Artillery calculations of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade firing on Russian positions with BM-21 "Grad" / Photo credit: 93rd Independent Kholodnyi Yar Mechanized Brigade
Russia launched the second stage of warfare with an offensive in Donbas. Yet, there are no major advances so far. As Ukraine and Russia exchange control over minor settlements, the world's countries step up in slowly but surely increasing military aid supplies to Ukraine. Mariupol remains in a dire situation where thousands of civilians and servicemen are locked in the siege of the Azovstal steel plant, with the humanitarian corridors continuously being thwarted by Russians
Brief facts:
The United States will provide Ukraine with additional direct financial aid in the amount of $500 million
Macron announces supply of Milan anti-tank systems, Caesar howitzers to Ukraine
Russian troops attempt to gain control over railway near Izium and Barvinkove – Defense Ministry
Ukraine Army killed about 21,200 Russian soldiers – General Staff
Russia planned to use deported Ukrainians as labor force to build cities in Siberia
Side note: news are marked in accordance with the Kyiv time zone: Eastern European Time (EET), GMT/UTC+2
00:10 Ukrainian defenders in Kherson oblast struck at an advanced command post of the Russian army, where there were about 50 senior officers and possibly an army commander. This was announced on air by the adviser to the head of the Presidentʼs Office Oleksiy Arestovych.
The adviser to the head of the Presidentʼs Office Oleksiy ArestovychFind more details on the theme in a publication by Defense Express
23:40 The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has stated that evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine is growing. Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Friday.
“These include indiscriminate shelling and bombing of populated areas, summary execution of civilians. […] 92.3 per cent of what we have managed to record were recorded in Government-controlled territories, so attributable to the Russian armed forces,” she said.
Shamdasani noted that the UN recorded at least 2,343 cases of civilian deaths. “We are very concerned, we’re very worried about what’s coming next,” she added.
According to the spokesperson, almost every resident in Bucha that her colleagues spoke to, told about the death of a relative, a neighbour or a stranger. “We know much more needs to be done to uncover what happened there and we also know Bucha is not an isolated incident,” Shamdasani said, quoting the High Commissioner.
Underscoring that the true death toll is almost certainly much higher than what has been confirmed to date, Shamdasani said. She also added that “the scale of summary executions of civilians in areas previously occupied by Russian forces” was also emerging.
23:20 Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the people on the results of the 58th day of the war. The main thing:
The return to normal life in the territories liberated from the occupiers continues. If at the beginning of this week 70 settlements were demined, as of today there are 184. Of course, there is still a lot to do. But the pace, I think, is not bad.
Humanitarian headquarters are already operating in more than 500 deoccupied settlements. Almost 100 settlements are added every day, to which we return medical and educational services, the work of social protection bodies, and financial institutions.
We restore transport links. Plus 96 settlements per day, where the car service was returned. Plus 183 settlements where gas stations have returned to work. Plus 90 settlements where electricity was returned.
I emphasize once again that everyone should oppose the occupation at every opportunity. Ignore the occupiers. Do not cooperate with them. Donʼt help them. Neutralize collaborators.
22:55 Today, Russian troops fired 56 artillery, MLRS, and mortars at civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv and the region. Two people died, the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration reported. 19 civilians were injured in the oblast, seven of them in Kharkiv. Residential areas in Kharkiv were affected, including Saltivka, Oleksiyivka, Zhuky, Pyatyhatky, and HTZ. In Korotychi, as a result of shelling by the occupiers, a fire broke out in one of the warehouses, 6 people were injured and one died.The shelling also continued in the Chuhuiv district and in the Barvinkove district in the Izium region.
22:30 During the current day, April 22, the Ukrainian military successfully repulsed 8 Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions. Ukrainian defenders destroyed 9 tanks, 3 artillery systems, 18 units of armored vehicles, one armored combat vehicle, 13 units of motor vehicles, and one tanker. Air defense units shot down 4 Orlan-10 drones in the skies of the Ukrainian Donbas.
