UKRAINE WAR BRIEF DAILY DRAFT
For: 2024-04-14
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
GSAFU Morning Report
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its situation update at 06:00 on Apr. 14 stated that it was day 781 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
During the past day, 76 combat engagements took place. Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 1 missile strikes, 109 air strikes, and 115 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 2 concentration of troops, and 2 air defence systems
ISW — Russian troops conduct at least three operational-level efforts
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in their Apr. 13 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment reported that the invading Russian troops are conducting at least three operational-level efforts and have intensified their efforts to capture Chasiv Yar.
These efforts are not mutually reinforcing but allow Russian troops to prioritise tactical successes in their chosen sector.
Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, said on 13 April that the situation in eastern Ukraine had deteriorated significantly in recent days and that Russian troops were conducting mechanised attacks on the Lyman, Bakhmut and Pokrovsk fronts.
The report adds that Ukrainian forces are currently struggling with significant shortages of both artillery shells and air defence equipment, which are critical components of their defence, and that Russian forces are taking advantage of these shortages and improving weather conditions.
According to the observations and analyses of the Institute's experts, the Russians are intensifying their efforts to capture Chasiv Yar.
"If the United States does not resume its assistance to Ukraine, and Ukrainian troops continue to lack the necessary artillery ammunition and air defence equipment, even poorly trained and poorly equipped Russian troops may be able to conduct successful offensive operations," the report states.
In addition, analysts said that the offensive to capture Chasiv Yar would open up the nearest prospects for Russian troops to make an operationally significant advance, as the capture of the town is likely to allow the Russian troops to launch further offensive operations against towns that actually form a significant defensive belt of Ukraine in Donetsk Oblast.
Air Force Daily Report
The Ukrainian Air Force in its situation update at 06:00 stated that during the previous day they launched air strikes on 11 concentrations of troops, weapons, and military equipment, x command post, 2 UAV ground control stations, and 1 anti-aircraft missile system
On the night of Apr. 14, Russia attacked with 10 Shahed UAVs from the Kursk Oblast (Russia), as well as four S-300 / S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk.
All "shaheds" were shot down in Kharkiv region by the air force air rocket units and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
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: The enemy did not conduct any offensive (assault) operations in this area. Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold their positions.
Bakhmut axis: Ukrainian forces repelled 36 Russian attacks, supported by aviation, in the vicinities of Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast) Verkhn’okam’yans’ke, Spirne, Vyimka, Rozdolivka, Novyi, Ivanivskie, Opytne, Klishchiivka and Andriivka (Donetsk oblast).
Map of the Northern Bakhmut sector below
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 defenders repelled 9 enemy attacks in the vicinities of settlements of Novokalynove, Novobakhmutivka, Berdychi, Tonen’ke, Pervomais’ke, and Nevel’s’ke (Donetsk oblast) where the invaders, with air support, attempted to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their positions.
Novopavlivka axis: Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold back the enemy in the vicinities of Heorhiivka, Novomykhailivka, and Urozhaine (Donetsk oblast). The invaders made 22 attempts, assisted by air support, to breach Ukrainian defense in that area.
Orikhiv axis: The enemy launched 6 attacks on the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the vicinities of Staromaiors’ke (Donetsk oblast) and northwest of Verbove (Zaporizhzhia 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 3 unsuccessful assaults on the positions of the Ukrainian Defence Forces on the left bank of the Dnipro River.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Ukraine’s Air Force confirms April 13 strike on Russian command centre in occupied Luhansk
On the afternoon of 13 April, explosions occurred at a machine-building plant in occupied Luhansk, reportedly a Russian military equipment repair depot. Local sources posted photos and videos on social media that captured the ensuing fire. Rising smoke, typical of burning diesel fuel, was observed over the area. Some local sources captured the silhouette of the Storm Shadow/Scalp missile moments before a strike and speculated that it might have been the German Taurus missile. One of the videos captured two strikes while a plume of smoke was already rising over the facility, which suggests that at least three missiles hit the target.
On 14 April, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukraine’s Air Force Commander, confirmed that Ukrainian pilots conducted a successful strike on an enemy facility in Luhansk Oblast on 13 April, as reported on his Telegram. The Commander claimed that the Ukrainian attack hit the command post of the “Center” grouping of Russian forces in occupied Luhansk.
