UKRAINE WAR BRIEF DAILY DRAFT
For: 2024-04-18
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.18 stated that it was day 785 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
During the past day, 87 combat engagements took place. Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 4 missile strikes, 57 air strikes, and 89 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 1 ammunition depot and 1 important target
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 8x concentrations of enemy troops
On the night of Apr.l 18, the enemy attacked 13 Shahed from the areas of Primorsk-Akhtarsk (Russia) and Cape Chauda (TOT Ukrainian Qirim).
All 13 Shaheds were shot down by the air force anti-aircraft missile units and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Poltava, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk 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 carried out 4 assaults in the vicinity of the settlement of Novoserhiivka (Kharkiv oblast) unsuccessfully trying to improve its tactical position.
Lyman axis: Ukrainian defenders repelled 3 attacks in the vicinities of Terny (Donetsk oblast), and Nevs’ke (Luhansk oblast) where the occupiers attempted to breach Ukrainian defensive lines.
Bakhmut axis: Ukrainian forces repelled 24 Russian attacks, supported by aviation, in the vicinities of Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast) Vyimka, Rozdolivka, Chasiv Yar, Novyi, and Klishchiivka (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 defenders repelled 19 attacks in the vicinities of Semenivka, Novobakhmutivka, Ocheretyne, Novokalynove, Yasnobrodivka, Netailove, Pervomais’ke and Novoukrainka (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 Krasnohorivka, Pobjeda, Novomykhailivka, Vodyane and Urozhaine (Donetsk oblast), where the invaders, with air support, made 23x attempts to breach Ukrainian defense.
Orikhiv axis: The enemy, assisted by air strikes conducted assauts on positions of Ukrainian defenders in the vicinity of 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 3 unsuccessful assaults on the positions of the Ukrainian Defence Forces on the left bank of the Dnipro River.
Ukrainian intelligence reveals Russian losses after strike on Dzhankoy airfield
The strike on the military airfield in Dzhankoy on the night of April 17 destroyed or critically damaged a number of Russian air defence systems. An air defence control centre was also hit, according to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. (HUR)
As a result of a successful operation by Ukrainian troops on April 17 at the military airfield of Dzhankoy in Crimea, 4 Russian air defence systems were destroyed or critically damaged:
4 launchers of the S-400 air defence system
3 radar stations;
1 - air defence control centre;
1 - airspace surveillance equipment Fundament-M.
HUR adds that the number of Russian aircraft destroyed or damaged and the number of casualties among the personnel of the Russian occupation army is being clarified.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strike on Dzhankoy. He thanked the head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, for organising the operation.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Debunking Russia’s Myths about the People of Donbas
Donetsk native Olga Cosse is a Licensed Professional Counsellor with a masters in Human Rights. She has published a fascinating new article on the United 24 website regarding the facts surrounding the years or Russian propaganda justifying their 2014 invasion of Donbas.
Amidst the war in Ukraine, Russia spins tales of language suppression and ethnic dominance. Through robust evidence, we dismantle these falsehoods and affirm enduring resilience of the Ukrainian identity of the East of Ukraine.
“Where and when did the Ukrainian language begin to be banned? Starting from the late 17th century, there were prohibitions on printing books in Ukrainian, and Russian Empire authorities confiscated Ukrainian primers from church services and schools. With the East of Ukraine becoming part of the Russian Empire, the Ukrainian language and culture as a whole were under censorship and enforced Russification. These and many other measures, implemented to different extents and with varying degrees of success, were enforced across most of the territory of Ukraine. In the East of Ukraine, russification was also advanced by educational reforms implemented by the USSR. Russian was introduced in local schools in 1938.”
— excerpt from article
While there have been efforts to promote Ukrainian language and national identity in Ukraine, there is no evidence to suggest that the Russian language was ever under threat in Donbas. Both Ukrainian and Russian have coexisted in the region for centuries.
“Another fact that Russian propagandists often avoid is the existence of the 2012 law On the principles of the State language policy. Just two years before the invasion, the Russian language was granted a regional language status, which in actuality was not in compliance with the Ukrainian constitution, violating Article 10. This was indeed confirmed by the Constitutional Court in 2018. To this day, there is no evidence that the new state law on the functionality of the Ukrainian language regulates private communication.”
