Russian troops continued to attack a front centered on two Ukrainian cities in eastern Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military said, while Kyiv said it had repelled more than 40 enemy strikes in the past day. As reported on Sunday in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the fiercest battles were fought in Bakhmut, one of the two cities in the east, along with Avdiivka, which the Russian military is shelling. Russian troops besieged Bakhmut for several months in the longest battle of the war, which began more than a year ago.

The latest on the war in Ukraine, day 411, LIVETEXT:

07:26 A veritable “treasure trove” of Pentagon documents shows how deeply the United States penetrated Russian intelligence and security services, demonstrating Washington’s ability to warn Ukraine of planned attacks and giving it an assessment of the strength of Moscow’s military machine.

A brief summary of recent events:

• The U.S. Department of Defense said agencies are assessing the impact of the alleged leak of intelligence documents, many of which relate to the war in Ukraine, on U.S. national security, as well as allies and partners. The leak has raised concerns among US intelligence agencies, while US allies have been forced to deny its content.
• The documents suggest that without a significant increase in munitions, Ukraine’s air defenses could be in jeopardy, the New York Times reported, which added that it could allow the Russian Air Force to turn the tide of the war.
• The documents also indicate that Wagner’s notorious mercenary group has ambitions to operate in African states as well as Haiti, and that it plans to secretly purchase weapons from Turkey, a NATO member.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin chaired a full meeting of the Security Council on April 5, the first since 2022, according to the latest information provided by the UK Ministry of Defence. The main report was presented by the Minister of Internal Affairs Volodymyr Kolokoltsev, whose choice, according to the Ministry of Defense, was probably an attempt by the Kremlin to present the situation in these territories as “normal”. However, in reality, “most of the territory is under active fire.” hostilities, guerrilla attacks, and with extremely limited access to basic services for many citizens.”
• A government official from Kyiv is due to visit India on Monday and will seek humanitarian aid and equipment to restore energy infrastructure damaged during the Russian invasion, the Hindu newspaper reported. First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Japarova will make the first visit to India by a minister from Kyiv after the Russian invasion.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov qualifies as “hysterical” the reaction of Western countries to Russia’s plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
• Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby called for peace in their Easter messages. The Pope asked God to “shine the light of Easter on the Russian people”, as if asking the Russians to seek the truth about their invasion of Ukraine.
• The Ukrainian authorities reported that as a result of Russian shelling in the cities of Kupyansk and Zaporizhzhia over the past weekend, at least seven civilians were killed. “This is how a terrorist state celebrates Palm Sunday,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in his evening message. “This is how Russia isolates itself from the world even more.” Most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians and will celebrate Easter on April 16.
• The Ministry of Defense of Russia announced that they destroyed a warehouse with 70,000 tons of fuel near Zaporizhzhia, as well as Ukrainian military warehouses in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
• “They offered a place at the Wagner cemetery” – a Russian activist who revealed the details of the graves of mercenaries who died in Ukraine fled to Armenia
• Domestic political events in wartime Ukraine from February 2022 to today. The economy, culture and politics of Ukraine are currently transforming to such an extent that some commentators speak of the emergence of a “third republic” or a new state and society.
• Russia suffers “colossal losses” near Avdiivka and Maryinka in the Donetsk region

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