Russian forces failing to make 'serious advances' anywhere on frontline
After an anticipated Russian spring offensive failed to materialise, pro-war military bloggers have said the occupying soldiers are "shifting towards ... [countering] Ukraine's potential to regain significant ground".
Ukrainian forces destroy Russian infantry fighting vehicles
Russia failed to “advance seriously anywhere” on the frontline in Ukraine despite their long-awaited spring offensives, a Ukrainian military official has claimed, as Putin’s force shift their attention to defending against imminent counter-offensives. Council of Reservists of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Head Ivan Tymochko reported on April 8 that while fighting across the entire frontline waged on, Russian forces are “no longer attacking to break through” but rather to “withdraw” and distract the Ukrainian soldiers in a bid to slow the pace of potential counter-offensives.
He said this followed more than a month of Russian attacks that were “choked” in the eastern regions and, ultimately, achieved little more than marginal gains.
Mr Tymochko said: “The enemy is trying to attack in directions, but we understand that these are no longer attacks to break through our front line, but attempts to withdraw our forces from specific directions so that we cannot start, in their understanding, our announced counteroffensive.”
He added that “the enemy was unable to advance seriously anywhere, the attacks on Avdiivka were choked”.
It comes as prominent Russian milblogger WarGonzo, a suspected associate of the Wagner Group, claimed that “the intensity of the offensive operations of the Russian Armed Forces had noticeably dropped” in recent weeks.
The Telegram channel claimed that there had been “little progress” in northeastern contests and “no success” further east.
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Nearly 600 Russian soldiers killed in last 24 hours, claims Ukraine
Western officials believe that roughly 220,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded while fighting in Ukraine.
Ukraine has claimed to have killed 590 Russian soldiers in the last 24 hours, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, as the fight for Bakhut rages on.
In their latest daily update on Facebook, they said that 590 Russian tanks had been “liquidated” while three tanks had also been destroyed.
It comes as the Institute for the Study of War reported that Russian military commanders appear to be increasingly handing responsibility for offensive operations in Ukraine over to their specialist forces.
Zelensky's office confirms 100 Ukrainians returned home in huge prisoner swap
One hundred Ukrainians have been returned home safely after a significant prisoner swap that took place earlier today.
Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian President’s office, said this swap includes soldiers, guards and sailors among other Ukrainian citizens
He added: "We will do everything necessary so that each of them receives all the necessary help."
Kremlin pours cold water over possible plan for Easter ceasefire
The possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine during Easter has been dismissed by Russia.
Easter was celebrated by many Russians and Ukrainians over the weekend, but Orthodox Christians will observe the religious holiday on April 16 instead.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said the notion "has not been proposed by anyone, it has not been put forward".
"So far, there haven’t been any initiatives on this matter but our Holy Week has just begun. There have been no such initiatives so far".
Volodymyr Zelensky says trip to Poland was 'another step towards victory'
The Ukrainian President has taken to Twitter to thank this Polish counterpart after a recent trip to Warsaw.
He wrote: "My visit and negotiations in Warsaw were another step towards victory.
"Thank you for the agreed decisions, for the powerful defence package.
"Thank you for the lives we save with our solidarity!"
Huge explosion reported in Moscow suburbs
A huge fire has erupted at a large warehouse in the suburbs of Moscow, footage has shown, with plumes of black and grey smoke filling the sky.
The burning area is believed to be around 1000 square metres. The exact cause of the fire is not known but it has been suggested that oxygen cylinders may have burst.
\ud83d\udd25 A large warehouse with spare parts is on fire in the suburbs of Moscow
\u2014 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6War in Ukraine\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Rinegati) April 10, 2023
Before the fire there was an explosion. Probably, the oxygen cylinder burst. The burning area is 1000 square meters. pic.twitter.com/YdofhlseHo
Putin building 45-mile-long ‘mega trench’ over fears of Ukraine counter offensives
Russian forces have built a 45-mile-long “mega trench” deep in the occupied southern territories of mainland Ukraine, satellite imagery has shown.
Running from the village of Semenivka, six miles northeast of the centre of Melitopol, parallel to the Sea of Azov coastline eastwards to the village of Marynivka, the continuous trench appears to be the longest in Ukraine and can be seen from space.
Located at least 50 miles behind the frontline, it speaks to Putin’s paranoia over a repeat of the Ukrainian counter offensives that swept Russian forces back last summer and through to the winter.
ISW publishes latest update on Ukrainian frontline
The Institute for the Study of War has published its latest update on the developments of the frontline in Ukraine.
You can see the full map below.
NEW: ISW published a special edition campaign assessment Sunday, April 9. The report discusses Russia\u2019s religious repressions throughout occupied #Ukraine since the start of the #Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
\u2014 ISW (@TheStudyofWar) April 10, 2023
Our latest: https://t.co/IUAsH4Qrro pic.twitter.com/etJO85QdSo
Russia carries out strikes in eastern Ukraine
Russia has carried out a series of strikes in the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, in the Donetsk region, its local governor has confirmed.