22:08
Russian troops continue to shell the settlements of Dnipropetrovsk oblast on the border with Kherson oblast. Velyka Kostromka, Mala Shesternya, and a number of other settlements were shelled today, no one was killed, stated
Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rih Military Administration.
21:40 The operational group "East" reports: during the day on April 22, the Russians attacked three times, fighting continues. The Ukrainian military destroyed 130 Russian servicemen and the following equipment:
21:20 In Mariupol, besieged by Russian invaders, another mass grave of dead residents was discovered.
Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, reported this on Telegram.
“We have received new information about the mass grave of dead Mariupol residents in an attempt to hide the consequences of war crimes. This time in the Livoberezhnyi district near the cemetery of Vynohradne village. This once again confirms that the occupiers conduct accumulation /burial / cremation of the dead Mariupol residents in every district of the city,” Andriushchenko wrote.
He published a satellite image and added that the approximate place of the mass grave was marked on the map.
s reported, Russian invaders have built several mass graves near a bypass road in Mariupol and are throwing bodies packed into plastic bags there.
Another satellite image made earlier showed the sector of mass burials in Manhush outside Mariupol. Between 3,000 and 9,000 civilians killed by Russians may be buried there.
Russian troops have caused a major humanitarian catastrophe in Mariupol. The invaders are bombing unarmed residents and blocking humanitarian aid.
According to Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko, more than 20,000 civilians have died in the city since the Russian invasion.
20:25 The heads of the Hornostaivka municipal territorial community and Velyka Lepetykha municipal territorial community, on Facebook: On 22 April Russian troops entered another 2 municipal territorial communities (hromadas) in Kherson Region: the Velyka Lepetykha and Hornostaivka communities.
"Russian troops entered the territory [of the community] and urged the local residents to carry their documents with them at all times. [Russian] troops might be inspecting the households [in the community]. We call on you not to panic. Show them your documents if they ask for them and don’t be afraid to leave your house," the post on the Velyka Lepetykha Facebook page reads.
Dmytro Liakhno, the head of the Hornostaivka municipal territorial community also informed the residents of his municipal community that Russian military representatives have entered the village and announced the creation of a "commandant’s office."
"Their main task, as they said, is to maintain law and order. Let’s remain calm and support each other. I’d like to remind you that if you get stopped by their patrol officers, do not provoke them in order to ensure your own safety. Carry your documents with you. Let’s hang on in there," Liakhno wrote.
20:14 The next few weeks could be decisive for the war in Ukraine, a senior EU official has said, according to Reuters.
The official told reporters that Russia was likely to increase its military attacks in eastern Ukraine and along the country's coast. "This is not a fairy tale with an imminent happy ending," they said.
"I think we are likely to see a very significant increase in the intensity of Russian military attacks in the east, I think we are likely to see an intensification of Russian military attacks along the coast. "I think we will see the next couple of weeks as being decisive."
19:56 Three more houses were damaged in Popasna and Rubizhne due to Russian shelling, said Luhansk Oblast State Administration head Serhiy Haidai. Two high-rise buildings, where two apartments were occupied, as well as a private house were damaged. A man was rescued from the shelling. Rubizhne has been under fire since the morning — even the evacuation bus could not reach the city. The bus returned from Popasna with injuries because it was hit by Russian fire. 33 locals were evacuated.
19:17 Key points of report of the Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense Oleksandr Motuzianyk on April 22:
Russia is completing the identification of advantageous locations for the main strikes, as evidenced by the methods of strikes, the form of fighting, the separation of troops, and continuous offensives in certain areas.
The greatest activity of the Russian occupiers is observed in the direction of Izium — Barvinkove, in the area of the hub railway station "Popasna", Sievierodonetsk urbanized area, the city of Mariupol and on the road Zaporizhzhia — Donetsk.
According to Ukrainian Intelligence, a mass blood draw is being carried out in the Belgorod Oblast for the needs of the Russian army.
In the Sievierodonetsk direction, Russian troops are storming the area of the village of Zarichne and trying to advance in the direction of Rubizhne.
