UKRAINE WAR BRIEF DAILY DRAFT
For: 2024-04-05
Slava Ukraini! In early 2022 I began a Telegram channel aggregating news from a number of sources daily on the war in Ukraine. Since June 2023 I have provided a daily draft for the Ukraine War Brief Podcast collecting news from over 60 sources daily, much of which forms the basis of the script. While the Podcast is on hiatus I will make this Draft available here both on my own Substack and The People’s Media for those who wish to keep up with events on a daily basis.
INSIDE UKRAINE
ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its situation update at 06:00 on Apr. 5 stated that it was day 772 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
During the past day, 65 combat engagements took place. Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 4 missile strikes, 80 air strikes, and 108 MLRS attacks across the positions of our troops and settlements. As a result of the Russian attacks, unfortunately, there are dead and wounded among the civilian population. Destruction and damage to residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure.
At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers continue to inflict losses in manpower and equipment on the occupying troops, exhausting the enemy along the entire front line.
Ukrainian missile forces struck x concentration of troops, weapons, and military equipment, 2 artillery systems, 1 radar station, 1 electronic warfare station, and 2 air defense systems.
Air Force Daily Report
The Ukrainian Air Force in its situation update at 06:00 stated that during the previous day it launched air strikes on 7 concentrations of troops, weapons and military equipment, and 2 anti-aircraft missile systems
On the night of April 5, 2024, the enemy attacked with two C-300/C-400 anti-aircraft guided missiles and three Iskander-M ballistic missiles (from Russia), as well as 13-style Shahed UAVs from Cape Chauda (TOT Ukrainian Qirim).
As a result of anti-aircraft combat by mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine shot down all 13 Shaheds in Zaporizhia, Odessa and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the Kup’yans’k, Lyman, and Bakhmut axes, in the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Kup’yans’k axis: The enemy did not conduct any offensive (assault) operations in this area. Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold their positions.
Lyman axis: Ukrainian defenders repelled 5 attacks near Terny and Yampolivka (Donetsk oblast) where the occupiers attempted to breach Ukrainian defensive lines.
Bakhmut axis: Ukrainian Defence Forces repelled 30 enemy attacks in the vicinities of Bilohorivka and Verkhn’okam’yanka (Luhansk oblast), Spirne, Chasiv Yar, Ivanivske, Stupochky, Klishchiivka and Andriivka (Donetsk oblast).
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the Avdiivka, Novopavlivka, and Orikhiv axes, in the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Avdiivka axis: Ukrainian Defence Forces repelled 4 enemy attacks,supported by aviation in the vicinity of the settlements of Pervomais’ke and Nevel’s’ke (Donetsk oblast).
Novopavlivka axis: Ukrainian Defense Forces continued to hold back the enemy in the vicinities of Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Kostyantynivka, Novomykhailivka, Velyka Novosilka, and Urozhaine (Donetsk oblast). The enemy made 20 attempts, with air support, to break through the defense of Ukrainian troops in that area.
Orikhiv axis: Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 4 attacks, northwest of Verbove (Zaporizhzhia oblast) and Staromaiors’ke (Donetsk oblast).
The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
Kherson axis: Ukrainian defenders continue to maintain their positions. Over the past day, the enemy carried out 4 unsuccessful assaults on the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces on the left bank of the Dnipro River.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing to report.
THE HOME FRONT
Strike on Zaporizhzhia: Death toll rises to 3, wounded to 19. Occupants hit the city with 5 missiles.
As a result of today’s Russian attacks on a residential area of Zaporizhzhia, three people were killed and 19 wounded.
This was reported by Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, Censor.NET reports.
"Three dead and 19 wounded. These are the consequences of today's hostile attacks on a residential area of the regional center. Four of the victims are in serious condition. They are being provided with all necessary assistance in medical institutions. Private houses and shops were destroyed. All emergency services are working at the scene to eliminate the consequences of the attacks," the statement said.