Multiple buildings were destroyed as civilians fled to shelter. The area, located 40 miles southwest of the besieged city of Bakhmut, has come under increasing pressure from Russian forces over the last two months.
Earlier today, Express.co.uk reported that at least four people had been injured in Russian strikes across Donetsk Oblast in the last 24 hours. Avdiivka was one of the cities affected.
Today's Russian airstrike on Avdiivka destroyed another multi-storey residential building - Donetsk Oblast Head Kyrylenko
\u2014 Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) April 10, 2023
There were no casualties as all of the building's residents have evacuated before. In total, some 1,800 civilians remain in Avdiivkahttps://t.co/F41Njr27K9 pic.twitter.com/9YHsI9FlnD
British plane terrifyingly close to being shot down by Russia in near-miss over Ukraine
A “dangerous” but accidental interaction between a British spy plane and two Russian fighter jets last September, which was played down by the UK at the time, in fact amounted to a “near-shoot down”, leaked intelligence has revealed.
A series of US intelligence documents published on social media last week have suggested that the interaction over the Black Sea, off the coast of Ukraine, had been far more serious than UK defence minister Ben Wallace had originally admitted.
A missile was fired from one of the Russian SU-27 fighter jets but Mr Wallace claimed that had been down to “technical malfunction”.
You can read the full story here.
Lukashenko meets with Russian defence minister
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has met with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
Pictures emerged on social media of the pair meeting in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Monday.
Russia has recently stationed nuclear-capable missiles in Belarus ostensibly as a reaction to the West’s increased support of Ukraine.
\u26a1\ufe0fAlexander #Lukashenko met with Russian Defence Minister Sergei #Shoigu for an unannounced meeting in the Belarusian capital #Minsk, Belarusian state-owned news agency BelTA reported. pic.twitter.com/3yzIosqiR0
\u2014 KyivPost (@KyivPost) April 10, 2023
Russian air defence system destroyed in Donetsk
Footage has been posted to social media purporting to show a Russian Buk-M1 air defence system in flames after it was destroyed by Ukrainian forces near Panteleymonivka in Donetsk Oblast.
Video of allegedly destroyed Russian air defense system, as claimed Buk-M1. Near Panteleymonivka, Donetsk region. (48.2132516, 37.9612619) https://t.co/Id5No23cQQ pic.twitter.com/cg9qVRJrv9
\u2014 Special Kherson Cat \ud83d\udc08\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@bayraktar_1love) April 10, 2023
Ukraine alters military plans after mammoth Pentagon intelligence leak
Ukraine is set to change its military plans following a mass leak of US intelligence documents that detailed “critical shortages” among the defending nation’s manpower.
A source closer to President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that changes have now been made, though other Ukrainian officials dismissed the US intelligence information as “fictitious”.
The documents, first revealed by the New York Times last week, have been leaked at an inopportune time ahead of expected Ukrainian counter offensives in the next few weeks.
You can read the full story here.
Russia set to increase air defences over border with Finland
Less than a week after Finland officially became a member of NATO, adding more than 800 miles of contact with mainland Russia, air defences across the border are set to increase.
Russian Lieutenant General Andrei Demin, deputy commander-in-chief of aerospace forces, said on Monday that an increase in its air defences over the north-western border with Finland were “undoubtedly planned and will be implemented” in direct retort to the Finnish accession to the alliance.
In an interview with the defence ministry’s official Red Star newspaper, Demin said the purpose of upcoming changes was “the development of the armed forces, aimed at improving the air defence system of the Russian Federation”.
He added: “In these conditions, the air defence forces are working out issues of protecting the state border in the north-west of the country in accordance with the increased threat level.”
Russian shells injure 4 in Donetsk and damage dozens of homes
Russian shelling across Palm Sunday in Ukraine left dozens of homes damaged or destroyed, and injured at least four civilians in the eastern region of Donetsk, the local governor has reported.
Pavlo Krylyenko wrote on Telegram that the cities of Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk (an hour’s drive northwest of Bakhmut), Kurakhovo, Dachny and Avdiivka were the worst affected areas.
He said: “The Russians attacked Druzhkivka from Smerchiv — 2 people were wounded, 10 houses were damaged. The enemy also fired two S-300 missiles at Kramatorsk — without casualties.
“No one was injured in the Volnovasky direction under fire from Ugledar and Bogoyavlenka.
In the Donetsk direction, 1 person was injured in Kurakhovo — the city was hit by Hurricanes, 7 two-apartment buildings and the territory of the enterprise were damaged.
“Another 11 houses were damaged in Dachny. Maryinka, Krasnohorivka and Maksimilianivka were shelled during the day. In the morning, the Russians shelled Ocheretyne and Avdiivka — a house was damaged. In total, the Russians wounded 4 residents of Donetsk region in one day.”
