Friday, April 19

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian gunners of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade fire at Russian positions with BM 21 “Grad” rocket launchers at a position near the town of Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, on April 18, 2024, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. (Anatolii Stepanov / AFP via Getty Images)

Military intelligence: Ukraine destroys missile launchers, radar stations at Russian military airfield in Crimea. Ukraine destroyed several units of military equipment in an attack on a Russian military airfield in Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea on April 17, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported.

IAEA: Reports of attempted drone attack just outside Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on April 18 that it had received a report that the training center of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant had been targeted by an “attempted drone attack,” causing no casualties or damage.

CIA Director: Ukraine could lose war by end of 2024 without aid. CIA Director William Burns delivered a warning message to lawmakers in DC, emphasizing the urgency of approving aid to Ukraine to prevent potential loss in the war against Russia.

Zelensky: Ukraine to produce 10 Bohdana howitzers this month. The increasing number of Bohdanas being produced by Ukraine is part of a wider effort to ramp up domestic weapons production amid rising uncertainty surrounding military aid from the U.S.

Zelensky meets German vice-chancellor in Kyiv to discuss air defense. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with Germany’s Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck during the latter’s visit to Kyiv on April 18.

Bloomberg: Russian diesel exports continue to drop amid Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries. According to Kpler, Russia exported around 740,000 barrels of crude per day in the 10 days leading up to April 13, a 25% decrease from the same period the previous four years.

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IMF: Ukraine needs $42 billion in budget support for 2024. Speaking in Washington, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said she was “confident” this would be achieved but added that fully addressing the country’s economic problems would require ending Russia’s full-scale invasion.

PM Shmyhal meets with US Treasury Secretary Yellen. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen held talks on the long-awaited U.S. aid bill for Ukraine, strengthening sanctions against Russia, and the ongoing debate on confiscating frozen Russian assets.

Reuters: Ukraine says Russia’s use of illegal tear gas on battlefield is increasing. Ukrainian military officials have previously said that Russia is deploying chemical weapons on the battlefield in violation of the 1925 Geneva Protocol. The usage of riot control gas in war is also banned under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, which Russia is a signatory of.

Ukraine, Czech Republic begin bilateral security agreement negotiations. In lieu of NATO membership, Kyiv is seeking to sign similar agreements with as many of its Western allies as possible as it fights Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Microsoft says Russian disinformation campaign targeting US election has begun. The focus of the new campaign is to spread “divisive content,” including criticism of U.S. support for Ukraine, the Microsoft report said.

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Ukraine war latest: Russian missile launchers, radar stations destroyed in Crimea, Ukraine ups production of Bohdana howitzers

Ukraine destroyed several units of military equipment in an attack on a Russian military airfield in Dzhankoi in occupied Crimea on April 17, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported.

Photo: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry

Human cost of war

Russian attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast kills 2, injures 15. Russian forces attacked Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with missiles the morning of April 19, killing a woman and injuring at least nine others, officials reported.

UPDATE: Russian missile attack on Chernihiv kills 18, injures 78, including children. In total, 78 people, including four children, were confirmed injured as of the morning of April 18. The search and rescue operation was completed at around 9:15 a.m. local time.

Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast kill 2, injure 3. A 63-year-old woman’s body was found under the rubble in Selydove, located around 30 kilometers west of Russian-occupied Avdiivka, and a 56-year-old man was killed in the village of Ocheretyne.

Prosecutor’s Office: At least 543 children have been killed in Ukraine since start of full-scale invasion. At least 1,839 children have been killed or injured since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office reported on April 18.

General Staff: Russia has lost 456,960 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. This number includes 910 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

International response

Borrell calls on EU states to send anti-missile systems to Ukraine. “We have Patriots, we have anti-missile systems. We have to take them (out) from our barracks where they are just in case and send them to Ukraine where the war is raging,” Josep Borrell told reporters after a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting on the island of Capri.

EU official: G7 considers using frozen Russian assets as collateral for Ukraine loans. The Group of Seven (G7) countries are discussing using frozen Russian assets as collateral to provide loans to Ukraine, Reuters reported on April 18, citing European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis.

Scholz hopes NATO countries can deliver 6 more Patriots to Ukraine. There are six additional Patriot systems in NATO countries that could be delivered to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on April 18 following a Special European Council summit in Brussels.

Minister: Denmark first to buy military aid for Ukraine from Ukrainian manufacturer. Denmark has become the first country to buy weapons and equipment for Ukraine’s Armed Forces from a domestic manufacturer as part of a military aid package, Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin announced on April 18.

German vice-chancellor visits Kyiv as German delegation promises new IRIS-T delivery shortly. Robert Habeck, who is also Germany’s economy and environment minister, was accompanied by Helmut Rauch, the head of Germany’s Diehl Defense company that manufactures IRIS-T air defense systems.

Slovak citizens raise $1.6 million for Czech ammunition initiative after government refuses to contribute. Slovak citizens have raised over $1.6 million in three days for the Czech ammunition initiative after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico refused to contribute to the campaign to aid Ukraine.

US House Democrats back Johnson’s foreign aid bills. “We’re going to do what’s necessary to make sure the national security bill gets over the finish line,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said. “It’s not Johnson’s foreign aid package. It’s America’s foreign aid package in terms of meeting our national security needs.”

Ukrainian-born Republican Spartz proposes reducing military aid for Ukraine. Republican Representative Victoria Spartz, the only U.S. lawmaker born in Ukraine, has submitted amendments reducing the proposed Ukrainian aid package set to be voted on this Saturday in the U.S. House.

Trump meets with Polish President Duda to discuss Ukraine, other foreign policy issues. According to a statement by the Trump campaign, the two-and-a-half-hour meeting took place at Trump’s apartment in Trump Tower.

In other news

EU to introduce new sanctions against Iran after its attack on Israel, reiterates ‘full’ support for Ukraine. The European Council in a statement released after the first day of a summit in Brussels condemned Iran’s attack and expressed full solidarity with the people of Israel, reiterating its commitment to “Israel’s security and regional stability.”

Georgian parliament moves forward with controversial foreign agents law as protests continue. The legislation was approved by 83 lawmakers of Georgia’s 150-member parliament, with opposition lawmakers boycotting the vote.

Poll: Ukrainians see Polish blockade as most negative external factor. Ukrainians see tense relations with Poland, namely the ongoing blockade by Polish farmers, as a foreign policy factor with the most negative influence on Ukraine, according to a survey by Razumkov Center published on April 18.

Kyiv Independent editor-in-chief shortlisted for Gongadze Prize for journalism. Kyiv Independent Editor-in-Chief Olga Rudenko has been shortlisted for the Gongadze Award, a Ukrainian prize for independent journalism.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Nate Ostiller, Lili Bivings, Kateryna Hodunova, Chris York, Martin Fornusek, Elsa Court, Martin Fornusek, Kateryna Denisova, Sonya Bandouil, and Abbey Fenbert.

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