The Russian command decided to almost completely stop the daily distribution of ammunition in areas of the front where no active offensive operations are being conducted. The lack of artillery on the front line is explained in part by the preparation of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. The Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update that “the Russian command must strictly prioritize the supply of artillery ammunition due to its shortage.”

09:36It is reported that the Russian troops are concentrating their efforts on conducting offensive actions on Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Maryinka in the Donetsk region.

On April 8, Ukrainian troops repelled more than 50 attacks by Russian troops in these directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in the morning report. Over the past 24 hours, Russia has launched four missiles, 40 airstrikes and at least 58 MSV attacks against Ukrainian military positions and civilian infrastructure, the Kyiv Independent reports.

09:20ISW: Russian forces use artillery to compensate for the deterioration of offensive capabilities

Kremlin-backed commander and former Russian plenipotentiary Oleksandr Khodakovsky said on Saturday that the Russian command has decided to almost completely stop the daily distribution of ammunition to areas of the front where there are no active offensive actions, the Kyiv Independent reports.

08:28 “I was offered a place at the Wagner cemetery” – the Russian activist who disclosed the details of the graves of mercenaries who died in Ukraine fled to Armenia

The Russian activist who disclosed the details of the funeral of the Wagner mercenaries killed in Ukraine has left Russia. Vitaly Votanovsky, who began documenting the deaths of Russian soldiers in Ukraine by observing cemeteries in his home region, fled the country on April 4 after receiving death threats, according to the BBC, which said he was in the Armenian capital, Yerevan.

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a message on Saturday evening: “Only together with Ukraine, NATO guarantees the real protection of Europe”
• The New York Times continues a series of revelations: leaked documents show that the United States has been spying on the Russian military on a massive scale. American secret services are also eavesdropping on important allies
• The Estonian minister warns that “false peace is a prelude to new wars” and calls on Ukraine to join NATO. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Urmas Reinsalu, admitted in an exclusive interview to the Kyiv Independent that he is not satisfied with either the volume or the pace of the military support provided by the allies, “because the war continues.”
• Ukraine is courting American Republicans, so far with modest results, writes EFE
• Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said Russian forces used 500-kilogram high-explosive bombs that were modified with wings and rudimentary guidance systems to allow Russian aircraft to strike from outside Ukraine’s air defenses. He again called on the allies to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
• Russia prepares for forced evacuation in Crimea, Ukraine says that Russia has “stepped up preparations” for the forced evacuation of civilians from the occupied regions of southern Ukraine to Crimea at the end of the month, the Ukrainian military said. In a Telegram post, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that Russian officials conducted a “survey of the local population” in the cities of Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia, and Skadovsk in the Kherson region.
• At least 20,000 children were forcibly removed by the Russian army from the occupied Ukrainian territories, Zelenskyi’s adviser says. Andriy Yermak talked with Amal Clooney’s lawyer
• Since October, Russia has launched more than 1,200 missiles and drones at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure