UKRAINE WAR BRIEF DAILY DRAFT
For: 2024-04-24
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. 24 stated that it was day 791 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
During the past day, 101 combat engagements took place. Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 5 missile strikes, 77 air strikes, and 76 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.
More than 120 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts came under enemy fire.
Ukrainian missile forces struck 1 UAV ground control station, 1 concentration of weapons and military equipment, 2 concentrations of troops, 1 air defense system, and 3 other important targets
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 17 concentrations of troops and 1 anti-aircraft missile system
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 5 assaults, with air support, in the vicinity of the settlement of Berestove (Kharkiv oblast). unsuccessfully trying to improve its tactical position.
Lyman axis: Ukrainian defenders repelled 19 attacks near Hrekivka, Nevs’ke (Luhansk oblast) Terny and Tors’ke (Donetsk oblast) where the occupiers attempted to breach Ukrainian defensive lines.
Bakhmut axis: Ukrainian forces repelled 28 Russian attacks, supported by aviation, in the vicinities of Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast) Verkhn’okam’yans’ke,Spirne, Novyi, Ivanivske 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 21 attacks in the vicinities of settlements of Novobakhmutivka, Novokalynove, Ocheretyne, Berdychi, Yasnobrodivka, Netailove, 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 Defence Forces continue to hold back the enemy in the vicinities of Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Novomykhailivka, Vodyane and Urozhaine (Donetsk oblast), where the invaders, with air support, made 24 attempts to breach Ukrainian defense.
Orikhiv axis: The enemy conducted 5 attacks, with air support, on positions of Ukrainian defenders in the vicinities of Staromaiors’ke (Donetsk oblast), Robotyne (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 on the left bank of the Dnipro River.. Over the past day, the enemy carried out 3 unsuccessful assaults on the positions of the Ukrainian Defence Forces in the vicinity of Krynky (Kherson oblast).
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Seven Russian officers killed in strike near Mariupol
At least seven Russian officers have been killed in a missile strike near occupied Mariupol, a Ukrainian official has claimed. As reported by The Telegraph
Petro Andryushchenko, an aide to Mariupol’s exiled Ukrainian mayor, said at least six missiles struck a camp being used by the Russian military in Babakh-Tarama, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
The attack caused at least seven fatalities, while more than ten other people were injured. “All of them [the victims] are officers, no soldiers live there,” he said in a post on Telegram.
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted key Russian bases deep behind enemy lines, using long-range missiles and drones.
UN identifies 85 cases of sexual violence committed by Russian troops in Ukraine in 2023
The United Nations human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine has documented 85 cases of war-related sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war in 2023, according to the 15th annual Report of the Secretary-General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence.
The UN reports that they documented the acts of rape against six women in territories of Ukraine under Russian occupation. The victims include 52 men, 31 women, one girl, and one boy, with sexual violence often used as a method of torture to Ukrainian men during Russian captivity.
The documented cases of war-related sexual violence include “rape, threats of rape, electric shocks and beatings to the genitals, electric shocks to the breast, threats of castration, genital mutilation, unwanted touching, forced stripping, and nudity,” according to the report.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine also found evidence of sexual and gender-based violence committed by Russian authorities against women, men, and girls in Ukraine.
THE HOME FRONT
Top priest of Moscow-backed church accused of leaking Ukrainian military checkpoints to Russia
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has accused Metropolitan Arsenii (Ihor Yakovenko), an influential cleric of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, of revealing locations of Ukrainian military checkpoints in the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk region to Russian forces. Metropolitan Arsenii, a Russian national, heads the historic Svyatogorsk Lavra monastery in Donetsk Oblast, one of Ukraine’s major Orthodox monasteries.
According to sources of the Ukrainian BBC service in the SBU, these events took place in the autumn of 2023.
