Ukraine in brief:
47th day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to the russian military invasion.
Russia continues its full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine. The russian enemy does not abandon plans to capture the territory of Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts completely.
Russian occupation troops continue to partially block Kharkiv, firing multiple missiles, artillery and mortars. In the area of the town of Izyum, the russian occupiers are trying to maintain the borders that were captured earlier.
In Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the russian enemy tried to storm the city of Severodonetsk, but without success, and during the attack on Popasna, used a tactical missile system Tochka-U. Attempts by the russians to advance into Ukraine’s defenses to improve the tactical situation were unsuccessful. In Mariupol, the enemy is storming some areas of the city.
The russian occupiers are trying to improve the tactical situation and establish resistance on the administrative borders of the Kherson Oblast. There are many cases of desertion in enemy units. Russian occupying forces are trying to carry out measures of information and psychological influence on the inhabitants of Kherson and the Oblast. To do this, they distribute newsletters containing distorted information about the course of hostilities, justify the so-called “special military operation” of the russian occupiers, and provide benefits to Ukrainian citizens, including pensions following the rules and regulations established in russia.
Mobile patrols and posts from among the mobilized residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts operate in the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
To quickly make up for the loss of its troops, the occupying authorities announced another wave of mobilization of men under 65 in Luhansk. Soldiers of the russian armed forces conduct raids on utilities and factories to identify conscripts.
Meanwhile, almost 200 priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the moscow patriarchy signed an appeal to the Council of Primates of the Ancient Eastern Churches “with a lawsuit against patriarch Kirill.”
Northern Oblasts
Kyiv
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is not yet ready to say that Ukraine has won the final victory over Kyiv. He suggests that the attack on the capital may be repeated.
Kyiv Oblast
A grave with Ukrainians killed by russian servicemen was found in Buzova near Kyiv, British intelligence reports.
Six dead people were found in the basement of the Shevchenkiv-Brovary Raion. All died at the hands of russian soldiers shot in the head.
Demining continues in the suburbs of Kyiv. Last week alone, 11000 munitions were neutralized in the Kyiv Oblast, 675 of them in the past 24 hours. 70% of the territory of Irpin has already been removed from the ruins. By the end of the week, public utilities will restore the water supply in Bucha, Gostomel, and Vorzel.
Borodyanka was visited by the Prime Minister of Lithuania and the Prime Minister of Ukraine. Rescuers continue to dismantle the rubble of destroyed houses destroyed by russian bombs in Borodyanka.
Ukrainian intelligence has shared information about russian service members who committed war crimes in the city. It is the military 234th airborne assault regiment (military unit 74268) in pskov.
Zhytomyr Oblast
At night there was an air alarm. The situation is calm. Zhytomyr volunteers purchased more than twenty pieces of equipment for service members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Purchased thermal imagers, thermal imaging sights, and drones will help the Ukrainian military fight better. In Zhytomyr, all departments of the Zhytomyrvodokanal utility company are resuming operations.
Chernihiv Oblast
The Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine visited Chernihiv and said that since February 24th, more than 20 crimes against cultural heritage in Chernihiv had been recorded by the russian occupiers. In particular, the youth center and the house of the patron Tarnowski were destroyed; museums, libraries, and churches were damaged.
In the Chernihiv Oblast, temporary structures will be built for traffic instead of three destroyed bridges near the villages of Smolyn, Yakubivka, and Kiselivka. In Chernihiv, some traffic lights will start working at the intersections with the most intensive traffic.
Sumy Oblast
There are air alarms. The Prime Minister of Ukraine said that Sumy Oblast would receive 250 million UAH to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure. The Sumy City Council announced that the elevators are being restored. Ukrposhta has completely resumed delivery in Sumy Oblast.
Eastern oblasts
Kharkiv Oblast
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) defend Kharkiv and control the situation in the Oblast. The Ukrainian side carries out evacuation from Lozova and Barvinkove. The russians are attacking peaceful residents again: during the day, the invaders have shelled civil infrastructure in Balakliya and Pisochyn. There have been vicious shellings of Zolochiv and Derhachi. There are casualties and wounded among the civilians: the current total losses stand at 11, one child among them.
Izyum remains the hottest spot. The AFU has success. At night, the AFU destroyed a column of enemy tanks and held their positions, preventing substantial forces from re-routing towards the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.
Donetsk Oblast
Russia prepares for the onslaught in Donbas, Ministry of Defense Spokesperson Oleksandr Motuzianyk says. The russians continue regrouping and enhancing their system of command and materiel support.
