Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk and Maryana Zaviyska
Photo: Telegram channel Kyiv village
Cities under attack.
Russian troops fired with MLRS Uragan at settlements in Dnipropetrovsk region. Kharkiv troops shelled the city 16 times including twice from MLRS BM-21 and BM-27. During the day, the occupiers continued to shell Kharkiv, settlements of Bohodukhiv, Izyum and Loziv districts. As a result, one person was killed and five were injured. A Russian helicopter shelled the Sumy region with 30 unguided missiles. The Russian offensive in the Luhansk region focuses on capturing Rubizhne and Popasna. Two schools and 20 residential houses were damaged. Two evacuation buses were shelled when leaving the cities. In the Kherson region fighting continues all across the territory. The explosions have destroyed many homes and injured people. The Donetsk region is under the attack all across the frontline from air and missile strikes, and artillery. The unsuccessful breakthrough attempts by Russian were recorded in Maryinka, Krasnohorivka, Novomykhailivka. Situation in Mariupol remains critical – learn about life in Azovstal in the video. The situation in the villages bordering Mykolayiv, Snihurivka, Zelenodolsky and Kryvyi Rih remains critical.
Cities under occupation.
In the Kherson region, self-proclaimed forces started paying pensions in rubles to the local population. Shift in rhetoric regarding the pseudo-referendum has changed. Now the self-proclaimed head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration says they do not intend to hold the referendum as it is has been all made up by Kyiv.
According to Ukrainian journalists of Radio Liberty project ‘Schemes’, Russian forces plan to create a quasi-formation called ‘Yuzhnaya Rus’ (‘Southern Rus’) in the Ukrainian territories occupied by the Russian army. An intercepted document entitled ‘Manifesto of the Yuzhnorussky People’s Council’ states that the so-called ‘Yuzhnaya Rus’ is the ‘heir of Kievan-Novgorod Rus and Zaporozhian Sich’, the so-called ‘New Russia of Catherine the Great’ and the USSR. Through the metadata of the document, it was established that the leadership of the ruling party ‘United Russia’ is involved in the development of such a scenario.
Foreign policy.
Both presidents of Russia and Ukraine have accepted invitations from Indonesia to participate in the G20 Summit in November. The US currently expressed its opposition to Putin joining the Summit, therefore currently is considering how to join the meeting. .Norway is to close its borders and ports to Russian trucks and ships by joining EU sanctions imposed due to the war in Ukraine. Germany will not block the EU embargo on oil from Russia according to the Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economy of Germany Robert Habeck.
Human rights.
Ukrainian prosecutors further identify cases of war crimes and torture of civilians on the liberated territories after the Russian occupation. 1187 bodies of civilians of the Kyiv region who died at the hands of the Russian army have already been identified by law enforcement agencies, says Ombudswoman of Ukraine. 412 of them are the bodies of tortured and killed residents of Bucha. During the day in the Kyiv region, 26 bodies were found. Work on dismantling the debris and searching for the dead continues. More than 200 people are still missing. In Trostyanets in the Sumy region, investigators documented about 20 cases of torture of the local population by the russian military.
Health security.
Ukraine filed an official address to the World Health Organization’s regional chief calling for an urgent meeting on the impact of Russia’s invasion on health and healthcare, according to Reuters on Friday. The letter is co-signed by some 38 other members of the agency’s European region, including France, Germany and Britain. Previously the WHO has recorded around 177 attacks on healthcare facilities and infrastructure in Ukraine resulting in 73 deaths since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Church ‘beyond’ the politics.
Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine released the list of clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church, who are soldiers of Russia’s Propaganda Army. The list counts around 245 clergymen. The clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church justify Russian aggression, and genocide of the Ukrainian people and call for their parishioners to join the ranks of Russian occupation forces. They have received clear instructions to agitate parents and relatives of young Russians to encourage them to sign a contract for military service.
Recent polls.
Rating group presented results of the recent ninth national poll: assessment of international partnership. 80% of respondents believe that things in Ukraine are moving in the right direction. Only 10% disagreed with this assessment, while another 10% could not make an assessment. Over the past two months, Ukrainians’ attitudes toward the leaders of Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Turkey, Lithuania, and France have improved significantly. 92% of the respondents have a positive attitude to Polish President Duda, 87%, to British Prime Minister Johnson, 86%, to US President Biden, 76%, to Turkish President Erdoğan, 75%, to Lithuanian President Nausėda, and 75%, to French President Macron. 66% have a positive attitude towards the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
Reading corner.
- How Zelensky Gave the World a Jewish Hero – The Atlantic – ‘As the Ukrainian president captivates the world with his bravery, he offers a reminder of the inroads Eastern and Central European Jews have made in overcoming their status as perpetual outsiders’.
- On the Trail of Russian War Crimes – The New York Times (nytimes.com) – ‘Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine’s top human rights official, is determined to right historical wrongs and make sure Russians are held to account’.
- Ukraine’s Digital Battle With Russia Isn’t Going as Expected | WIRED – Some say it’s controversial what Ukraine’s IT army does, other – it’s one of the most innovative approaches to fight the war. Read more about the cyber flank in the article.
Podcast of the weekend.
A Ukrainian Diplomat on the Future of Russian Aggression | The New Yorker. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, is the crucial voice of Ukraine in the UN. Every single speech of his can be quoted piece by piece. His Twitter is full of irony addressed to Russia. Listen to his recent interview for The New Yorker.
Statistics.
- During the two months of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, law enforcement agencies received more than 7,000 reports of disappearances. About half of them were searched, says the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- 2,829 killed, including 205 children and 3,180 injured, including 303 children according to the latest UN update on civilian casualties in the context of Russia’s armed attack against Ukraine. Mostly caused by shelling & airstrikes.The actual toll is much higher.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., April 30, 2022: personnel – around 23 200, tanks ‒ 1008, APV ‒ 2445, artillery systems – 436, MLRS – 151, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 77, fixed-wing aircraft – 190, helicopters – 155, soft-skinned vehicles – 1701, boats and light speed boats – 8, fuel tankers – 76, operational-tactical level UAV – 232, special equipment – 32, mobile SRBM system – 4. Also, follow the interactive counter of Russian losses.
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