​Day 41st of War Between Ukraine and Russian Federation (Live Updates)

Brief facts:

• NATO will provide Ukraine with weapons to defend against a new offensive by the Russian army.
• President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced proposals for new EU fifth package sanctions against Russia.
• The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed a meeting of the UN Security Council.
• US and UK to request Russia’s removal from the UN Human Rights Council.
• The United Nations’ human rights office says there have been 3,455 civilian casualties since the war in Ukraine.
• Despite russia’s ministry of defense denied responsibility, Satellite images pruves that Bucha killings occurred during Russian occupation.

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 42nd of the Russian invasion of Ukraine here.

23:54 Presidential Office: President Zelenskyy held a speech to the UN Security Council

Read more: Ukrainian Special Operations Forces Destroyed 30H6E S-300PMU SAM Radar

His appeal took place on April 5, at the emergency meeting of the Council on the killings in Bucha. The Ukrainian President gave examples of war crimes committed by Russian occupiers in the city and stressed that there are more of their deeds in other occupied cities of Ukraine yet unknown. He called for a transparent and thorough investigation of these crimes.

"So where is the security that the Security Council must guarantee? There is no security. Although there is a Security Council, as if nothing happened. So where is the peace that the United Nations was created to guarantee?" he said after pointing out that Russian aggression poses danger to the whole world, not just Ukraine. President said Russia is violating the UN Charter from the very first article, committing "the most heinous war crimes of all time since the end of World War II".

He offered two options to the United Nations: to exclude Russia, which abuses its veto power to continue its aggression, from the Security Council or to change the format of the UN's work. Ukraine's leader offered to convene a global conference on security and establish a new UN office in Ukraine:

"Just as the Geneva office specializes in human rights, just as the Nairobi office specializes in the field of environmental protection, the Kyiv U-24 Office can specialize in preventive measures to maintain peace."

He said, if Russia continues to abuse its rights in the UN, the organization itself can be dissolved: "if your current format is unalterable and there is simply no way out, then the only option would be to dissolve yourself altogether."

22:50 Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights: the occupiers tortured Ukrainian women in captivity

Among the 86 soldiers released from Russian captivity were women who had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment in captivity. It was reported by Ombudswoman for human rights Lyudmyla Denisova. The women were taken to Belarus and then to a pre-trial detention center in Bryansk, Russia, where the women were tortured and threatened.

Russians unstoppably attempted to break the captives' morale: the women were stripped naked in the presence of men, forced to squat, constantly interrogated, and their hair was cut. Some of the women prisoners of war were forced to take part in the filming of propaganda stories, demanding to switch to Russian.

Such actions by the Russian Federation are a violation of Article 13 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, stressed Ombudswoman Denisova.

22:24 Center for Countering Disinformation: world's countries continue to expel Russian diplomats

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden has decided to expel three Russian diplomats. Last week, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the expulsion of 15 Russian diplomats and Italy announced the expulsion of 30. Yesterday, the German government recognized 40 Russian diplomats as "persona non grata", 35 diplomats were granted this status from France, and another 35 from Slovakia, 27 from Spain. Activities of the expelled ones were declared as contrary to the interests of those countries' national security.

In total, more than 150 Russian diplomats were expelled from the EU in the past two weeks. By doing so, the European diplomatic community condemns the war crimes of the Russian occupiers in Ukraine, the Center noted.

The Guardian: furthermore, in just two days more than 200 Russian diplomats were expelled from the EU. The Guardian and France 24 draw connections between these decisions and the killings in Bucha.

According to The Guardian, 206 Russian diplomats and embassy staff have been told since Monday they are no longer welcome to stay by governments in Italy, France, Germany and elsewhere. It brings the total of expelled Russian diplomats and embassy workers to more than 325, with more expected to follow.

21:34 State Border Guard Service: today, border guards shot down an enemy drone

Today, servicemen of the Kramatorsk Border Detachment shot down a Russian UAV in the Donetsk region. The enemy drone was conducting air reconnaissance when the guards shot it down with small arms.

20:55 Special Communications Service: Ukrainian troops shot down a Russian helicopter with an anti-tank weapon

95th Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has downed Ka-52 "Alligator" recon and strike helicopter. The weapon they used was not an air defense missile but a "Stugna-P" anti-tank guided missile of Ukrainian manufacture.

