Thursday, April 13

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen stand in trenches near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, on April 8, 2023, amid the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Defense Ministry: Russia completes 120-km defense line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Russian forces have built three lines of defensive zones across nearly 120 kilometers in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast, but it is unclear if Russia can accumulate enough troops and artillery to support the defenses, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on April 12.

National Resistance Center: More than 100,000 Ukrainian children transported to Russia for ‘medical treatment’. Russian occupying forces have transported more than 100,000 Ukrainian children from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts for “medical treatment,” Ukraine’s National Resistance Center reported on April 12.

Zelensky comments on video of Ukrainian POW’s alleged beheading, SBU starts investigation. President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the alleged beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner of war purportedly shown in a video shared online, saying that every international leader “must react.”

Politico: Iran negotiating with China, Russia to replenish missile fuel supply. Russia and China are in “advanced secret talks” with Iran to supply the country with ammonium perchlorate, a chemical used to propel missiles, Politico reported.

Ukraerorukh: Ukrainian airspace will reopen following wartime victory. Ukraine’s state-run air traffic enterprise, Ukraerorukh, disputed Eurocontrol’s prediction that Ukrainian airspace would remain closed until 2029, saying that it will reopen after the war ends.

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Reznikov: Intelligence leak contains ‘mix’ of true, false information. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov acknowledged on April 12 that the U.S. intelligence leak contains a “mix” of true and false information. However, the true information is already outdated, he said.

Leaked intelligence documents suggest war in Ukraine may drag on past 2023. Recently leaked U.S. intelligence documents suggest that the war in Ukraine may persist “well beyond” 2023, Reuters reported on April 12.

Leaked intelligence papers suggest that Ukrainian, Russian total casualties reach up to 354,000. Leaked U.S. intelligence documents suggest that up to 354,000 Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been killed or injured since the start of the full-scale invasion, Reuters reported on April 12.

Reuters: Leaked US document claims Serbia agreed to supply weapons to Ukraine. Serbia agreed to provide Ukraine with lethal aid or has already sent it, according to an alleged secret Pentagon document said to be leaked, Reuters reported on April 12.

US, Latvia confirm military presence in Ukraine but not on battlefield. After intelligence documents leaked alleging over 90 NATO special forces deployed in Ukraine, U.S. and Latvian officials admitted to a small military presence in the country, but not in combat.

10 popular misconceptions about Ukrainian history, debunked

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Human cost of Russia’s war

2 killed, 9 injured as Russia attacks 9 Ukrainian regions over past 24 hours. Russian forces carried out attacks against nine Ukrainian oblasts over the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry media center said on April 12. According to local authorities, two civilians were killed, and nine more were wounded in the Russian attacks.

General Staff: Russia has lost 180,050 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on April 12 that Russia had also lost 3,646 tanks, 7,043 armored fighting vehicles, 5,630 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,770 artillery systems, 535 multiple launch rocket systems, 282 air defense systems, 307 airplanes, 293 helicopters, 2,334 drones, and 18 boats.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Counteroffensive reportedly delayed; EU reacts to decapitation video

Check out the key developments from April 12.

Photo: Getty Images

CIUS: Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children is an established genocidal tactic during war

Check out the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies’ (CIUS) latest report on disinformation in the U.S. and Canadian information space.

Photo: Oleksandr Gimanov

International response

Zelensky meets with bipartisan US Senate delegation. President Volodymyr Zelensky met with a bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation in Kyiv and stressed the need for continued U.S. support, the President’s Office reported.

Shmyhal, Austin meet at the Pentagon. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on April 12, the U.S. Defense Ministry reported.

Finland rules out transfer of F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets to Ukraine. Finnish Yle news reports on April 12 that the discussion about the transfer of F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets abroad is “currently irrelevant.”

World Bank to provide $200 million in aid to restore Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The World Bank will provide Ukraine with an additional $200 million in aid to restore its energy infrastructure, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported.

NYT: Polish PM says Ukraine needs South Korean artillery shells. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on April 12 he believes that only the direct intervention of President Biden would lead to an agreement for South Korea to make its artillery shells available to Ukraine.

UK sanctions Medvedchuk’s wife, those with financial links to Russian oligarchs. The U.K. government has announced a new sanctions package targeting Oksana Marchenko, the wife of key Putin ally Victor Medvedchuk, as well as relatives and financial fixers of major Russian oligarchs, including Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov.

EU reacts to Ukrainian POW’s alleged execution, stresses ‘firm commitment’ to holding war criminals to account. The European Union’s spokesperson Nabila Massrali said on April 12, as cited by CNN, that the video purportedly showing the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner of war, if confirmed, serves as “yet another brutal reminder about the inhumane nature of the Russian aggression.”

US Treasury introduces more sanctions against Russia targeting energy sector. The U.S. Treasury announced additional sanctions on April 12 to limit “Russia’s access to the international financial system through facilitators and their businesses.”

In other news

Bloomberg: Putin approved arrest of US journalist Gershkovich on spying charges. Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approved the arrest of a U.S. reporter on espionage charges for the first time since the Cold War, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

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