— excerpt from article
In regards to the Russian propaganda point that "Donbas is predominantly populated by ethnic Russians" Donbas is ethnically diverse, with Ukrainians, Russians, and other ethnic groups coexisting in the region. The ethnic composition of Donbas has evolved over centuries due to historical migrations, industrialization, and cultural exchanges. Many residents of Donbas identify as both Ukrainian and Russian, Ukrainian and Urum, Ukrainian and Jewish, reflecting the region's complex identity.
“The industrial development of Donbas by the end of the 18th century influenced the rapid growth of the region's population, which eventually reached about 250,000 people. By the middle of the 19th century, its population reached 400 thousand. 62% of the population was Ukrainian and only 24% of the total population was Russian. Greek Tatars (Urums), Germans, Jews, and Tatars also make up a large part of the population. Moreover, there has never been a politically organised Russian minority in Ukraine overall. In the last census in 2001, 78% of the population defined themselves as Ukrainians and about 17% as ethnic Russians. Furthermore, the presence of Russians in the region should not be solely explained by the “proximity” of the countries. Russian settler colonialism goes back several centuries: it became widespread around the 16th century.”
— excerpt from article
Please check out the article that refutes all of Russia’s propaganda justifying their brutal invasion of Ukraine now in its 10th year.
THE HOME FRONT
Ukrainian defence industry receives first order from international partners to purchase weapons for Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Recently, Denmark announced a new aid package for Ukraine, which, among other things, includes almost $30 million for the purchase of weapons and military equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Ukrainian manufacturers. This was stated by the Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshyn in his Telegram channel, UNN reports.
According to him, this is the first such decision. At the same time, Kamyshin hopes that international partners will follow suit, as Kyiv has long offered this type of support.
The head of the Ministry of Strategic Industries explained that Ukraine's budget is no longer enough to fully cover the possible scale of the industry.
The capacity of the Ukrainian defence industry is about $20 billion. At the same time, Ukraine has only $6 billion for arms purchases. Roughly speaking, only a third of all the machines available in the country are in operation, because there is not enough money to provide orders for the rest
— Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Strategic Industries
He emphasised that Ukraine needs to convince its partners that it is possible to buy weapons for the Defense Forces in Ukraine. Defence contracts are an important element of economic support for Ukraine.
RUSSIAN WORLD
PACE declares Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church hierarchy complicit in war crimes
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) calls on all states to consider Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church as accomplices in war crimes. PACE stated it is appalled by the decision of the "Russian Council" associated with the Russian Orthodox Church to recognize Russia's war against Ukraine as "holy." This is stated in the PACE resolution of Apr. 17, UNN reports.
The hierarchy of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, including Patriarch Kirill, upholds the ideology of the "Russian world," declaring the war against Ukraine and the "satanic" West a "holy war of all Russians" and calling on Orthodox believers to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their country. The assembly is appalled by this outrage against religion and the distortion of the Christian Orthodox tradition by the regime of Vladimir Putin and his proteges in the hierarchy of the Moscow Patriarchate
- the statement reads.
It is emphasized that the Assembly condemns such rhetoric and emphasizes that incitement to commit the crime of aggression, genocide and war crimes is a crime in itself.
“The Assembly calls on all states to consider Patriarch Kirill and the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church as an ideological continuation of the Vladimir Putin regime, which is involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the name of the Russian Federation and the ideology of the "Russian world"
- the statement reads.
NEWS WORLDWIDE
Borrell: decisions to be made in the coming days to send more air defence systems to Ukraine
In the coming days, concrete decisions should be made to send more air defence equipment to Ukraine. This was stated by EU diplomat Josep Borrell upon his arrival at the meeting of G7 foreign ministers, calling for a speedy decision to support Ukraine, UNN reports.
"We, the Europeans, in Brussels or Luxembourg, and here (in Capri), the Western countries-Japan, Canada, the United States, plus Europe-must make faster decisions to support Ukraine more. Because we cannot allow Putin to win in Ukraine. And the Ukrainians are fighting, but they need weapons. They need weapons, and we have to provide them much faster," the EU High Representative said.
