Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LB] During the past day, 97 combat clashes took place.
by Ivanna Kapustyanska
The seven hundred and eightieth day of large-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has begun. During the past day, 97 combat clashes took place.
This is stated in the morning summary of the General Staff.
In general, the enemy launched 2 missile and 91 air strikes, carried out 160 attacks from rocket salvo systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas.
During the past day, the settlements of Sumy, Sumy Oblast, were hit by airstrikes; Liptsi, Vovchansk, Kupyansk-Vuzlovy, Petropavlivka, Kurylivka of the Kharkiv region; Terny, Druzhba, New York, Chasiv Yar, Kalynivka, Novobakhmutivka, Berdychi, Semenivka, Umanske, Netaylove, Karlivka, Krasnohorivka, Kostyantynivka, Katerynivka, Vodyane, Urozhane, Vremivka of the Donetsk region and Robotine and Mala Tokmachka of the Zaporizhia region.
More than 110 settlements in the Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions were under artillery fire.
On the Volyn and Poliske directions, the operational situation remains without significant changes.
On the Siverskyi and Slobozhanskyi directions, the enemy maintains a military presence in the border areas, conducts sabotage activities in order to prevent our troops from moving to dangerous directions.
The enemy did not conduct offensive (assault) actions in the Kupyansk direction.
In the Lyman direction, the enemy once attacked the positions of our defenders in the Torsky district of the Donetsk region.
In the direction of Bakhmut, our soldiers repelled 33 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Bilogorivka in Luhansk region and Verkhnyokamianske, Spirne, Viimka, Rozdolivka, Chasiv Yar, Ivanivske, Klishchiivka, Andriivka in Donetsk region.
In the Avdiyiv direction, our defenders repelled 18 attacks in the areas of Novokalynove, Novobakhmutivka, Berdychi, Pervomaiske and Netaylove settlements of the Donetsk region.
On the Novopavlivskyi direction, the Defense Forces continue to hold back the enemy in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Georgiivka, Novomykhailivka, Kostyantynivka, Vodyane, and Urozhane settlements of the Donetsk region, where the enemy tried to break through the defenses of our troops 29 times.
In the Orykhiv direction, the occupiers attacked the positions of our defenders 7 times in the districts of Staromayorsky, Donetsk region, and Robotyny, Zaporozhye.
In the Kherson direction, the enemy does not give up its intention to knock out our units from the bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnieper. So, during the past day, the enemy made 6 unsuccessful attacks on the positions of our troops.
At the same time, our soldiers continue to actively inflict losses in manpower and equipment on the occupying troops, exhausting the enemy along the entire line of battle.
During the past day, the Air Force of the Defense Forces struck 12 areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment and 4 anti-aircraft missile complexes of the enemy.
Also, one Kh-59 guided air missile was destroyed by the forces and means of air defense of Ukraine.
Units of missile troops damaged 1 area of concentration of personnel, 2 means of air defense, 1 EW station of the enemy.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 18:04 The Russians dropped a KAB-500 on Ocheretino, Donetsk region - they hit a five-story building, one person is known to be wounded. There are probably people under the rubble, but a search operation is not yet possible for security reasons, said the head of the OSA, Vadim Filashkin. In addition, the enemy struck Netailovo, killing two people. In the Kurakhovskaya community, a resident of Novoselidovka died, in the Maryinskaya community, one person was wounded in Krasnogorovka.
17:06 Germany will transfer another Patriot system to Ukraine , the country’s Ministry of Defense reported. They assured that the air defense system would be transferred “immediately.” In turn, the Office of the President reported that Zelensky, during a telephone conversation with Scholz, “thanked the Chancellor for providing the additional Patriot system, IRIS-T and Skynex systems, missiles and cartridges for existing anti-aircraft missile systems.”
14:59 The Russians dropped ammunition from an FPV drone on the village. Petropavlovka, Kupyansky district - the driver of an emergency medical team was injured, the prosecutor's office reported.
14:13 Mashinostroitelny Plant 100 was attacked in Lugansk, Radio Liberty reports, citing sources. The enterprise repaired military equipment, and also housed personnel of the Russian Army. The occupation "authorities" also announced a strike on a machine-building plant. Local residents posted a video in which the sound of ammunition detonating can be heard.
13:52 Trump supported providing assistance to Ukraine, but “in the form of a loan, not just a gift.” According to the US presidential candidate, Europe "should give its money to help Ukraine, because it affects them more."