"This is the second time the assault troops of the Zhytomyr region destroy enemy air targets with anti-tank means," said the Airborne Assault Troops Command, SCS reports. More details in Defense Express' story.

20:30 President Zelenskyy: after the end of this war, the issue of security should be number one in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the prospect of a security agreement in an interview to the Ukrainian media. The idea of security guarantees was first explained at the Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul at the end of March. The Ukrainian president said, there is no need for a large circle of guarantor countries, but a few "serious players":

"We need a circle of states that are ready to provide any weapons within 24 hours. We need individual countries on which sanctions policy really depends so that these sanctions are deeply elaborated in advance. So that in the first second when we feel the threat from the Russian Federation, these states will unite and within three days introduce everything at once, block everything"

According to Zelenskyy, representatives of some countries have already expressed a desire to become guarantors of security, but no joint meeting has taken place yet. Ukraine is discussing the provision of guarantees with France, the United States, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, and Israel. Also, he noted that even if Ukraine signs the most powerful security agreement, Russia may return. Therefore, it is necessary to build a state that will be able to defend itself.

"I think all our people will be our great army. We cannot talk about "Switzerland of the future" – probably, our state will be able to be like this a long time after. But we will definitely become a "big Israel" with its own face. We will not be surprised that we will have representatives of the Armed Forces or the National Guard in all institutions, supermarkets, cinemas, there will be people with weapons. I am sure that our security issue will be number one in the next ten years," the President said."

19:54 Zakarpattia region administration: Western Ukraine has received 18 special modular buildings to ensure Ukrainians who'd lost their homes would have a place to live in.

Modular buildings are easily transported and installed in minutes, and they have everything necessary for the temporary accommodation of families, said Viktor Mykyta, the Head of the Zakarpattia region administration. These "modular houses" will be delivered to the Kyiv region where a lot of residential infrastructure is ruined: in Bucha, Gostomel and other cities.

«George E. Pataki Leadership Center» and «The Ukrainian relief found» contributed to the provision of these modular buildings. Former New York Governor George E. Pataki said such constructions had been used in the USA for settlement of people suffered from cataclysms.

19:49 Security Service of Ukraine: Russia is preparing a large-scale provocation in Mariupol to blame Ukraine for it

The invaders are planning to collect the bodies of Mariupol residents killed by the Russians in one place, and present them as mass victims of Ukrainian troops. They also spread the false idea that Mariupol defenders commit other crimes against civilians, use them as a "living shield".

This way, the occupiers are planning to divert the attention of their and international audience away from the Bucha massacre.

19:03 NATO will provide Ukraine with weapons to defend against a new offensive by the Russian army, which is expected in Donbas in a few weeks. This was stated by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference in Brussels, "Ukrinform" reports.

18:46 President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday proposals for new EU fifth package sanctions against Russia.

"We will impose an import ban on coal from Russia worth EUR 4 billion per year. This will cut another important revenue source for Russia. Second, A full transaction ban on four key Russian banks, among them is VTB, the second largest Russian bank," von der Leyen said in a statement published on Twitter.

She also announced a ban on Russian vessels and Russia-operated vessels from accessing EU ports and a ban on Russian and Belarusian road transport operators from entering the EU.

"Further targeted export bans worth EUR 10 billion in areas I which Russia is vulnerable: this includes, for example, quantum computers and advanced semiconductors, but also sensitive machinery and transportation equipment," the President of the European Commission said in the video statement.

It also announced "specific new import bans" worth EUR 5.5 billion.

"We take a number of very targeted measures, such as a general EU ban on participation of Russian companies in public procurement in member states or an exclusion of all financial support… to Russian public bodies."

"Further listings of individuals" are proposed.

"We are working on additional sanctions, including on oil imports, and we are reflecting on some of the ideas presented by the member states, such as taxes or specific payment channels, such as an escrow account," von der Leyen said.

18:30 The Rating Sociological Group: According to a survey conducted by this Group on March 30-31, support for Ukraine joining the European Union reached a record 91%, while the number of those wishing to join NATO decreased.

"Support for NATO membership is on continued decline. It should be recalled that in the first days of the war, support for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance increased from 62 to 76% before dropping to 72% over the first week of hostilities and further down to 68% as of late March, that is, reaching the pre-war figures," Rating said in a statement.

