Monday, April 8

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Local residents react at the site of a missile strike in the center of Kharkiv, on April 7, 2024 (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)

IAEA confirms 3 direct strikes on main reactor containment structures of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the main reactor containment structures of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant had suffered at least three direct strikes, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on April 7.

Media: Ukrainian military intelligence denies involvement in drone explosion at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. “Ukraine is not involved in any armed provocations on the territory of the illegally occupied nuclear plant,” the spokesperson Andrii Yusov said, adding that Russian false flag strikes were a frequent occurrence.

Prosecutor General’s Office: Russian soldiers kill 3 Ukrainian POWs. The Prosecutor General’s Office has opened an investigation into a video that purportedly shows Russian soldiers shooting three captured and unarmed Ukrainian servicemen in Kherson Oblast, the office announced on April 7.

Source: Russia lost 7 aircraft in Ukraine’s April 5 attack on air base. The HUR source said the Ukrainian drone attack damaged four Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jets, two transport aircraft, and one Beriev Be-200 Altair.

Germany scrambles fighter jets to intercept Russian aircraft flying over Baltic Sea. The fighter jets took off on April 6 from a base in Lielvarde, a Latvian town about 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) southeast of Riga.

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Minister: Ukraine needs advanced air defense to protect energy infrastructure. As Russia increased its attacks, the shortage of air defense systems in Ukraine became more tangible.

Media: Trump wants Ukraine to cede Crimea, Donbas to Russia. Trump has repeatedly said he could end Russia’s war within 24 hours if elected president, without specifying the steps for reaching the peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.

Russia renews missile attacks on Kharkiv. Two attacks were reported so far on April 7, with most targets remaining undisclosed. One civilian was reported wounded so far.

Foreign partners allocate over $700 million for demining in Ukraine. The U.S., Switzerland, Norway, EU countries, and Japan are among the key donors. The demining coalition for Ukraine includes about 20 countries.

Budanov: Renewed Russian offensive expected in late spring, early summer. Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR), said that Ukraine should expect to face a renewed Russian offensive in late spring or early summer, with the offensive intensifying around Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, Budanov told German outlet ARD in an interview published on April 7.

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Ukraine war latest: Russia reportedly loses 7 aircraft; Zelensky says Kharkiv ‘protected’ against potential offensive.

Russia allegedly lost seven military aircraft during Ukraine’s April 5 drone attack on the Yeysk air base in Krasnodar Krai in Russia, a source at Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent on April 7.

Photo: Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Governor: Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia Oblast kills 3, wounds 1. Russian troops launched Grad rockets at the town of Huliaipole in southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, killing three civilians and wounding one, regional governor Ivan Fedorov reported on April 7.

Russian strikes injure 5 in Kharkiv. The Russian attack struck an industrial zone and a central park in the city. Kharkiv, roughly 40 kilometers (24 miles) south of the Russian border, faces near-daily attacks.

85-year-old woman killed as Russia strikes Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast with aerial bomb, authorities report. A woman was found dead under the rubble of a four-story apartment building struck by a Russian aerial bomb in the city of Kupiansk in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast, the State Emergency Service reported on April 7.

Russia attacks 11 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring 1. Russian forces attacked Sumy Oblast 173 times in 40 separate attacks throughout the day, injuring one person, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on April 7.

Do Russian crimes in Ukraine amount to genocide?

International response

Russia’s Lavrov to visit China on April 8-9. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will have talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Energy Minister: Lithuania offers to dismantle shuttered energy stations, provide Ukraine with spare parts. Lithuania’s Energy Ministry has proposed dismantling the country’s shuttered power stations to provide Ukraine with the spare parts needed to repair damaged energy infrastructure, amid an increase in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said on April 7.

UK Defense Ministry: Russian daily losses in Ukraine reduced. Russian forces in Ukraine have sustained 658 losses a day on average since February 2022 with daily losses increasing each year.

In other news

Odesa enlistment office investigates report of 14-year-old kidnapped by men in uniform. The Odesa regional military enlistment office is looking into reports by local media of a 14-year-old boy detained by men in military uniforms, the office said on April 7. The men reportedly did not initially believe he was 14 but released him after seeing his passport.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Asami Terajima, Olga Rudenko, Oleh Sukhov, Alexander Khrebet, Oleksiy Sorokin, Andrea Januta, and Dmytro Basmat.

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