RUSSIAN WORLD
UK Intel: Russia seized 180 [mostly foreign-owned] companies worth $ 11.5B since 2022
The UK Ministry of Defence in its Intelligence Update of Apr. 5 stated that Russia has brought under state control some 180 companies, likely worth approximately USD $11.5 billion, since its invasion of Ukraine commenced in February 2022. Foreign-owned companies have almost certainly been prioritised, including companies owned by Russians who live abroad. This is highly likely due to the state’s desire to reduce foreign (particularly Western) ties in the Russian economy.
The Russian state has been redistributing assets to Kremlin-aligned businesspeople who support the war in Ukraine. This de-privatisation is likely linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call in his State of the Nation address in February 2024 for a new nationalist elite forged by the war in Ukraine. Increased defence spending has almost certainly increased financial pressures on the Russian state, alongside economic sanctions and flows of capital out of Russia since the start of the invasion.
“New Nationalist Elite” Where have we heard that before – Thanks Adolf!
Kremlin claims NATO and Russia in “direct confrontation” to deter Western support for Ukraine
The Institute for the Study of War in its Apr. 4 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment stated that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov claimed that NATO and Russia are in “direct confrontation,” likely as part of ongoing Kremlin efforts to intensify existing information operations meant to force the West into self-deterrence.
Peskov claimed on April 4 that relations between Russia and NATO have “slipped to the level of direct confrontation” and that NATO is “already involved in the conflict surrounding Ukraine.”
Peskov accused NATO of moving towards Russia’s borders, likely referencing Finland and Sweden’s recent accessions to the alliance, and claimed that NATO is expanding its military infrastructure closer to Russia. Russian officials have long attempted to frame NATO and the West as an existential threat to Russia as part of the Kremlin’s justifications for its war in Ukraine.
“Peskov’s repeated claims that NATO and Russia are already in “direct confrontation” represents an intensification of this ongoing narrative but is likely still part of Russia‘s reflexive control campaign that uses threatening language to delay and influence important decisions regarding Western support for Ukraine.”
This Kremlin narrative is also likely an attempt to pose NATO’s defensive activity in response to Russia’s outright aggression as provocative.
ISW continues to assess that Russia has been preparing for a potential conventional war with NATO, including through ongoing conventional military reforms and by recreating the Leningrad Military District (LMD) and Moscow Military District (MMD) in western Russia. Russian officials have accused NATO of giving Russia a reason to reconstitute the LMD directly on the border with Finland.
Grumpy here — So this is how Russian “logic” works: NATO assisting a country that Russia invaded is an aggressive provocation by NATO. Sweden and Finland - WHO HAD NO INTENTION OF JOINING NATO before Russia started to invade its western neighbour, wanting to join NATO for their own self preservation is also an aggressive provocation. Gotcha, makes perfect sense if you are a fascist dictator with a penchant for empire building.
Devastating drone strike destroys 6 aircraft, damages 8 at Russia’s Morozovsk airbase
On the night of Apr. 5 The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), working in tandem with the Ukrainian Defense Forces, orchestrated a drone attack on the Morozovsk airbase, located in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, according to SBU sources cited by Ukrainska Pravda.
“The attack destroyed at least 6 Russian military aircraft and inflicted substantial damage on another 8. Moreover, approximately 20 Russian military personnel were either killed or wounded in the incident,” the source stated.
MT Anderson, an OSINT analyst, after studying satellite imagery, estimates that the Morozovsk airbase might have had up to 30 Russian aircraft on-site at the moment of the drone assault.
NEWS WORLDWIDE
Musk again supports his pal Putin over US interests
Elon Musk reacted to the remarks made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about Ukraine becoming a NATO member, equating it to the “start of a movie about a nuclear apocalypse.”