12:47 The Russians shot at a civilian car in the border area of the Novgorod-Seversky district of the Chernihiv region - a man who was carrying food to the population died, said the head of the OVA Vyacheslav Chaus.
11:43 Donald Trump, while serving as President of the United States, made it clear that he believed that Ukraine should be part of Russia, said a former adviser to the ex-president. In addition, sources say Trump is likely to use US military aid to Ukraine as leverage to force both sides to the negotiating table. Read more in the article What Trump thought about Ukraine .
11:20 The Ministry of Defense denied the information that Bogdanovka in the Bakhmut direction was allegedly captured by the Russians. The department emphasized that intense fighting is taking place for Bogdanovka. At night, enemy assault groups made their way to the northern outskirts of the city, but Bogdanovka is now under the control of the Defense Forces.
10:57 The situation on the Eastern Front has worsened significantly in recent days, Syrsky said. In his opinion, this is primarily due to the significant intensification of the enemy’s offensive actions after the presidential elections in the Russian Federation. Warm, dry weather also favors enemy advances. The commander-in-chief noted that the Russian army “periodically achieves tactical success.”
According to Syrsky, only achieving technical superiority over the enemy in high-tech weapons will allow Ukraine to defeat a larger enemy and create conditions for intercepting the strategic initiative. Another serious problem is improving the quality of training of military personnel, primarily infantry units, Syrsky added.
09:15 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of April 13:
personnel - about 452,760 (+1030) people,
tanks - 7169 (+23),
armored combat vehicles - 13,745 (+47),
artillery systems - 11,518 (+32),
MLRS - 1045 (+3),
air defense systems - 756 (+1),
aircraft - 347 (+0),
helicopters - 325 (+0),
UAV of operational-tactical level - 9201 (+40),
cruise missiles - 2088 (+1),
ships/boats - 26 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 15,396 (+57),
special equipment - 1893 (+5).
09:11 Late in the evening of April 12, the Russians shelled Kupyansk in the Kharkov region, two people were injured, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. In addition, the enemy attacked workers working in the field in the village with a drone. Shestakovo, Chuguevsky district, - four people were injured, agricultural equipment was damaged. In Volchansk, one person was injured as a result of an explosive drop from a UAV.
08:36 Russian troops captured Bogdanovka in the Bakhmut district, DeepState analysts report. According to experts, the Russians are gathering reserves for the battle for Chasov Yar.
07:45 Over the past 24 hours, 97 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In particular, in the Bakhmut direction, the Defense Forces repelled 33 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Belogorivka in the Luhansk region and Verkhnekamennoye, Spornoye, Vyemka, Razdolovka, Chasov Yar, Ivanovskoye, Kleshcheevka, Andreevka in the Donetsk region. In addition, the enemy tried 29 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novopavlovsk direction - in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Georgievka, Novomikhailovka, Konstantinovka, Vodyanoy, Urozhayny, Donetsk region.
The enemy did not conduct offensive actions in the Kupyansk direction. In the Liman direction, one enemy attack was repelled in the Torskoye area of the Donetsk region; in Avdeevsky - 18 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Novokalinovo, Novobakhmutovka, Berdychi, Pervomaiskoye and Netaylovo, Donetsk region; in the Orekhovsky direction - seven attacks in the districts of Staromayorskoye, Donetsk region and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region; on Kherson - six attacks on the left bank of the Dnieper.
03:47 On April 17, the US State Department will hold the US-Ukraine Partnership Forum at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Washington. The forum will bring together business leaders, officials and politicians, the main topic of the meeting is the restoration of Ukraine after the war.
01:04 The US and UK have expanded sanctions against Russia, banning the import of aluminum, copper and nickel of Russian origin, as well as limiting their use on world exchanges. "Our new bans on key metals, agreed with our partners in the United Kingdom, will continue to target the revenue that Russia can generate to continue its brutal war against Ukraine," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
00:23 China supports Russia's military efforts in Ukraine by providing drone and missile technology, satellite imagery and weapons production machines. According to Reuters, this was stated by senior American officials at a closed briefing. Some of the information provided by officials was based on declassified intelligence. They showed a wide range of ways in which China is helping Russia without directly providing lethal assistance.
