Thursday, April 27

Russia’s war against Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky honors the memory of the Chornobyl disaster liquidators on the 37th anniversary of the nuclear accident on April 26, 2023. (Ukraine’s Presidential Office)

US commander confident ahead of Ukrainian spring counteroffensive. A senior U.S. military commander said he is “very confident” in the success of Ukraine’s much-anticipated spring counteroffensive as of April 26, according to a report from Voice of America.

ISW: Wagner Group boss Prigozhin denies that relations with Russian military have improved. Kremlin-backed private mercenary Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin denied an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War that relations between Wagner and the Russian military ahead of Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive had improved, the ISW said in its latest war update.

Military intelligence: Explosions in Crimea do not violate grain deal terms. Recent explosions at Russian military facilities in the occupied Crimea do not violate the terms of the Black Sea grain deal, spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence Andrii Yusov told Suspilne.

44 Ukrainian POWs freed in prisoner exchange. Forty-two Ukrainian military personnel and two civilians have returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity in another prisoner swap, Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak reported on April 26.

Official: Russia initiates large-scale resettlement to Ukraine’s occupied territories. Russia has initiated large-scale resettlement of its Russians and the country’s minorities to Ukraine’s occupied territories while continuing to forcibly deport local populations, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on April 26.

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NYT: Ukraine in possession of almost all NATO-promised vehicles. NATO military commander General Christopher Cavoli said on April 26 that nearly all the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine by NATO allies have been delivered.

ISW: Upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive continues to cause ‘anxiety’ in Russia. Comments made by Russian officials, including Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin, highlight a “pervasive anxiety” over a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest report on April 26.

Zelensky holds phone call with China’s Xi Jinping. President Volodymyr Zelensky talked to Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 26 for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Chinese leader Xi Jinping voiced “words of support” for the Black Sea Grain Initiative and its continuation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

CNN: White House ‘welcomes’ Zelensky-Xi call, expresses caution regarding Chinese peace plan. While U.S. officials welcomed the April 26 phone call between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, they also expressed caution regarding whether it will lead to a “meaningful peace movement,” CNN reported.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky, Xi talk first time during full-scale war; Russia kills Ukrainian journalist.

President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on April 26. This is their first call since Russia launched the full-scale war against Ukraine.

Photo: Contributor via Getty Images

Opinions and insights

Editorial: Today’s Russia is fascist. It’s time to start calling it that

What the world has on its hands in the form of Russia is a fascist state on the march, one that, just like in 1939, seeks to spit on the most basic international agreements and start redrawing the map however it likes.

Photo: Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

Carl Bildt: Why Ukraine matters

In his op-ep, Carl Bildt is addressing comments made by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that described Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as a “territorial dispute” that does not concern America’s core strategic interests.

Photo: Contributor via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Two killed, 16 injured as Russia attacks 8 Ukrainian regions over past day. Russia struck a total of 122 settlements using various types of weapons over the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry media center said on April 26.

Italian correspondent wounded, Ukrainian fixer killed in Kherson Oblast. La Repubblica correspondent Corrado Zunino was injured and his fixer Bohdan Bitik was killed in a Russian attack on Kherson Oblast, the newspaper reported on April 26.

Russia shells 5 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring two civilians. Russian forces attacked five communities in Sumy Oblast on April 26, firing close to 100 rounds from various types of weapons, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on Facebook.

One killed, 15 wounded in Russian attack on Mykolaiv Oblast. Russian forces attacked multiple locations in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv Oblast in the early hours on April 27. At least 15 people were injured and one person was killed in the attack, according to Mykolaiv Oblast Governor Vitaly Kim.

International response

Draft resolution ‘on Ukraine’s victory’ registered in US Congress. A bipartisan draft resolution regarding the position of the U.S. House of Representatives on conditions of Ukraine’s victory was presented in Washington D.C. on April 25, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova.

Italian President voices support for Ukraine joining EU ’as soon as possible’. Italian President Sergio Mattarella voiced his support for Ukraine joining the EU “as soon as possible,” Italian news outlet Ansa reported on April 26.  

Spain reminds Lula that lasting peace for Ukraine must respect its sovereignty. Spanish King Felipe VI told Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during his visit to Spain that lasting peace for Ukraine “must be based on respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” El Mundo reported on April 26.

WSJ: Surge in Russian oil prices tests Western sanctions. Russian oil prices increased due to demand from India and China, testing the viability of Western-backed sanctions, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In other news

Zelensky honors memory of Chornobyl disaster victims. President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the 37th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster by honoring the memory of the liquidators of the largest nuclear accident in human history.

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