Timeline: day 39 of Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression
Today, April 3, Russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for thirty-nine days. We're reporting on all the current news. The article will be constantly updated.
What about today?
Key points
The latest information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 06:00 on April 3:
- Russia's systematic violations of the requirements of International Humanitarian Law on the conduct of war continue. The occupiers continue to place weapons and military equipment in the immediate vicinity of the residential infrastructure of the settlements, carry out filtration measures in the temporarily occupied territories, commit violence against local residents, and engage in looting and robbing.
- Over the past 24hrs, 6 enemy attacks, 4 tanks, 6 armored vehicles and 7 units of enemy vehicles have been repulsed in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
- The Air Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have hit 8 air targets in the past 24 hours: 2 planes, 1 helicopter, 1 UAV, and 4 cruise missiles. Air Force aircraft continued to strike at enemy ranges, military equipment columns, and logistics centers.
Infographics on village heads and heads of united territorial communities, abducted by Russians as of April 2. Currently, 11 heads of local communities from Kyiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Donetsk regions are being held captive by the Russian military. The lives of people who do not want to cooperate with the occupiers are in danger. Olha Sukhenko, the village head of Motyzhyn, abducted by the Russian military, is no longer alive. She and her family were killed by Russian torturers.
158 children died in Ukraine due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. About 258 were injured. More than 416 children have been injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of our country.
"I am grateful to all those who take to the streets in the temporarily occupied cities. To all who are not afraid and go out. To all who are afraid and go out. To all who feel that without this decision to defend Ukraine and their freedom, the occupiers can consolidate. And when people are protesting, the more people protest, the harder it is for the occupiers to destroy us. To destroy our freedom. This is our common struggle! And it will be our common victory," said President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the 38th day of the war.
The President also signed a decree on the awarding of state awards to our heroes: 131 servicemen of the Armed Forces, 9 of them posthumously.
In addition, the President said that he didn't support the initiative of people's deputies to change the text of the national anthem of Ukraine. If the parliament passes the relevant law, the president will not sign it, Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi: "We, Ukrainian servicemen, have proved that we are fighting and will fight for freedom, democracy, and the right to live in the civilized world we defend today. Humanity has a chance to live peacefully. We are ready to bring the eradication of evil to an end."
The Russian military planned the genocide in Ukraine at the beginning of active hostilities. This was announced by the adviser to the head of the President's Office Mykhailo Podoliak. "Soldiers came to Ukraine with a military band and columns of the Russian national guard. But they were always followed by mobile crematoria. Why take a crematorium if you do not believe in resistance? Now it is clear: they did it to hide war crimes. This is not a performer's mistake. This is a planned genocide," Podoliak said.
Today, the President of Ukraine visited the wounded border guards who are being treated at the Main Military Medical Clinical Center.
Humanitarian corridors
Today Ukrainians will be evacuated from Mariupol and Berdiansk to Zaporizhzhia, Iryna Vereshchuk said. Humanitarian corridors will be protected by the Red Cross, and 17 buses have been prepared for the people. Evacuations from Severodonetsk, Popasna, Rubizhne, and Lysychansk are also planned.
Negotiations on the release of civilians within the exchange of prisoners of war are also continuing.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that at Erdogan's request, a humanitarian corridor will be opened for the evacuation of foreigners from Mariupol. The corridor from Mariupol to Berdiansk will be opened from midnight on April 3, and the Russian Armed Forces "guarantee compliance with the ceasefire." We all already know what the "guarantees" of the monster country are worth: detained humanitarian convoys, green corridors covered with mines, shot-down buses with civilians and volunteers.
22:30 – Iryna Vereshchuk reports that 2,694 people have been evacuated so far.
- From Mariupol to Berdiansk, 469 people got there on their transport
- From Berdiansk to Zaporizhzhia by evacuation buses planned for today: 408 Mariupol residents
- 1,467 people from Lysychansk, Severodonetsk, Rubizhne, and Kreminna evacuated in Luhansk region
Buses, which have been held by the Russian military near Vasylivka since yesterday, were able to pass the checkpoints today. 350 people from Mariupol and Berdiansk will soon arrive in Zaporizhzhia.
Trophies of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
The Ukrainian military seized a Russian UAV near the temporarily occupied territories. This device fired on Ukrainian positions. The UAV was handed over to specialists for research.
The enemy suffered heavy losses in one of the areas in eastern Ukraine, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. "While rescuing their own bacon, the enemy threw not only the corpses of their soldiers on the battlefield but also the surviving equipment and weapons," the military said.
