Saturday, April 22

Russia’s war against Ukraine

People attend a farewell ceremony of two Ukrainian servicemen, Oleh Barna and Valeriy Dorohov, who were killed while fighting in eastern Ukraine, on April 21, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Oleh Barna was a member of the Ukrainian parliament prior to Russia’s war. (Photo by Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

11th Ramstein Summit begins. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomed Defense Secretary Oleksii Reznikov to the start of the 11th Ramstein summit on April 21.

Defense Minister: ‘Tank coalition’ meets at Ramstein, agrees to open service center for Leopard tanks. A coalition of countries that have delivered or pledged tanks to Ukraine met at the 11th Ramstein summit in Germany on April 21, according to Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

Borrell: Over 16,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained in EU. More than 16,000 Ukrainian service personnel have already completed training under the European Union’s mission, Josep Borrell, the bloc’s chief diplomat, said on April 21.

Stoltenberg confirms Zelensky accepted invite to upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed on April 21 that President Volodymyr Zelensky had accepted his invitation to the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius this July.

UK Defense Ministry: Impact of mud on spring campaign often exaggerated. Springtime weather conditions are “highly likely” slowing down both Ukrainian and Russian forces, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote in its intelligence update on April 21.

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Media: Military summonses distributed at Moscow State University dormitory. Military summonses were being handed out to graduate students in a dormitory at Moscow State University, independent Russian media outlet Doxa reported on April 21.

SBU head: Moscow Patriarchate priest handed over to Russia in exchange for 28 Ukrainian POWs. A cleric of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) convicted for collaborationism was handed over to Russia in exchange for 28 Ukrainian prisoners of war, the Security Service chief Vasyl Maliuk told Interfax Ukraine.

IAEA: Shelling heard almost everyday near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts currently at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant have heard shelling almost every day over the past week, the agency said in an update published on April 21.

ISW: Russia used new delivery of Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack Ukraine. Russian forces used a new batch of Iranian-made Shahed “kamikaze” drones to strike Ukraine for the third consecutive day, targeting Kyiv for the first time in 25 days, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update.

Zelensky signs law banning place names associated with Russian aggression. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on April 21 that prohibits naming geographic sites in Ukraine after Russian figures or historical events associated with Russian aggression. The move is part of larger “de-Russification” efforts in Ukraine amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.

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Explainer: What we know about Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children

Here’s what we know about the forced deportations of Ukrainian children, where they are held in Russia, and how some are returning home.

Photo: Sergei Chuzavkov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv readies for counteroffensive, NATO ‘confident’ Kyiv can liberate more territories

NATO and Zelensky signaled Ukraine’s readiness to launch a counteroffensive in the near future as the Ramstein conference kicked off in Germany.

Photo: Getty Images

Human cost of Russia’s war

Odesa Opera ballet dancer killed in combat. Rostyslav Yanchyshen, a former dancer of the Odesa Opera, was killed while fighting for Ukraine, the ballet company said on Facebook. He was 31 years old.

Russian forces attack 4 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring civilian. Russian forces attacked four border communities in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast on April 21, injuring one civilian, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on Facebook.

General Staff: Russia has lost 185,050 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on April 21 that Russia has lost 185,050 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 last year. This number includes 630 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 4

Russia’s strategy of evil: 80,000 war crimes in Ukraine

International response

AP: US to begin Abrams tank training for Ukrainian troops. U.S. officials have said that Ukrainian troops would start to receive Abrams tank training “in the coming weeks,” the Associated Press reported on April 21.

Austin: Allies deliver over 230 tanks to Ukraine over past months. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group has delivered more than 230 tanks and 1,550 armored vehicles “in just a few short months,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after the group’s meeting on April 21.

Canadian Defense Ministry announces new military aid package for Ukraine. Canada announced a nearly $28 million defense aid package during the 11th Ramstein Summit on April 21, according to the Canadian Ministry of Defense.

Minister: Latvia to send Ukraine all its Stinger air defense systems. Latvia will hand over all Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems from its arsenal to Ukraine, the country’s Defense Minister Inara Murniece said on April 21, responding to Kyiv’s request for more air defense.

German Defense Minister: Military operations on Russian territory ‘completely normal.’ German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has supported the idea of “limited encroachments” onto Russian territory, such as blocking supply routes, Zeit Online reported on April 21.

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