Timeline: day 53 of Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression
Today is April 17. russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for fifty-three days. We're reporting on all the current news. The article will be constantly updated.
What about today?
Key points
"Ukraine needs to speed up the supply of various types of weapons from partner countries because the lives of Ukrainians and the further success of our country in the fight against the aggressor depend on it," said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Ukrainian media.
Ukraine is very much waiting for help, but even now, every day our soldiers destroy the enemy with their weapons. Thus, on April 16, anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force and Joint Forces Operation units hit 13 air targets of the russian occupiers:
- 1 plane;
- 1 helicopter;
- 5 unmanned aerial vehicles;
- 6 cruise missiles.
Air Force aircraft, Su-25 attack aircraft, and Su-24m bombers, under cover of fighter jets, provided fire support to Ukrainian troops in several strategic areas, inflicting heavy missile and bomb strikes on russian occupation forces.
On the fronts of the Luhansk region and Donbas, 10 enemy attacks were repulsed in one day; 15 tanks, three artillery systems, 24 units of armored vehicles, and 10 units of enemy vehicles were destroyed.
In the southern direction, 13 units of the occupiers' equipment were destroyed in the last 24 hours, the South Operational Command reports. Among the technical losses are 2 self-propelled artillery units and 2 Grad multiple rocket launchers. The enemy also lost 36 people of manpower.
We are proud of our defenders and today, on Palm Sunday, we pray to heaven to keep them alive and for our Victory!
"Everyone in Ukraine has the right to their own home, their own house, or their apartment. Everyone whose home was destroyed by the occupiers, and everyone who stood in line for many years. All our people deserve to live in a modern environment. I do not doubt that we will be able not only to restore what was destroyed but also to restore justice to those whose right to housing has been violated," President Zelenskyy promised.
In the Kyiv region alone, the russian occupiers destroyed 1,857 buildings. Of these, 28 high-rise buildings and 441 private estates. To date, about 70,000 applications for housing reconstruction have been submitted by Ukrainians through Diia.
Today, the President focuses on the first stage of restoration:
- This is temporary housing for all IDPs. Those whose house was destroyed by war. Temporary, until the country restores their housing. Or until people receive compensation with square meters or money.
- The second stage will be to restore what the occupiers tried to destroy. For all the affected cities and communities.
- In the third stage, housing will be provided to all those who have defended or are defending the state, who have worked or are working for the benefit of society, and who do not have their housing.
"To implement this project, we are already involving leading architects, the full potential of the state and international support. We will add the participation of companies, partner countries, and international donors," Zelenskyy added.
Combat losses of the enemy on the morning of April 17 in the report from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces:
Ukraine published a list of journalists who died in the war (it includes 21 names). The list was published by the Committee on Freedom of Speech of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
"I do not trust the entire world. We do not believe the words. After russia's invasion, we do not trust our neighbors. We do not believe all this. The only faith is in ourselves, in our people, faith in the Armed Forces, and the belief that countries will support us not only with their words but also with their actions," said President Zelenskyy to CNN.
But despite everything, Ukraine will have a future! Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Ihor Zhovkva, said that the questionnaire needed for the EU was completely filled. The European Commission will now make a recommendation on whether Ukraine meets the Copenhagen membership criteria. And then negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU should begin immediately.
Humanitarian corridors
Oleh Synehubov, the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, spoke about the evacuation from the Kharkiv region. "Given the provocations committed by the occupiers in the city of Kramatorsk, we must work ahead. The same message was about Lozova station. We are taking security measures, and changing routes. Almost 40,000 people left Lozova and Barvinkovo that are in the Izium direction."
Authorities are urging them to listen to official announcements and evacuate. Sinehubov added that Ukraine has repeatedly initiated the opening of "green corridors" from Izium and nearby settlements, which are currently under temporary occupation. But, unfortunately, no approval was received from the russians.
Regarding Kharkiv: there are no grounds to evacuate the city today.
Humanitarian corridors will not be open on April 17. As of this morning, no agreement could be reached with the occupiers on a ceasefire on the evacuation routes. "We are making every effort to reopen the humanitarian corridors as soon as possible. Once again, we demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians, especially women and children, from Mariupol," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
Trophies of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The other day the Armed Forces discovered the "trophy" of the enemy. The occupiers stole the cesspit emptier, confusing it with a fuel truck. This curious case was told by the 72nd Black Cossacks Mechanized Brigade. russian soldiers stole a car from civilians, which they thought was to transport fuel. They even managed to put their "V" symbol on the body and barrel. Meanwhile, it turned out that this is a machine that cleans latrine pits. It was not possible to refuel the equipment with shit, so the losers simply threw the car in the woods.
