Status: 04/28/2022 12:32
As Russian units slowly advance into eastern Ukraine, it is becoming increasingly clear which parts of the country must remain permanently occupied. The ruler of Kherson, who is loyal to Moscow, announced the introduction of the ruble.
The Russian army intensifies its attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine. The “Russian occupiers” were attacking intensely from virtually all sides and bombing targets, the general staff in Kiev said. Moscow is pulling additional forces close to Izyum in the Kharkov region, aiming to encircle Ukrainian units further east, he said.
Shaded in white: Russian army advance. Shaded in green: Russian-backed separatist areas. Crimea: annexed by Russia. Image: ISW/04/26/2022
Severe destruction reported
Luhansk governor Serhiy Hajday reported on the Telegram news channel of heavy destruction in the embattled cities of Lysychansk and Popasna. Four people were killed and four others were injured in Russian attacks in the Luhansk region in one day. The Russian army has bombed civilian targets dozens of times during airstrikes and artillery fire, Hajdaj said.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russian armed forces continue to use Melitopol Airport in Zaporizhia Oblast as a base for their fighter planes and helicopters. According to Ukraine’s presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich, “the efforts of the Russian invaders are concentrated in Slaviansk, Kramatorsk and Mariupol”.
conflicting parties as source
Information on the course of the war, bombing and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body in the current situation.
Bombing and appeal in Mariupol
Intense fighting is also being reported again in the port city of Mariupol, which has been largely occupied by Russian troops. New satellite images show violent attacks on Azovstal’s industrial facilities. Images from Planet Labs show that a central building in the sprawling complex was seriously damaged by bombing.
Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show damage to the besieged industrial complexes of Azovstal. Image: dpa
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Azov regiment locked in the steelworks made a dramatic appeal to the government in Kiev for help: “I urge the political-military leadership to take decisive action to break the blockade or evacuate all who hope and believe in their homeland,” he said. Deputy Commander Svyatoslav Palamar in a video message.
Palamar said fighters are increasingly wondering why Kiev is not keeping its promises. “Who can answer that: why are we alone against artillery, ships and planes?” According to Ukrainian sources, there are also around 1,000 civilians in the plant’s bunkers, in addition to several fighters.
“Return of Kherson Discarded”
The concentration of Russian attacks in southern and eastern Ukraine shows that Moscow is likely interested in a permanent occupation of the country. This is also demonstrated by the statements made by Russian-appointed rulers in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine: “The question of returning the Kherson region to Nazi Ukraine is out of the question,” said Kirill Stremousov of the Moscow loyalist administration of Russian state agency Ria Novosti.
Stremousov said there would be no referendum on the status of the region. The government in Kiev had warned that Russia was planning a referendum on independence in the Kherson region along the lines of the breakaway eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia has almost completely occupied the Kherson region for weeks. In the town of the same name, Cherson, there are repeated protests against Russian troops.
The ruler, who is loyal to Moscow, also announced that the Russian ruble will be introduced as a means of payment in the region from May 1. During a four-month transition period, the Ukrainian hryvnia can also be used, he said. But then only the ruble would apply.
Explosions near the TV tower
According to Ukrainian sources, there were several explosions in the city of Cherson during the night. Thus, the detonations would have occurred not far from the television center. Then a fire started. The Ukrainian online newspaper “Ukrainska Pravda” reported that the rocket attacks had disrupted the operation of Russian television stations. According to Ria Nowosti, the broadcast of the program was later resumed.
From Russia, however, it was said that several attacks were repulsed: among other things, two Ukrainian “Tochka-U” missiles were shot down by Russian air defenses, said Defense Ministry spokesman in Moscow, Igor Konashenkov. . A dozen rocket launcher shells were also destroyed. This information cannot be independently verified.
At least three dead in Kharkiv
According to Ukrainian sources, at least three people died and six were injured, including a 14-year-old child, in renewed bombings in the Kharkiv region. The local administration blamed Russia for the civilian casualties.
At least three people die after Russian attacks in Kharkiv
Jens Eberl, WDR, Daily News at 9am, April 28, 2022
Kiev is closely monitoring the situation in Transnistria
After reports of explosions in Transnistria, the Ukrainian government is closely monitoring the situation in the pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova. “We have always seen Transnistria as a bridge from which certain risks can emanate for us,” presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said last night, according to UNIAN news agency. The Ukrainian leadership is aware of the dangers emanating from Transnistria, which is why in the Ukrainian regions of Odessa and Vinnytsia “everything is well thought out from a defense point of view”.
Podoljak estimated the number of Russian-led troops in Transnistria at 1,500 to 2,000. “Of them, 500 to 600 are Russian and the rest are local.” The presidential aide described the recent explosions as an attempt at provocation.