Wednesday, April 26

Russia’s war against Ukraine

The first responders work at the site of a Russian missile strike on Kharkiv Oblast’s Kupiansk on April 25, 2023. (Ukraine’s State Emergency Service/Facebook)

Two killed, at least 10 injured in Russian missile strike on Kupiansk. Russian troops launched an S-300 missile at the city center of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast on the morning of April 25. The Russian missile hit a local history museum, killing one of its employees and wounding at least ten more people, said President Volodymyr Zelensky.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia’s casualty rate in Ukraine has dropped as it shifts to defense. An average daily casualty rate of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine has “highly likely” decreased by nearly 30% in April after “exceptionally heavy” losses over January-March, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on April 25.

ISW: Ukrainian forces made ‘marginal gains’ south of Kreminna. Ukraine’s Armed Forces have made “marginal gains” south of Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast as of April 24, continuing to target Russian logistics nodes in rear areas of the region, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

NYT: US officials believe Ukrainian counteroffensive to start in May. U.S. officials believe that Ukraine may launch its highly-anticipated counteroffensive in May, the New York Times reported on April 24.

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100 Ukrainian soldiers arrive in Norway for training. One hundred Ukrainian military personnel arrived in Norway on April 24 for a four-week training in military medicine, sharpshooting, and team leadership, Norwegian Armed Forces reported.

Ukraine preparing ‘priority measures’ following liberation of Crimea. Ukraine is preparing “priority measures” following the liberation of Crimea, Permanent Representative of the Ukrainian President in Crimea Tamila Tasheva said on April 25.

Shmyhal announces 2 cities, 4 villages to be ’comprehensively restored.’ Two cities and four villages across five oblasts will be completely rebuilt as part of the Ukrainian government’s efforts to “build back better,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 25.

Kuleba pens op-ed on why NATO must admit Ukraine. Finland’s NATO accession showed that fears Ukraine joining the military alliance would “provoke” Russia were unwarranted, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote in an op-ed for Foreign Affairs published on April 25.

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Ukraine’s grain overload sours country’s relationship with key allies

The latest episode in the European import ban on Ukrainian grain marks the culmination of a long-running crisis over Ukraine’s glut of agricultural exports on the European market, more collateral damage of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Photo: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine reportedly makes ‘marginal gains’ in Luhansk Oblast as Russia focuses on Donetsk Oblast

Ukraine’s Armed Forces have made “marginal gains” in eastern Luhansk Oblast, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment published on April 24.

Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian forces shell Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, injuring at least 2 people. Russians shelled the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, injuring at least two people, Governor Serhiy Lysak reported on April 25.

General Staff: Russia has lost 187,770 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on April 25 that Russia had also lost 3,688 tanks, 7,151 armored fighting vehicles, 5,784 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,863 artillery systems, 539 multiple launch rocket systems, 291 air defense systems, 308 airplanes, 294 helicopters, 2,437 drones, and 18 boats.

Ukraine’s True History: Episode 2

International response

Financial Times: EU, Japan resist US plan to ban all G7 exports to Russia. The European Union and Japan have opposed the U.S. proposal for G7 countries to ban all exports to Russia with a few exemptions, the Financial Times reported, citing three people familiar with the discussions.

EU provides Ukraine with another 1.5 billion euros in macro-financial assistance. The European Union has disbursed another 1.5 billion euro tranche (about $1.6 billion) to Ukraine under its annual macro-financial assistance package, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on April 25.

Sweden expels 5 Russian diplomats. Sweden’s Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on April 25 that five Russian diplomats had been expelled for “activities that are inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”

Poland bans sunflower oil imports from Ukraine, contemplates other product bans. Sunflower oil is the latest Ukrainian import to be banned by Poland, RFM 24 reported on April 25.

Lavrov attempts to justify Russia detaining 2 US citizens while speaking at UN. While speaking to journalists at the United Nations on April 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attempted to justify Russia detaining two American citizens, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, CNN reported.

In other news

Military intelligence: 87 Ukrainians evacuated from war-torn Sudan. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR in coordination with Presidential Office and Foreign Ministry, has evacuated 87 Ukrainians and 51 citizens of Georgia and Peru from Sudan’s capital Khartoum.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Olga Rudenko, Dinara Khalilova, Toma Istomina, Kate Tsurkan, Anastasiia Malenko, Haley Zehrung, and Lili Bivings.

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