Musk, never one to shy away from voicing an opinion on something he is totally unqualified to, responded after another Twitter user shared a video featuring Secretary Blinken stating that Ukraine will join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “This is literally how the movie about nuclear apocalypse starts,” Musk wrote, attaching a clip from the 1983 film “The Day After,” which depicts the outbreak of war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries, escalating into a nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union.
It appears the Billionaire’s [soon to be a millionaire as his companies flounder] depth of understanding of international affairs is about that of the plot Hollywood movie
German government responds to data on participation of German companies in construction in Mariupol
The German government has commented on a journalistic investigation that revealed that German companies are helping the Russian occupation regime with construction in occupied Mariupol. German news organisation Tagesschau reports
Mariupol was destroyed across the board by Russia. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed and displaced. Reconstruction plays a central role in the Russian propaganda war. Research shows German companies were involved in this propaganda effort.
One of the main German companies involved Knauf - a world leader in plaster production. Company patriarch Nikolaus Knauf was Russian honorary consul for more than two decades, in photos he smiles alongside President Putin. He retained this post even after the annexation of Crimea, the subsequent sanctions against Russia he described in 2018 as "terrible". Knauf claims to continue to employ 4,000 people in Russia, where billions are generated.
Another German company heavily involved is WKB Systems GmbH from Münsterland in North Rhine-Westphalia which supplies concrete blocks. The main shareholder of the company is the Russian oligarch Viktor Konstantinowitsch Budarin. Budarin used his German company as a supplier to the construction industry in Putin's Russia.
Berlin warns German companies against participating in Russian projects in the occupied city. A foreign ministry spokesperson said that the so-called "reconstruction" only serves Russian propaganda. "Every company that does this should ask itself what service it provides," the spokesperson added.
In turn, a spokesperson for the ministry of economy added that the customs service and the prosecutor's office should find out whether German companies have violated sanctions.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag, Roderich Kiesewetter, condemns the participation of German companies in the construction work in Mariupol. They put themselves at the service of a war contrary to international law: "This is very obvious at Knauf because they actually cement Russian power in Mariupol in the occupied territories."
This story also illustrates the close political, business and economic ties that still exist between Germany and Russia.
The Czech Republic explains how Russia is trying to arrange sabotage on European railways
Martin Kupka, Minister of Transport of Czechia, in an interview with the Financial Times stated that Russia made "thousands" of attempts to interfere with European railway networks as part of a campaign to destabilise the EU and attempt sabotage of critical infrastructure.
The minister suspects Russia of "thousands of attempts to weaken our systems" through cyberattacks since Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The hacking campaign included attacks on signalling systems and on the networks of the Czech national railway operator České dráhy, Kupka said. Past attacks have put ticketing systems out of service and raised concerns about successful interference with signals causing serious accidents.
“It’s definitely a difficult point . . .[but] I’m really very satisfied because we are able to defend all systems before a successful attack,” Kupka said.
The EU Agency for Cybersecurity published its first report on threats to transport in March last year. It said that had been “attacks against railway companies with an increasing rate, primarily due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”.
It noted major cyber attacks by “pro-Russia hacker groups” on railway companies in Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Estonia.
MILITARY & TECH
Czechia aims to deliver at least 800,000 ammunition rounds to Ukraine by June
As Ukraine grapples with a severe artillery ammunition shortage, Czechia pledges to contribute tens of millions of euros to the ammunition initiative.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, stated that Czechia will donate tens of millions of euros to help buy hundreds of thousands of artillery ammunition rounds for Ukraine, which is currently the most pressing need for Ukraine, Reuters reports.
Fiala said this donation would amount to the higher hundreds of millions of Czech crowns, equivalent to the low tens of millions of euros.
“This roughly corresponds to the share that a country of our size and prosperity should put in,” Fiala said, emphasizing Czechia’s commitment to contributing an appropriate amount based on its economic standing and size.
The Czech team, consisting of government officials and private companies, seeks to secure at least 800,000 large-caliber ammunition rounds from countries worldwide, with initial deliveries to Ukraine anticipated by June.
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