[Korrespondent] 23:03 Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki confirmed Warsaw's support for Ukraine's NATO membership plan, which provides for certain security guarantees, at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.
22:50 Zelensky appointed Volodymyr Artyukh as the head of the Sumy OVA.
22:37 The United States is preparing sanctions against Hungarian officials associated with the Orban government, writes The Guardian. The list should include, among other things, former members of the government, but the list is not provided. The bill is scheduled to be submitted for consideration in May, and it is likely to "get broad support," the publication predicts.
21:28 The FBI has arrested Air Force serviceman Jack Teixeira, suspected of leaking secret Pentagon data. The investigation concluded that the documents were leaked deliberately.
21:26 Zelensky appointed Colonel of the National Police Artem Lysohor as the head of the Luhansk OVA.
20:29 The United States believes that UN Secretary General António Guterres is too willing to meet Russian interests, reports The Guardian, citing "secret documents" from the Pentagon. It follows from them that Guterres is so interested in maintaining the operation of the grain deal that he was ready to meet the interests of Russia.
19:47 Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that relations between Warsaw and Budapest have changed a lot because of Hungary's position on Russia's war in Ukraine: "Instead of working with Hungary, we are cooperating very closely with Romania and the Baltic countries."
19:39 The National Corruption Prevention Agency recognized Xiaomi as an international sponsor of the war, as the company not only continued its work in Russia after a full-scale invasion, but still remains the leader in smartphone sales in Russia.
19:36 The Moldovan Foreign Ministry said that the published video of the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner by the Russian military "shocked everyone": "We strongly condemn this barbaric act, which is another serious violation of international humanitarian law." The department stressed the need to investigate all the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice.
19:19 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he had held a military cabinet - a special format for working with the heads of the defense sector, commanders, intelligence, and the President's Office. “Only what is directly necessary to manage the front line and ensure Ukraine’s active actions, protect our state from Russian terror. It was meaningful. And our actions will be powerful.
19:15 According to the "secret documents" of the Pentagon, China agreed to provide lethal weapons to Russia in early 2023, writes The Washington Post. The US reportedly obtained this information from Russian intelligence intercepts. China wanted to keep these shipments secret and disguise them as civilian products. What exactly China could have already handed over to Russia is unknown.
18:43 Japan plans to send Ukraine $3.5 billion in direct budget support during 2023. These funds will finance priority spending - social and humanitarian, according to the Ministry of Finance. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Japan has already provided Ukraine with $581 million in concessional financing.
18:10 "Authorities" of the occupied Zaporozhye region announced the detention of three Ukrainian saboteurs in Melitopol, allegedly involved in the commission of terrorist attacks, in particular, in undermining the railway track and preparing assassination attempts on "officials".
18:06 The German government has granted permission to Poland to supply MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, Spiegel reports.
17:48 Zelensky opened the Day of the Defense Industrial Complex Worker in Ukraine, which will be celebrated annually on April 13, and presented state awards to representatives of the domestic defense industry. Exactly one year ago, Ukrainian Neptune missiles hit the Russian cruiser Moskva.
17:37 Switzerland will provide Kiev with at least another 1.5 billion Swiss francs ($1.7 billion) until 2028, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said. This support will be provided as part of an overall strategy for international cooperation, taking into account the 300 million francs (nearly $340 million) already allocated for 2023 and 2024.
17:05 According to the American Time magazine, the Top 100 most influential people on the planet in 2023 included the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenskaya and the Nobel laureate, human rights activist Oleksandra Matviychuk. An article about Zelenskaya in the magazine was written by Biden's wife Jill.
16:58 The European Union has imposed sanctions against PMC Wagner and publications RIA FAN, because these organizations "undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."
16:49 Zaluzhny said that the head of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of the French Republic, Thierry Burcart, had arrived in Ukraine. "This is a clear signal of support for the Ukrainian army by the French colleagues in the war against the aggressor. We had substantive talks with General Burkar. I got him acquainted with the situation at the front. He elaborated on Ukraine's need for artillery shells and other ammunition, air defense equipment and F-16 fighters. We agreed to continue cooperation and maintain dialogue in the future," Zaluzhny stressed.
