one of the evacuation vehicles.
In Lysychansk, russians fired on the local police department. Six policemen were wounded.
As a result of the shelling of Zolote, two people were killed.
Southern Oblast
Zaporizhzhia Oblast
The situation in the oblast remains tense. Enemy forces continue to conduct full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine. Air alarms are frequently heard in the region. Russian troops use tanks, armored personnel carriers, and infantry. In addition, they are shelling the settlements in the oblast by aircraft, multiple rocket launchers “Grad”, barrel artillery, 120-mm mine-throwers and large-caliber machine guns in the following directions: Gulyaypole, Novoandriyivka, Bilogirya, Chervone, Pavlivka, Malynivka, Pryutne, Kamyanske, Orihiv, Mala Tokmachka. The villages of Vyshneve, Poltavka, Novodarivka, Novoukrainske, and Stepove were also shelled.
The russians are destroying civilian infrastructure with missile and artillery strikes. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are holding the defense, carrying out counter-offensive operations in some places with the support of aircraft, multiple rocket launchers, artillery, mine-throwers, armored personnel carriers, destroying enemy personnel and equipment. There are fierce battles along the entire length of the frontier.
In the area of the town of Vasylivka, the russian occupiers, probably for provocations, were covering the letters Z on their equipment and putting Ukrainian flags on them.
According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, summer “retraining camps” are being prepared in the occupied Crimea for teachers from Zaporizhia, Kherson and Kharkiv oblasts to force “Russian teaching standards” on them.
The russian occupiers are terrorizing the local population, kidnapping civil officers, educators and public activists. On April 17th, the head of Zaporizhzhya Oblast Administration, Oleg Buryak, addressed the European community, saying that the Russian occupiers had abducted his 16-year-old son.
Yesterday, several units of russian army machinery entered the territory of Kyrylivka. Locals report a series of explosions. Soldiers of the aggressor country search homes and check documents. The occupiers kidnapped the village head Ivan Maleev and took him away in an unknown direction.
In the Mikhaylovsk community, Russians are using methods of terror to put pressure on civil servants, public utilities workers, and doctors. They are searching the homes of civilians, looking for former members of ATO/OOS lists that were probably provided by traitors from local authorities.
Residents of Dniprorudne reported that firing was heard in the city. Perhaps, in this way, the russians are trying to intimidate local entrepreneurs and force them to give 20% of their profits to the occupiers. The situation is similar in occupied Tokmak. In the occupied territories, Russians are embezzling money for pensions and social assistance, blocking and looting humanitarian aid, thus starving residents of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson oblasts.
The occupiers are actively conducting a propaganda campaign in preparation for May 9th. It often takes place with usage of the occupiers’ symbols – St. George’s ribbon.
Kherson Oblast
Kherson oblast is occupied. In Kherson, the Russian occupiers have appointed their “mayor” – Igor Kastyukevich who is a State Duma deputy, and has nothing to do with Ukraine.
The enemy is strengthening the fortifications in the suburbs of Kherson and on the bridge over the Dnipro in Antonivka, which indicates that shelling will start soon or has already started.
Russian nazis are guarding checkpoints in the strengthened mode with dogs. They are preparing a provocation in the region.
In Genichesk, the russian military has erected a monument to Lenin.
In Chornobayivka, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed enemy weapons for the sixteenth time.
Skadovsk
Territorial defense forces are patrolling towns and villages, more guards are gathering. The mayor works online. People are panicking and joining the volunteer movements. Budget-financed areas work remotely. Citizens who have arrived to Skadovsk can register as internally displaced persons, which will allow them to apply for state assistance.
In general, the situation in the community is quite tense. Fewer and fewer stores continue to accept cashless payments. Cash in the city is coming to an end, it is getting increasingly difficult to withdraw it in a bank or a store. No bank branch plans on continuing operations. Utility companies continue to provide the necessary services. The hospitals and clinics operate on a full-time basis.
The coordinator of VI “Active Community” is engaged in volunteer work on the delivery and organization of the purchase of medicines.
Mykolayiv Oblast
The Russian occupiers fired at Ochakiv with prohibited cluster shells to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Defense, russia is preparing for the so-called “referendum” in Kherson and is therefore provocatively shelling civilians.
Odesa Oblast
Russian troops continue to gather intelligence from the air. Explosions were heard this afternoon; the anti-air defense systems were working. A russian spy drone was also shot down. About 2,5 tons of water were sent from Odesa for inhabitants of Mykolayiv. Also, five water carriers of 8 m3 each went to Mykovayiv. Local people are active, they come together and volunteer. Regional Coordinator of VI “Active Community” in Odesa is helping with humanitarian aid.