At the same time, support for EU accession is on the rise. In the first days of the war there was an increase from 68 to 86%, and then the growth continued up to 91%, which is an absolute high throughout the years of research.

"At the same time, the majority (56%) are convinced that Ukraine will become a member of the European Union in one or two years, while 23% believe this will happen in five years. Within a month, the share of those who think Ukraine will join the European Union in short-term perspective slid from 61% to 56%, while the share of respondents who believe in Ukraine joining the bloc in five years rose from 13% to 23%,"said sociologists.

The poll was run on March 30-31, covering 1,500 respondents aged 18 and older from all regions, except for the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The sample is representative by age, sex and type of settlement. The survey was conducted through computer assisted telephone interviews.

17:56 The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed a meeting of the UN Security Council. He accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine and called it a "colonizer" who went to war to seize Ukrainian wealth and people. Zelenskyy also criticized Russia for violating the UN Charter and using the veto in the Security Council as a "right of death»

To ensure peace in Ukraine, Zelenskyy called for removing Russia as an aggressor from the Security Council's decisions, reformatting or dissolving the organization.

The Ukrainian president also proposed holding a conference on UN reform in peaceful Kyiv, which would deprive some countries of their "privileged position."

17:12 The British Ministry of Defense has released a map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as of April 5.

16:35 Latvia is closing two Russian consulates - in Daugavpils and Liepaja and recognizes Russian diplomats from these consulates as persona non grata in the country, according to the Latvian Foreign Ministry.

"The decision was made in solidarity with Ukraine in its fight against unprovoked and unjustified military aggression and the war launched by Russia. Latvia has repeatedly and strongly condemned the aggression of the Russian Federation and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The international community has received numerous reports of killings, atrocities, and war crimes committed by Russian troops against civilians, and of Russian servicemen deliberately attacking civilian property and infrastructure in the occupied regions of Ukraine, " the Latvian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

16:03 The Head of the Mykolayiv Oblast State Administration Vitaly Kim published the video of yesterdayʼs blow on the childrenʼs hospital.

15:45 The Head of Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration, Vyacheslav Chaus, urged Chernihiv residents who had left the city not to return.

"We are now looking at the traffic on the roads of the oblast, and we see a sincere desire of Chernihiv residents to return home. You shouldnʼt do that. We will rebuild Chernihiv, but it will take time. And now we have a big problem with the cityʼs communications, which have been destroyed in many areas. The less resources Chernihiv consumes now, the sooner we will restore it", — Chaus said.

15:01 The Security Service of Ukraine: the occupiers are preparing a large-scale falsification in Mariupol. They plan to gather in one place the bodies of the Mariupol people they killed and pretend to be mass victims of Ukrainian troops. To this end, they have recently been spreading false theses that "Ukrainians are using civilians as human shields".

"In fact, it is the Russian troops who are eliminating the people of Mariupol — in early March the city was already forced to bury the dead in mass graves", - said the Security Service. The Special services add that they will make every effort to hold each occupier accountable for the atrocities committed.

13:41 Mass cases of torture of civilians are recorded in the territories liberated from the occupiers, according to Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova.

• Killed children under the age of 10 with signs of rape and torture were found in Irpen.
• For three weeks, the childrenʼs camp "Prolisok" in Kyiv Oblast housed the base of a Russian army unit. Five corpses of men with their hands tied behind their backs were found in the basement of the building. They were tortured and then killed in cold blood. One of the victims had his skull crushed with butt blows with extreme cruelty. Others were shot in the back of the head or chest.
• In the village of Viktorivka in Chernihiv Oblast, which has been under occupation for 25 days, the Russians held people hostage in the basement, from the elderly to newborns. To collect at least a bucket of water, the peasants were sent under escort. No medication was given, even to those whose lives depended on certain medicines. One person with asthma died, the body was buried nearby in the woods.
• At least three tortured Ukrainian civilians have already been found in the Konotop district of Sumy Oblast on the sites of former enemy camps.
• Due to inhumane living conditions and infections brought by the occupiers, a number of diseases spread, including chickenpox.

Torture and killing of civilians is a crime against humanity and a war crime under Articles 7 and 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, for which rucsists are awaited by the International Military Tribunal.