16:16 The UK will provide Ukraine with an additional $500 million in loan guarantees, bringing the total to $1 billion this year, Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt said. British loan guarantees were essential to secure a broader four-year, $15.6 billion IMF support package for Ukraine, he said.
15:55 The EU Council approved the decision to allocate 1 billion euros for the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine , said High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. "With today's decision, we are putting into effect the first part of a historic agreement reached by EU leaders to support the immediate delivery of €1 billion worth of artillery ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces," he said.
15:48 The Russians fired at one of the parks in the Dniprovsky district of Kherson, one person died, the IVA reported. Also, enemy aircraft today hit the building of a local school in the village of Zmeevka, Berislavsky district, with guided bombs, one person was killed, one was injured.
15:17 The European Commission has come to the conclusion that, from a legal point of view, the frozen reserves of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation cannot be simply transferred to Ukraine, but will have to be returned to Moscow after the end of the war, writes Die Welt with reference to the document. At the same time, the EU admits that, given Russia's gross violations of international law, an emergency measure can be applied - to invest these funds in European government bonds at a 2.6% yield, and send this income to Ukraine.
15:06 Poland sent an official request to Berlin for the transfer of MiG-29 fighters from the Cold War to Ukraine, writes Deutsche Welle. These aircraft were in service with the German Democratic Republic and were inherited by the Bundeswehr, and in 2002 they were sold to Poland. Then Warsaw received 23 fighters, probably some of them already non-operational.
14:32 Russian forces continue their offensive in the central part of Bakhmut and are trying to surround the city from the north and south, storming Bogdanovka and Ivanovskoye, said Alexei Gromov, deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to him, every day the Russians make 40-50 assault attempts and more than 500 attacks using the entire range of weapons in this area. To strengthen the Russian grouping, part of the forces and means from the Avdeevsky direction was transferred to Bakhmut.
14:00 Norway has declared 15 diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Oslo persona non grata. They turned out to be undercover intelligence officers and should leave the country as soon as possible, the country's Foreign Ministry said. Now, Russian intelligence officers who wish to come to Norway will not be issued visas.
13:52 The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation initiated an audit of the video with the execution of a Ukrainian soldier.
13:19 The Russians launched three airstrikes on the private sector, high-rise buildings and a factory in Orekhov, Zaporozhye region. The extent of the damage is being established, and no casualties have been reported, the IVA said.
12:50 Russia is going to produce X-50 missiles in order to intensify strikes against Ukraine, Alexei Gromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said: "According to reports, in June this year, the Russian Federation plans to begin mass production of strategic air-launched cruise missiles of the X-type 50, which will allow the Kremlin to intensify missile strikes on the territory of our country in the fall."
Since February 2022, Russia has used up at least 50% of its stock of long-range anti-aircraft missiles, using at least 8,000 of these missiles, mostly ground-to-ground, Gromov said. "At the current level of production, Russia will not be able to restore its reserve in the medium term, which could potentially jeopardize Moscow's ability to defend its strategic interests in the Far East and on the borders with NATO countries," the General Staff spokesman added.
12:41 In the Ukrainian intelligence, they "approximately know" who could brutally execute a Ukrainian military man by cutting off his head, Dmitry Lubinets, Commissioner for Human Rights, told Radio Liberty. "Yesterday I had a conversation with our intelligence agencies. According to their assumptions, they roughly know who did it, in what area, and who was directly involved in this, including who was the direct executor," the Ombudsman said. At the same time, he refused to answer clarifying questions about whether they were mercenaries of PMC Wagner.
12:35 The FSB estimates Russia's losses in Ukraine at 110,000 killed and wounded, writes The New York Times, citing "secret documents" from the Pentagon. The publication clarifies that this information was obtained by American intelligence, most likely from the interception of electronic messages. Thus, in one of the documents, representatives of American intelligence stated that the FSB accused the Russian Ministry of Defense of "concealing Russian losses in Ukraine."
According to the FSB, the Russian Defense Ministry does not take into account in its reports the losses among the fighters of the National Guard, mercenaries of PMC Wagner and the military sent to Ukraine from Chechnya. According to US intelligence, this information demonstrates the reluctance of the military to pass bad news along the chain of command.
