​Day 40th of War Between Ukraine and Russian Federation (Live Updates)

Brief facts:

• Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmyla Denisova wrote about the violations of human rights of Ukrainian POWs by Russia
• The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky visited Bucha and some other de-occupied cities and assured that everyone guilty of military crimes in Ukraine will be included in a special Book of Torturers, will be found and punished.
• Kyiv region has been liberated from the Russian invaders. Horrific traces of Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity were revealed in Bucha and other cities after the Ukrainian army and journalists regained control over the territories.

Sources

• Verkhovna Rada: the parliament of Ukraine and its social media (Facebook, Telegram)
• President Zelenskyy: the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his social media (Twitter, Facebook, Telegram)
• Presidential Office: the Official website of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his social media (Facebook, Twitter, Telegram); advisers to the Office: Oleksiy Arestovych and Mykhailo Podoliak; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of Temporary Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk
• General Staff: the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
• NSDC of Ukraine: the National Security Defense Council of Ukraine website and social media (Facebook, Twitter); Center for Countering Disinformation at the NSDC of Ukraine (website, Facebook, Telegram)
• State Emergency Service (SES): the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on Facebook

Latest news:

Thank you for your attention! This feed is closed. But Defense Express has already started a new one. Find the latest news on Day 41st of the Russian invasion of Ukraine here.

23:55 An adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office Mykhailo Podolyak: Russia conducting special punitive operation to exterminate Ukrainians.

Read more: The Newest Russian Helicopter Ka-52 Could be Shot Down by a Rifle

Russia is conducting a special punitive operation in Ukraine aimed at humiliating and exterminating Ukrainians.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, said this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

"Barbaric warfare, attacks on civilian infrastructure, mass murder of civilians, brutal mass rape. All this indicates that the RF is conducting a special punitive operation in Ukraine. The purpose of which is the humiliation and extermination of Ukrainians," he said.

23:50 The press service of the Joint Forces Operation: Ukrainian defenders repulse seven enemy attacks in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian defenders successfully repulsed seven attacks by Russian invaders in the area of the Joint Forces Operation on Monday, April 4.

According to Ukrinform, the press service of the Joint Forces Operation said this in a statement posted to Facebook.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces destroyed seven tanks, eight armored vehicles and three artillery systems of the enemy in the past 24 hours, the statement said.

23:20 The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Article published by russian RIA Novosti is a piece of evidence for future tribunal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that an article published by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti entitled "What should Russia do with Ukraine?" is a piece of evidence for a future tribunal against Russian war criminals.

He said this while addressing the Romanian parliament via video link, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"On the same day, April 3, when the world was horrified to see the bodies of those killed in Bucha, an article justifying the genocide of Ukrainians was published on the website of the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Its name is quite eloquent, I quote: 'What should Russia do with Ukraine.' And it's not just text. This is one of the proofs for the future tribunal against Russian war criminals," Zelenskyy said.

He said the article describes a clear procedure for the destruction of everything that makes Ukrainians Ukrainians. Also, according to him, the article call for the "de-Ukrainization" and "de-Europeanization" of Ukraine.

23:10 Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych: Ten killed by cluster munitions in Mykolaiv.

Ten people were killed and 46 injured after Russian forces attacked the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on April 4, using cluster munitions.

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said this in a statement posted on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

He said that in addition to residential buildings, Russian troops shelled a city hospital, a regional hospital, the center for disease prevention, an orphanage, 11 kindergartens, 12 schools, a vocational school, and two out-of-school educational institutions.

22:45 TheMinister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and Foreign Secretary of the UK Liz Truss discuss sanctions against Russia.

Kuleba said this at a joint press conference with Truss in Warsaw on Monday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We have discussed the sanctions that should be imposed against Russia without delay. In fact, we have a common opinion with Liz, and I appreciate that Ukraine and Britain are united on this issue," he said.

Kuleba noted that the horrors of Bucha, Mariupol and other cities require serious sanctions from the G7 and the EU: "Half-measures are not enough any more. I call on our partners, on behalf of the victims of Bucha and the people of Ukraine, to apply the most severe sanctions against Russia this week."

22:30 Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk: Russian troops preparing to capture Kharkiv.

Russian aggressors are preparing to capture Kharkiv.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said this at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

"The enemy concentrated its main efforts on preparations for offensive operations in order to surround a grouping of the [Ukrainian] Joint Forces and capture the city of Kharkiv," Motuzianyk said.