The SBU states that even before the Russian invasion, Arsenii expressed pro-Kremlin narratives, referring to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine as a “civil conflict.” He has now been charged with disseminating information about Ukrainian military forces’ locations, an offense punishable by up to 8 years in prison.
The issue of pre-trial restrictive measures is being considered, the SBU states.
RUSSIAN WORLD
Russian Deputy Defence Minister was arrested due to special operation by Ukrainian intelligence
Russian Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov is in a Russian detention centre and being prosecuted by the Putin regime as a result of active measures taken by Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR). Ukrainska Pravda reports citing sources at the HUR
In March 2024, HUR conducted a special operation that resulted in them gaining access to a significant amount of confidential information and official documents belonging to Russian Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov, who is Sergei Shoigu's deputy.
HUR sources said that although Russia responded and made attempts to secure the relevant servers, the cyberattack was successful and achieved its objective.
Shortly after Ukrainian intelligence gained access to Ivanov’s official documents, Russian investigative authorities opened an investigation against him on corruption charges. As a result, Ivanov has been remanded in custody on suspicion of bribe-taking.
The Ukrainska Pravda source noted that the Kremlin had been well aware that Timur Ivanov took bribes [Grumpy says - well he IS Russian Duh!], but that wasn’t sufficient for him to be brought to justice. It was the media coverage of the information leak and the fact that the information had reached Ukrainian intelligence – not the bribe-taking – that was the real reason for his prosecution and arrest.
March Sees Record Number of Desertion Sentences in Russia
The UK Ministry of Defence in their Apr. 24 Intelligence briefing stated that:
“According to the independent Russian media group, Mediazona, in March 2024, Russian military courts sentenced a record high 684 members of the Russian armed forces for desertion. The total number of cases since ‘partial’ mobilisation in September 2022 is 7,400, with the Moscow area receiving the highest number of cases at 496.
Many of the soldiers who have been tracked down and appear in military court are given suspended sentences, returned to their units and to the frontlines. At the same time, asylum requests in Western nations from Russian nationals avoiding military service have reached record levels.
Russian soldiers, including those forcibly recruited during the September 2022 partial mobilisation, are required to remain in military service indefinitely, with little prospect of release.”
NEWS WORLDWIDE
UK sends largest fire and rescue aid convoy to Ukraine
The UK has sent the largest convoy of fire and rescue equipment to Ukraine since 2022 The Telegraph reports that the convoy of fire and rescue vehicles has already left the UK.
According to Home Office minister Chris Philp, the 33 vehicles, including 20 fire engines, are carrying over 2,800 pieces of vital equipment such as ladders, boats, and breathing kits to aid Ukraine’s “heroic firefighters.”
The convoy, which the UK Home Office funds, includes more than 100 volunteers from 15 fire services that donated equipment, as well as the Fire Aid organization.
“Putin is intentionally targeting civilians and civilian buildings in Ukraine, leading to unprecedented demands on the fire and rescue services that respond to these attacks.”
He argues that Ukraine’s ability to respond despite significant personnel and equipment losses “is staggering.”
Since the war began in 2022, 396 fire stations and almost 1,700 fire vehicles have been destroyed, with 91 firefighters killed, 349 injured, and five held captive in Russia. “Ukraine must win this war and we must never waver in our support for them,” Philp said.
US sets up “robust logistics network” for rapid delivery Ukrainian aid, Biden to sign bill today
The United States may send a new package of military aid to Ukraine ‘within days’ after President Joe Biden signs the relevant bill.
Pentagon spokesman, Major General Patrick Ryder, has stated that the US, in collaboration with its allies and partners, has created “a robust logistics network” to facilitate the swift delivery of defense aid to Ukraine. He noted that efforts are underway to ensure the supply of defense aid to Ukraine as soon as possible.
“We’re going to do everything we can to lean forward, employ that robust logistics network capability, employ the relationships that we’ve built with our international allies and partners, to get aid there quickly,” Ryder said.
