Wednesday, April 10

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Comrade of late Ukrainian servicemen Serhii Konoval and Taras Petryshyn puts portraits of the dead behind the glass of the hearse after a funeral ceremony at Independence Square in Kyiv. Serhii Konoval, call sign ‘Nord’ and Taras Petryshyn, call sign ‘Chimera’, formerly activists in the 2014 anti-government protests in Ukraine, were serving in the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces when they were killed in action in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast. (Oleksii Chumachenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Military denies Russia gained foothold in Robotyne. Russian units reportedly entered Robotyne and tried to gain a foothold there “but had no success,” Ukraine’s Southern Forces said on April 10.

NATO: Ukrainian drones responsible for more than 65% of destroyed Russian tanks. More than two-thirds of the Russian tanks that Ukraine’s military has destroyed in recent months have been taken out using first-person-view (FPV) drones, a NATO official told Foreign Policy, possibly indicating an increased reliance on unmanned aircraft amidst Ukraine’s critical ammunition shortages.

Russian pro-war channels allege capture of Pervomaiske village, publish videos. Pro-Russian Telegram channels are alleging that Russian forces captured Pervomaiske on April 9, publishing a video of a Russian flag being installed on the ruins of a village home to over 2,000 people before the start of the full-scale war.

Prosecutors investigating executions of 54 Ukrainian POWs by Russia. At least 54 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) have been executed by Russian soldiers, the head of the War Crimes Department in Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, Yurii Belousov, said on April 9.

Reuters: UN nuclear watchdog’s board to meet on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant attacks. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors will meet to discuss the recent attacks on the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Reuters reported on April 9, citing four unnamed diplomats.

NGO Save Ukraine rescues 2 more children from Russian occupation. Save Ukraine, a Ukrainian humanitarian NGO, rescued two more children, including an orphan, from territories under Russian occupation, the organization’s founder Mykola Kuleba said on April 9.

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Energoatom: Russia spreads false claims about alleged attacks on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Russia’s claims about alleged Ukrainian drone attacks against the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are manipulation and propaganda, Ukraine’s nuclear energy agency Energoatom said on April 9.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia likely faces issues in Kh-101 missile production due to sanctions. Russia may face difficulties producing the Kh-101 (AS-23a KODIAK) long-range cruise missile as a result of international sanctions, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry’s intelligence assessment from April 9.

WSJ uncovers how black market supplies Russian troops with Starlink. Russian troops in Ukraine continue to obtain Starlink terminals through shadowy supply chains and intermediaries, while SpaceX has not shut them off, the Wall Street Journal reported on April 9.

‘Long time’ needed to repair Russian Serpukhov vessel after fire, Ukraine says. The Russian missile ship Serpukhov, which was reportedly set fire, will be difficult to repair under sanctions pressure, Dmytro Pletenchuk, Ukraine’s Navy spokesperson, said on April 9.

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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine reportedly hits aviation training center in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast

Ukrainian drones attacked a Russian aviation training center in the city of Borisoglebsk in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast overnight on April 9, a representative of Ukraine’s military intelligence, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Kyiv Independent.

Photo: Mihail Tokmakov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Russian movie theaters are openly stealing Western films, and going unpunished

Russian state television has been vocal in painting Western democracies, especially the U.S., as the reason for all of Russia’s problems. The desire for U.S.-made products inside Russia, however, remains high, with the country’s providers turning to illegal schemes to cover the demand.

Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Authorities: Russian guided bombs hit Kharkiv downtown, injuring at least 3. Russian forces attacked a civilian enterprise downtown Kharkiv with guided aerial bombs on April 9, injuring at least three people, local authorities said.

Governor: Russian attack against Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast injures 3. Russian forces struck the outskirts of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast, injuring three people, Governor Vadym Filaskhin reported on April 9.

Governor: Russian attack on Chernihiv Oblast town kills woman. A Russian attack on the town of Semenivka in Chernihiv Oblast killed a woman on April 8, Governor Viacheslav Chaus reported.

Governor: Russian attack on Kostiantynivka kills civilian, injures 2. A Russian air strike on Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast killed at least one civilian and injured two women, Governor Vadym Filashkin said on April 9.

16 injured in Russian April 8 attack on Poltava Oblast. The number of injured following a Russian missile attack against Poltava Oblast on April 8 has risen to 16, including four children aged between five and 11, Governor Filip Pronin said on April 9.

International response

US announces $138 million in sales to bolster Ukraine’s HAWK air defense system. The State Department has approved an urgent $138 million foreign military sales package for Ukraine, enabling essential repairs and the procurement of spare parts necessary for Hawk missile systems.

Borrell: Wider war in Europe ‘no longer a fantasy.’ The European Union needs more funds to prepare for a potential full-scale conflict, as the risk of war in Europe beyond Ukraine is “no longer a fantasy,” the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on April 9.

US delivers confiscated weapons to Ukraine. A large shipment of confiscated weapons intended for Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was delivered to the Ukrainian military, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on April 9.

Germany to deliver 20 additional armored vehicles. The German government commissioned the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall to deliver 20 additional Marder armored vehicles to Ukraine, the company announced on April 9.

Macron, Sunak agree to increase aid for Ukraine. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held a call with French President Emmanuel Macron on April 8 and discussed further support for Ukraine, among other issues, as reported on the websites of the U.K. government and the Elysee Palace.

Russia, China agree to deepen cooperation in Eurasia to counter US influence. Russia and China have discussed ways to strengthen their cooperation in Europe and Asia in order to counter the U.S. hegemony, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 9 in Beijing.

In other news

11 Ukrainians placed on Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list. Eleven Ukrainians made it to the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list in the Media and Marketing, Social Impact, Technology, Sports and Games, and Finance categories, as announced on Forbes’s website on April 9.

SBU cybersecurity chief suspended following media revelations. Illia Vitiuk, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) cybersecurity chief, has been suspended pending consideration of Slidstvo.Info’s revelations, Interfax-Ukraine reported on April 9, citing a statement from the SBU’s press service.

Ukrainian, Polish law enforcement agencies conduct coordinated searches over suspected corruption scheme. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Polish law enforcement services conducted searches in Poland and Ukraine regarding a suspected weapons procurement corruption scheme, the bureau’s press service said on April 9.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Kateryna Denisova, Kateryna Hodunova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Rachel Amran, Dinara Khalilova, and Olena Goncharova.

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