Ukraine Daily

Friday, 8 April 2022

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Russia’s war against Ukraine

A monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko damaged by Russian air strikes on the town of Borodyanka in Kyiv Oblast, photographed on April 6, 2022. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)

UN suspends Russia from Human Rights Council. The United Nations General Assembly has voted to suspend Russia from its Human Rights Council during a session on April 7. The draft resolution said that Russia commits “gross and systematic violations of human rights.”

Der Spiegel: Russian soldiers discussed killing civilians in Bucha by radio. The conversations have been intercepted by German intelligence, Der Spiegel reported on April 7. Russian soldiers also said that Ukrainian prisoners of war had been shot dead after being interrogated.

Sumy region completely free of Russian forces. Sumy Oblast Governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky announced in a post on Facebook that the region is clear of Russia’s forces, but that explosions may still be heard as rescue service workers dispose of ammunition left by the Russian military. Zhyvytsky stressed that the area is still unsafe.

WHO records 103 attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities since Russia’s all-out war began. The World Health Organization said in a statement that the attacks have resulted in 73 deaths and 51 injuries. Of the 103 attacks, 89 have impacted health facilities and 13 have impacted transport, including ambulances.

ArcelorMittal to restart production at Kryvyi Rih steel plant by April 11. The company announced the decision after the Ukrainian government asked it to consider relaunching production last week and after assessing the situation. Earlier, Europe’s biggest steelmaker announced it would halt its steelmaking operations at the Kryvyi Rih plant to ensure employee safety after Russia’s invasion began.

Vereshchuk: 4,676 people evacuated through humanitarian corridors on April 7. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 3,256 people came from Mariupol and Berdiansk. Of those evacuated 1,205 were from Mariupol and 2,050 from towns in the Zaporizhzhia region. Vereshchuk said that 1,420 people were also evacuated from the Luhansk region.

WSJ: Defense Department discloses list of weapons sent to Ukraine. In a memo circulated by the White House on April 7, the list included: At least 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems; more than 5,000 Javelin anti-armor systems; more than 7,000 small arms; 50 million rounds of ammunition; 45,000 sets of body armor and helmets; laser-guided rocket systems; night vision devices, thermal imagery systems, and optics.

Zelensky calls for heavy weapons to defeat Russia. “If the world wants this war to end quickly, we need to be provided with these weapons,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Indian Republic Media Network. He added that Russia is ready to use all kinds of weapons against Ukraine, including nuclear if it sees that Ukrainian partners are weak.

Over 500,000 people officially registered as internally displaced persons in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the same number of nationals came back home from abroad but that “millions of Ukrainians remain in other countries.” Over 4 million Ukrainians fled abroad, while another 6.5 million people are thought to be internally displaced, according to the UN.

Latvian, Lithuanian diplomats return to Kyiv. Lithuanian Ambassador to Ukraine Valdemaras Sarapinas returned to Kyiv on April 7. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics announced that the country’s embassy in Kyiv to resume operations and that the Latvian Ambassador to Ukraine will move back to Kyiv shortly.

Fedorov: Russia abducted more than 100 people in Melitopol. Mayor Ivan Fedorov said that Russian soldiers began to kidnap teachers and lecturers of the Melitopol University and are trying to resume education under Russian dictate.

Peskov: ‘We have had significant losses.’ The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that Russia had experienced “significant losses,” declaring the loss of life a “huge tragedy.” According to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russia had lost around 18,900 soldiers since launching a full-scale invasion on Feb. 24. NATO estimates that up to 40,000 Russian troops have been killed, injured, captured, or gone missing within the first month.

General Staff: Russia plans to capture Mariupol, break through Donbas defense lines. Ukraine’s Armed Forces say Russian troops are regrouping and gathering additional forces near Mariupol that are set to launch a new offensive on the besieged city.

Ukraine has received 3 billion euros from international donors, expects additional 4 billion euros. According to Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, Ukraine is also working with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank on creating a special financial mechanism to allow Ukraine receive additional funds.

Luhansk Oblast governor: No hospital in the region survived. According to Serhiy Haidai, every health care facility in Luhansk Oblast has been shelled and damaged since Feb. 24. Russian forces attack hospitals deliberately so that the injured people “do not have a chance to survive,” he said.

Read our exclusive, on the ground stories

Just a bit over a month ago, Bucha was a comfortable, cozy, and rapidly growing suburb just northwest of Kyiv. The town was a place of middle-class apartment complexes and houses, surrounded by woods. Today, Bucha is known worldwide and synonymous with horror. Read the Kyiv Independent’s on the ground story here.

Borodyanka, a town of 12,000 people 40 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, has suffered some of the worst destruction seen anywhere in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent’s photos show Borodyanka in ruins.

The human cost of Russia’s war

163 people killed in Bucha identified. According to Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk, bodies of 163 people killed by Russian soldiers in Bucha have been identified. Overall, 320 bodies of slain Ukrainians have been collected in Bucha, with that number growing daily.

Russian media Meduza releases video showing civilians killed in Bucha during Russian occupation. Meduza obtained drone footage of the city of Bucha with metadata from March 23-30 that shows dead bodies and Russian military equipment. Meduza obtained the footage from Russian nationalist Sergei “Botsman” Korotkikh, whose group is fighting on the side of Ukraine and who claims his fighters were regularly filming Russian positions in the area.

Venediktova: 26 bodies found under rubbles in Borodyanka. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, on April 6, began clearing debris in Borodyanka, where over ten high-rise buildings were destroyed by Russian bombardment. Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said that 26 bodies were recovered from under the rubble of two bombed-out apartment buildings alone.

International response

EU proposes 500 million euros for arms to Ukraine. European Council President Charles Michel on April 7 backed a proposal to release an additional 500 million euros to provide arms for Ukraine. Additionally, Canada will offer Ukraine up to $1 billion in new loan resources via the International Monetary Fund and provide an additional $500 million in military aid, the Canadian government announced on April 7.

Australia sends 20 armored vehicles to Ukraine. Australia will send 20 of its Bushmaster armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on April 8, following President Zelensky’s specific request in an address to Australia’s parliament on March 31.

US Congress votes to suspend Russia trade relations and ban oil imports. Congress voted overwhelmingly on April 7 to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and ban the importation of its oil. The Senate approved the two bills with 100-0 votes. The measures will now go to U.S. President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

US Defense Secretary: US providing military intelligence to Ukraine for operations in Donbas. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed for the first time at a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 7 that the U.S. is providing Ukraine intelligence on Russian forces to conduct operations in the Donbas region. Austin also stated the U.S. is not discouraging Ukraine from carrying out attacks against Russian forces in the region.

Politico: Scholz delays German tank delivery to Ukraine. Politico reports that according to four people familiar with the deliberations, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is delaying a final decision over whether to give Ukraine 100 tanks to fight Russia, despite pressure from several other top officials. A decision was initially expected this week.

Pink Floyd releases song in support of Ukraine. “Hey Hey Rise Up” features vocals by Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvniuk from his video performing a Ukrainian folk song in central Kyiv during the war, which went viral and became an unofficial anthem of Ukraine’s resistance. The proceeds of Pink Floyd’s song will be donated to humanitarian relief.

Stoltenberg: NATO to step up support for Ukraine, as ‘big battle’ in Donbas expected. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO members are ready to provide more equipment to Ukraine and they realize the urgency of such deliveries.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Alexander Query, Daria Shulzhenko, Oleg Sukhov, Igor Kossov, Illia Ponomarenko, Sergiy Slipchenko, Olena Goncharova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Olga Rudenko, Toma Istomina, Lili Bivings and Brad LaFoy.

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