He added that Russia continues to use high-precision weapons to destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine and is taking measures to form and relocate additional units from the eastern and central military districts to take part in hostilities in Ukraine.

22:15 The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office: Torture chamber found in Bucha (photos in the link).

Ukrainian law enforcement officers have found a torture chamber in the basement of a children's sanatorium in Bucha where Russian troops tortured civilians.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office said this in a statement posted to Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

"Prosecutors and Kyiv police found a torture chamber in Bucha. The police discovered the bodies of five men with their hands tied in the basement of a children's sanatorium. Russian servicemen tortured unarmed civilians and then killed them," the statement said.

22:00 The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) press service: Occupiers block ICRC reps in Manhush, who arrived there to help in evacuation of Mariupol residents.

The Russian occupiers have blocked the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who have arrived in the village of Manhush, Mariupol district, Donetsk region, who have arrived in the town they have occupied.

"The ICRC representatives were stopped by the police in the village of Mangush, 20 kilometers west of Mariupol. The ICRC team was stopped on Monday during humanitarian activities aimed at organizing the safe passage of civilians," the ICRC press service said in a statement on Monday.

21:50 State Emergency Service of Ukraine: As of April 04, 2022, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 161 children have died and more than 264 children have been injured.

Due to the active hostilities in affected regions, there is no possibility to inspect the areas of shelling and destruction. The actual data on dead and injured children in these regions are currently being established.

21:30 US defense official: Two-thirds of Russian troops left area around Kyiv.

About two-thirds of Russian troops that were centered around Ukraine's capital city, Kyiv, have "departed the area."

A senior US defense official told this to reporters on Monday, Ukrinform reports, citing CNN.

According to the official, the troops that have left the area around Kyiv are "heading north," and "consolidating in Belarus."

"What we continue to believe is that they're going to be refit, resupplied, perhaps maybe even reinforced with additional manpower, and then sent back into Ukraine to continue fighting elsewhere," he added.

21:10 Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko: Russian forces destroyed 90% of infrastructure in Mariupol.

In Mariupol, the Russian forces destroyed 90% of the city's infrastructure, of which 40% is beyond repair.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said this at a briefing organized by UkraineMediaCentre via video link.

"Currently, 90% of our infrastructure has been destroyed, 60% was hit directly by artillery or air strikes, and 40%, unfortunately, is beyond repair,” the mayor said.

He noted that the Russian invaders continue to fire on Mariupol, using heavy artillery, aircraft and now ships from the sea.

20:55 The first deputy chairman of Kherson Regional Council Yuriy Sobolevsky: Invaders kidnap head of Bekhtery community in Kherson region.

"We received information that today at 10:30 in Zalizny Port (the village of Bekhtery community) the invaders abducted the head of the Bekhtery community, Burak Mykhailo Ivanovych. Currently, his whereabouts are unknown," Sobolevsky wrote on Facebook on Monday.

20:30 The United Kingdom convenes UN Security Council to discuss Russian atrocities in Bucha.

The United Kingdom will call a United National Security Council meeting tomorrow, April 5, to discuss mass killings committed by Russian invaders in Bucha, Kyiv region.

Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom Barbara Woodward announced this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

“We’ve all seen the harrowing images and reports from Bucha this weekend, of unarmed Ukrainian civilians shot with their hands tied behind their backs, of more than 800 bodies left in the street or dumped in mass graves, of women being raped in front of their children,” she said.

19:40 The President of the United States Joe Biden calls for war crimes trial.

U.S. President Joe Biden called for a trial to take place against Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Russian forces following reports of Russian atrocities in Bucha, and added he was looking into additional sanctions against Russia.

“You saw what happed in Bucha,” he told journalists on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

Biden called the actions of the Russians “brutal”, and the Kremlin leader - a "war criminal."

"I think it is a war crime ... He [Putin] should be held accountable," he said.

The U.S. president also said he plans to impose additional sanctions on Russia over the brutal war it has been waging in Ukraine since February 24.

At the same time, he stressed the need to continue strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.

“We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight and we have to get all the details so this can be an actual -- have a war crime trial,” Biden said.