So, according to officials, the Russians probably used machines from China to increase the production of ballistic missiles. In addition, in 2023, 90% of Russian microelectronics imports came from China. Russia used these supplies in the production of missiles, tanks and aircraft. The officials also said China has provided Russia with drone engines and cruise missile turbojets, and that Chinese and Russian enterprises are working to jointly produce drones inside Russia.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The situation on the front remains tense.
In the areas of settlements Belogorovka, Lugansk region; Verkhnekamennoye, Spornoye, Razdolevka, Novy, Opytnoye, Andreevka, Ivanovskoye, Klishchievka in the Donetsk region, the enemy tried to improve the tactical situation.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces published operational information about the Russian invasion as of Saturday evening, April 13.
“During the day, 60 military clashes were recorded. In general, the enemy carried out 1 missile and 65 air strikes, carried out 71 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas. As a result of Russian terrorist attacks, unfortunately, there are dead and wounded Multi-storey and private buildings, as well as other infrastructure facilities, were destroyed and damaged,” the General Staff report says.
In the Kupyansky and Limansky directions, the enemy did not conduct offensive (assault) operations.
In the Bakhmut direction, our soldiers repelled 28 attacks in the areas of Belogorovka settlements, Lugansk region; Verkhnekamennoe, Spornoe, Razdolevka, Novy, Opytnoe, Andreevka, Ivanovskoe, Klishchievka of the Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to improve the tactical situation.
In the Avdeevsky direction, our defenders repelled 7 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Novokalinovo, Novobakhmutovka, Berdichi, Pervomaiskoye and Nevelskoye in the Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to oust our units from their occupied lines.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the Defense Forces continue to contain the enemy in the areas of the settlements of Georgievka, Novomikhailovka, Urozhaynoye in the Donetsk region, where the enemy tried to break through the defense of our troops 16 times.
In the Orekhovsky direction, the enemy, with the support of aviation, attacked the positions of our defenders three times in the Staromayorsky area of the Donetsk region and north-west of Verbovoy, Zaporozhye region.
In the Kherson direction, the enemy does not abandon his intention to oust our units from the bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnieper. During the day, he made three unsuccessful attacks on the positions of our troops in the area of the village of Krynki, Kherson region.
During the day, Defense Forces aviation carried out strikes on 11 areas where personnel, weapons and military equipment are concentrated, 1 control point, 2 UAV ground control stations and 1 enemy anti-aircraft missile system.
Let us remind you that the total number of losses of personnel of the Russian army since the beginning of the war as of April 13 is 452,760 people.
Article Linked To Is Available Only Via VPN
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Avdeyevka direction, as a result of active and self-sacrificing actions, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces have liberated Pervomayskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
In addition, eight counterattacks by assault groups of 25th Airborne, 59th Motorised Infantry, 68th Jaeger, 23rd, 24th, and 115th Mechanised brigades of the AFU have been repelled close to Umanskoye, Pervomayskoye, Krasnogorovka, Berdychi, and Leninskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy losses were up to 235 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.
In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces have occupied more favourable lines and defeated manpower and hardware of 79th Air Assault and 46th Airmobile brigades of the AFU near Krasnogorovka and Antonovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Two attacks by enemy assault groups south of Novomikhailovka (Donetsk People's Republic) have been also repelled.
The AFU losses were over 500 soldiers, one tank, three armoured fighting vehicles, 23 motor vehicles, and one Strela-10 surface-to-air missile system.
During counter-battery warfare, two U.S.-made 155mm M777 howitzers, one 152mm D-20 howitzer, and one 122mm D-30 howitzer have been hit.
In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces have improved the situation on the front line, defeated a formation of the 54th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU near Kupyansk (Kharkov region) and repelled three attacks by assault groups of the 12th AFU Special Forces Brigade near Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic).
The enemy losses were up to 25 soldiers, three pickup trucks, one Polish-made Krab 155-mm self-propelled artillery system, one Akatsiya 2S3 152mm self-propelled artillery system, one D-20 152mm howitzer, and one Nota electronic warfare station.
In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces have improved the tactical position and defeated formations of the AFU 58th Motor Infantry Brigade and the 128th Territorial Defence Brigade near Staromayorskoye and Urozhaynoye (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy losses were more than 110 soldiers, four pickup trucks, one Polish-made Krab 155mm self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made M777 155mm howitzer, and one Nota electronic warfare station.