“This is the call I made to the EU defence ministers. In the coming days, concrete decisions must be made to send more air defence systems to Ukraine. Otherwise, Ukraine's electricity system will be destroyed. And no country can fight without electricity - in homes, factories, the front lines, everything”
— Josep Borrell, EU High Diplomatic Representative
MILITARY & TECH
Diehl Reveals the Number of IRIS-T SLM Systems in Ukraine and When to Expect Next One to Come
The manufacturer of these air defence systems has publicly announced the quantity of medium-range fire units deployed in Ukraine. Defense Express reports.
During the visit of the Vice-Chancellor of Germany Robert Habeck to Ukraine, the German delegation also included Helmut Rauch, CEO of Diehl Defence. The company has been producing and supplying to Ukraine surface-based launchers for IRIS-T anti-aircraft missiles, called the IRIS-T SLM systems.
"Three of our [IRIS-T SLM] systems are already in Ukraine and more will be delivered this year. The next one in just a few weeks," Helmut Rauch said in an interview to Bild. Also, the journalists mentioned each system costs about EUR 140 million.
As the SLM in the name suggests, it's a Surface-Launched Medium-range system capable of covering airspace within a 40-km engagement range. The systems have been arriving in Ukraine since around fall 2022 in secrecy, the first time one of those was shown to the public was in January 2023, making headlines.
Overall, the German government committed 12 medium-ranged IRIS-T SLM and on top of that, 12 short-ranged IRIS-T SLS systems to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with new supplies coming as soon as they are produced by Diehl. Besides the launchers, the German manufacturer is also ramping up the production of IRIS-T missiles to keep the systems working. As of 2024, the company makes 450 to 500 missiles yearly.
Ukraine may receive upgraded , modernised F-16s
Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, said Ukraine will get F-16 multirole fighters "updated and in good shape" and "with the latest weapons." The statement raises questions as the Norwegian military itself operates quite old F-16s. Defense Express reports.
Back in the early 1980s, the country became one of the first European nations to operate this fighter, alongside Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Norway ordered 60 aircraft, they were produced in versions Block 5, Block 10, and Block 15. By the late 1990s, all the F-16s in service got the Mid-Life Update (MLU) which included integration of the IRIS-T air-to-air missile for the Norwegian fleet.
The combat capabilities of the F-16 heavily depend on the modernization of this fighter
Therefore, the Norwegian minister's words should perhaps be understood as that the F-16s for Ukraine have undergone the said mid-life maintenance and are in good condition generally. After all, Norway did quite easily find customers for its used aircraft previously. For example, Romania bought 32 used F-16s for EUR 388 million in November 2022, although negotiations on this deal had been going for a while since October 2021.
Thus, even the current status of the Norwegian F-16s, with the MLU upgrade, in itself counts as "updated" and capable of using "latest weapons."
However, there's always room for a possibility that some greater enhancements were done to Ukrainian fighters. Especially because the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine has already been delayed: initially expected in winter, then in Q1 of 2024, now with the deadline set for summer 2024, there's hope that time was not wasted and the jets meanwhile underwent additional modernization.
This is evidenced by the example of Taiwan, which in 2012 signed a $3.7 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to upgrade 144 F-16 Block 20 to Block 72 (other sources say, $4.5 billion for 139 aircraft).
Main features of the Block 70/72 specifically is the integration of a much more powerful Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 radar, new digital avionics, electronic warfare systems, new weapons, as well as a significant extension of the aircraft's service life, and strengthening of its structure.
Ukrainian industry to produce 10 Bohdana howitzers this month for first time
In April, the Ukrainian industry will produce ten Bohdan self-propelled artillery systems for the first time. More are expected in the coming months, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. RBC-Ukraine reports.
According to the President, Ukraine's own production is constantly increasing.
"The state enters into serious, long-term contracts with our enterprises, which provide predictability, the ability to recruit people and attract investment. This month, our industry is producing 10 Bohdana self-propelled artillery systems for the first time, and in May and beyond - even more," Zelenskyy adds.
The Bohdana is a 155-mm wheeled self-propelled artillery system, the development of which began in 2018. In particular, it became the first domestic self-propelled artillery system to be developed following the standard 155-mm calibre for the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance.
The combat baptism of the self-propelled gun took place during the Battle of Zmiinyi Island in 2022. In 2023, it was officially adopted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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