Monday, April 24

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Two women stand next to a priest near the grave of a Ukrainian serviceman who was killed last year in Donetsk Oblast, on April 23, 2023, in Brovary, Ukraine. (Photo by Roman Pilipey/Getty Images)

Wagner Group boss tells his mercenaries ‘not to take POWs.’ “We will kill everyone on the battlefield. Take no more prisoners of the war!”, Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said on April 23 in response to a question posted on the Telegram account of his press service.

Medvedev threatens to terminate grain deal if G7 bans exports to Russia. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on April 23 that, if G7 bans exports to Russia, Moscow will react by terminating the Black Sea grain deal.

Military asks for ‘patience’ on reports of possible Ukrainian advance in Kherson Oblast. The comments come a day after the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think-tank analyzing the war in Ukraine, confirmed that Ukraine had taken new positions on the east bank.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia ramps up army recruitment campaign by appealing to ‘masculine pride.’ The Russian Defense Ministry has launched a major campaign to recruit more soldiers by appealing to “potential recruits’ masculine pride,” the U.K. Defense Ministry said on April 23.

Military: Russia strikes Kherson Oblast with 4 Su-35 jets. Russian forces have conducted airstrikes against Kherson Oblast using four Su-35 fighter jets over the part day, Ukraine’s Southern Command said on April 23.

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Russian occupying authority claims drone attack on Sevastopol. Sevastopol came under attack by surface drones on April 24 at around 3:30 a.m., Mikhail Razvozhaev, the head of the illegal Russian occupation government in Ukraine’s Sevastopol, claimed.

Minister: Commission created to inspect Moscow-affiliated Pochayiv Lavra monastery. Ukraine’s Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said on April 22 that the government created a commission to inspect the use of the Pochaiv Lavra monastery by the Moscow Patriarchate.

Governor: Overnight Russian strike damages greenhouses in Kharkiv. Russian forces launched missile strikes on Kharkiv Oblast last night, damaging an agricultural facility in Ukraine’s second-largest city and a residential area in a nearby village, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on April 23.

Air Force: First Patriot air defense system enters combat service in Ukraine. The U.S. built Patriot air defense system is already on combat service protecting the country from Russia’s attacks after recently arriving in Ukraine, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on April 23.

General Staff reports shootout between Wagner and regular Russian soldiers in Luhansk Oblast. A fight that broke out between soldiers of the Russian army and the infamous Wagner mercenary group escalated into a shootout in the occupied town of Stanytsia Luhanska in Russian-controlled Luhansk Oblast the General Staff reported on April 23 in its daily evening briefing.

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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine may have gained new positions in Kherson Oblast; Russia ramps up army recruitment campaign

Ukraine’s military asks for “patience” on reports of possible Ukrainian advance in Kherson Oblast. Meanwhile, Russia ramps up its army recruitment campaign by appealing to “masculine pride.”

Photo: Sergey Shestak/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russia shells Kherson, killing 1 civilian. The Russian army shelled the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson killing a 80-year-old man, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on April 23. According to Prokudin, the attack was carried out by mortars.

Governor: Russia strikes Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with drones, injuring 3. Russian forces attacked Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with drones, injuring three civilians, Governor Serhii Lysak said on April 23. At least four explosions were heard as Russian forces dropped “dangerous ordnance,” the governor said.

General Staff: Russia has lost 186,420 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on April 23 that Russia has lost 186,420 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 last year.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 4

Russia’s strategy of evil: 80,000 war crimes in Ukraine

International response

Media: No agreement between EU Commission, 5 EU countries on banned agrarian imports from Ukraine. Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria failed to reach agreement with the European Commission on their respective bans on agrarian import from Ukraine, Polish Radio RMF24 reported on April 23.

Cyprus freezes Russian oligarchs-linked accounts used to avoid sanctions. Cyprus has frozen the accounts of 13 people who allegedly helped Russian oligarchs to bypass sanctions, Cypriot Finance Minister Pavlos Ioannou told public broadcaster CyBC.

Minister: Spain-provided Leopard 2 tanks to arrive in Ukraine in 6 days. Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles has confirmed that six German-made Leopard 2 tanks are en route from Spain to Ukraine and are due to arrive within a week, CNN reported on April 23.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleg Sukhov, Asami Terajima, Francis Farrell, Alexander Khrebet, Natalia Datskevych, and Teah Pelechaty.

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