Central Oblasts
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Last night, russian occupation troops shelled the village of Maryanske in Kryvyi Rih district with multiple launch rocket systems. One man died. People recorded 7 places where shells hit. 5 houses, outbuildings and 3 cars were damaged. Missiles left 19 gaping holes in one of the yards.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in the morning the missiles hit two objects. There are two victims in Synelnykiv district. The missile hit an infrastructure facility there. People in Pavlohrad district were not affected. But railway infrastructure is damaged. At the same time, 60% of the missiles were shot down by air defense systems.
In the afternoon a rocket also hit a country estate in the suburbs of Dnipro, destroying several private houses and leaving their residents without electricity.
In Kryvyi Rih, patrol officers detained two people suspected of sabotage.
Currently, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast continues to host IDPs from Lozova, Rubizhne, Lysychansk, Popasna, Pokrovsk, Severodonetsk and other cities.
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast sheltered 4 universities and 4 technical colleges from Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. As of today, there are almost 300 teachers (1/10 of the academic staff). These include Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, Donbas State Pedagogical University, Horlivka Institute for Foreign Languages, Pryazovskyi State Technical University, Slovyansk Chemical and Mechanical Technical School, Druzhkivka Vocational College, Bakhmut Pedagogical College, Bakhmut College of Transport Infrastructure.
Kirovohrad Oblast
The situation in Kropyvnytskyi is relatively calm, it is under control. There was a threat of a missile strike. Air-raid warnings went off one by one. The Armed Forces of Ukraine protect the borders of Oblast and military facilities. Territorial Defense Forces stand guard at checkpoints and have patrolled the city together with the police.
48,5 thousand IDPs have stayed in Kirovohrad Oblast.
Kirovohrad Oblast paid last respect to the heroes who defended the country from the enemy.
The coordinator of the Active Community worked at the Humanitarian Center for IDPs. They weaved camouflage nets and distributed humanitarian aid. The coordinator held a webinar for government officials and local governments (for 51 people) considering the interaction of government and Civil Society Institutes.
Poltava Oblast
On the night of April 18th, there were two air-raid warnings in Poltava.
Over the past 24 hours, the police checked four people for their involvement in cooperation with the occupiers.
From April 18th Poltava – Sumy bus travel will be resumed and it will also work in the opposite direction. Bus travel to Kyiv has also been resumed.
British colleagues from the UK Med project have volunteered to help Poltava doctors in order to provide access to qualified medical care for IDPs by organizing examinations on the basis of a mobile clinic.
On Saturday, April 16th, together with the representatives of the project, they visited the communal educational institutions, where the largest number of migrants lives, in order to determine the priorities for further cooperation.
In the near future, everyone will be able to undergo examinations at the mobile clinic and, if necessary, receive the necessary medication or referrals for additional examinations or hospitalization.
The sixth truck with humanitarian aid arrived in Poltava Oblast at the request of the Lithuanian “Union 1219” Foundation. Its founder, Voldis Ažubalis, said that colleagues from the Pagalbos Sparnas International Foundation helped with the humanitarian aid. Owing to this aid, Tereshky, Shcherbany, Machukhy, Kolomatske and Mykhailivska communities received 20,000 tons of food.
Vinnytsia Oblast
Zhmerynka
There are no hostilities on the territory of the community. Territorial Defense Forces patrol the city.
People react calmly, they prepare for the holidays.
Western Oblasts
Lviv Oblast
In the morning, russian occupation troops fired missiles at military infrastructure and tire service building in Lviv. There were four explosions. These were air-based cruise missiles. According to preliminary information, they were launched from the Caspian region. 7 people died. Lviv Oblast hospitals hospitalized 11 people, including a 3-year-old boy. The child and mother, who are IDPs from Kharkiv, were staying at the hotel at the time of the attack. Window shards cut off part of the boy’s finger. Now the child is in hospital, doctors say his condition is moderate. Three victims are in the intensive care unit. Some people were to have surgeries. Doctors say the explosion resulted in multiple injuries. In particular, many victims have injuries to the head and brain.
About 20 people were in the tire service building when the russian missile hit it. Seven innocent civilians died, and four of them were employees of the service station.
Drohobych
Today, another victim of the war with the russian occupiers was buried in Drohobych. It was the Hero of Ukraine Oleh Stetsyshyn.
There are losses in the Operational Battalion named after the Hero of Ukraine General-Major Kulchytskyi again. When people paid their last respect to Ruslan Syksoi (call sign “Ultras”), they received sad news about the death of Ivan Datsko, a Drohobych resident and the founder of the Drohobych Municipal Guard.
More than 200,000 hryvnias were raised for thermographic cameras for Ukrainian soldiers at the “Our Strength is in Unity” charity event. During the event, there was a fair with homemade delicacies, handmade products, Ukrainian embroidery and Easter decorations. The event was organized by several public initiatives, including the “Novyi Stebnyk” NGO, the volunteer initiative “For Ukraine” and the Stebnytsia People’s House.
