Sunday, April 28

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles in Lviv on April 27, 2024. (Denys Shmyhal / Telegram)

Russian authorities detain 12th suspect in connection with Moscow terrorist attack. Another Tajik citizen has been taken into custody due to his alleged connection with the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall on March 22, according to a Moscow court ruling on April 27.

Ukraine’s military intelligence says it hit Russian $5 million radar system. The Podlet-K1, also known as the 48Ya6-K1, is a modern mobile radar system designed to detect air targets at low and extremely low altitudes, according to the Army Recognition website.

Russian media: Russia’s Krasnodar Krai oil refinery ‘partially suspends’ operations after drone attack. A Russian oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Krasnodar Krai partially suspended operations following a purported Ukrainian drone attack, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported on April 27.

Zelensky dismisses Kyiv Oblast official detained over car accident. Volodymyr Maibozhenko, the head of the Brovary District Military Administration in Kyiv Oblast, was dismissed from his post, according to a presidential decree issued on April 27.

Military denies media report about pulling Abrams tanks from front. “The tanks are doing a great job on the battlefield, and we are definitely not going to hide from the enemy what makes them hide. Furthermore, we will not leave our infantry without powerful fire support,” the unit that operates the American tanks said on Telegram.

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Politico: Zelensky told Johnson Ukraine could hold on until ‘March or April’ without US aid. Politico wrote that when Volodymyr Zelensky met Mike Johnson in the speaker’s office last December, he provided him with a deadline for how long Ukraine could hold on without Washington’s backing.

Naftogaz: Russia’s morning attack targeted gas infrastructure. The Naftogaz Group did not specify in what oblasts the targeted gas facilities were located, nor what the full consequences of the attack were.

WSJ: Putin likely did not directly order Navalny’s death, US intelligence says.

The finding does not indicate that Vladimir Putin is not guilty of Alexei Navalny’s death, only that he did not order it at that moment, the Wall Street Journal wrote.

Military: Russia gains foothold in Ocheretyne in Donetsk Oblast. “The part (of Ocheretyne) in which the enemy is located is under our fire control. All steps are being taken to push the enemy out of there,” Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, said on April 27.

Source: SBU hits oil refineries, military airfield in Russia’s Krasnodar region. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched drone strikes against two oil refineries and a military airfield in Russia’s Krasnodar region overnight on April 27, a source in the security and defense forces told the Kyiv Independent.

Read our exclusives

The US weapons making their way to Ukraine right now

After months of delays and frustration, U.S. military aid is once again heading to Ukraine in significant quantities.

Among the first to arrive will be a $1 billion package of weapons and equipment from U.S. stockpiles, the Pentagon announced on April 24.

Photo:  Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks on Nikopol district injure 2 women. Russian attacks against the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on April 27 injured two women aged 88 and 40, Governor Serhii Lysak said.

Russian drone attack injures truck driver in Kharkiv Oblast. A Russian drone attack on a truck in Kharkiv Oblast injured a 52-year-old truck driver, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on April 27.

Russian attacks against 4 Ukrainian regions kill 1, injure 14. Russian forces struck a psychiatric hospital in Kharkiv overnight, injuring a 53-year-old female patient, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. “At the time of the attack, 60 patients and five employees were in the medical building,” he said.

Russia attacks Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, casualties reported. Russian forces hit energy facilities in Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv oblasts in a mass missile attack against Ukraine overnight on April 27, causing damage and casualties, Ukrainian authorities reported.

General Staff: Russia has lost 465,054 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. Russia has also reportedly lost 7,268 tanks, 13,971 armored fighting vehicles, 16,019 vehicles and fuel tanks, 11,905 artillery systems, 1,049 multiple launch rocket systems, 775 air defense systems, 348 airplanes, 325 helicopters, 9,485 drones, 26 ships and boats, and one submarine.

International response

Medvedev threatens Russia may seize private US assets if Washington seizes frozen Russian reserves. Russia could seize assets and property of U.S. individuals held in Russia if Washington confiscates Russian sovereign assets, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, threatened on April 27.

Australia announces $65 million aid package for Ukraine. The Australian government announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth 100 million Australian dollars ($65 million) on April 27, following a meeting between Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles in Lviv.

Slovak citizens raise $4 million for Czech ammunition initiative after government refuses to contribute. Slovak activists collected 3.9 million euros ($4 million) for the Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine in 12 days, after the Slovak government refused to participate.

Shmyhal: Ukraine has received $12 billion in international aid this year to help cover budget deficit. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced during a government meeting that Ukraine has received approximately $12 billion in external financing since the beginning of the year to help address the budget deficit.

Opinions and insights

Illia Ponomarenko: The story of wartime Kyiv

“I’m not going to lie; many people right now, both in Ukraine and beyond, sometimes feel pretty close to desperation. A little hope is just what we need right now. When it comes to hope, my thoughts often go back to the Battle of Kyiv,” writes Illia Ponomarenko, former defense reporter at the Kyiv Independent.

You can pre-order Illia Ponomarenko’s book, “I Will Show You How It Was: The Story of Wartime Kyiv,” on Bloomsbury or Amazon.

Photo: Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Dinara Khalilova, Nate Ostiller, Chris York,

Abbey Fenbert, Olena Goncharova, Olga Rudenko, Kateryna Hodunova, Kateryna Denisova, and Sonya Bandouil.

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