Russian troops have made some progress in the eastern front-line town of Bakhmut, Ukrainian military leaders said, adding that their soldiers were still holding out in the months-long battle. Russian officials say their troops continue to gain ground, advancing street by street inside Bakhmut.

Ukrainian military in the Bakhmut region, where fierce battles have been going on for a monthPhoto: Roman Chop / AP / Profimedia

The latest on the war in Ukraine, day 399, LIVETEXT:

07:37 The Ukrainian military announced that they repelled more than 60 Russian attacks over the past day, Kyiv Independent reports.

Moscow’s troops are focused on conducting offensive operations in the direction of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Maryinka in the Donetsk region, reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

07:33 Deputy Minister of Defense of Kyiv Hanna Malyar reported in Telegram that in the east of the country there are days when the ratio of losses of Russians and Ukrainians is “up to 10 to 1”.

Ukraine declares that it is preparing a multi-faceted counteroffensive

07:01 Erdogan: Putin may visit Turkey at the end of April / No word on the arrest warrant issued by the ICC

01:30 VIDEO Zelensky: Greater unity is needed to defeat tyranny. I am sure that the democratic world is capable of achieving this

01:04 Russian troops advanced to Bakhmut / Ukrainians struck in the rear

00:27 General Mark Milley says that a US war with Russia would mean a huge waste of ammunition

00:07 When Ukraine can launch a counteroffensive / Reznikov: “It is being prepared in several directions”

A brief summary of recent events:

  • The head of the UN nuclear agency visited Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Wednesday and said he was scrapping plans for a safety zone around the facility so he could offer concrete guarantees acceptable to both Moscow and Kyiv.
  • An explosion has been reported near a Russian military base in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, according to images shared on social media.
  • Zelensky invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Ukraine, the Associated Press reports.
  • The International Olympic Committee abandoned its principles, recommending Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions as neutrals, Ukrainians say.
  • Russia has announced that it has begun training with the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system and several thousand troops, in what is likely another attempt by Moscow to demonstrate its nuclear power.
  • The United States has told Russia it will no longer share data about its nuclear forces, calling the change a response to Russia’s decision to suspend participation in the New START nuclear weapons treaty.
  • Spain will send six German-made Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine after Easter on April 9, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said.
  • The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner said on Wednesday that the fighting for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut caused serious damage to both his forces and the Ukrainian side.
  • Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Russian forces trying to encircle the town of Avdiyivka in recent days had made little progress, despite heavy losses of armored vehicles, including a tank regiment.
  • A 13-year-old schoolgirl from Russia wrote a letter of support to her father, who is imprisoned and on the run for criticizing the attack on Ukraine: “You are my hero.”
  • The Budget Committee of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) on ​​Wednesday approved new military aid to Ukraine in the amount of about 8 billion euros in the coming years.
  • The video, which appeared on social networks on Wednesday, shows a huge number of tanks, armored vehicles and other military equipment mobilized by Ukraine somewhere in the country.
  • Russia again makes accusations about biological weapons: “The US wants to make several countries, in particular the Republic of Moldova, a training ground”
  • The “hybrid war” between Moscow and the Western powers related to the conflict in Ukraine will “last a long time”, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
  • A group of hackers and investigators said they had identified the commander who ordered the bombing of a maternity hospital and theater in Mariupol, where hundreds of Ukrainians were trying to hide from Russian strikes.
  • The Dark Side of Foreign Volunteer Participation in Ukraine: Wasteful Donations, Quarrels, “A Million Lies” and Non-Western Soldiers – NYT Investigation

——————–

  • Wednesday’s events related to Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro