Friday, April 14

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A destroyed bus is seen outside the Suziria Gymnasium that Russian forces hit at least four times in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia Oblast in southeastern Ukraine on April 12, 2023. (Dmytro Smolienko/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Russian opposition media: Former Wagner soldier recognizes killers in video of alleged beheading of Ukrainian POW. Speaking on the Russian Youtube program “Khodorkovsky Live” on the evening of April 12, Vladimir Osechkin, the founder of opposition media outlet Gulagu.net reported that he had been in contact with Andrei Medvedev, the former Wagner fighter in question, who sought asylum in Norway after leaving the group.

Ombudsman: Military intelligence ’roughly knows’ details of alleged beheading of Ukrainian POW. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR “roughly knows” the details of the alleged murder by beheading of a Ukrainian POW, the video of which was circulated on social media on April 11, according to Ukraine’s chief ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

Military: Russia has used 8,000 long-range anti-aircraft missiles for Ukraine attacks since February 2022. Since February last year, Russia has used about 50% of its long-range anti-aircraft missiles, firing at least 8,000 at Ukraine, General Staff Deputy Chief Oleksii Hromov said on April 13, according to Ukrinform news outlet.

NYT: US federal investigators arrest suspect allegedly linked to intelligence leak. U.S. federal investigators arrested a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman on April 13, believed to be in connection with the massive U.S. military intelligence leak, the New York Times reported. The New York Times has identified the suspect as Jack Teixeira, a member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard.

Washington Post: Leaked US document foresees no Ukraine-Russia negotiations this year. Russia’s war against Ukraine is expected to continue in 2024, with both sides refusing to negotiate despite neither of them achieving a decisive victory, according to an alleged U.S. intelligence assessment leaked online and obtained by the Washington Post.

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Retired US General: Leaked intelligence ’unlikely’ to impact Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive. The recent U.S. intelligence leaks are unlikely to have any impact on Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive, Retired General Ben Hodges said in an interview with Voice of America on April 13.

BBC: US calls UN chief ‘too accommodating’ to Russia, intelligence leak suggests. Leaked intelligence documents suggest the U.S. believed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “too accommodating” to Russia while trying to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the BBC reported on April 13.

Ukraine bans national sports teams from participating in competitions with Russian, Belarusian athletes. The Ukrainian Ministry of Youth and Sports issued a decree on April 12 banning all official delegations of national sports teams from participating in international competitions where athletes from Russia or Belarus are present.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency designates Chinese tech brand Xiaomi as ‘international sponsor of war.’ Ukraine’s National Corruption Prevention Agency has designated Chinese tech brand Xiaomi an “international sponsor of war,” according to an April 13 press release.

Hague court orders Russia to pay Ukraine’s Naftogaz $5 billion in compensation for losses in Crimea. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has ordered Russia to pay $5 billion to Ukraine’s state oil and gas monopoly Naftogaz, the company’s press service reported on April 13.

Human cost of Russia’s war

Russian troops strike Kherson Oblast, killing 2 civilians. Russian forces shelled a park in the southern city of Kherson on April 13, killing a man, according to the regional administration. The Russian military also reportedly launched guided aerial bombs at the village of Zmiivka, killing one person and injuring another.

Russian attacks hit 9 regions, kill 4 civilians between April 12-13. Russian attacks were reported in nine Ukrainian oblasts over the 24-hour period. According to local authorities, four civilians were killed, and at least five were injured.

General Staff: Russia has lost 180,590 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022

Ukraine’s General Staff reported on April 13 that Russia had also lost 3,646 tanks, 7,053 armored fighting vehicles, 5,637 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,777 artillery systems, 535 multiple launch rocket systems, 283 air defense systems, 307 airplanes, 293 helicopters, 2,339 drones, and 18 boats.

Read our exclusives

Viral videos show pattern of Russian atrocities throughout the war.

At least several Ukrainian servicemen have been beheaded by Russian troops, as alleged by two videos shared online this week.

Photo: Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Poland to supply more MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki confirmed Poland would supply Ukraine with more MiG-29 fighter jets, the Polish Press Agency reported.

Photo: Getty Images

International response

Minister: UK to provide further $500 million in loan guarantees for Ukraine. U.K. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt said on April 12, as cited by Reuters, that his country was ready to provide Ukraine with an additional $500 million of loan guarantees, bringing the total this year to $1 billion.

Poland to supply Ukraine with more MiG-29s. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki confirmed on April 13 that Poland would supply Ukraine with more MiG-29 fighter jets, the Polish Press Agency reported. Poland has already sent eight of its own MiG-29 jets to Ukraine.

Media: Swiss government pledges additional $1.7 billion to Ukraine in long-term aid. The Swiss government will provide Ukraine with another CHF 1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) in financial aid between 2025 and 2028, Swiss Info reported on April 13. These funds are in addition to the CHF 300 million ($337 million) in aid pledged by Switzerland in 2023 and 2024.

In other news

Zelenska, Matviichuk listed in Time’s 100 Most Influential People list. First Lady Olena Zelenska and human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk, the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, were featured in Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023 list. Zelenska and Matviichuk were both recognized for their leadership over the past year.

Moldova’s top pro-Kremlin politician sentenced to 15 years in prison. Moldova’s pro-Kremlin politician Ilan Shor has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud and money laundering, Jurnal reported on April 13. According to the U.S. Treasury, Shor worked “with Russian individuals to create a political alliance to control Moldova’s parliament, which would then support several pieces of legislation in the interests of the Russian Federation” ahead of the 2021 elections.

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