In Kherson direction, units of the Dnepr Group of Forces have inflicted a fire defeat on manpower and hardware of 121st and 126th Territorial Defence brigades close to Mikhailovka and Ivanovka (Kherson region).
The AFU losses were up to 65 servicemen, three motor vehicles, one U.S.-made M777 155mm howitzer, one UK-made FN-70 155mm howitzer, and one Polish-made Krab 155mm self-propelled artillery system.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Groups of Forces have neutralised manpower and military hardware in 112 areas. Air defence facilities have shot down 222 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, eight HIMARS and Vampire multiple-launch rocket systems projectiles, and one JDAM guided bomb.
In total, 583 airplanes and 270 helicopters, 20,826 unmanned aerial vehicles, 501 air defence missile systems, 15,767 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,266 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 8,849 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 20,960 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:59 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 04/13/2024 to 00:00 04/14/2024.
A total of 35 facts of armed attacks by the UFU were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC over the past 24 hours.
Nie civilians were injured of varying degrees of severity, incl. teenage boy
DAMAGED:
Three cars.
Ten residential buildings.
Three civil infrastructure facilities.
Eight artillery attacks in the Donetsk direction,
A total of 27 artillery attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 107 units of various ammunition were fired.
21:03 The Ukrainian military used cluster rounds in a residential area of Gorlovka, as a result of which eight civilians were injured, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports.
19:46 Ukrainian Telegram channels report the bombing of the Kharkov region with adjustable aerial bombs.
19:24 Tough street fighting in Krasnogorovka -video.
18:50 Russian Aerospace Forces launched a missile strike on the city of Voznesensk in the Nikolaev region.
18:35 APU struck blows in the Kharkov village of Liman Vtoroy, damaging private houses. This was announced by the head of the administration of the Kharkov region Vitaly Ganchev.
18:05 The Ukrainian Armed Forces fired at the city of Tokmak in the Zaporozhye region from MLRS - chairman of the “We are together with Russia” movement Vladimir Rogov.
17:52 Khar'kov direction, settlement Liptsy: “Iksovody” destroyed the M109 PALADIN howitzer that hit private sectors –video.
17:45 Ukrainian channelsreportabout the new advance of the Russian army towards Hours of Yar.
17:40 Seven employees of the plant and two residents of houses next to it were injured when the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck Luhansk, Pasechnik said. Doctors provide them with all the necessary assistance.
City administration officials are assessing the damage caused to Luhansk residents as a result of the shelling.
17:20 Epic detonation of Strela-10 air defense system of the Ukrainian army was hit by a Krasnopol precision projectile.
17:00 Opponent acknowledges further advance of our troops in the Chasov Yar area and south of Umansky.
16:45 The Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled the Komsomolets housing estate in Gorlovka: seven civilians were injured, including two children, said Mayor Ivan Prikhodko.
15:32 Russian Aerospace Forces launched an airstrike on the Bogodukhovsky district of the Kharkov region.
15:27 Personnel work of Su-25 attack aircraft of the Russian Army in the area of ??the city of Chasov Yar.
14:47 The Russian Aerospace Forces are carrying out airstrikes on the temporarily occupied Kurakhovo (DPR).
14:36 Ukrainian Armed Forces launch cluster munition attacks on Gorlovka.
14:30 Ukrainian militants launched a kamikaze drone attack on the first microdistrict of Energodar, Zaporozhye region. There were no casualties as a result of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ kamikaze drone attack on Energodar. This was announced by the Director of Communications of Zaporozhye NPP.
13:30 Avdeevsk direction: advance of the Russian Armed Forces to the west of Tonenkoye and battles near Novokalinovo. The situation as of 13:00 on April 13, 2024 is reported by Rybar.
To the west of Avdievka, Russian troops are advancing on a broad front, building on their success at the Umanskoye-Yasnobrodovka-Netaylovo line.
In the Uman region, the Russian Armed Forces are moving west, less than a kilometer remains to go to the outskirts of the settlement. According to incoming information, the enemy is preparing to withdraw from the southern part of the village beyond the Uman headquarters.
In the fields between Tonenkiy and Vodyany, the Russian Armed Forces, under the cover of armored vehicles, advanced in an area up to three kilometers wide to a depth of 2.8 kilometers, taking control of several forest belts east of Yasnobrodovka. The road connecting Netailovo with Yasnobrodovka remains about two kilometers away.