Volnovakha
The fighting rages on, and the situation is rather tense. The firing has been going non-stop since yesterday. The AFU holds the defense lines. The Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) are engaging seasoned russian troops. One of TDF is local history teacher. He led his wife and kids on foot to safety from Volnovakha and stayed to defend his community.
Russian invaders have closed the road to and from Volnovakha today without explanations. It transpired later they inaugurated a school and had a ‘celebratory assembly’ featuring the hymns of russia and the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk Oblast. The school is a hub one, No. 5, the only one left whole by the russians. At the same time, bombers have been continuing flying over the city and its residents, endangering children.
Kramatorsk
The situation remains uneasy. No action has been registered on behalf of the russian troops. The AFU, jointly with the TDF, prepare to face the enemy. The utility services operate as usual. Evacuation of the peaceful residents continues.
Volunteers assist the AFU and the TDF. International organizations have given a hand with evacuation today, providing buses that have left for Dnipro with assistance from local volunteers.
Pokrovsk: the City and Raion
The russians shelled residential areas in the directions of Maryinka and Avdiyivka. The enemy fire destroyed private houses in Maryinka and Avdiyivka and an education institution in Krasnohorivka.
The enemy shelled the Novogrodivka community, completely flattening three private households. 53 more private houses and a multi-story residential were damaged in several other population centers of the community, Novogrodivka City Council Chair Oleksandr Shevchenko informed.
AFU service members have been bringing the fight to the enemy. Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) joined the police for patrols. The police have repeatedly warned the locals to stay clear from cluster submunitions, citing a recent accident with a 61 y.o. resident of Krasnohorivka, Pokrovsk Raion: the man has decided to look at a cluster submunition left in his yard after the russian shelling, but the munition exploded, fatally wounding him.
The Alley of Glory in Pokrovsk saw the last farewell ceremony for Mykhailo Laptyonok, who was killed in the fight near Maryinka. Mykhailo was an Ukrzaliznytsia employee (at the Pokrovsk railroad car shed) and a private entrepreneur in his pre-war life. The last 24 hours have been relatively calm in general. The utility companies of the Pokrovsk community operate as usual.
Bakhmut
Air raid alerts go off frequently. The police are on enhanced patrols on community streets. The State Emergency Service is also operating under no timeline.
The community leaders are at their offices working to satisfy community needs. The city mayor met with starostas to discuss matters of humanitarian support of residents of starosta counties in the community as well as the topic of retirement benefit payments. There are no details on their official Facebook page, but the residents are asked to wait until official information is available from government sources.
Private retail outlets work in a limited mode, but the bazaar is operational. From March 1st, the Bakhmut City Council has arranged a safe evacuation of 5623 residents who have been taken to railroad stations in Kramatorsk and Slovyansk for subsequent carriage by rail to safer oblasts.
Mariupol
Despite the numerical superiority of the russian invaders, the Ukrainian defenders continue defending Mariupol. The siege has been going on for more than 40 days.
On April 4th, a TV spot of one of the russian propagandists covering the forefront of russian invasion troops’ assault of Mariupol featured a UR-77 Meteorit, a self-propelled remote minefield disarmament vehicle. The russians used that heavy equipment against a residential house.
Nine out of 10 drivers of the Help People, Civic Society Organization, who helped with evacuations of city residents, have disappeared. According to the locals who made it out of the city, the russian military confiscated drivers’ vehicles with evacuees in Mariupol, transporting the captured evacuees to the village of Nikolske and abducting the drivers. Some of the drivers are being held at a pre-trial detention center in Donetsk.
Luhansk Oblast
There have been 29 enemy shellings registered in the past 24 hours on the territories of Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, and Kreminna. These have resulted in 16 more damaged or destroyed buildings, four in Lysychansk, one in Severodonetsk, and 11 in Kreminna.
The russian military used heavy armament to shell Lysychansk. A multi-story building was hit with one casualty. First responders are clearing the debris. The Ukrainian military destroyed a russina munition depot near the Luhansk Oblast town. Ukrainian defenders also downed a russian plane in the Oblast.
Southern oblasts
Zaporizhzhia Oblast
The situation in Oblast remains unchanged. The russian military continues to shell settlements and civilian infrastructure. In the vicinity of Huliaipole, the enemy hit with the Kh-29 air-to-surface missile designed to destroy reinforced concrete buildings, bridges, runways, and ships.
Russian artillery continuously hit with multiple launch rocket systems “Grad” and “Tornado-C” in Polohy Raion. On the night of April 9th to 10th, the russian military fired again at the village of Mahdalynivka. No civilians were injured.
The Chernihivka Village Council of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, under occupation, faced political pressure from its employees, volunteers, and citizens who refused to cooperate with the occupation forces. The incumbent head of the Village Council refused to cooperate with the occupation forces and left Chernihivka.
In the occupied territories, the russians are looking for Anti-Terrorist Operation / Joint Forces Operation soldiers. The whereabouts of humanitarian aid drivers who were to evacuate Tokmak citizens are still unknown. Russian soldiers abducted them on March 5th. The Prosecutor’s Office has initiated proceedings concerning the abduction. Asan Ablyamitov, a Crimean Tatar, was abducted by russians in the Yakymivka community.
Kherson Oblast
Skadovsk
Russian occupation forces occupy Skadovsk. The enemy continues to patrol the homes of the military and civilians. They control the entire city, and there are russian checkpoints everywhere. The situation in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) is under control. Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) patrol towns and villages. Public patrols continue to operate in the city and community, ensuring law and order, monitoring curfews, and preventing crimes.
There are no local authorities. The mayor, Oleksandr Yakovlev, communicates via social networks, urging people to calm down. He says the following: “Together with the executive committee staff, I continue to work under Ukrainian law, stay in touch with specialists, have an electronic signature and seal of the Skadovsk City Council. Together we perform all the necessary functions to ensure the viability of the city”.
People stick together, doing everything possible for the survival of the city. Residents began to receive small batches of sugar, salt, and some groats, but it was not enough for everybody. The bread factory continues to work. Pharmacies are closed, and people are volunteering.
The issue of funding three organizations (Children and Youth Sports School, Children’s and youth creativity Center, Inclusive Resource Center) remains problematic. Employees of these institutions have not received their salaries since March. The reason is the transition to remote maintenance. Everything should work, but there is still a delay with the funds.
Odesa Oblast
Russian occupation troops inspect the territory and continue to shell the area. The AFU are defending Oblast, and air-defense systems are working. Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) fortify strategically essential locations and patrol cities and Oblast. Local authorities deal with the protection of Oblast and the distribution of humanitarian aid to the needy. People are united; they actively cooperate with the authorities, and help the AFU and TDF.
Mykolayiv Oblast
Late in the evening of April 10th, the russian occupation forces fired a missile at Mykolayiv, having destroyed one of the plants.
Central oblasts
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Today 2 children and four adults, taken to hospitals in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast after a russian missile strike on Kramatorsk railway station, were discharged. 92 victims are still in hospitals, and 17 of them are children. There are also five rescuers with mine injuries in two hospitals in Dnipro who were injured during a rocket attack on Dnipro airport.
Dnipro city authorities regularly check the condition of basements in apartment buildings. In many of them, electricity and water supply were installed starting from the first days of the war. Bathrooms were also installed. It’s done to provide shelter for the city’s residents in case of shelling. According to the Head of the Organizational Department of the Department for Self-Organization of the Population of the Dnipro City Council, more than one and a half thousand condominiums and housing cooperatives regularly keep their basements in order.
The “Bombardyi” charity mini-festival took place in one of the shelters of Kryvyi Rih. The “Bombardyi” lasted about eight hours. During the charity mini-festival, 26000 hryvnias were raised for the needs of the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) and the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Kirovohrad Oblast
The situation in Oblast is stable. There was a threat of a missile strike and air-raid warnings. The AFU protect the borders of Oblast and military facilities. TDF stand guard at checkpoints and patrol the city along with the police.
Kirovohrad Oblast continues to host people who forcibly fled from russian invaders. Over the past 24 hours, another 3700 people came to Oblast. Since the beginning of the full-scale russia’s invasion, almost 90 000 IDPs have crossed the territory of Oblast, and about 37 000 have found shelter in Oblast. During one day, 11 children were born. Some of them are from Mariupol and Mykolayiv.
A resident of the Kropyvnytskyi district provided shelter to three families from Donetsk Oblast in his house and set up a shelter for animals in the yard. Currently, there are 30 dogs in the yard.
Poltava Oblast
During the special meeting, the Poltava Oblast Council decided to allocate 100 million hryvnias to the reserve fund of Oblast for the needs of Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) and free meals for IDPs. Another 100 million hryvnias have been earmarked for the medical sphere. This money will be used to purchase new equipment, medicine, and reagents and overhaul the computer tomography department. Almost 80 million hryvnias are allocated for the Oblast communal establishments “Poltavateploenerho” and “Poltavavodokanal” for the boiler house to be reconstructed and collectors to make repairs. https://poltava.to/news/65613/
A sorting center for humanitarian aid has been created in Poltava Oblast. Hundreds of volunteers collect individual food kits, which are to be sent to Sumy residents https://np.pl.ua/2022/04/u-poltavi-zapustyly-sortuvalnyy-tsentr-dlia-humanitarnoi-dopomohy-vid-derzhavy/
More than 5000 IDPs applied to the “Tepla Kofta” volunteer distribution centers. In addition to clothes and shoes, they could get free bedding, towels, blankets, and pillows.