Ukrainian Marines hunted down an enemy reconnaissance scout. Glory to the Marines!
And in the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian military destroyed a russian Ka-52 helicopter. There is just dust left from the helicopter, so the trophy in this case can be considered a photo of the dust, which was previously an aircraft.
Ukraine's talks with russia
putin's oligarch Roman Abramovich, against whom EU and British sanctions have been imposed, visited Kyiv to try to resume the negotiation process between Ukraine and russia. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing its sources. The russian businessman allegedly met with members of the Ukrainian negotiating team and discussed possible ways to resume talks. Abramovich's representative denied the information that the businessman had visited Kyiv. There has been no confirmation or refutation of this event from the Ukrainian side so far.
"If Russia does not want to end the war through diplomacy, we will have to end this war on the battlefield," said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in an interview with ABC. He stated that Kyiv was ready to continue the war.
Nuclear threat
Oleksii Arestovych warned russia against nuclear strikes on the territory of Ukraine. "If russia strikes a nuclear strike, a massacre begins, you can't stop the Ukrainians, we'll turn to beasts, or the war is practically guaranteed to spill over into russian territory," he said.
Who's coming to Ukraine?
On financial assistance, weapons, and volunteer fighters
A new batch of US military aid has begun arriving in Ukraine, a White House spokesperson told CNN. These are 11 Mi-17 helicopters, 18 Howitzer guns (155 mm caliber), and 300 Switchblade drones. For the first time, the United States has agreed to provide Kyiv with such powerful weapons that a few weeks ago, some officials in the Biden administration considered too great a risk of escalation.
Latvia has sent 100,000 euros to the Hague tribunal to investigate russia's crimes in Ukraine. This is a voluntary contribution to the International Criminal Court, initiated by the country's Minister of Justice Janis Bordans. The money will go to involve expert investigators.
And the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson promised that in the coming days his country will hand over armored vehicles to Ukraine.
Help to refugees
Ukrainian entrants who have gone abroad can pass the external examination at the place of temporary residence, said the Minister of Education. External evaluation will be held in the capitals of European countries or based on leading universities, said Serhii Shkarlet.
News from partners
In South Korea, the flag of Ukraine was depicted in the sky by drones.
During the Easter service in the Vatican, the Pope condemned the brutality of the war in Ukraine. In the west was Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of occupied Melitopol, who was abducted by the russian military.
Germany has introduced a licensing regime for Ukrainian carriers, the Ministry of Infrastructure said. Now our carriers are free, without any transport permits, to carry out bilateral and transit transportation until June 30.
Military exercises based on scenarios in Ukraine have started in the United States. The training is taking place at the California National Defense Training Center, according to Voice of America. Lessons on russia's war against Ukraine are being played in the desert. The purpose of the exercise is to prepare the US military for battle with major adversaries, such as russia or China.
The British Ministry of Defense talks about the situation in Ukraine:
- The russian army continues to transfer military equipment and auxiliary equipment from Belarus to eastern Ukraine, including Kharkiv and Sievierodonetsk.
- russian artillery continues to strike at Ukrainian positions in the east of the country, where russia plans to resume the offensive.
- Although russia's operational focus has shifted to eastern Ukraine, the ultimate goal of the war remains the same: russia seeks to force Ukraine to abandon its Euro-Atlantic orientation and assert its dominance in the region.
Ukrainian TV channels have started to be broadcast on Hungary's cable networks since the beginning of April.
Inspirational news: after the destruction of the russian cruiser Moscow by Ukrainian Neptune missiles, four countries have already expressed interest in buying Neptune missiles, WP reports.
The Turkish Foreign Minister criticized the UN and the international security system because of the war in Ukraine. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that the UN in its current form was not capable of resolving any conflicts. Therefore, it should be reformed. "We see it in the example of Ukraine. We have seen it before in the example of the coronavirus pandemic."
What's in russia?
The intensification of russia's shelling of Ukraine is unlikely to affect the outcome of the war, as there is no reason to believe that russia's air force has enough air and missile forces to tilt the scales in its favor, according to a report by the American Institute for War Studies. It is noted that the sinking of the Moscow cruiser by Ukraine was a significant event, which probably provoked intense air and missile strikes by russia in response. Analysts believe that decisive operations at this stage of the war will continue to be conducted in eastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, kremlin propagandist solovyov spoke on the air about withdrawing troops from Ukraine. They said that "the russian army has fulfilled its task, and the rest should be decided by diplomats." Is russia slowly opening Overton's window or announcing the kremlin's decision?
russian lies
russian TV said that "russian troops have struck at the center of cocaine admission."