In the Berdychi area, the Russian Armed Forces cleared the northern outskirts of the settlement, taking control of the remaining houses on Tsentralnaya Street. There are no significant changes in Semyonovka: fighting continues in the central part of the village.
On the northern flank, Russian troops are developing an offensive in the Novokalinovo area. In recent days, control has been established over several forest belts on the southern outskirts of the village. Currently, military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces are fighting within the boundaries of a populated area in the area of Stepovaya Street.
11:43 Missile strike was carried out in Lugansk, presumably in the area of the bus station, said Ambassador of the Russian Foreign Ministry Miroshnik.
11:27 Crew of the anti-tank guided missile system (ATGM) of the Kostroma paratroopers of the artillery regiment of the Airborne Forcesdestroyeda tower with repeaters for FPV drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the village of Chasov Yar.
11:15 Ukrainian military correspondent Oleg Petrenko is forced to acknowledge the successes of the Russian army in the Avdeevsky direction.
In the Avdeevsky direction south of Novokalinovo, Russian troops have, as a Ukrainian expert puts it, “partial success” along the railway in the direction of the Zarya station.
In the direction of Yasnobrodovka and the Uman division, the Russian army entrenched itself in an area up to 4.95 km wide and up to a depth of 1.6 km.
11:10 Artillerymen burned a Ukrainian Armed Forces tank near Avdiivka.
Active assault operations by our troops continue along the entire line of the Donetsk front. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to counterattack, using reserve equipment and personnel, but they are unable to stop the advance of our troops.
On photo: Another enemy tank was destroyed today by artillerymen of the 41st Army in the Avdeevsky direction.
10:43 The Russian Armed Forces enter the Canal from the north. About effective advance of Russian troops in Chasov Yar reports Whisper from the front.
10:30 The situation has worsened: Russia is advancing in eastern Ukraine:
The Russian Armed Forces are actively attacking the positions of the Ukrainian army in the Limansky and Artemovsky directions with assault groups supported by armored vehicles.
In the Avdeevsky direction, Russia is trying to break through the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces using dozens of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
This is facilitated by warm, dry weather, which made most of the open areas of the area “tank accessible”.
Russia is stepping up its efforts with new armored units, achieving tactical success.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are transferring air defense and electronic warfare systems to the most problematic areas of the front, as well as moving additional reserves, according to Military Correspondents of the Russian Spring.
09:27 Morning report as of the morning of April 13, 2024 from military correspondent Evgeny Lisitsyn:
Avdievka direction: active hostilities are taking place on the northern flank of Avdievka. The Russian Armed Forces attacked using armored vehicles and motorized rifle units north of Berdychi. As a result of the battles, the enemy was pushed back from the northern outskirts of Berdychi, and counter battles are taking place in the surrounding area.
Zaporozhye direction: in the Rabotino area, drones are used to destroy enemy quadcopters, which emphasizes the active confrontation between unmanned systems. In the Zaporozhye region, strikes were carried out on the territory of the Motor Sich plant, resulting in at least three hits.
Bakhmut direction: in the area of ??the Kanal microdistrict, Russian paratroopers are actively identifying and destroying enemy targets. One of the kamikaze drones successfully hit enemy armored vehicles equipped with electronic warfare systems. Artillery and aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces are shelling the eastern and south-eastern areas of the microdistrict, as well as enemy positions in the Stupki Golubovskie-2 nature reserve.
Vrem'evsky direction: local battles take place in this direction. Russian troops are striking enemy rear targets. The bridge between Bolshaya Novoselka and Vrem'yevka was destroyed.
08:22 Zaporozhye Front, Rabotino district:
Enemy fails: Reinforcements arrive at the position and do not retreat, despite the losses. The Russian Armed Forces are destroying enemy personnel with drones, literally dismantling enemy fortifications with strikes. There are heavy battles going on.
08:17 Direction to Chasov Yar, assessment of the situation from the enemy:
“Russian troops have occupied Bogdanovka, including the southwestern part, and continue assault operations in the direction of the village of Kalinovka and the Orlova tract.”
08:07 Ukrainian Armed Forces trucks failed to take refuge in a hangar on the right bank of the Dnieper.
Operator "Orlan-10" discovered equipment of Ukrainian militants on the right bank of the Dnieper and transmitted the coordinates to the command post, where they decided to destroy the target. The UAV crew helped correct the strike and recorded the destruction of enemy equipment. After completing the task, the soldiers searched the area.