19:20 The operational update regarding the russian invasion as of 18.00 on April 4, 2022, key facts:

• Despite the so-called "official" russian number of casualties, the losses of individual units and subdivisions of the russain occupiers are periodically known. According to available information, the losses of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division (Kamyshin, Volgograd Region) of the 8th All-Military Army of the Southern Military District, in particular: the 33rd, 255th, 294th Motorized Rifle Regiments, which returned to their permanent locations, amounted to 40% of personnel, weapons and military equipment.
• Ukraine's Defense Forces continue to push back the enemy and liberate the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
• The existing military medical facilities in russia and belarus do not allow for the treatment of such a significant number of wounded servicemen of the russain occupying forces on the territory of Ukraine.
• In the city of Izium, due to significant losses of personnel of the 237th Tank Regiment and the 752nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division, the invaders were forced to equip a field hospital in the local school.
• In the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia region, in the town of Polohy, servicemen of the armed forces of the russian federation seized and mined the inner territory of the central district hospital.
• A russian military leadership is trying to make up for the existing losses of officers using the officers of higher military educational institutions.
• In Slobozhanshchina, in the city of Izyum, the enemy is carrying out filtration measures and forcible removal of local residents to the territory of a russian federation.
• Fighting continues in the territories of the Kherson oblast temporarily occupied by a russian occupiers. Around Nova Kakhovka, russian enemy increased the passing procedures on the checkpoints.
• The russian invaders resort to detaining civilians and forcing them into engineering equipment positions. Cases of illegal seizure of vehicles from the population have become more frequent.

19:04 Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmyla Denisova: Russia grossly violates the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

When released from captivity, Ukrainian soldiers told of the inhumane treatment of them by the Russian side: they were kept in a field, in a pit, in a garage. Periodically, one was taken out: beaten with butts, shot in the ear, intimidated.

Russian propaganda used the captives from the Zmiinyi (Snake) Island for propaganda purposes, spreading fakes about them being delivered home, but instead, they were taken away in an unknown direction and housed in a tent camp at an air temperature of -20 degrees, as a result of which many had frostbite. Ukrainian citizens were sometimes starved for several days.

These cases indicate the violations of Articles 13 and 26 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, stated Denisova and called on the UN Commission for investigation of Human Rights Violations by Russia and for OSCE to account mentioned violations.

18:34 Azov Regiment: Ukrainian politicians, industrialists and businessmen urged CNN media not to spread the Kremlin's propaganda and misinformation about the Azov Special Operations Regiment. More than 200 public figures signed the appeal.

The open letter is published on the Ukrainian MP Sergiy Taruta's Facebook. In it, Ukrainian representatives pointed out key misconceptions spread about the regiment and refuted them, urged CNN to publish the open letter and apologize:

"The narrative that the defenders of Ukraine are Nazis hurts the families of soldiers who have already died or are now completely surrounded in Mariupol. It also demoralizes Ukraine's opposition to Russian aggression."

The mentioned misconceptions are:

• The AZOV Regiment is not a wing of the right National Corps Party which it is often confused with
• The quote by politician Andriy Biletsky, when he allegedly called for a "white crusade" in 2010, was first made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in 2015. There is no other evidence that the ex-commander ever said that. The same Lavrov now claims that Russia is not waging a war against Ukraine.
• AZOV Regiment was not supported by Ukrainian oligarch Kolomoisky, as the CNN authors claimed. This narrative is spread by Russian propaganda to add additional toxicity for the American audience.

Read the open letter here.

17:21 Defense Intelligence of Ukraine: Russia is managing the supply of the sanctioned goods via the Georgian territory

Ukrainian intelligence claims that a large variety of goods for military, civilian and dual-use are smuggled to avoid sanctions. Some of the contraband channels pass through the territory of Georgia. Moreover, the representatives of Georgian special services were instructed not to hinder these illegal activities. According to the available information, the resume of airline connection is being considered in Georgia.

Another channel for military goods contraband is via Eastern Asia. That route provides optics, electronics and equipment components to the aggressor state.