12:45 Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Synehubov posted on Telegram:

"Over the past day, the occupiers launched 54 attacks from various types of long-range weapons: artillery, mortar, tank shelling, MLRS shelling. The districts of Saltivka, Pyatykhatky, Oleksiyivka, Kholodna Hora, Derhachi, Barvinkove, Chuhuiv were affected. There are civilian casualties in yesterday's shelling of Kharkiv and Chuhuiv. In Kharkiv and the district – four people killed, three people hospitalized. In Chuhuiv district – two people killed, five people injured".

He noted that residents of Barvinkove and Lozova were recommended to leave.

"Kharkiv region is ready for any scenarios, our Armed Forces of Ukraine are on the positions and defend the region. We have to hold a strong rear," Synehubov added.

12:23 The head of Governor of Luhansk Oblast Serhiy Haidai: the occupiers hit a tank with nitric acid. Residents are asked to close the windows and prepare wet face masks.

12:10 Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine: Russian servicemen who committed atrocities in Bucha are being returned to Ukraine. This is the 64th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 35th All-Russian Army. The Russian command will not rotate the personnel in this unit and will throw it back to the frontline. As of April 4, the brigade was withdrawn from Ukraine to Belarus and was near the town of Mozyr. By April 6, the military will be transported by rail to Belgorod, Russia. After a two-day vacation, they plan to return to Ukraine in one of the "hottest" places (approximately -- the Kharkiv direction). Aware of the resonance of the events in Bucha, the Russian military is massively resisting the return to Ukraine. However, the Russian command ignores these sentiments and threatens the tribunal, not accepting reports of dismissal.

11:55 The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office: Russian troops launched a missile strike on Kramatorsk at night, destroying secondary school No.15.

“Under the procedural guidance of the regional prosecutor's office, a pre-trial investigation is carried out in criminal proceedings over the violation of the laws and customs of war (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine),” the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office posted on Facebook.

According to the investigation data, on the night of April 5, the Russian armed forces launched a missile strike on Kramatorsk. As a result of the enemy attack, secondary school No.15 was partially destroyed. A funnel 15m wide and almost 3m deep was recorded at the site of the Russian missile strike.

Full information on civilian casualties and infrastructure damages is currently being established. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

11:25 The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine: Five bridges were destroyed in the Kyiv region.

According to The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, as a result of Russia's criminal actions in the Kyiv region destroyed:

• bridge on the highway M-06 Kyiv-Chop, Stoyanka;

• the bridge between Bucha village and the city of Irpin;

• bridge over the river Bucha, on the road T-10-01;

• bridge on the road P-30 to the city of Irpin km 6+000;

• bridge on the road M-07 Kyiv - Kovel - Yahodyn km 23+000 across the river Irpin in Gostomel.

10:50 Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine: Seven humanitarian corridors to be opened in Ukraine today.

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said there will be an attempt to open seven humanitarian corridors today.

10:40 The Air Command "West": Ukraine’s air defense destroys 3 cruise missiles launched by Su-35 fighters from Belarus.

On the night of April 5, two Russian Su-35 fighters launched cruise missiles into Ukraine from the territory of Belarus, but the Ukrainian air defense intercepted the missiles.

“Russcists could have been aiming at civilian infrastructure in several western regions,” the Air Command "West" posted on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

Three cruise missiles were destroyed by anti-aircraft systems, and the fourth one was damaged, which prevented it from hitting the target accurately.

The enemy aimed missiles and conducted reconnaissance of the strike results by two operational-tactical UAVs, which were also destroyed by anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Command “West”.

10:10 U.S. to announce additional military aid to Ukraine in coming days.

In the coming days, the United States will announce additional military aid to Ukraine, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday.

Military assistance from the United States and its allies is arriving every day, including today, and we will be announcing additional military support in the coming days, Sullivan said during a White House press briefing on April 4.

He noted that since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the United States has provided Ukraine with weapons and ammunition in the amount of $1.65 billion.

Earlier it was reported that a group of U.S. senators asked Sullivan to speed up the supply of military assistance to Ukraine and report on the amount of weapons transferred to Kyiv since the start of a full-scale Russian invasion.

The letter was signed by 25 senators from two parties.

09:45 Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine: Some 165 children killed in Ukraine due to armed aggression of Russia.

Some 165 children killed in Ukraine due to armed aggression of Russia

As of the morning of April 5, 2022, some 165 children in Ukraine were killed and 266 were injured of varying severity as a result of a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported.