THE HOME FRONT
Nothing to report.
RUSSIAN WORLD
Russia claims Ukraine carried out large-scale drone attack in Krasnodar Krai
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that The Russian Defence Ministry alleges that Ukraine attacked facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation in the Krasnodar Krai on the morning of 14 April using aircraft-type UAVs. Russia claimed that 10 drones were used in the attack, and that all of them were shot down.
There has been no confirmation from Ukraine yet of the veracity of the Russian claims.
NEWS WORLDWIDE
Ukraine condemned Iran's massive attack on Israel
Ukraine has condemned Iran's mass attack on Israel, stating that Tehran's actions risk escalating the situation in the Middle East, according to the statement from the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Such actions are absolutely unacceptable, irresponsible, and carry the risk of unprecedented further escalation of the situation in the Middle East," the statement said.
Ukraine believes that efforts should be made to prevent the confrontation from escalating into a larger regional conflict.
"This attack once again underscores the importance of mobilising all forces of the free world to defend the global boundaries of democracy," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also strongly condemned Iran's massive strike on Israel. RBC-Ukraine reports.
"Ukraine condemns Iran's attack on Israel using Shahed drones and missiles. We in Ukraine know all too well the horror of similar attacks from Russia, which employs the same Shahed drones and Russian missiles, employing the same tactic of mass air strikes," he wrote on Twitter
He stressed that the world cannot wait while discussions continue because words do not stop drones or shoot down missiles.
"Only tangible assistance can do that. Assistance that we are waiting for. It is essential to strengthen security and resolutely resist all those who want to make terror the new norm. It is extremely important for the United States Congress to adopt the necessary decisions to strengthen America's allies at this critical time," Zelensky concluded.
US proposes debt to fund Ukraine using profits from frozen Russian assets
The US has proposed raising tens of billions of euros in debt for Ukraine secured against the future profits generated by Russian state assets that have been frozen by western countries the Financial Times reports.
The G7 group of nations has been split on what to do with €260bn worth of Russian assets put on hold by the west since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Washington has backed the idea of confiscating the reserves in their entirety and handing them to Ukraine, an idea European officials fear could violate international law and destabilise financial markets. EU countries would prefer to only give Kyiv the profits generated by the underlying assets.
But the issue of using Russian reserves to help Kyiv has become more urgent in recent months, with the war now in its third year and additional US aid to Ukraine held up in Congress.
“We’re at a point in which we should explore every possible avenue to maximise the value of the immobilised reserves for Ukraine,” Daleep Singh, US deputy national security adviser for international economics, said in Kyiv on Wednesday. “We can’t wait forever, we know that.”
He noted that Europeans had already shown a willingness to transfer interest from the reserves to Ukraine on a biannual basis. However, there were ways to “supersize the value of these income flows over time”.
“Instead of just transferring the yearly profits from the reserves . . . it’s conceptually possible to transfer the 10 years of profits or 30 years of profits,” he said. “The present value of those profits adds up to a very large number.”
The proposal is due to be discussed by G7 finance ministers on the sidelines of the World Bank and IMF spring meetings in Washington next week, and Singh said the goal would be to reach a decision on the matter at the G7 leaders’ annual summit in June.
ISW - Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel echoes Russian military tactics used in Ukraine
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its Apr. 13 Iran Update stated that overnight on Apr. 13/14, Iran launched a massive air attack against Israel, firing 170 suicide drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles. IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari reported that Israeli air defences successfully intercepted 99% of these, with all drones and 25 of the cruise missiles being neutralised outside Israeli airspace by Israel and its allies, as per the Times of Israel. The long-range Arrow air defence system was effective against many of the 120 ballistic missiles, although a few managed to bypass the defences and struck the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel.
Last night’s Iranian attack on Israel featured a composition similar to that of Russian strikes on Ukraine, in which Russia has actively experimented with various combinations of ballistic and cruise missiles coupled with Iranian drones, aiming to identify the most effective package to penetrate and overcome Western air and missile defence systems, according to ISW.