16:44 Minister of Defense of Ukraine has published a statement: provided remarks on the current situation and noted the bravery of Ukrainian defenders and their leadership. Here are the key points of his speech:

• Russian plans were thwarted: the Kyiv region was liberated from the enemy who is also retreating in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions to regroup forces and change the direction of the strikes.
• The crimes of occupiers in Bucha and other cities will not go unpunished. These murders of civilians are what the SS troops used to do in the past. The intelligence is working on the identification of those responsible.
• The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhnyi is the only war leader in Europe who has military command experience of such magnitude that allows him to withstand the challenges facing Ukraine. There are only a few of them in the world.
• Minister thanked those responsible for the defense of Kyiv and the Kyiv region: the Commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi and the Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, the Hero of Ukraine.
• Kyiv was largely saved by heroic soldiers in Chernihiv and Sumy regions. Ancient Chernihiv with its unbreakable defenders turned into an impregnable fortress for the enemy. Several cities in the Sumy region at once took the hit and withstood it with dignity. The enemy is fleeing, even though it has more machinery. It just has no people like ours.
• The servicemembers of our Intelligence under command of Major General Kyrylo Budanov are working real miracles in different parts of the front. Someday books will be written about them. They did a great deal to neutralize the most trained Russian occupiers near Kyiv.
• Since the beginning of the invasion, we already have 84 Heroes of Ukraine in our Armed Forces. Sadly, 42 titles were awarded posthumously. Also, during this period 18 true officers were granted the rank of brigadier general. This is a new generation of high-ranking commanders, a manifestation of the modern Ukrainian army forged not in cabinets, but in battle.

The full statement both in Ukrainian and English is available on Minister Reznikov's Facebook.

16:23 President Zelenskyy visited the liberated cities of the Kyiv region, where the Russians committed numerous war crimes against civilians:

"With my own eyes, I saw Bucha, Irpin, Stoyanka after the occupation. We will do our best to bring them back to life as soon as possible," the President of Ukraine wrote on his Telegram.

At the conclusion of his visit, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a talk with journalists.

15:32 Nexta media: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the reports of the massacre in Bucha a "staging". He claimed that Russian troops had left Bucha on March 30.

The minister also said the issue of Ukrainian "provocation" would be discussed at the emergency meeting of the UN Defense Council. The Spokesperson for the Russian MFA Maria Zakharova had previously said that the United Kingdom which holds the presidency for April's meeting of the Council, had declined Russia's application. Today Russia again demanded an emergency meeting on the issue.

The Center for Countering Disinformation at the NSDC of Ukraine refuted Russia's allegations of "provocation":

1. Russian authorities published maps for April 2, stating that the occupiers were still in the Kyiv region, where the crimes took place
2. Independent media entered the city together with the Ukrainian army. All photos and video evidence have already been published

The Adviser to the Presidential Office Mykhailo Podoliak claimed that the purpose of the mobile crematoriums that Russia had brought to Ukraine was for hiding not losses but the traces of war crimes and genocide.

14:57 Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Mustafa Nayyem claimed that Poland and Baltic states close completely close the borders with the Russian Federation and its accomplice Belarus.

The official said, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will begin the process of full isolation from Russia in 48 to 72 hours. He thanked the ministers of the countries for the commitment and noted that the official announcement is yet to come. In case it is approved, any transportation by land with the aggressor will be forbidden.

"Last week, we officially appealed for the closure of any highways for Russia and Belarus. Our appeal was immediately responded to. We are waiting for the final result," Mustafa Nayyem said.

14:16 State Emergency Service: rescuers continue to demine explosives in the Kyiv region. Mines, munitions, grenades and other deadly "presents" are strewn all over the territories occupied by Russians until recently

While continuing the demining, SES of Ukraine warns civilians of the dangers and recalls today being the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action:

"How much we would like to continue to talk about its [memorable date's] significance, using only models, posters and dummies. And we never wanted our cities and villages, our beautiful Ukrainian land to become the manifestation of this Day, which is designed to draw the world's attention to the terrible consequences of armed conflict for civilians," SES wrote and provided numerous photos of detected explosives.

13:57 Human Rights Watch has documented several cases of Russian military forces committing war crimes against civilians in occupied areas of the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions of Ukraine (including Bucha). Human Rights Watch interviewed 10 people, including witnesses, victims, and local residents of Russia-occupied territories and anonymously published their stories.

"The cases we documented amount to unspeakable, deliberate cruelty and violence against Ukrainian civilians," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Russia has an international legal obligation to impartially investigate alleged war crimes by its soldiers. Commanders should recognize that a failure to take action against murder and rape may make them personally responsible for war crimes as a matter of command responsibility."

The HRW noted that the laws of war prohibit willful killing, rape and other sexual violence, torture, and inhumane treatment of captured combatants and civilians in custody. Pillage and looting are also prohibited. Anyone who orders or deliberately commits such acts, or aids and abets them, is responsible for war crimes.