Sanctions on the aggressor!
The European Union is considering the banking sector and energy in the 6th package of sanctions against russia, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. At the same time, she stressed that the EU was currently "developing reasonable mechanisms" that will allow the oil embargo to be included in the next sanctions package.
From today, the ports of Belgium will stop servicing commercial ships under the russian flag, subject to certain exceptions provided for in the EU decision.
Life considering hostilities
More than 10,000 people have already joined the State Emergency Service's rescue volunteers. Volunteers help with search operations, street cleaning, and clearing debris.
1.4 million people in eastern Ukraine have been left without access to safe water, and another 4.6 million have limited access. This could lead to outbreaks of infectious diseases, according to UNICEF. The most critical situation is in Mariupol. There, tens of thousands of people use "dirty springs because they are looking for any water they can find." This can provoke epidemics, "including cholera, diarrhea, skin infections and other deadly infections."
Kyiv and region
The night was calm in Kyiv, no explosions were recorded. The sounds that Kyiv residents heard at night are the work of air defense. Mykola Povoroznyk, the first deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration, announced this on the air of the public telethon.
Curfew is changing in Kyiv and the region. From April 17, the curfew will begin an hour later and end an hour earlier. And will last from 10 pm to 5 am.
The destroyed bridge across the Irpin River will become part of the memorial. At the meeting on the restoration of housing infrastructure, the President of Ukraine was presented with a project of a memorial complex, which will tell the story of the now world-famous bridge in the village of Romanivka. The destroyed bridge became the only way of evacuation for the residents of the captured cities of the Kyiv region, and also actually stopped the russian attack on Kyiv. "It is important that we keep this place. And people will be able to feel everything that happened here. It will be a monument to our path to victory," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A cabinet with the same ceramic rooster from the occupied Borodianka will also become a museum exhibit. It will be housed in the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity. With the permission of the owner, the cabinet was carefully dismantled to preserve every detail, up to the screws that attached it to the wall.
In the morning, Brovary came under missile fire, infrastructure facilities were damaged. The mayor of the city Ihor Sapozhko reported about it. There are no data on the extent of destruction and damage. According to the mayor, there may be interruptions in electricity and water supply.
During the occupation of Vorzel, Kyiv region, the russian military raped a man, a security guard at the Orliatko children's sanatorium. He could not stand the mockery of the occupiers and he died. The mayor of Bucha reported about this terrible case.
Donetsk and Luhansk regions
russians fired on Sievierodonetsk, Novodruzhesk and Kreminna in the Luhansk region:
- in Sievierodonetsk, four high-rise buildings caught fire, the number of victims is specified
- in Novodruzhesk, the house was destroyed, the owner was evacuated
- in Kreminna, the house was destroyed, one person was wounded, the Head of Luhansk Regional Military Administration reported.
The enemy tried to go on the offensive in the Donetsk region. During the night of April 17, the occupiers tried to advance near Maryinka and Krasnohorivka, but without success. One civilian was killed in the shelling in Maryinka. This became known from the regional administration's data.
Avdiivka, Toretsk, and Ocheretyne communities were shelled again. Infrastructure is being destroyed.
In the Donetsk region, Sicheslav paratroopers shot down a russian Orlan-10 drone. It costs about 100 thousand dollars.
ORDLO
In the Donetsk Philharmonic Society building, all musicians were deceived into enlisting in the so-called "DPR army." People were allegedly invited to film the story on TV, and it was announced on the spot that they would be sent to the front. Then they were thrown without any preparation to Mariupol, where they were actually used as bait to detect Azov firing points. Some musicians have already died. Blogger Denys Kazanskyi told about this case of sending people as "cannon fodder" on Facebook.
On the territory of the so-called "L/DPR," self-appointed authorities began mobilization among children aged 16 and older who participate in "patriotic clubs"; later they are sent to participate in the war against Ukraine, said Ombudswoman Denisova. According to her, they know about the victims.
Kharkiv region
Kharkiv is constantly under shelling from the russian occupiers. Just yesterday, two people were killed and more than 30 were injured. Today the city is also smoky.
During the day, rescuers from the Kharkiv region went on call 31 times: 11 of them were related to extinguishing fires caused by shelling. Unfortunately, there are losses among the rescuers themselves. Three of them died during the demining of the region.