This finding was made by a group of Special Operations Forces of Ukraine together with fighters of the resistance movement.
During special reconnaissance and search and strike operations in the area of one of the settlements, the soldiers discovered the enemy, ADMS Buk. Next to the abandoned anti-aircraft missile system was a Russian shelter where they hid ammunition, weapons, and equipment.
Special Operations Forces soldiers are grateful to the Russians for their gifts and continue their search to fully "thank" them for the trophies.
Ukraine's talks with Russia
Work with the text of the Ukrainian-Russian agreement at the level of experts and heads of delegations will resume on Monday, April 4, said Russia's representative at the talks Vladimir Medinsky.
Who's coming to Ukraine?
About financial aid, weapons, and volunteer fighters
Latvia will provide ATVs for the Ukrainian military.
The United States has stated its readiness to facilitate the transfer of Soviet tanks to Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox News, Zelenskyy stressed that we did not need millions of bulletproof vests or helmets of a special brand. We need rockets and planes. And if the partners can't give us an F18 or an F19, we agree to the old Soviet planes.
News from partners
In New York, under the UN building, hundreds of people with blue and yellow flags expressed support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and demanded that the United States help Ukraine with weapons and the organization of humanitarian corridors.
Finland has seriously considered joining NATO after the war in Ukraine. The Prime Minister of the country Sanna Marin has already called for such a decision and called on all parties to discuss it, according to the Finnish newspaper Yle. The head of government said that it was necessary to start discussing this issue in society. And with a positive decision, the application to join the Alliance must be submitted by summer. "Russia is not the neighbor we imagined," Marin said.
To recap, after the start of the war in Ukraine, neutral Sweden also spoke about the rationale for joining NATO.
And the President of Tajikistan called on the population to stock up on food for two years and be ready to defend state independence due to the tense situation in the world.
Former war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte has called on the International Criminal Court to issue an international arrest warrant for Putin.
While working in the ICC, she led investigations into war crimes in Rwanda, Syria, and the former Yugoslavia. In an interview with several Swiss media outlets, Del Ponte said that explicit war crimes were also taking place in Ukraine, as military targets were clearly not targeted during the attacks on civilians and residential areas. In addition, Del Ponte was shocked by the number of mass graves of Ukrainian civilians killed, the Blick newspaper writes.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is also shocked by the atrocities of the Russian horde in Bucha and other cities. She said on Twitter that she would help punish the perpetrators.
Boris Johnson wants to arm Ukraine to defend Odesa, The Times reports. The British government insists on arming Ukraine with anti-ship missiles that will sink Russian warships. It will also make it impossible to shell coastal cities from the sea.
At the same time, the Japanese Ministry of Defense is hiring a specialist who will fight against Russian propaganda and publish accurate information about the war in Ukraine.
Polish President Andrzej Duda delivered children with cancer from Ukraine to Rome on a presidential plane.
And Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslav Kaczynski said that Poland is open to the deployment of American nuclear weapons on its territory.
The world's reaction to the atrocities of the Russian occupiers in Ukraine
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg: "We have not seen such atrocities against civilians in Europe for decades. And it is horrible and absolutely unacceptable that civilians are being targeted and killed."
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson responded to the war crimes committed by the Russian occupiers in Bucha: "I will do everything in my power to starve Putin's military machine. We are strengthening our sanctions and military support, as well as strengthening our humanitarian aid package to help those in need, "Johnson said.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is also determined: "I am shocked by the reports of unspeakable horrors in the areas from which Russia has left. Those guilty of war crimes will be brought to justice.
Even German Chancellor Olaf Scholz woke up: "I demand that international organizations gain access to these territories in order to document the atrocities themselves. We must relentlessly investigate the crimes of the Russian military and bring the perpetrators to justice."
In turn, Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Russian mothers: "I want every mother of every Russian soldier to see the bodies of killed people in Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel. What did they do, and why were they killed? How did all this become possible? You could not help but notice that your children are deprived of everything human, without a soul, without a heart.
The President also invited Ms. Merkel and Mr. Sarkozy to visit Bucha and see what the policy of concessions to Russia has led to in 14 years. To see with your own eyes the tortured Ukrainians.
