Sunday, April 16

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Firefighters and rescuers are seen searching for survivors on the damaged top floor of the building in Sloviansk following a rocket attack by the Russian troops. Russian troops attacked the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk on Eastern Orthodox Great Friday. (Photo by Ashley Chan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Zelensky calls for security guarantees ahead of NATO summit. In his evening address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the member states’ position on security guarantees should be ambitious enough to ensure security in Europe.

Russian forces on the attack toward four towns in Donetsk Oblast. Russian troops in Donetsk Oblast are trying to advance toward the towns of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka, the General Staff reported on April 15. Bakhmut and Marinka are seeing the heaviest fighting.

Governor: Russia launches ‘massive attack’ on Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Russian forces struck Zaporizhzhia Oblast overnight on April 16, the Orthodox Easter, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Yurii Malashko said.

Russian state-affiliated media: 5 Ukrainians from occupied Melitopol to be tried for ‘terrorism’ in Russia. Five Ukrainians from Russian-occupied Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast will appear before a Russian court for allegedly being part of a “terrorist group,” Russian state-affiliated media reported on April 14.

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Collaborator sentenced to 11 years in prison for aiding Russian military. A man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for providing information that aided Russian attacks on Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported on April 15.

UK intelligence: Unified draft registry doesn’t indicate new wave of mobilization of Russian conscripts. Russia’s creation of a unified registry of those eligible for military service does not necessarily indicate a second wave of mobilization of conscripts for the war against Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its latest report on April 15.

Russian media: Fire reported at tank training ground in Kazan. Local media reported that an explosion was heard in the area of a tank training ground in the Russian city of Kazan on April 15. A fire reportedly broke out at the site following the explosion.

Zelensky holds phone call with Macron, discusses his recent visit to China. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron had an “hour and a half” phone call on April 15, discussing the results of Macron’s recent visit to China and the situation on the front line in Ukraine.

Zelensky imposes sanctions against Russian athletes, search engines. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed two decrees on April 15, approving a proposal by the National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions on more than 690 Russian individuals and legal entities.

Human cost of Russia’s war

Russia’s attacks on Mykolaiv Oblast kill 2 teenagers. Russian forces struck the Snihurivka community overnight on April 16, killing two teenagers born in 2005, Mykolaiv Oblast Governor Vitaly Kim said.

Update: 11 people killed in Russian missile strike on Sloviansk. The bodies of two more people have been found under the rubble of a five-story building in Sloviansk, bringing the total number of casualties of Russia’s April 14 missile attack on the city to 11, Veronika Bakhal, a spokeswoman for the State Emergency Service, told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.

At least 31 injured, 9 killed in Russian attacks across 9 oblasts over past 24 hours. Some 135 settlements across Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson oblasts were targeted over the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry media center reported on April 15.

Russia attacks Sumy, Chernihiv oblasts late on April 15. A Russian airstrike injured one civilian in Sumy Oblast late on April 15. The Russian military also struck an enterprise in Chernihiv Oblast, causing a fire.

Yermak: Russia’s shelling of Kherson kills 2 people. Russian troops shelled the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing two women on April 15, according to President’s Office Head Andriy Yermak.

Russia’s shelling of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast injures 3. Russian forces shelled Kostiantynivka with artillery on April 15, Anastasiia Miedviedieva, spokesperson for the Prosecutor General’s Office in Donetsk Oblast, told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.

Governor: Russia shells Kharkiv Oblast over past 24 hours, injuring 1. Russia shelled the border towns and villages of Kharkiv Oblast over the past 24 hours, injuring one person, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on April 15.

General Staff: Russia has lost 181,550 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on April 15 that Russia has lost 181,550 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 last year. This number includes 460 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Shmyhal: Ukraine to receive more than $5 billion in additional aid from G7 countries. Finance ministers from the G7 countries have pledged more than $5 billion in additional aid to Ukraine, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported on April 14.

Poland protects agri sector by restricting Ukrainian grain, milk, poultry. Poland has temporarily banned the import of Ukrainian produce to defend its domestic agricultural sector. According to Polish Economic Development Minister Waldemar Buda, the ban includes grain, milk, eggs, and poultry. The ban will last through June 30.

Hungary temporarily bans import of Ukrainian agricultural products. Following Poland’s decision, Hungary also temporarily blocked imports of Ukrainian grain, oilseeds, and some other agricultural products to protect its domestic market, Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy said.

After visit to China, Lula says US should stop ‘encouraging war’ and ‘start talking about peace.’ After meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 15, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told reporters that the U.S. should stop “encouraging war” in Ukraine and “start talking about peace,” the Guardian reported.

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