As the war enters its 784th day, key developments include:
This is the situation as of Thursday, April 18, 2024.
finding
- At least 17 people were killed when the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv was attacked by three Russian missiles. Emergency services said 60 people were injured, including three children. About 250,000 people live in Chernihiv, about 150 km (90 miles) north of the capital Kiev.
- A woman was injured by falling debris after Russian forces dropped bombs over the Voronezh region. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that air defense forces also destroyed 14 airborne targets over the southern region of Belgorod. No injuries were reported.
- The BBC reported that the number of Russian soldiers killed in the Ukraine war has exceeded 50,000. The data was compiled by BBC Russia, independent media group Mediazona and volunteers.
- Col. Serhiy Pakhomov, acting commander of Ukraine's military's nuclear, biological and chemical defense forces, told Reuters that Russia had recorded about 900 uses of anti-insurgency personnel on the front lines in Kiev over the past six months. Pakhomov said the gas, whose use on the battlefield is prohibited by the International Chemical Weapons Convention, is being used to clear trenches. About 500 soldiers required medical assistance after exposure to toxic substances on the battlefield, and at least one soldier died after suffocating from tear gas, he added.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces attacked a large Russian airfield in Dzhankoy in occupied northern Crimea. A series of explosions were reported at the base. There were no reports of damage.
politics and diplomacy
- U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will vote on the long-delayed $60 billion aid package for Ukraine on Saturday. The bill was passed by the Senate in February, but has been held up due to opposition from far-right Republican members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party.
- US President Joe Biden, writing in the Wall Street Journal, said the conflict was at a “pivotal time” and urged Congress to approve the package.
- China says “a lot of work” needs to be done before a planned peace conference on the Ukraine war can be held in Switzerland. He did not say whether he would attend the meeting scheduled for June.
- Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) security services have arrested four people for allegedly transferring money to the Ukrainian military and planning to join the country's army.
- France has appointed an investigative judge to conduct a war crimes investigation into the death of Pierre Zakrzewski, a dual French-Irish citizen who was killed in March 2022 while covering the war in Ukraine. . Producer Oleksandra Kubshinova was also killed in a collision with a news team's vehicle. He was shot in Holenka, near Kiev. Correspondent Benjamin Hall was seriously injured.
- Cybersecurity firm Mandiant says the cyber group known as Sandworm, which has ties to Russian military intelligence, is playing an increasingly important role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and has emerged as a significant global threat. I warned you that there was. Sandworm is “actively engaged in a full range of espionage, attack and influence operations,” Mandiant said.
weapons
- President Zelenskiy addressed the European Council by video link hours after the Chernihiv attack, calling for stronger defense systems. President Zelensky said Ukraine should enjoy the same protection from airstrikes as Israel, which was able to intercept a barrage of drones and missiles launched by Iran last weekend. “Our Ukrainian skies and the skies of neighboring countries deserve the same level of protection,” he said. “All lives have equal value.”
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other German officials have pressed European Union member states to take action as soon as possible to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses. On Saturday, Germany announced it would send additional Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine.
- NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg said the NATO-Ukraine Council will meet on Friday to discuss ways to provide more air defense systems to Kiev.
- A crowdfunding effort launched by a Slovak organization on Monday has so far raised 750,000 euros ($798,000) from the public. The group Peace for Ukraine hopes to raise 1 million euros ($1.07 million) for the Czech Republic's efforts to buy ammunition for Ukraine. The Slovak government refused to send military aid to Kiev.