South Buh direction: Russia storms in the areas of Pravdyne, Tavriysk and conducts artillery fire toward the villages of Shevchenkove and Ternovi Pody.
As of now, there are two Caliber missile carriers in the Black Sea (total missile volley — up to 16 missiles).
Over the past day in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, the Ukrainian military repulsed 10 Russian attacks, destroyed 6 tanks, 8 units of armored and 15 units of vehicles, and four artillery systems. In the sky, the Ukrainian military shot down 15 air targets: 9 drones, three planes, and three helicopters.
According to some reports, about 40 Ukrainian artillerymen (CAESEAR team - 4-5 people) are already training to use French self-propelled artillery units to destroy racists on Ukrainian soil
18:30 The Head of Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko Invaders fire at 20 settlements of Donetsk region, 34 facilities destroyed, damaged over this day.
The Russian army continues to deliberately destroy the civilian infrastructure of Donbas, Head of Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko has said.
"Today, the biggest blow was inflicted on Slovyansk: at night, the Russians fired at the city, probably with cluster munitions. Nine high-rise buildings and 12 private houses, a school, a store and vehicle stops were damaged. Currently, work is underway to restore electricity and gas supply," Kyrylenko said in Telegram on Friday.
According to him, in Lyman, the Russians used the Uragan (Hurricane) MLRS and ended up in the regional trauma hospital. The administrative building in Oleksandrivka was also destroyed. A multi-storey building was also damaged there. According to preliminary information, there are no victims.
In addition, one high-rise building was damaged in Svitlodarsk at night, no one was injured. Dobropillia was also under the artillery fire of the invaders: the administrative building was damaged, at least two people were injured.
"In total, today the occupiers fired on 20 settlements, where they destroyed or damaged 34 civilian facilities. We carefully record all the crimes of the Russian army. There will be punishment for everything," Kyrylenko said.
18:00 The head an International Atomic Energy Agency will visit Ukraine’s Chornobyl nuclear plant next week.
Rafael Grossi will head an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to step up efforts to help prevent the danger of a nuclear accident during the conflict in the country, the agency said in a statement, The Guardian reports.
The team of nuclear safety, security and safeguards staff will be in Chornobyl from 26 April “to deliver vital equipment and conduct radiological and other assessments at the site”, which was held by Russian forces for five weeks before they withdrew on 31 March, it said.
Grossi said: “The IAEA’s presence at Chornobyl will be of paramount importance for our activities to support Ukraine as it seeks to restore regulatory control of the plant and ensure its safe and secure operation.”
He added that more IAEA missions to Chornobyl and other nuclear facilities in Ukraine would follow within weeks.
17:30 The Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov: Western response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been too slow.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov believes the Western response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been too slow.
The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in the WSJ Opinion column, Ukrinform reports.
“The Western response to the invasion has been too slow. As President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, the global response to a crisis of this sort should be immediate, within 24 hours, not after weeks or months,” Reznikov noted.
The Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov
In his words, any aggressor must face irreversible punishment through a mechanism of preventive measures, the so-called deferred sanctions that can be approved in peacetime and take effect automatically.
According to Reznikov, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has created almost four million refugees.
“We are on the brink of a global food crisis that could destabilize Africa and the Middle East. Until Russia is stopped, the crisis will only grow, pulling in neighbors and contributing to the collapse of economies,” Reznikov stressed.
17:00 The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addresses servicemen, volunteers and medics on Good Friday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes the Ukrainian heroes are now defending the sacred things: their homeland, fellow citizens and the state.
The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his video address posted on Instagram, Ukrinform reports.
“The 58th day since we have started to fight. Good Friday. Usually, nobody works on this day. Except our heroes. Our defenders, our volunteers, our medics – they have to [work – Ed.], as they defend the sacred things: our land, our people, our state. Glory to Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
In his words, Good Friday is the most sorrowful day of the year.
“A day when everything you can do in life will weigh less than prayer. Except for one... Defending the Homeland, defending brothers-in-arms in battle,” the President of Ukraine stressed.