12:22 The court arrested the property of the sanctioned oligarch Vadim Novinsky, who was involved in the complicity of Russia, in the amount of more than 3.5 billion hryvnias. The list of blocked assets includes corporate rights to 40 Ukrainian enterprises and 30 gas wells. According to the SBU, during the searches, in addition to documents and seals of non-resident companies, pro-Kremlin religious literature was found.
11:39 The Arbitration Tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ordered Russia to pay $5 billion to Naftogaz as compensation for losses and lost property of the NJSC in the occupied Crimea, said Alexei Chernyshev, Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz.
10:21 The FSB stated that the organizers of the "terror attack" in St. Petersburg, as a result of which "military commander" Vladlen Tatarsky was killed, were allegedly "Ukrainian special services and their agents, including Russian oppositionists hiding abroad." In particular, the murder of Tatarsky, together with Daria Trepova, was allegedly prepared by a citizen of Ukraine, Yuriy Denisov, who arrived in the Moscow region from Kyiv through Latvia in February. After an explosion in a cafe on April 3, he flew from Russia in transit through Armenia to Turkey, and the procedure for putting him on the international wanted list was initiated.
According to the FSB, Darya Trepova carried out a terrorist attack in St. Petersburg "as a result of repeated calls" for subversion by the leaders of the Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation.
09:57 Announced by the United States on March 20 and April 4, military aid packages to Ukraine will be the last major deliveries before the expected counteroffensive, writes The New York Times. In total, these weapons are worth almost $3 billion, which includes ammunition for HIMARS, shells, and anti-radar missiles.
09:42 Kiev is dissatisfied with the forecasts from the "secret documents" of the United States that the Ukrainian counter-offensive will not be very successful, but will bring only "modest territorial benefits", writes Politico, citing sources. Senior Ukrainian officials believe that Washington is once again underestimating Ukraine's capabilities.
"The same people who said that Kiev would fall in three days are now leaking harmful and equally ridiculous information ahead of an offensive critical to the entire free world," said the source, who is in constant contact with senior officials in Kiev.
And a spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the forecasts "give grounds for suspicion" about how seriously the United States supports Ukraine's goal of completely ousting Russia from the country.
09:11 The Russians fired S-300 missiles at Slovyansk, Donetsk region, at night, the mayor of the city, Vadim Lyakh, said. One of the rockets hit the school, and nearby multi-storey buildings were also damaged. The second rocket hit near the city water canal, private houses were damaged. People were not hurt.
08:43 Poland wants to produce depleted uranium shells for Abrams tanks, as well as become the main European center for servicing American tanks, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said during a visit to the United States.
08:35 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed (in Ocheretino), two more were injured. In the Kherson region, one person was also killed, two were injured. In the Kharkiv region, as a result of the shelling of the village of Dvurechnaya, Kupyansky district, two people were killed, one was injured, according to the IVA.
08:29 The EU is looking for a legal way to send the frozen Russian assets to the restoration of Ukraine, the Swedish presidency has announced.
08:18 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of April 13.
- personnel - about 180,590 (+540) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3646 (+0),
- armored combat vehicles - 7053 (+10),
- artillery systems - 2777 (+7),
- MLRS - 535 (+0),
- air defense systems - 283 (+1),
- aircraft - 307 (+0),
- helicopters - 293 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2339 (+5),
- cruise missiles - 911 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 5637 (+7),
- special equipment - 320 (+1).
08:13 The Russian army continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions. During the day, more than 45 enemy attacks were repulsed, the General Staff reported in the morning summary .
The number of checkpoints and patrols has increased in Grafskoye Volnovakha district of Donetsk region and around it. At checkpoints, the Russians are actively filtering the local population. In Blagodatnoe, the occupiers, fearing a leak of information about the locations of their units, began to restrict certain routes for taxi drivers; entry to local residents is allowed only with registration.
05:00 Ukraine plans to receive at least $115 billion in long-term financial assistance from international partners, Shmyhal said during his visit to Washington. According to him, in 2023, Ukraine needs $14 billion for rapid recovery projects.
00:20 Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine is turning into a protracted conflict that will last "far beyond 2023," Reuters writes, citing the leaked "secret documents" of the US Department of Defense. At the same time, the Americans believe that the Russians will not be able to completely occupy the Donbass.