13:15 Ukrainian intelligence has obtained a list of the servicemen of 64th Russian Brigade that have committed war crimes against the people of Ukraine in Bucha in Kyiv oblast, the Ministry of Defense stated.

13:02 Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine: The column of occupiers in the Ichnia direction was eliminated (Chernihiv Oblast). The Russians tried to protect the equipment with logs.

12:47 Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action:

“Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the problem of mines and explosive remnants of the war has become particularly acute, although Russia has been contaminating the Ukrainian land for the past eight years,” reads the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Ukrinform reports.

In this context, Ukrainian diplomats said that mines had to be cleared on 16,000 sq km of Luhansk and Donetsk regions after the first wave of Russian armed aggression against Ukraine in 2014. To date, according to preliminary estimates, about 80,000 sq km of the territory of Ukraine have been contaminated by landmines.

"While the entire civilized world is abandoning and banning anti-personnel mines, Russia increases their use in Ukraine and even tests new-type anti-personnel mines such as POM-3 (Medallion) and others," reads the statement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine underscores that the Russian military massively sets up booby traps while retreating. Russians plant mines on food facilities, private housing, and dead bodies.

12:10 The Special Operations Forces Command published a photo of the Russian 30H6E S-300PMU SAM radar station captured by Ukrainian troops.

11:26 French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that he is in favor of new sanctions against Russia over the atrocities in Bucha, an oil and coal embargo. The country will coordinate with European partners in the coming days, especially with Germany.

11:00 The Bucha funeral service has counted 340 bodies collected from the streets, but thatʼs not all: there are at least 20 more addresses for tomorrow. Many people are buried in backyard gardens, so the exact number cannot be determined.

10:15 Maxar Technoogies, a company collecting and publishing the satellite imagery of Ukraine, has reported the first signs of excavation for a mass grave at the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called and All Saints in the city of Bucha were seen on March 10, 2022.

The relevant statement was made by Reuters.

“More recent coverage on March 31 shows the grave site with an approximately 45-feet-long trench in the southwestern section of the area near the church,” Maxar Technologies noted.

A reminder that such settlements as Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel, and the entire Kyiv Region were liberated from Russian invaders. The mass murders of civilians, committed by Russian troops, were recorded within the liberated areas. On April 1, 2022, Bucha Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk reported 280 people had been buried in mass graves. According to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, 410 bodies of killed civilians were taken from the liberated areas in Kyiv Region.

09:55 Viacheslav Chaus, the Head of Chernihiv Regional Military Administration: In the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv Region, more than 150 civilians, mainly women and children, have been held hostage in a school basement by Russian invaders. The relevant statement he made on Facebook.

In his words, people were kept in overcrowded conditions and unhygienic environments. Ruscists did not allow them to take the bodies of the dead out, and people had to stay near corpses.

“Yahidne. The school basement. Here, the enemy kept more than 150 people at the same time. They were allowed to go out. Sometimes, not often. Here, people were getting sick and died. Here, the living were next to the dead. Hunger. Thirst. Fear. Pain. Despair. A bucket as a toilet. Stuffiness,” Chaus wrote, posting photographs.

A reminder that, on April 3, 2022, three villages in Chernihiv Region were liberated from Russian invaders, namely Kolychivka, Yahidne and Ivanivka.

09:09 Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said this in a statement posted on Telegram: Russian troops early on Monday launched several missile strikes against the city of Mykolaiv.

"Friends, Russian troops this morning launched several missile strikes against the city. We are collecting data. As always, I ask you not to publish any photos or videos until official sources do so," the mayor wrote.

08:40 Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine: In Ukraine, the war has killed 161 children and wounded 264 more. Most of them are in Kyiv Oblast — 75, Donetsk Oblast — 78, Kharkiv Oblast — 59, Chernihiv Oblast — 49, Mykolaiv Oblast — 34, Luhansk Oblast — 31. These data are not final.

08:02 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released operational information as of 06.00 on April 4, 2022 regarding the Russian invasion.

Key points:

• The military-political leadership of a russian federation has begun measures of hidden mobilization of reserves. Mobilization is subject to ordinary, sergeant, and officer.
• The main regions for mobilization are also defined: Krasnodar Territory, Perm Region, Republic of Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kalmykia.
• The command of the Armed Forces of a russian federation counts to attract approximately 60 thousand people during mobilization.
• In the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the defenders of Ukraine for the past day are reflected by 7 enemy attacks, two units of armored vehicles are destroyed, forty-three cars and an enemy mortar with the crew.
• Anti-aircraft missile forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 6 air targets.
• Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine aviation continued to cause rocket-bombing strikes on places of accumulation of russian enemy troops, columns of military equipment, and logistics centers.