"These figures are not final, since work is underway to establish them in places of active hostilities, in temporarily occupied and liberated territories. In particular, in the city of Mariupol, in certain territories of Kyiv, Chernihiv and Luhansk regions," the report says.

Children suffered the most in Kyiv region - 77, Donetsk region - 78, Kharkiv region - 61, Chernihiv region - 49, Mykolaiv region - 35, Luhansk region - 31, Zaporizhia region - 22, Kherson region - 29, the capital - 16, Sumy region - 16, Zhytomyr region - 15.

It is noted that on April 4, as a result of the shelling of the city of Mykolaiv by the armed forces of the Russian Federation, a child was killed.

"Due to the bombing and shelling, 869 educational institutions were damaged, 83 of them were completely destroyed," the Prosecutor General's Office said.

09:35 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has posted the new summary of total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 04.04. Find them in an infographic by Defense Express:

So far, the list of enemy's combat losses is the following:

Personnel - more 18 500,

Tanks ‒ 676 units,

APV ‒ 1858 units,

Artillery systems – 332 units,

MLRS – 107 units,

Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 55 units,

Aircraft – 150 units,

Helicopters – 134 units,

Vehicles – 1322 units,

Boats / cutters - 7 units,

Fuel tanks - 76,

UAV operational-tactical level - 94 units,

Special equipment – 25,

Mobile SRBM system - 4.

Data are being updated. The calculation is complicated by the intensity of hostilities.

09:00 UK Ministry of Defense: Ukrainian forces retake key terrain in north after forcing Russia to retrea.

Ukrainian forces have retaken key terrain in the north of Ukraine, after denying Russia the ability to secure its objectives and forcing Russian troops to retreat from the areas around Chernihiv and north of Kyiv, the UK’s ministry of defense claims.

The latest British intelligence report, released just after 6am GMT, reads:

“Low-level fighting is likely to continue in some parts of the newly recaptured regions, but diminish significantly over this week as the remainder of Russian forces withdraw.

Many Russian units withdrawing from northern Ukraine are likely to require significant re-equipping and refurbishment before being available to redeploy for operations in eastern Ukraine.”

08:40 US and UK to request Russia’s removal from the UN human rights council.

The United States and Britain announced plans to seek Russia’s suspension from the UN human rights council following allegations that Russian troops systematically executed civilians in Bucha, Ukraine, – The Guardian reports.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, called for the international body to suspend Russia ideally some time this week. In a statement published late on Sunday, she said:

Russia’s participation on the Human Rights Council is a farce.

It hurts the credibility of the Council and the UN writ large. And it is simply wrong. Which is why we believe it is time for the UN General Assembly to suspend them.

“My message to those 140 countries who have courageously stood together is: the images out of Bucha and devastation across Ukraine require us to now match our words with action.”

“We cannot let a member state that is subverting every principle we hold dear to continue to participate” in the council, she said. A vote on Russia’s suspension could be held by Thursday, according to the US.

British foreign secretary Liz Truss was in agreement, saying: “Given strong evidence of war crimes, including reports of mass graves and heinous butchery in Bucha, Russia cannot remain a member of the UN Human Rights Council. Russia must be suspended.”

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he spoke with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres about events in Bucha and tweeted: “No place for Russia on the UN Human Rights Council.”

“Ukraine will use all available UN mechanisms to collect evidence and hold Russian war criminals to account,” Kuleba said.

08:20 The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is set to address the United Nations security council today, after saying it is in Kyiv’s interest to have the most open investigation into the killing of civilians in Ukraine.

During the address he is expected to demand tough new sanctions on Moscow over killings in the town of Bucha he has called “war crimes” and “genocide,” – The Guardian reports.

Speaking on Monday, April 4, he said that in Bucha, where mass graves and bodies were found after Ukraine took the town back from Russian forces, at least 300 civilians have been killed, and he expects that in Borodyanka and other towns the number of casualties may be even higher.