Russia switching to Syrian ‘scorched earth’ tactics in Bakhmut, claims Ukraine
A top Ukrainian military commander has accused Russia of adopting “scorched earth” tactics in the eastern city of Bakhmut, “destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire” in a bid to raze the region to the ground.
The tactic, employed in their efforts to crush the Syrian rebels against dictator Bashar al-Assad last decade, involves obliterating territory prior to advancing their infantry into the area.
It has been described as a brutal tactic that causes severe devastation and leaves regions in complete ruins. It is also a practice that appears unconcerned with the lives of civilians residing in the area.
“The enemy switched to the so-called scorched earth tactics from Syria. It is destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire,” said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi. “The situation is difficult but controllable.”
He also said Russian special forces and airborne assault units were being brought into Bakhmut to help the attack on the city as members of Russia’s Wagner military group had become “exhausted”.
Russia’s assault on Bakhmut, a small city in the Donetsk region, has been the focus of the biggest battle of Moscow’s full-scale invasion launched in February 2022. The battle has waged on for roughly 10 months and has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers.
Remember this next time when russia will say that it is going to \u201csave\u201d someone. This is how russian salvation looks like #Bakhmut #RussiaIsATerroristState #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/i0RprSBZsT
\u2014 Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) April 9, 2023
First British AS-90 155mm self-propelled howitzers pictured in Ukraine
A video has been posted on social media purporting to show the first British AS-90 155mm self-propelled howitzers on the frontlines in Ukraine.
Britain pledged 30 of these SPHs to the Ukrainian Armed Forces this year, which it is believed will be used in the imminent counter offensives expected in the next few weeks.
Howitzers are artillery weapons with long-range capabilities that are often used alongside other artillery pieces to pave the way for infantry to advance through enemy positions.
Express.co.uk could not verify the video but the terrain is consistent with current conditions on the Ukrainian frontlines.
Reportedly first video of the British AS-90 SPG in Ukraine
\u2014 Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) April 10, 2023
\ud83d\udcf9https://t.co/uHufaOSFdZ pic.twitter.com/amOpnk1sxP
Here are some of the latest photos from Palm Sunday in Ukraine
Below are some of the latest photos from Ukraine. While many were trying to celebrate Orthodox Palm Sunday yesterday as best as they could given the circumstances, others were forced underground and into shelters as air raid sirens warned of incoming Russian missiles.
Russia conducting ‘campaign of systemic religious persecution’ in occupied Ukraine
Russia has committed “at least 76 acts of religious persecution” in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion last February, the Institute for the Study of War has alleged in a special report to mark the Easter weekend.
They stated that at least 26 Christian places of worship had been “closed, nationalised or forcefully converted” to establishments of the Kremlin-controlled Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
They added that at least 29 religious leaders or clergymen had been “killed or seized” for their beliefs while at least 13 places had been “looted, desecrated or deliberately destroyed”.
The ISW concluded: “These cases of religious repression are not likely isolated incidents but rather part of a deliberate campaign to systematically eradicate ‘undesirable’ religious organizations in Ukraine and promote the Moscow Patriarchate.”
Russia ‘expending significant resources for minimal gains’ in eastern Ukraine
Russia is using “significant resources for minimal gains” in the eastern region of Donetsk in Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defence has claimed.
In its latest update on Twitter, the MoD said that Russia was focusing its efforts on the eastern towns of Marinka and Avdiivka but had failed to make serious progress.
You can read their full statement below.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 10 April 2023.
\u2014 Ministry of Defence \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@DefenceHQ) April 10, 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/kQe3LB4QU7
\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 #StandWithUkraine \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 pic.twitter.com/6SKhqe02eM
Zelensky decries Russian attack that killed and injured family of three on Easter Sunday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hit back at the “terrorist state” of Russia after two members of a family of three were killed in Ukraine’s southeast region of Zaporizhzia on Palm Sunday.
He said on Sunday evening: “Tonight, the Russian army shelled Zaporizhzhia with S-300 missiles.
“They hit a house, an apartment building. Three people were inside. A man, a woman and a child - a girl, her name was Iryna, she would have turned 11 this year. She died. The man died too. My condolences... The woman is in critical condition, in the hospital, she is being provided with medical care.
“This is how the terrorist state spends this Palm Sunday. This is how Russia puts itself in even greater isolation from the world, from humanity.”
While Russia’s Orthodox Christian church will celebrate Easter on April 16, many Ukrainians celebrate Palm Sunday in accordance with western traditions.
Every bright Christian holiday teaches us that we may not know how, but we must be sure that \ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddfa evil will lose. We have to believe. And we believe. We must bring the defeat of evil closer. And we are bringing it closer. May the sincere prayers for peace be heard!
\u2014 \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 (@ZelenskyyUa) April 9, 2023
Glory to \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6! pic.twitter.com/1jmox8OaxK
Good morning
Good morning from London. I’m Tom Watling. I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: tom.watling@reachplc.com
Twitter: @TomAWatling