President Joe Biden announced that he would sign the Ukraine aid bill as soon as it reaches his desk on Wednesday, 24 April, to facilitate the flow of arms and equipment to Ukraine this week.
“I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week,” said in the statement released on 23 April.
Scholz called on NATO countries to find six more Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on NATO countries to find six more Patriot air defense systems to transfer to Ukraine. BBC Ukraine reported
“We know that Ukraine now needs our support. She needs a clear signal that it will last long and on an ongoing basis. Our efforts are aimed at ensuring the supply of sufficient quantities of weapons, artillery and ammunition,” Scholz said after a meeting of the European Council in Brussels.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba previously said that Kyiv has identified 100 air defense systems in allied countries and is asking for at least seven of them to be transferred to protect Ukrainian cities.
Germany has already transferred three Patriot systems from Bundeswehr reserves to Ukraine, one of them quite recently.
“We heard that there should now be seven more systems. One of them is ours. And we hope that six more will be found in the NATO context,” Scholz said.
According to Scholz, Germany made the “most significant contribution” to strengthening Ukrainian air defense to repel Russian aggression. The German chancellor called on other NATO member states to follow Berlin's example "to provide better protection against the numerous attacks that Ukraine is now suffering from."
MILITARY & TECH
Ukraine negotiating local Patriot system production
Ambassador of Ukraine to the USA, Oksana Markarova, said in an interview with European Pravda that Ukraine is negotiating with the US government the possibility of domestic production of Patriot air defense missile systems.
During the visits of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the USA in September and December 2023, the issue of joint production of Patriots was discussed “quite substantively,” Makarova said.
"We are working actively. We have to start producing a lot of components ourselves, at least components, and as a maximum of some products already completed. We understand that even after our victory, Russia will not go anywhere, – she stressed.
Makarova added that Ukraine is requesting the transfer of ready-made Patriots, as the production of one system takes about 24 months.
The UK is sending Ukraine 1,600 Air Defense and Strike Missiles
The UK government announced on Apr. 23 that it has allocated its largest package of military aid to the Armed Forces of Ukraine worth GBP 500 million, or roughly USD 617 million, bringing the total commitment of military supplies up to 3 billion pounds in 2024. The package is expected to arrive shortly and contain mostly ammunition and air defence systems, drones, and engineering support equipment.
One item in the list of provisions, announced by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, remains unspecified: "more than 1,600 strike and air defence missiles" which are clearly separated from Storm Shadow land attack cruise missiles provided with this package as well. As for what kind of missiles will be delivered, Defense Express discusses the likely options.
In the air defence domain, most likely those are additional ASRAAM (AIM-132) missiles that are used with the secret air defence system developed by British engineers specially for Ukraine and additional interceptors for the Stormer HVM mobile launcher which deploys Starstreak or Martlet missiles.
As for "strike missiles," based on what has been supplied previously, two weapons come to mind. The first is the Martlet, a versatile missile, it can follow a laser beam to take down lightly armoured vehicles with its relatively small explosive payload of 3 kg, the total weight of the missile is 13 kilograms.
The second option is the Brimstone, a weapon that the UK has been providing to Ukrainian forces on a regular basis since the outbreak of the russian invasion. This 50-kg missile is designed to destroy tanks with high precision. Originally an air-to-ground missile, Ukrainian Defense Forces use it from ground-based launchers, both improvised and specialised, such as the Wolfram on Supacat chassis.
Depending on the modification, Brimstone can defeat targets within 12 to 20 range in a "fire-and-forget" mode provided by its active radar homing head, remarkable for its ability to discern targets against the landscape background. Alternative is the Dual Mode employing semi-active laser guidance. Launched in a salvo, the missiles exchange information about their targets mid-flight so they don't hit the same one twice.
The Brimstone missile is easily adaptable to be launched from either an aircraft
Or a ground based platform
The exact type of air defence and strike missiles planned for delivery to Ukraine is yet to be announced officially.
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