“I would like to emphasise that we are interested in the most complete, transparent investigation, the results of which will be known and explained to the entire international community,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

07:20 General Staff: operational information as of on 06.00 on April 5, 2022 regarding the Russian invasion. Key points:

• The russian federation is regrouping troops and concentrating its efforts on preparing an offensive operation in the east of our country. The goal is to establish full control over the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
• The enemy is trying to improve the position of units in the Tavriya and Pivdennobuzhsky operational areas.
• The aggressor’s units withdrawn from Polissya and Sivershchyna are moving to new operational areas. The redeployment of troops of the Central Military District from the territory of Ukraine has been completed. The designated units of the above, after the completion of the restoration of combat capability, will be moved to the area of the settlement Valuyki and included in the offensive groups of troops.
• The russian federation redeploy its units from the Republic of Belarus to the territory of russia. A significant part of the aircraft and helicopters of the Air and Space Forces of the Armed Forces of the russian federation were relocated. The movement of columns of armaments and military equipment on the territory of the republic of belarus in the direction of the railway stations Gomel, Yelsk and Mozyr for loading on railway echelons is noted.
• The enemy concentrated its main efforts on preparations for the resumption of the offensive with the help of separate units of the 6th and 20th All-Army, 1st Tank Army, Baltic and Northern Fleets, as well as attempts to surround the Joint Forces.
• The occupiers continue to blockade Kharkiv, continuing artillery shelling and further destroying the city's residential neighbourhoods and infrastructure.
• Invaders inflicted massive artillery and air strikes on the city of Mariupol.
• In the Pivdennobuzhsky direction the occupying forces carry out assault actions with the support of artillery.
• The russian troops carried out attacks of Mykolayiv with the cluster munitions forbidden by the Geneva convention. Civilian quarters and medical facilities, including a children's hospital, came under enemy fire. There are dead and wounded, including children.
• The russian occupying forces continue to suffer losses. They have big problems with the staffing of combat units and support units. The enemy's personnel were demoralized, which led to an increase in the number of desertions and the refusal of servicemen of the armed forces of the russian federation to take part in the war on the territory of Ukraine.

07:40 The United Nations’ human rights office says there have been 3,455 civilian casualties since the war in Ukraine began on 24 February.

The figure includes more than 1,400 deaths and over 2,000 injuries but the actual number is believed to be considerably higher, the agency said in recently published report.

Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes.

The heaviest casualties continue to be reported from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east.

07:00 The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council reports Russia creating "information bubble" regarding Bucha war crimes.

Russia is setting up the so-called information bubble defying the fact of the genocide of Ukrainians in Bucha. If users search “Bucha” on Russia’s Yandex, the engine displays the town’s pre-war photos, - Ukrinform reports ciying the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council,.

"One example is search results for ‘Bucha’ on Google and Yandex. Indeed, Google displays information about the destroyed town and people tortured to death, while Yandex shows only pre-war cityscapes. That's what Russian propaganda truth looks like," reads the report delivered via Telegram.

Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel, and the entire Kyiv region were recently liberated from Russian invaders. Mass killings of civilians by the occupation forces were recorded in the liberated settlements.

Already discovered in the areas are bodies of raped women, almost totally burned, slain local government officials, murdered children, the elderly, and draft-aged men. Many bodies have traces of torture and have their hands tied. Many were shot point-blank.

06:30 The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky appeared in a video message at the Grammy awards, calling for viewers to “tell the truth about the war” across social networks and on TV.

“Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today to tell our story. Tell the truth about the war on your social networks, on TV, support us in any way you can any, but not silence. And then peace will come to all our cities the war is destroying,” – The Guardian reports.

Watch the video of Zelenskiy’s address below.

03:50 The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky: If we had got necessary weapons, we could have saved thousands of people.

Ukraine must get all the necessary weapons to drive Russian occupiers out as soon as possible and liberate Ukrainian cities.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his video address, - Ukrinform reports.

“I emphasize once again: Ukraine must get all the necessary weapons to drive the occupiers out of our land as soon as possible, to liberate our cities. And if we had already got what we needed – all these planes, tanks, artillery, anti-missile and anti-ship weapons, we could have saved thousands of people,” Zelensky told.

According to the President of Ukraine, he does not blame the world leaders. He blames only the Russian military.

“But you could have helped. I will continue to say this to the face of all those on whom the decision on weapons for Ukraine depends,” Zelensky stressed.

A reminder that such settlements as Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel, and the entire Kyiv Region, were liberated from Russian invaders. The mass murders of civilians were recorded within the liberated areas.

Among the victims of war crimes committed by Russian forces are raped women whose bodies they tried to burn, as well as local government officials killed, children, the elderly, and men. Many have their hands tied, there are traces of torture, and many people were shot in the back of the head.

02:55 The New York Times: Satellite images show Bucha killings occurred during Russian occupation.