08:04 Seversk direction, assessment of the situation from the enemy:
“The Russian Armed Forces continue assault operations west and east of the railway in the direction of the village of Vyemka.”
08:01 Summary on the morning of April 13, 2024
On the Zaporozhye front, fighting continues in Rabotino and north-west of Verbovoy. In the Vrem'evsky direction, offensive actions of the Russian Armed Forces are reported near Urozhainy and Staromayorsky.
West of Avdievka, near Berdychi, the Russian Armed Forces are developing success, and battles are taking place near Novokalinovo.
In the direction to Chasov Yar, the enemy recognizes the loss of Bogdanovka, Chasov Yar itself is under constant attacks from the Russian Armed Forces. The presence of civilians in the city is reported. Fighting on the ground is concentrated on the eastern outskirts of the city, which is inconvenient for both sides to gain a foothold.
Fighting continues around Seversk: the Russian Armed Forces are advancing in Belogorovka, in the south of the Seversky ledge of the front our troops are also trying to move forward.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In Crimea, they substantiated the illegality of transferring the peninsula to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954, said the head of the republican parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov.
Of course they did. Whether they would have done so a few years ago is a moot point.
“A working group at the Crimean parliament, consisting of experts and lawyers, has substantiated the illegality of the transfer of Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR; now all that remains is to make a judicial and political decision,” Konstantinov told RIA Novosti.
The withdrawal of Crimea from the RSFSR led to grave geopolitical consequences. In addition, the transfer of the peninsula to the Ukrainian SSR grossly violated the legal foundations of the Constitutions of the USSR, RSFSR and Ukrainian SSR. Also, administrative and economic procedures were not followed, and guarantees of the rights of Crimeans were not spelled out, the head of the republic’s parliament clarified.
According to the procedure, it was first required to hold a referendum within the RSFSR, taking into account the opinions of the local population, but no one asked the Crimeans. The Ukrainian SSR also neglected to hold a referendum on the annexation of Crimea.
As Regnum reported, according to Vladimir Konstantinov, a working group has been created in Crimea that is assessing the damage from being part of Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities will be calculated and presented with the amount of damage, including for lost profits during the years of being part of the Ukrainian SSR. Specialists are working consistently and scrupulously, added the head of the Crimean parliament.
According to Konstantinov, the transfer of Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR was not expedient. He compared the procedure carried out in 1954 to the way a bag of potatoes is handed over, as well as how, during serfdom, estates were given along with the serfs. Back in 2014, Crimeans clearly expressed their decision in a referendum and now continue to firmly stand their ground, the politician concluded.
On February 19, 1954, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree on the transfer of the Crimean region from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. On April 26, the decree was approved by USSR law and went down in history as the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine.
Crimea returned to Russia in March 2014 following a referendum after the coup in Ukraine. In the referendum, 96.77% of voters in Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol were in favor of reunification with Russia. At the same time, Ukraine still considers the peninsula to be its temporarily occupied territory, a position shared by many Western countries.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, on April 13, after a conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, confirmed in his Telegram channel that Germany will transfer to Ukraine another Patriot air defense system and missiles to complement existing systems.
“I am grateful to the Chancellor for the decision to supply another additional Patriot system to Ukraine and missiles to the existing air defense systems,” wrote the head of the Kiev regime.
Zelensky also called on the leaders of other Western countries to follow Scholz’s example.
As Regnum reported, on April 13, the German television channel NTV, citing the German Ministry of Defense, reported that Germany plans to provide Ukraine with another Patriot system. In total, since the beginning of the Northern Military District, Berlin has provided Kyiv with two such air defense systems.
A day earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that the Kiev regime was negotiating with Western countries to allocate two Patriot batteries and one SAMP-T to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. During an interview with the Politico newspaper, Kuleba, complaining about the lack of air defense systems in Ukraine, demanded to give Kiev “damn Patriot.”
Earlier it was also reported that Polish President Andrzej Duda, at a joint press conference with the head of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and Zelensky, refused to transfer the Patriot air defense system to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Bild military expert Julian Röpke said on April 11 that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had run out of missiles for Patriot, Iris-T and most other air defense systems. At the same time, Western countries have hundreds of systems and thousands of missiles in their warehouses, Röpke noted.