On 13 April, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force initiated “Operation True Promise,” launching a large-scale drone and missile attack from Iran directly targeting Israel. This operation, confirmed by IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari, marked the first direct assault from Iranian territory. Hundreds of drones, including Shahed-136 attack drones, were deployed in at least three distinct waves from locations such as Kermanshah city and Dokuh in Hormozgan Province. The attack was authorised by the Iranian Supreme National Security Council and supervised by the Armed Forces General Staff.
“Iran’s use of drones and missiles shows how Iran is learning from the Russians to develop increasingly dangerous and effective strike packages against Israel. Iran has also used the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea to refine Iranian drone tactics by testing US Navy air defenses,” ISW notes.
ISW said that the Iranian air attacks “provide Iran opportunities to evaluate the effectiveness of different strike packages to understand how they can evade and overwhelm US air and maritime defences more effectively.”
Meanwhile, Russia continued its Shahed attacks against Ukraine, although at a smaller scale, launching 10 Shaheds, all of which were intercepted within northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast, as reported by Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk. The night of 14 April saw multiple explosions in Kharkiv City, leading to power outages in several districts, Suspilne reported.
US, UK and France aid in repelling attack on Israel
CNN, citing Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson reported that military forces of the United Kingdom and France, alongside the USA, assisted Israel in repelling the large-scale aerial attack from Iran and pro-Iranian forces in the neighbouring countries on the night of 13-14 April.
"We are working closely with the US, UK and France who acted tonight. This partnership has always been close, but tonight it manifested itself in an unusual way," Hagari said. He didn't provide details about the nature of their involvement.
The Times of Israel notes that Jordan also assisted in shooting down Iranian drones, despite harshly criticising Israel for its methods of operation in the Gaza Strip. In an official statement, they explained that intercepting targets in their airspace was done "to ensure the safety of its citizens."
US President Joe Biden publicly stated that US forces in the region helped shoot down some of the drones and unmanned aerial vehicles launched by Iran at targets in Israel.
Unofficial reports indicated that the US shot down over 70 air targets, utilising fighter jets and missile defence systems aboard guided-missile destroyers.
Grumpy here — While not at all saying these countries should not have done so for Israel I do question why, if these nations felt free to have their armed forces actively involved in attacking incoming Iranian munitions, why they refused to do the same while Ukraine was bombed incessantly over the last two years. Noting that they were required to defend Ukraine under the Budapest memorandum.
German Chancellor arrives on state visit to China
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on Sunday Apr. 14 on a three-day visit. He began his visit in Chongqing. He will also travel to Shanghai and Beijing, where he will meet with Chinese leaders Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. DW reports.
Scholz intends to reassure Xi that Germany remains committed to conducting business with the PRC.
"China remains a really important economic partner," the chancellor told reporters prior to the visit, adding that he would work to level the playing field for German companies in China.
Scholz also intends to use the visit to encourage Xi to influence Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and help resolve Russia's war with Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Janet Yellen, US Secretary of the Treasury, indicated that she had "difficult conversations" about Ukraine during her four-day visit to China.
Media reports indicated that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in communications with his counterparts in the EU and NATO, stated that China was assisting Russia "at a concerning scale," providing tools and technology.
MILITARY & TECH
Boosting mine clearance efforts: Ukraine to receive 22 demining vehicles from Japan
Explosive ordnance disposal units of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service will receive 22 mechanised demining vehicles from the Japanese government, Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said after a meeting with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Euromaidan reports.
Last year, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that Ukraine needs $37 billion and over 10,000 deminers to complete the mine clearance of its territory. The country currently has only 3,000 specialists. Ukrainian partners have already allocated $250 million for demining efforts.
In February 2024, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine revealed that 156,000 square kilometres of land across Ukraine remained contaminated, as per Suspilne.
Following the statement, in early March, Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy signed an agreement with Palantir, a data analytics company, on collaboration in the humanitarian demining. Specifically, the deal entails employing artificial intelligence technologies in the process.
“By the end of this year, Ukraine will receive 14 mechanized demining vehicles from the Japanese government and JICA. Another eight vehicles will be delivered to the country by April of next year. NIKKEN company manufactured 12 of those vehicles, while another Japanese manufacturer produces the remaining ten,” Ukraine’s ministry’s statement reads.
That’s it for today’s Draft folks if you would like to keep up with events in Ukraine daily please consider subscribing, its free!
Feel free to share this update with your friends. Heroyam Slava!