In the Kharkiv region, soldiers of the assault troops struck a powerful blow at the occupier. According to the State Border Guard Service, 5 tanks, 10 units of armored vehicles (infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers), and a column of occupiers' marines were destroyed as a result of the strike.
In the afternoon of April 17, the russian federation struck Lozova with missiles, the mayor Serhii Zelenskyi reports. "There were no casualties," Lozova Mayor Serhii Zelenskyi said in a video statement.
Also, the russian occupation forces fired multiple rocket-propelled grenades and artillery at the Saltivka residential area in Kharkiv. As a result, 5 people died and 20 were injured. Apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure were damaged.
The occupiers are viciously shooting at civilians at a safe distance. The intercepted SBU conversations of the occupiers in the Izium direction show that the russians refuse to go on the offensive.
20:30 – Oleh Sinehubov reports that in the Kharkiv region the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a successful counteroffensive, liberating the settlements of Bazaliivka, Lebiazhe, part of Kutuzivka and advancing to the east. Great job, our soldiers! Crush the russian bastards on all fronts!
Kherson region
In the Kherson region, the russian military focused its efforts on trying to establish control over the region and maintain its positions. Psychological pressure continues, propaganda TV channels are broadcast, and biased Crimean TV channels are connected, which spread fakes about the war in Ukraine. At the same time, intimidation and terror of the civilian population continue.
In Kalanchak, the russian military detained the Crimean Tatar Rustem Osmanov and took him to Simferopol. In Crimea, the man was sentenced to two and a half months.
Oleshky Mayor Yevhen Ryshchuk warns: The Red Cross does not distribute humanitarian aid on the territory of Oleshky! The official also asked people not to provide passport data to anyone.
Preparations for an illegal referendum on the proclamation of the so-called "Kherson People's Republic" continue in some territories temporarily occupied by the occupiers. To falsify its results, it is planned to use personal data of residents of the region, which are collected by the occupiers during the issuance of so-called "humanitarian aid." Residents are also spreading information that after the announcement of the results of the pseudo-referendum, their "mobilization" to the ranks of the russian federation will begin.
Mykolaiv region
The russian army continues shelling. Because of it, Mykolaiv has had problems with the water supply for a few days. However, the water supply will be restored soon, Vitalii Kim. the Head of Regional Military Administration, promises. "Mykolaiv won't be left without water; to get to a normal mode, we need a couple of days."
Odesa region
The State Emergency Service warned that all beaches in Odesa and the region are still mined, and information about their de-mining is fake. Information that allegedly today the SES will begin to partially de-mine the beaches of Odesa, appeared in some Telegram channels.
Odesa joined the initiative to transport drinking water to Mykolaiv. It is known that because of the attacks of russians on the Mykolaiv water supply system, there was an accident, and there is no access to it. Locals have been without water for four days. For technical needs, people collect water from the Pivdennyi Buh, and there are huge queues for drinking water.
Zaporizhzhia region
On April 16, the occupiers shelled Huliaipole. One person was injured. The police of Ukraine reported that the shells hit five private houses. As a result, some of them are completely destroyed, and others have damage of varying degrees.
Chernihiv region
In Chernihiv, a cabinet of their own also survived! After the shelling of the center of Chernihiv on February 27, the Mykhailo Kotsyubynskyi City Library was also damaged. The shock wave shattered windows, doors, and walls. The monument to Mykhailo Kotsyubynskyi, which stood on the territory of the library, was cut into two parts, and the cabinet survived.
As the director of the library, Liudmyla Zinevych told the Suspilne, this is a cabinet from the library museum of Polissia authenticity. "The cabinet presents dishes from different regions: Chernihiv, Cherkasy, and Kosiv ceramics, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site."
The russian 90th Panzer Division, which spent a month in the Nizhyn district of the Chernihiv region, left behind such scrap. Enemy equipment burned down after a meeting with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The photo was published by the Kruty United Territorial Community.
Dnipropetrovsk region
In the Pavlohrad district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, deminers neutralized the combat unit of the 9M79-1 Tochka-U missile.
russian troops fired on the countryside of the Zelenodolsk community in the Dnipropetrovsk region, killing a civilian. The mayor of Zelenodolsk Dmytro Neveselyi reported about it.
Western Ukraine
16 children from the East of Ukraine were taken by medical train to one of the hospitals in the Lviv region. Three of them were injured in a missile strike at the Kramatorsk railway station.