#1
While NATO & The Western Nations continue to feed Ukraine & other nationss weapons... Is the semi-free world depleting its own stockpiles needed to fight Russia, China, Iran and several Communist nations south of us?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gregor Spitzen
[REGNUM] Volodymyr Zelensky and his ministers are confident that the day was in vain if they did not call one of the European capitals and remind political decision-makers of the dire situation Ukraine is in.
In general, things are not going well for them: extremely disappointing news has been coming from the front in recent weeks, the state treasury is showing the bottom, and the people are beginning to grumble on the eve of total forced mobilization.
Dear Western partners are in no hurry to fork out the next multi-billion tranche, having clearly been shaken in their belief in the invincibility of Ukrainian weapons after last year’s failed “counter-offensive” and the recent surrender of Avdiivka.
The Berlin direction is especially popular among annoying Ukrainian politicians, since Germany is the second most important “wallet” of the united West.
Which, however, risks becoming the first due to the lack of $60 billion stuck in the US Congress. And in general, the “white fathers” in Washington, on the eve of the presidential elections, are trying to shift the burden of responsibility for Ukraine onto the shoulders of European allies.
In Kyiv, they are afraid that Berlin’s unwillingness to invest in the “defense of Europe” from Russia at the hands of Ukraine is now fraught with much larger costs if the “hordes of barbarians” crush the Dnieper bastions and rush in an unstoppable stream to the borders of the EU.
However, Germany has already spent tens of billions of euros directly and indirectly on solving the Ukrainian problem. The money was spent on weapons supplies, social allocations to the Ukrainian budget and solving problems related to the settlement and integration of over one million Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
WAITING TO ESCAPE
If we put aside the ideological component of helping the young Ukrainian “democracy” and the “inadmissibility” of Russia’s victory, which scenario is more in the interests of Germany and its state budget? A scenario for the speedy capitulation of Ukraine or the continuation of the “war to a victorious end,” no matter what they mean in Kyiv by the concept of “victory”?
German politicians are confident that the defeat of Ukraine will have a direct impact on German society, since the negative consequences of “Putin’s victory” will affect the housing market, schools, kindergartens and the social insurance system. There is, of course, a certain logic in such reasoning.
Those Ukrainians who over the past ten years have actively defended the “ideals of Euromaidan”, hated the “Russian world”, participated in “movie patrols” and “crushed Colorado”, rightly fear that if Russia wins, the new Ukrainian authorities may have serious feelings towards them questions.
The number of such people, as well as convinced bearers of ultranationalist ideology, for whom the thought of peaceful coexistence with the hated “Muscovites” is in principle intolerable, is estimated at no less than 3 million people.
If the Russian army enters the operational space, these people will most likely proceed towards the EU border at the speed of Olympic sprinters. And it’s easy to predict which European country most of them will want to stay in.
German migration researcher Herald Knaus estimates the potential number of Ukrainian refugees of the new wave in the event of a Russian victory is even higher - at 10 million people.
According to Eurostat, since the start of the war, 4.3 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring European countries, with Germany taking in the majority - 1.27 million. It is easy to assume that new refugees will traditionally go where people they already know live.
“The longer the war lasts, the more population groups leave the country,” explains Austrian migration expert Judith Kollenberger. “After the young and educated, the older and less educated are leaving.” Therefore, the researcher does not rule out another major departure next winter, especially if the Ukrainian-skeptic Donald Trump becomes US President - even if Ukraine has not yet capitulated by then.
MARGIN OF SAFETY
Once in Germany, asylum seekers and refugees from Ukraine are distributed among the federal states through two different systems of the Federal Office for Migration, which regulates the percentage distribution of refugees among the federal states.
In Berlin, for example, since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, up to 10 thousand Ukrainians arrived daily on buses and special trains. The former capital airport Tegel became an important distribution center.
In principle, Berlin feels sufficiently prepared for the initial reception of refugees, but not for their permanent placement. For in the German capital, even in the best of times, there was a chronic shortage of accessible and inexpensive housing.
However, this problem is not unique to Berlin; in one way or another it affects all major cities. Germany has even adopted a special building law and simplified the construction of new housing for refugees, which allows the construction of residential premises without a building plan. But this is not a panacea either.
The majority of those who come from Ukraine directly depend on state benefits, as evidenced by statistics from the Federal Employment Agency. According to the agency, 844 thousand Ukrainians in Germany are of working age.
In January, 215 thousand of them were employed, and almost 172 thousand were subject to social security contributions. The employment rate was 25%. In December, 710 thousand Ukrainians received citizens' benefits, costing Germany €412 million in taxpayers' money every month.
In addition, the situation is also politically explosive, because the acceptance of refugees by the population, even if we ignore the difference in culture and mentality, largely depends on whether they can work and speak German.
Considering that elections to the European Parliament and East German Landtags are just around the corner, and elections to the Bundestag are coming in 2025, the German authorities are by no means interested in strengthening the political platform of the AfD party, which is, to put it mildly, skeptical towards refugees.
Almost 220 thousand children and young people who left Ukraine are already studying in schools. Although the federal authorities pay lip service to the fact that the German school education system has coped brilliantly with all the challenges, in reality everything is far from so rosy.
Thus, Andreas Bartsch, president of the Association of Teachers of North Rhine-Westphalia, laments that in the region “we have already exceeded the limit of what we can seriously achieve - in terms of language and social integration.”
Teachers from other regions report classes in which more than half of the students barely speak German, jeopardizing the smooth functioning of educational processes.
Nobody argues with the statement that among Ukrainian children there are bright minds who quickly master German and demonstrate brilliant results in their studies. But it is unlikely that individual such examples can be considered a reflection of the overall picture.
HAWKS ARE SET FOR CONFRONTATION
Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the CDU/CSU party, a retired Bundeswehr colonel and one of the most convinced hawks of the German Bundestag, emphasizes that Germany and Europe can still prevent this negative scenario: housing shortages, lack of places in kindergartens and schools, cuts in social benefits.
According to Kiesewetter, Ukraine can still win and restore its 1991 borders: “But only if we give it the appropriate support and stop setting red lines for Ukraine and for ourselves.”
Kiesewetter, who positions himself as a defense expert, warns that if Europe does not support Ukraine and increase arms production, “Russia could feel its military superiority and attack other EU and NATO countries militarily or in a hybrid form and include them in its composition."
The CDU politician fears that in the event of war, Germany will run out of ammunition within a few days given the current state of affairs. Kiesewetter is already calling for at least 3% of GDP to be invested in armaments.
Then the defense budget will increase to at least €110 billion per year, without taking into account special budgetary allocations for defense such as the additional special budget of the Bundeswehr for €100 billion, adopted in 2022.
If Russia establishes a military presence in Ukraine, “in the long term we will have to spend 5% to 7% of GDP on defense,” fears another security expert, Nico Lange.
“When we declare our support for Ukraine, we still too rarely do so taking into account what will actually happen to our country if it loses the war,” warns another proponent of continuing the conflict, Andreas Schwarz, the SPD official in charge of defense budget. “In one fell swoop, we will be forced to spend even more money on defense,” he says.
NOT READY TO SPEND
German politicians are being a little disingenuous when they say that Germany, if Ukraine is defeated, will be forced to at least double its military spending.
Germany is already spending the maximum possible on defense. The military-industrial complex factories are loaded with defense orders as much as their capacity objectively allows.
And frankly speaking, they don’t allow much. Thus, the united German military industry today is capable of producing no more than five and a half main battle tanks per month.
The situation with ammunition is little better than it was a year ago, when there were no more than six shells for every tank and artillery piece in the German army.
Spending more can only be done by cutting social programs, controversial “green initiatives” and introducing unpopular measures such as the resumption of mass conscription into the army.
During the election year in Germany, none of the sensible politicians, either from the ruling “traffic light coalition” or from the opposition, will dare to do this if they are suddenly asked to form a government in the event of the early resignation of the cabinet. On the other hand, Germany really won’t survive a new wave of three or even ten million people coming from Ukraine.
However, Germany has a way out, although it is unlikely to please the hawks in the Bundestag. The solution could be Germany's active participation in the negotiation process in order to achieve fair conditions for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. Which would not only allow the majority of peaceful Ukrainians to remain in their homeland, but would also create the preconditions for the return to the country of those 4.3 million people who have already settled in Europe.
Whatever the final outcome of the conflict for Kyiv, Ukraine will in any case require multi-billion dollar investments and people in order to restore the destroyed country.
So, maybe it’s better to make money on investment and construction contracts, combining them with humanitarian initiatives, than to spend insane sums on mediocre weapons and a multimillion-dollar army of parasites, taking money away from the German people?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