  

07:27 The Command of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook: The Ukrainian military discovered a Russian Buk missile system during special reconnaissance and search operations near one of the settlements.

The equipment was found by a group of the Special Operations Forces and fighters of the resistance movement.

Next to the abandoned surface-to-air missile system, there was a Russian arms cache. "Soldiers of the Special Operations Forces are grateful to the Russian fascists for their gifts and are continuing their search in order to fully 'thank' them for the trophies," the statement said.

04:10 US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called the published evidence of the occupiers' atrocities against the people of Bucha "a punch in the gut."

He added that the State Department will help document any atrocities committed by the Russian military against the civilian population in Ukraine.

“We've been working to document that, to provide the information we have to the relevant instructions and organizations that will put all of this together. And there needs to be accountability for it," Blinken said.

03:34 The British Defense Ministry wrote its latest defense intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine on Twitter

Mariupol city is a key objective of the Russian invasion as it will secure a land corridor from Russia to the occupied territory of Crimea.

“Heavy fighting has continued in Mariupol as Russian forces attempt to take the city. The city continues to be subject to intense, indiscriminate strikes but Ukrainian Forces maintain a staunch resistance, retaining control in central areas. Mariupol is almost certainly a key objective of the Russian invasion as it will secure a land corridor from Russia to the occupied territory of Crimea,” the report says.

02:00 Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has also condemned the “egregious and appalling” killings of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.

He said Russia must be held to account , – The Guardian reports.

We strongly condemn the murder of civilians in Ukraine, remain committed to holding the Russian regime accountable,” he tweeted.

Those responsible for these egregious and appalling attacks will be brought to justice.”

01:40 Satellite images show mass graves outside of Bucha.

More harrowing details are emerging about potential war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, with satellite images showing excavations for mass graves in early March, – The Guardian reports.

Human rights groups have reported evidence of war crimes in Bucha and United Nations officials have called for further investigation.

01:15 General Staff: operational information as of 24.00 on April 3, 2022 regarding the Russian invasion. Key points:

• The russian federation continues its full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine. The enemy temporarily refused to carry out the task of blocking and capturing the city of Kyiv. The occupiers continue to launch missile strikes on critical infrastructure throughout Ukraine, trying to sow panic among the population and disrupt the logistics of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
• In the Volyn direction, the situation has not changed significantly.
• In the Polissya direction, the enemy completes the regrouping and is prepared for tredeployment of some units from the territory of a belarus to russia. Some units of the occupiers from the airborne troops are transferred by military transport aircraft to the city of Belgorod.
• In the Slobozhansky direction, occupiers continue to blockade the city of Kharkiv, inflict artillery strikes on residential areas of the city and try to regroup troops.
• In the Izyum direction, russians tried to resume the offensive, but were unsuccessful.
• In the Donetsk and Tavriya areas, occupiers continued to focus on capturing of some settlements and preparing for an offensive that may begin in the coming days.
• The enemy continues to storm the city of Mariupol with the support of aircraft and artillery.
• In the South Buh direction the enemy is trying to reach the administrative border of the Kherson region.

00:50 The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal: We call on our partners to impose devastating package of sanctions against aggressor.

Crimes of the Russian military against civilians in Kyiv region have shown the true face of Russia.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal wrote this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

“The occupiers' crimes against civilians in the Kyiv region showed the true face of Russia. Call on our partners to impose a devastating package of sanctions against the aggressor. Evil must be isolated from the civilized world. Need to stop Russia,” - he wrote.

“The worst we remember from history of repressions and inhumane crimes was repeated during the Russian occupation in Bucha, Motyzhyn and other towns and villages near Kyiv. Ukraine won’t forget these crimes of occupiers. We won’t calm down until we punish the guilty,” - he wrote.

00:40 European calls grow to ban Russian gas amidst genocide allegations.

In a shift in policy on Sunday, April 3, German politicians have indicated the European Union should consider banning Russian gas due to alleged atrocities committed in Ukraine, – The Guardian reports.

Defense minister Christine Lambrecht called for sanctions on Russia in interview on a German television program Sunday, clips of which were tweeted from the official defense ministry Twitter account.

The move marks a departure from previous German policy, which tended to oppose such sanctions. Other European officials expressed similar views, with Italian politician Enrico Letta tweeted the same, asking “How many Bucha before we move to a full oil and gas Russia embargo? Time is over.”

00:20 The Operational Command North: In Chernihiv region, three more villages liberated from Russian invaders.

he Ukrainian defenders have liberated three more villages in Chernihiv region from the Russian invaders: Kolychivka, Yahidne, and Ivanivka.

According to Ukrinform, the Operational Command North wrote this on Facebook.

“These settlements of Chernihiv region will remember the horrors of war for a long time. A pile of Russian scrap metal smashed and burned by the Ukrainian military ‘decorates’ the route from Chernihiv to Kozelets. Putin's killers lay dead on Ukrainian soil or fled miserably. Now the settlements have been liberated from the racist invasion,” the report says.

00:10 The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky: Concentrated evil has come to our land.

Russian invaders who refer to themselves as “army” deserve only death after what they’ve done in Ukraine.

That’s according to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who delivered a video address to the nation.

"After what was revealed in Bucha and our other cities the occupiers were expelled from. Hundreds of people were killed. Tortured, executed civilians. Corpses on the streets. Mined area. Even the bodies of the dead were mined! The pervasive consequences of looting. Concentrated evil has come to our land. Murderers. Torturers. Rapists. Looters. Who call themselves the army. And who deserve only death after what they did,” - Volodymyr Zelensky said.

He also addressed the mothers of russian soldiers: “I want every mother of every Russian soldier to see the bodies of the killed people in Bucha, in Irpin, in Hostomel. What did they do? Why were they killed?”

“Russian mothers! Even if you raised looters, how did they also become butchers? You couldn't be unaware of what's inside your children. You couldn't overlook that they are deprived of everything human. No soul. No heart. They killed deliberately and with pleasure,” – said President of Ukraine.

He also called the leaders of the russian federation to see how their orders are being fulfilled. “This is how the Russian state will now be perceived. This is your image,” - Volodymyr Zelensky stated

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky assured that everyone guilty of such crimes will be included in a special Book of Torturers, will be found and punished.

Volodymyr Zelensky also added that all partners of Ukraine would be informed in detail about what had happened in the temporarily occupied territory of our state. “War crimes in Bucha and other cities during the Russian occupation will also be considered by the UN Security Council on Tuesday," – concluded Volodymyr Zelensky.

Key points regarding the current state of warfare:

- Ukraine managed to establish the defense, the Russian offense has stalled, in some directions Ukrainian military intensively push back the invaders, numerous villages and small cities were liberated

- Russia uses terroristic methods of war, shelling civilian facilities where there are no military facilities nearby, keeping cities in a full blockade, and sabotaging humanitarian corridors for evacuation and convoys with humanitarian aid.

- Russian army targets nuclear power plants; Zaporizhzhia NPP is currently seized by the invaders; Russian troops have left the Chornobyl NPP poisoned by radiation; military activities by Russian forces near the power plants were described by Ukraine as nuclear terrorism

- Ukraine urges NATO to close the sky over Ukraine or at least provide air defense equipment: fighter jets or ground-based missile systems; some countries have expressed willingness to give their weapons if NATO provides corresponding defensive equipment in exchange

- Ukraine is willing to join the European Union, have sent an application which is being considered; during her visit to Kyiv, EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola stated EU would look for ways to facilitate the membership process for Ukraine

- Ukrainian citizens in the occupied cities rally against the Russians; on their part, the occupiers began to kidnap activists and authorities; locals are being forcibly "evacuated" to Russia with the following deportation to the depressed areas and appointment of jobs

- thousands of civilian volunteers join the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Ukraine has established an International Legion for foreign volunteers willing to fight for Ukraine, thousands have joined already

- Ukraine has had several rounds of negotiations with Russia; still, no significant progress towards ceasefire and peace, the main question, for now, is establishing humanitarian corridors for the supply of aid and evacuation of civilians; the negotiations continue "non-stop" in an online format; President Zelenskyy expressed readiness to directly talk with Putin; Ukraine has introduced "U-24" – a project on establishment of security guarantees to Ukraine by a number of guarantor states, including the USA, the UK, China and Russia. A few countries expressed their readiness to become such a guarantor (Turkiye, Germany, Italy).

Read more: Day 39th of War Between Ukraine and Russian Federation (Live Updates)