An analysis of satellite images by The New York Times rebuts claims by Russia that the killing of civilians in the town of Bucha occurred after its soldiers had left the town.

The relevant statement was made by NYT on Monday, April 4, - Ukrinform reports.

A review of videos and satellite imagery by the publication shows that many of the civilians were killed more than three weeks ago, when Russia’s military was in control of the town.

One video, filmed by a local council member on April 2, shows multiple bodies scattered along Yablonska Street in Bucha. Satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies show that at least 11 of those had been on the street since March 11, when Russia, by its own account, occupied the town.

To confirm when the bodies appeared, and when the civilians were likely killed, the NYT investigation team conducted a before-and-after analysis of satellite imagery. The images show dark objects of similar size to a human body appearing on Yablonska Street between March 9 and March 11. The objects appear in the precise positions in which the bodies were found after Ukrainian forces reclaimed Bucha, as the footage from April 2 shows. Further analysis shows that the objects remained in those positions for over three weeks.

The causes of death are unclear. Some of the bodies were beside what appears to be an impact crater. Others were near abandoned cars. Three of the bodies lay beside bicycles. Some have their hands bound behind their backs with white cloth. The bodies were scattered over more than half a mile of Yablonska Street.

A second video taken on Yablonska Street shows three more bodies. One lies beside a bicycle, another near an abandoned car. Satellite imagery shows that the abandoned cars and the nearby body appear between March 20 and 21.

These are just some of the civilian bodies discovered since Saturday. The Associated Press published images of at least six dead men lying together in the rear of an office building, some with hands tied behind their backs. The building is one mile west of the other victims found along Yablonska Street.

Another mile further along, a photographer with The Times discovered the body of a man with a gunshot wound to his head lying beside a bicycle.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense denied responsibility, claiming that the bodies had been recently placed on the streets after “all Russian units withdrew completely from Bucha”, i.e. after March 30, 2022.

Russia claimed that the images were “another hoax” and called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting on what it called “provocations of Ukrainian radicals” in Bucha.

However, Russia’s request was denied. On April 5, 2022, the United Kingdom is calling a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the mass killings of civilians in Kyiv Region, committed by Russian troops.

01:20 An adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Viktor Andrusiv: russia’s advance in Donbas direction may slow down.

The relevant statement was made by Advisor to Ukrainian Internal Affairs Minister Viktor Andrusiv on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Only the insignificant forces of the troops withdrawn can be transferred to the Donbas direction. Most of them were subject to rotation and will be restoring, and they will be able to get involved not sooner than in a month. Hence, the advance in the Donbas direction may slow down,” Andrusiv wrote.

01:05 Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration Head Vitalii Kim: Ten adults and one child killed in Russian shelling of Mykolaiv.

On April 4, 2022, Russian troops shelled Mykolaiv downtown, having killed 10 adults and one child.

The relevant statement was made by Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration Head Vitalii Kim on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“These creatures shelled a children’s hospital during the day, killing a child and a man. Where they hit a bus stop and shopping stalls, nine people were killed. A total of 61 people were wounded,” Kim told.

In his words, Russians intentionally shelled one of the central districts in the city. There are no military facilities nearby.

00:35 The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal: Just as Nazis wanted to finally solve “Jewish issue” 80 years ago, so now Russia wants to finally solve “Ukrainian issue”.

The Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says that all Russian soldiers and their leaders will be brought to justice without fail.

"What happened in Bucha, Hostomel, Irpin, Motyzhyn and other towns and villages around Kyiv is an illustration of evil. This is one of the episodes of their terrible crimes, which are also happening right now in Mariupol, Izium, Kharkiv, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia regions," Shmyhal said in his address on Monday evening.

The Prime Minister noted that "just as the Nazis wanted to finally solve the “Jewish issue” 80 years ago, so now Russia wants to finally solve the “Ukrainian issue””.

00:25 Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council Head Mykola Lukashuk: russian invaders shell village in Dnipropetrovsk Region.

The Russian military have shelled a village in Kryvyi Rih District, Dnipropetrovsk Region.

The relevant statement was made by Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council Head Mykola Lukashuk on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Another shelling of one of settlements in Kryvyi Rih District. The residential area in the village came under enemy fire. One house was destroyed. Casualties are yet to be reported,” Lukashuk wrote.

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, horrific facts of henocide conducted by russians are revealed.

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