Vinnytsia Oblast
Zhmerynka
There were no hostilities on the territory of the community. The situation is quiet. The TDF units patrol the city. The community has accommodated a large number of IDPs.
Western oblasts
Lviv Oblast
There was an air raid alert – the threat of a missile strike from the territory of russia. The Oblast Council approved a program to support small farmers under martial law. UAH 22.2 million has been allocated from the Oblast budget for their financial support.
Lviv Oblast is also introducing the “Vision” system of ultra-accurate recognition of people and cars, which will expand the functionality of the centralized video surveillance system. https://fb.watch/cjNACNY5xs/
Last day, social services and volunteers provided accommodation for another 800 people in the Oblast. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of russian troops into Ukraine, the Lviv Oblast has sheltered 301 thousand people.
More than 19 000 people crossed the border at all crossings of the Lviv Oblast last day. About 50 more people with mine-explosive injuries, shrapnel wounds, and amputated limbs were evacuated from Lysychansk, Bakhmut, Popasna, Slovyansk, and other cities. All evacuees are provided with the necessary treatment by the oblast’s medical staff. The oldest patient is 92 years old.
The story about the assistance given by the Lviv Oblast to the citizens of Ukraine will be included in the documentary film of the French political journalist, philosopher, and writer Bernard-Henri Levy
Eyewitness accounts of the explosion at the Kramatorsk railway station, given by the people that were evacuated to the Lviv Oblast, can be seen here: https://fb.watch/cjNhbnu2eD/. Other stories of IDPs can be seen here: https://fb.watch/cjO4XAqoSS/
Rivne Oblast
Rivne
The situation in the city is relatively quiet, and there was an air raid alert. The AFU patrol the border with belarus. TDF representatives patrol the streets and keep watch at checkpoints. According to the Security Service of Ukraine in the Rivne Oblast, a citizen of Ukraine was sentenced to 13 years in prison with confiscation of property for high treason and aiding and abetting terrorist activities. Currently, this person is hiding in russia. She has been put on the wanted list.
Citizens are united, and they provide the volunteer centers with financial and non-financial assistance. Rivne became one of the first cities in Ukraine where the mission of the UN World Food Program was launched. Oleksandr Tretyak, the chairman of the Rivne city community, said that the mission’s work in the Oblast could be implemented in three areas: financial support for IDPs, purchasing food from local producers to form food packages, and food support for catering establishments where IDPs eat.
Khmelnytskyi Oblast
Kamianets-Podilskyi
The situation in the city is quiet and under control. The Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) units patrol strategic facilities. Service members of the Joint Training Center of the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) received state awards.
In the Kamianets-Podilskyi community, thanks to the relocated Kyiv enterprise, two more municipal buses have been added to the four already available. Since Friday, the city has received another 500 IDPs. People who have registered at the official resettlement sites are provided with food. Every day, volunteers cook about 3.5 thousand lunches and dinners, using their resources and relief supplies coming from abroad to the city’s humanitarian aid warehouse.
During the period of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, some 14 foreign cities offered their assistance to the people of Kamianets. A citywide organized cleaning up of the city was held. About 400 people from Kamianets-Podilskyi and IDPs joined the eco-action.
Chernivtsi Oblast (Bukovyna)
Everything is quiet in the Oblast. The police intensively patrol the settlements. In Bukovyna, they ask to help the AFU with cars. The military personnel needs vans, minibusses, trucks, ambulances, light armored vehicles, and tank trucks.
Bukovyna has already sheltered 76 659 IDPs, of whom 24 723 are children. 1600 people have arrived there by five evacuation trains alone in the last few days. An art exhibition has started at the Vernissage Cultural Center in Chernivtsi. The presented works are part of a charity auction, and all proceeds will be donated to the needs of the AFU.
Zakarpattia Oblast
The monument to a Soviet tank was dismantled in Mukachevo. The decision to dismantle the monuments of history and monumental art of local significance was approved by the Executive Committee of the Mukachevo City Council.
The oblast provides jobs for the IDPs. Thus, 20 newly-arrived doctors work in different medical institutions in Mukachevo.
From April 22nd, Sakura blossoms are expected, so residents and guests of the city will be able to walk through the alleys of trees and enjoy the beauty of flowering.
