Saturday, April 27

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A leg-amputee Ukrainian serviceman, patient of the Unbroken National Rehabilitation Centre, attends a session at a shooting range in Lviv on April 26, 2024. The action was organized by the charity foundation ROXY as a part of the rehabilitation of military personnel who are being treated or undergoing rehabilitation. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP via Getty Images)

Military: Russian forces trying to encircle Chasiv Yar. Russian troops are trying to encircle the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, Nazar Voloshyn, the Khortytsia Group of Forces' spokesperson, said on national television on April 26.

Zelensky reminds world of Russian nuclear threat on Chornobyl anniversary.

The Zaporizhzhia plant – the largest nuclear plant in Europe – has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. The Chornobyl plant was also occupied by Moscow's forces for 35 days at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Ukraine retrieves bodies of 140 fallen soldiers. The Geneva Conventions dictate that people who lost their lives during war are entitled to a dignified burial.

Source: Ukraine destroys Russian Ka-32 helicopter at Moscow airfield. A Russian multirole helicopter Ka-32 was destroyed at the Ostafyevo airfield in Moscow overnight on April 26, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) reported. An intelligence source confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that the helicopter was destroyed as a result of a HUR operation.

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Shmyhal: Ukraine has received $12 billion in international aid this year to help cover budget deficit. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced during a government meeting that Ukraine has received approximately $12 billion in external financing since the beginning of the year to help address the budget deficit.

Latvia’s new foreign minister visits Ukraine, meets FM Kuleba. The newly appointed Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze arrived in Kyiv on the morning of April 26 and met with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the ministry reported.

Ukraine's military intelligence launches cyberattack against United Russia party. United Russia claimed earlier in the day that its electronic services were under large-scale DDoS attacks.

Russia's Sberbank reports $4.32 billion profit**, dividends to boost Kremlin war chest.** Being majority-owned by the Russian state, dividends can be used to fund the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Read our exclusives

Russia throws thousands of troops to capture Chasiv Yar. Why is it so important?

As the U.S. took months to approve the next package of much-needed military aid to Kyiv, Russia used the moment to step up its offensive operations. After capturing Avdiivka and multiple villages in the east, Moscow now has its eyes on the next primary target, the town of Chasiv Yar.

Photo: Roman Chop/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Explainer: 38 years after Chornobyl, Ukraine relies on nuclear for more than half its energy production

Thirty-eight years after the Chornobyl disaster, Ukraine’s nuclear industry continues to produce around half of Ukraine’s power output and remains vital to keeping the country functioning. The share of energy output in Ukraine that comes from nuclear power is the third highest in the world.

Photo: Dimitar Diloff/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: US announces additional $6 billion in weapons for Ukraine

The U.S. will allocate $6 billion for military assistance for Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on April 26 after the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, also known as the Ramstein format.

Photo: Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

Human cost of war

US envoy to OSCE: Russian 'double-tap' attacks have killed at least 90 first responders since April 2022. "In March and April (of 2024) alone, Russia’s iterative attacks hitting first responders killed nearly 30 rescue workers in Odesa, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia and wounded more than 20," said Timothy Hanway, the acting U.S. envoy to the OSCE.

Russian attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast injures 3, including 9-year-old boy. Russian troops carried out nearly 20 attacks on the Nikopol District in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on April 26, injuring at least three people, regional governor Serhii Lysak reported.

Russian attacks in Kharkiv Oblast injure 4. A missile attack on the village of Shestakove injured a 42-year-old man. In the Bohodukhiv district, a Russian drone struck a civilian car and wounded three people.

Russian attack on Sumy Oblast kills 2 elderly women**, injures 3.** Russian forces shelled civilian infrastructure of Bilopillia in Sumy Oblast on April 26, killing two women and injuring three others, Ukraine's Interior Ministry reported.

Prosecutor's Office: Number of injured in April 25 Russian attack on Kharkiv Oblast rises to 13. The injured were hospitalized with blast injuries of varying severity.

International response

US to allocate additional $6 billion in aid to provide Ukraine with weapons. The U.S. will allocate $6 billion in military assistance for Kyiv under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on April 26.

Minister: Belgium to allocate $213 million for German-led air defense initiative. Belgium will pledge 200 million euros ($213 million) for the German-led air defense initiative and supply Ukraine with rockets, Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder announced on April 26.

Kuleba: Latvia, Ukraine to bolster drone production. Ukraine and Latvia are working to increase joint drone production, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on April 26 during a press conference with Latvian counterpart Baiba Braze in Kyiv.

Belgium may deliver first F-16 jets to Ukraine in 2024. "In coordination with our partners in the F-16 coalition, our country will make every effort to speed up deliveries, if possible, by the end of this year," Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said.

Spain confirms plans to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Madrid will provide Ukraine with Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced on April 26 at the Ramstein-format summit, without specifying the exact number.

Canada to donate nearly $12 million to Ukraine's drone production**, Czech ammunition initiative.** This is the first time Canada has directly contributed to the production of military drones in Ukraine.

Opinions and insights

Illia Ponomarenko: The story of wartime Kyiv

“I'm not going to lie; many people right now, both in Ukraine and beyond, sometimes feel pretty close to desperation. A little hope is just what we need right now. When it comes to hope, my thoughts often go back to the Battle of Kyiv,” writes Illia Ponomarenko, former defense reporter at the Kyiv Independent.

You can pre-order Illia Ponomarenko's book, "I Will Show You How It Was: The Story of Wartime Kyiv," on Bloomsbury or Amazon.

Photo: Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images

In other news

Kyiv evacuates children hospital due to attack threat. Kyiv authorities urgently evacuated two hospitals on April 26 after a Belarusian official appeared to threaten them with attack in a speech.

UK man with alleged Wagner ties charged with spying for Russia. Twenty-year-old Dylan Earl has been charged with planning an attack against London businesses connected to Ukraine after being recruited to spy for Russia.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Dinara Khalilova, Nate Ostiller, Chris York,

Abbey Fenbert, Olena Goncharova, Olga Rudenko, Kateryna Hodunova, Kateryna Denisova, and Sonya Bandouil.

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