A reminder that Eastern Christians are marking Good Friday today.
16:30 Occupiers set new goals in a war with Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk regions, corridor to Crimea and Transnistria.
Defense ministry of russia's announced its current objective of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Full control of Donbas and southern Ukraine, including the land corridor to Crimea and Transnistria, is the mane objective for the second stage of so called “special operation” in Ukraine.
As Ukrinform reports, this was reported by the Kommersant newspaper quoting Deputy Commander of the Central Military District Gen Rustam Minnekayev as saying.
“Since the beginning of the second phase of the special operation, which has begun just two days ago, one of the tasks of the Russian army is to establish full control over Donbas and southern Ukraine. This will secure a land corridor to Crimea, as well as affect the vital facilities of the Ukrainian economy,” Gen Minnekayev told the annual meeting of the Union of Defense Enterprises of Sverdlovsk oblast.
He also added that control over the south of Ukraine could give Russia another path to Transnistria, where allegedly "the facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population" have been recorded.
15:45 The head of Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko: russian Uragan rockets hit hospital in Donetsk region.
russian troops have employed BM-27 Uragan multiple rocket launcher systems to target the regional traumatology hospital in Lyman, Donetsk Region.
Donetsk Regional Military Administration head Pavlo Kyrylenko broke the news on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.
russian Uragan rockets hit hospital in Donetsk region
“The regional traumatology hospital in Lyman was fired upon today by the russian army using BM-27 Uragan multiple rocket launcher systems. Direct hits set out a fire and inflicted damage on both the hospital and residential buildings located nearby,” the official wrote.
He noted that rescuers and bomb squads scrambled to put out the fire and neutralized the explosives.
15:10 Japan says disputed islands – so called ‘Northern Territories’ - ‘illegally occupied’ by Russia.
Japan has described four disputed islands as “illegally occupied” by Russia for the first time in nearly two decades amid deteriorating relations over the war in Ukraine, The Guardian reports.
The islands, which Moscow calls the Kurils and Tokyo the Northern Territories, have been held by Russia and claimed by Japan.
In its annual diplomatic report published today, the Japanese foreign ministry states that the “greatest concern between Japan and Russia is the Northern Territories”, calling them “Japanese territories over which Japan holds sovereign rights, but are currently illegally occupied by Russia”.
Japan has not referred to the islands as being “illegally occupied” since 2003, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
The islands have been under Russian administration since the end of the second world war / Photo credit: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Japan and Russia have long been engaged in attempts to agree to a post-second world war treaty, but the Japanese foreign ministry said the Ukraine crisis would stall talks with Russia.
14:40 The Defense Intelligence of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine: Most of the X-101 missiles fired by russians through Ukraine did not hit the targets.
Russian X-101 missiles were manufactured from 1999 to 2013. Russian media reported them as the pride of the latest high-precision Russian weapons. However, the result of use of X-101 missiles by the occupiers during combat actions in Ukraine refuted their claimed effectiveness, the Defense Intelligence of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine states.
According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, “modern” russian cruise missiles are equipped with electronics developed in the 60s of last century.
The "newest" russia's missiles use the navigation system "PGI-2M" - it was developed in 1977...
13:55 UN warns of ‘a horror story of violations against civilians’ in Ukraine
The United Nations human rights office said it has seen growing evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, describing the war as a “horror story of violations against civilians”.
The UN monitoring mission in Ukraine has documented the unlawful killing of 50 people in the town of Bucha, including by summary execution, it said in a statement, The Guardian reports.
The UN human rights commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, said “almost every resident of Bucha” had a story about the death of a relative, a neighbour or even a stranger, adding:
“We know much more needs to be done to uncover what happened there and we also know Bucha is not an isolated incident.”
Cemetery in Bucha, Ukraine on Thursday, April 21, 2022 / Photo credit: Ken Cedeno/UPI/REX/Shutterstock
The mission has received allegations of more than 300 unlawful killings of civilians in the regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy, all areas that were previously occupied by Russian armed forces, it said.
Allegations of sexual violence against women, men, girls and boys by members of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine have “increasingly surfaced”, it said.
Bachelet said: “Our work to date has detailed a horror story of violations perpetrated against civilians. First and foremost, this senseless war must stop.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet / Photo credit: UN News/Daniel Johnson
She urged all those fighting to strictly respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law, adding: “This means distinguishing between civilian and military objects. It means not targeting or deliberately killing civilians. It means not committing sexual violence. People, including prisoners of war, must not be tortured. Civilians, prisoners and others hors de combat must be treated humanely.”
13:20 The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on Russia's nuke, chemical threat: We must be prepared
Ukrainians must be prepared for the possibility of Russia using chemical or nuclear weapons against the country.
That’s according to Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, who spoke with the Ukrainian Pravda online newspaper, Ukrinform reports.
The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
"Personally, I really wanted to not believe in this invasion that started on February 24. I realized it would happen, but I didn't want to believe it would. So I may not believe it will happen, but it still may. We have to be prepared for that," Danilov said.
According to the top security official, the health care system today is more or less ready for different scenarios. However, the question is about scale and territory – that’s if the enemy does employ chemical weapons.
"As for nuclear weapons, the situation is more complicated. However, we are also preparing for such possibility. There is an understanding of the medicines to be taken, of the iodine stock, and of what we have to do to protect ourselves in this situation," added the NSDC secretary.
He added that the authorities don’t intend to intimidate citizens, but everyone should be aware of such threats. It is worth looking for information on the Internet and learning how to act in various cases.
Find more details on the theme in publications by Defense Express:
13:00 Russia has officially acknowledged that it wants to control both the East and the South of Ukraine.
British Defense Intellgence map regarding russian attacks and troop locations
The Russian army announced that the objective of Russian troops in the "second phase of the special operation" is establishing "complete control over Donbass and southern Ukraine," Pravda online newspaper reports.
According to russian officials, "control over Donbass will create a land corridor to the Crimea and influence vital facilities of the Armed Forces."
And "control over the South of Ukraine will give the Russian Armed Forces another access to Transdnistria, where the facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population are noted," said the deputy commander of the Central Military District.
12:45 The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov: Ukrainians must be prepared for the possibility of Russia using chemical or nuclear weapons against the country.
The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov / Open source photo
"Personally, I really wanted to not believe in this invasion that started on February 24. I realized it would happen, but I didn't want to believe it would. So I may not believe it will happen, but it still may. We have to be prepared for that," Danilov said to the Ukrainian Pravda online newspaper, Ukrinform reports.
12:30 Sloviansk Mayor Vadym Lyakh: Russian forces use cluster munitions in Sloviansk.
Sloviansksign / Open source photo
According to Vadym Lyakh, “the night was restless” as the city was under fire from Russian forces, who “likely” used cluster bombs. No casualties have been reported. The mayor urged people to evacuate. The use of cluster bombs targeting civilians may constitute a war crime, according to Amnesty International, Kyiv Independent reports.
12:00 Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov: Russia's invasion of Ukraine started at 03:40 on February 24.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov / Open source photo
"The invasion began at 03:40 in the Luhansk region outside Milove, but we thought that they were entering the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. We thought that after the recognition of the 'republics' their goal was to take them within their [administrative] borders. But then, one hour and 20 minutes later, the offensive began everywhere. I immediately went to the president. [Ukraine's Interior Minister] Denys Monastyrsky was already there, I came second. Volodymyr Oleksandrovych [Zelensky] was in a white shirt, and you know, I remembered that. [...] He [Zelensky] says, 'Well, we'll be fighting!'" Danilov said in an interview, Ukrinform reports.
11:35 State Border Guard Service of Ukraine: Ukrainian border guards destroy three Russian MLRS, air defense system in Kharkiv region.
Ilustrative photo
The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service reported this on Telegram.
"In the Kharkiv region, border guards located the enemy's air defense systems and artillery," the statement said, Ukrinform reports.
11:15 Zaporizhzhia regional military administration: An-26 plane crashes in Zaporizhia, casualties reported.
"This morning, an An-26 plane crashed in the Vilniansk district of the Zaporizhzhia region. The aircraft was performing a technical flight. There are casualties," the post said.
UPD: One person was killed and two were injured in the crash. The number of crewmembers and the reasons behind the accident are being clarified.
11:00 Over 7,500 Russian war crimes under investigation in Ukraine. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, another 3,652 Russian crimes against Ukraine’s national security are being investigated.
10:30 General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted the total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 22.04, which were the following:
Personnel - more 21 200,
Tanks ‒ 838 units,
APV ‒ 2162 units,
Artillery systems – 397 units,
MLRS – 138 units,
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 69 units,
Aircraft – 176 units,
Helicopters – 153 units,
Vehicles – 1523 units,
Boats / cutters - 8 units,
Fuel tanks - 76,
UAV operational-tactical level - 172 units,
Special equipment – 27,
Mobile SRBM system - 4.
Two russian KAMAZ trucks, that were destroyed by Ukrainian troops
Data are being updated. The calculation is complicated by the intensity of hostilities.
10:15 British Latest Defense Intelligence posted an update on the situation in Ukraine as of 22 April 2022.
10:00 US President Joe Biden: Putin failed to achieve his grand ambitions on battlefield in Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden / Ilustrative photo from open sources
"Putin has failed to achieve his grand ambitions on the battlefield. President Zelenskyy and his democratically elected government remain in power, and Ukrainian armed forces -- joined by brave Ukrainian civilians -- have thwarted Russia's conquest of their country," he wrote on Twitter.
09:35 Enemy “birds” keep falling down. Only for Thursday Ukraine has downed 6 airplanes and 9 UAVs.
09:20 The head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration Oleksandr Pavliuk: according to the updated information of the territorial communities of the Kyiv region, 2,854 objects suffered significant damage and destruction due to the fighting.
The head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration Oleksandr Pavliuk / Open source photo
Of them:
• 806 completely destroyed,
• 2048 partially damaged.
Thus, 46 high-rise buildings, 662 private estates, 8 educational institutions, 4 health care institutions, 9 cultural institutions and 2 sports institutions, 6 life support facilities, 21 enterprises were completely destroyed. Monitoring is ongoing, so the data is not final.
09:00 U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin holds meeting with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin holds meeting with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal
“I welcomed with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to the Pentagon. I reiterated our unwavering and enduring support for Ukraine’s Armed Forces as Russian forces launch a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine,” the report says.
It is noted that the parties also discussed the new $800m aid package for Ukraine.
08:40 Another European country is ready to donate tanks to Ukraine.
08:00 Pentagon reporter Mike Glenn: The Pentagon has finally confirmed that the 155 mm towed howitzers being sent to Ukraine are the M777 model rather than the older M-198. (They were mum on that point for several days) The 72 guns on the newest list will come from Army and Marine Corps stocks.
Ilustrative photo of M777 howitzer from open sources
07:35 General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted the operational update regarding the russian invasion as of 06.00 on April 22, 2022. Key points:
In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy, with forces of up to seven battalion tactical groups from the 6th Combined Arms Army, coastal troops of the Baltic and Northern Fleets, continues to partially block the city of Kharkiv, firing on units of our troops and critical infrastructure.
Fifteen air targets were destroyed by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the previous day: nine UAVs, three planes and three helicopters.
In the Izyum direction, the enemy concentrated up to 25 battalion tactical groups from the 1st Tank Army, the 20th and 35th Combined Arms Armies and the 68th Army Corps of the Eastern Military District, and airborne troops of the russian federation Armed Forces.
In the Donetsk and Tavriya directions, russian occupiers intensified hostilities along the entire line of combat during the day. The enemy carries out assault operations in the area of the settlement of Zarichne and, with forces to the battalion, tries to advance in the area of the settlement of Rubizhne.
Ilustrative photo from open sources
At the same time, the enemy strengthens the grouping of troops in the Zaporizhzhia direction. Measures for the logistical support of the occupying forces are underway.
The servicemen of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District express their dissatisfaction and indignation, due to not receiving the so-called "combat" funds for March
In the temporarily occupied territories, the enemy units continue to block the movement of local people, looting and hand-made approaching the humanitarian crisis - destroying critical infrastructure and blocking the delivery of humanitarian goods from Ukraine. There have been cases of executions of civilians and volunteers.
Ten attacks by the russian occupiers were repulsed in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts over the past 24 hours, six tanks, eight armored units and fifteen vehicles, and four artillery systems were destroyed.
07:05 Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko: Nearly three quarters of government-controlled Donetsk Oblast population displaced.
Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko / Illustrative photo from open sources
He said the region’s population, previously at around 1.6 million, has been reduced to 430,000 since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. In Kramatorsk, the largest city in the region after Mariupol, only 40,000 remain of a population of 200,000.
05:30 The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal: World Bank to provide Ukraine with grant of almost $96 million.
Open source photo
Denys Shmyhal reported on Telegram, that Ukraine’s Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko signed an agreement with the World Bank for a grant to assist Ukraine with economic recovery.
04:45 Russia fires missiles at Khortytsia Island in Zaporizhzhia. According to the regional military administration, eight civilians were injured as a result of attacks.
03:55 An aide to the chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Olena Symonenko: Russia has occupied 42 settlements in Donetsk Oblast.
The photo from Volnovakha. / Photo credit: REUTERS, Alexander Ermochenko
Olena Symonenko said this on April 21, that Russia had captured additional Ukrainian settlements in Donetsk Oblast, making it more difficult to deliver humanitarian aid there. She noted that 3,500 Ukrainian settlements are currently under Russian occupation. Read more
03:00 Chemical plant and defense research building burn down in Russia.
Results of the fire / Photo credit: Vitaliy Smolnikov, AP
The plant and research facility are located in separate towns, Kineshma, 335 kilometers north-east of Moscow and Tver, about 170 kilometers northwest of Moscow. The source of the fires are yet to be determined, but both buildings reportedly sustained damage. The casualties of the chemical plant are unknown, while the research facility had at least seven deaths and 25 injuries, Kyiv Indepenndent reports, siting the Washington Post.
02:20 Russian occupiers might have buried from three to nine thousand citizens of Mariupol near Manhush settlement
Satellite imagery provided by Maxar shows a mass grave that is 20 times larger than the one in Bucha, where 70 bodies were found. If compare these two graves, the estimated number of buried bodies might reach nine thousand people, the Center for Strategic Communications reports.
"The biggest war crime of the XXI century has been committed in Mariupol," said Vadym Boychenko, Mariupol city mayor. "This is a new Babyn Yar. Back then, Hitler was killing Jews, Romanians, and Slavs. And now Putin is annihilating Ukrainians."
He said, in total, about 22,000 people were killed in Mariupol by Russians. These are approximate data. The mayor called the occupiers' actions genocide.
The occupiers dug new trenches and filled them with corpses every day in April / Satellite imagery credit: Maxar Technologies via RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty00:10
Air Assault Forces of Ukraine together with the Naval Forces the shot down two Mi-8 helicopters
One of the helicopters was downed by the 81st Airmobile Brigade of the Air Assault Forces with a Stinger missile. The paratroopers assume that the second was approaching the crash site in order to evacuate the crew but got shot, too. This time, by the Marines.
In the video, the red pointer marks the site where the first helicopter fell:
00:00 Throughout April 21, servicemen of the Joint Forces Operation in Donbas have successfully repelled 10 Russian attacks and inflicted the following casualties to the enemy:
s reported, Russian invaders have built several mass graves near a bypass road in Mariupol and are throwing bodies packed into plastic bags there.
Who Wants and Can Use Biological Weapons in Ukraine