The Regional Coordinator of the Active Community in Drohobych communicates with people about sociological research and works with IDPs.
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Prykarpattia has already provided shelter to more than 135,000 people, of whom 39.5 thousand are registered in the Ivano-Frankivsk community. According to unofficial data, there are many more IDPs in the community. Humanitarian hubs of the region work 24/7 – they receive international humanitarian aid daily, sort it, form cargoes and send them to those regions of the country where active hostilities continue.
It is calm in Ivano-Frankivsk. The city began to receive the wounded from the front.
Rivne Oblast
The general situation is relatively calm, there were three air alarms. The Armed Forces of Ukraine patrol the border with belarus. Representatives of the Terror Defense are patrolling and on duty at checkpoints. Today, almost 46.5 thousand migrants are officially registered in the Rivne region.
The mayor announced that the school year would end as usual in early summer and also informed that the community is repairing the asphalt pavement.
Citizens are united, help volunteer headquarters financially and immaterially. Rivne comedians raised 46,000 hryvnias for military needs during charity stands. (https://www.facebook.com/RivneODA/posts/311933694411659)
The Zdovbytsia community joined the all-Ukrainian action “Gardens of Victory”. Locals planted more than 100 fruit trees and shrubs, including apple trees, plums and currants.
Khmelnytska Oblast
Khmelnytskyi
In Khmelnytsky, local authorities plan to rename a number of other streets that were previously named after russians. The new names will be associated with feats or the names of Ukrainian defenders, the mayor said. A charity fair was held, organized by activists of the Volunteers of Podillya Charitable Foundation. 23 thousand hryvnias have been collected, the money will be donated to the needs of the Armed Forces and the Defense Forces.
In the center of Khmelnytsky, a space for displaced children “My Room” was arranged. With the full support of the British organization World Jewish Relief, a place of rest and psychological support was organized in the center of Thia. For kids, arrange fun entertainment, workshops.
Another clothing center has opened in the exhibition hall of the Khmelnytsky Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and citizens and IDPs can get the things they need for free. In the few days since the center opened, it has been visited by more than three hundred people.
Kamianets-Podilskyi
Air alarm sirens sounded. Over the weekend, 192 more people were detained in Kamianka. In the last few days, there has been a trend of IDPs (mostly from Kyiv) going back to their hometowns, but due to the risks, they are returning to Kamenets.
Employees of the Department of Social Protection issued 8,508 IDP certificates. 1220 migrants have already been granted state aid. 10,370 portions of food were given to the needy in three days.
Eight companies that were forced to evacuate from dangerous regions have already settled in the city, 14 are still in the process of relocation. Work continues in the direction of cooperation and business support.
The City House of Culture sent funds raised for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, collected from two performances of the Khmelnytsky Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater named after M. Starytsky.
For the children of migrants, group events are planned every day: a ship modeling club, chess training, a fine arts club.
The coordinator of VI “Actina Hromada” sent humanitarian aid to the residents of Borodyanka, humanitarian aid to the military to the East, together with representatives of other NGOs of the community spoke in a radio interview.
Chernivtsi Oblast
Currently, the security situation in the region is fully controlled.
Recruitment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine continues. Chernivtsi region says goodbye to the heroes who died in the war.
In an interview with Germany’s WELT television channel, Serhiy Osachuk, head of the Chernivtsi regional military administration, said that “continuing blindfolded policy in Europe is a bad strategy.”
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine donated humanitarian aid to the region’s children. Among the help are mainly school supplies, educational books, stationery, school backpacks, as well as sports equipment, blankets, etc. In Chernivtsi, the center of kindness for mothers and children “City of Good” invites workers who came from other areas because of the war .
Ivan Geretsun from Bukovyna won a bronze medal in athletics at the Undefeated Games.
A book of recipes “Tastes of Bukovina” was published, which miraculously managed to save from shelling. On the eve of the workshop in Kharkov managed to save the materials of the unfinished book “Tastes of Bukovina”. On February 24, an enemy shell hit the yard.
The Regional Coordinator of VI Active Community in Chernivtsi helps to establish the work of the social kitchen, address humanitarian issues of internally displaced persons and organize their relocation abroad.
Transcarpathian Oblast
The Oblast’s museum of folk architecture and life in Uzhgorod hosted a master class on singing spring songs “Singing Workshop”. It was organized by a settler from Chernihiv.
On the occasion of the great bright holiday of Easter, Uzhgorod will host a Bach concert in support of the Armed Forces.
In the Transcarpathian Oblast Universities Scientific Library named after F. Potushnyak will host the first presentation of the book “֨ The city from which the war began” since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The collection of studies is devoted to the problem of human rights violations in Sloviansk and the restoration of peace in eastern Ukraine in 2014-2018.
Last modified: 19 Квітня, 2022