During an evening video address, President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has established a special mechanism of justice to investigate and prosecute every brutal crime of the occupiers. He explained that the essence of the mechanism is the joint work of national and international experts, investigators, prosecutors, and judges. It will bring to justice all those who took part in this terrible war. "Every culprit will be found and punished."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an independent investigation into the massacres in Bucha. "I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Bucha, Ukraine. It is essential that an independent investigation leads to effective accountability."
"We cannot remain silent, the world must know what happened, and we must all act," the US Embassy in Ukraine said of the situation in Bucha.
So maybe just a simple concern isn't enough? The world really has to work! We need real help, give us more weapons!
What's in Russia?
The Russian TV channel interrupted the broadcast of the German Bundesliga match due to the support of Ukraine. During the broadcast, billboards with the words "Stop war" and "Stand with Ukraine" in support of Ukraine's struggle against Russia's military invasion were seen on the air. The channel decided that a match with such slogans would inflict irreparable psychological trauma on Russian football fans.
In Kazan, activists are replacing price tags in stores with anti-war propaganda. This is a good idea because most Russians are more concerned about price tags than what their "homeland" does.
Russia has revised its military strategy in Ukraine to focus on taking control of Donbas and other regions in eastern Ukraine with a target date of early May. This was reported by several US officials familiar with the latest estimates of US intelligence, CNN reports. Putin can plan any "days of victory," but the occupier will be destroyed!
What about Belarus?
For the past 24hrs, no missile launches and Russian combat aircraft have been recorded from the territory of Belarus, Belarusian opposition journalists report. According to journalists, the last launch of missiles in Ukraine from Belarus took place on April 1 at 23:20.
Russian lies
Officials in Russia are not ashamed to circumvent their own bans: Russia's main liar, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, says he has set up a VPN: "Why not? It's not forbidden."
Sanctions on the aggressor!
To bring down Russia's economy and stop the killing of Ukrainians, either a direct embargo on all energy resources or an indirect embargo due to the closure of ports for goods (85% of oil – tankers) is needed. Or tell us: "Fight to the last Ukrainian," wrote the adviser to the head of the Office of the President, Mykhailo Podoliak.
Kyiv is currently working on sanctions against Russia such as a ban on the purchase of gas, oil, and coal, the closure of the world's ports for Russian ships, and the disconnection of all banks from SWIFT. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba noted that Ukraine insisted that the "sanctions flywheel" doesn't stop, and is working to apply not only personal sanctions but large sectoral measures that will hit the Russian economy hard. At the same time, until such a decision is made by countries such as Germany and Italy, Russia's military machine will be fueled by the money, paid for gas and oil.
Marine fuel sellers have stopped servicing Russian-flagged vessels in major European centers, including Spain and Malta. The inability to refuel complicates logistics during transportation.
Life considering hostilities
Half of the pharmacies in Ukraine have closed. This was announced on Twitter, according to the World Health Organization. According to the WHO, many health workers have resigned or are unable to perform their duties.
The Verkhovna Rada expanded the preferential taxation of a number of goods imported for the defense of Ukraine. From now, the list of such goods and products, in particular, includes:
- unmanned aerial vehicles
- weather stations
- armored and passenger cars, including trucks
- optical surveillance devices
Ukraine spends about $10,000,000,000 a month on hostilities, the Finance Ministry estimates.
More than 13% of Ukrainian roads have been destroyed, Ukravtodor reports. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, 23 out of 170,000 kilometers of public roads have been destroyed. 273 man-made structures were also destroyed, including bridges, overpasses, etc. As of today, UAH 874 billion needs to be spent on the reconstruction of roads and bridges.
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Kyiv and region
Photos from Bucha are awful. Corpses of women and men are every 10 to 20 meters along the streets. The latter have their hands tied behind their backs. Their clothes are wrapped around their heads. Everyone was shot in the head. There are an incredible number of victims: more than 300 in Irpin alone. In Bucha and Hostomel, they are not counted yet.
"Russian world" is death, hunger, and violence!
After the liberation of the Kyiv region from the occupiers, the bodies of the head of the village of Motyzhyn, Olha Sukhenko, and her husband, who were abducted by the Russians on March 23, were found.
The naked bodies of several women whom the Russian occupiers tried to burn were found on the roadside 20 km from Kyiv. The entire world has probably seen a huge number of civilians killed and tortured by Russian beasts in Bucha.
Russia is a savage, bloodthirsty, cruel horde of freaks and marginals.
It will take at least 10 days to demine the Kyiv region, said Oleksii Kuleba, head of the region's humanitarian headquarters. "A curfew is imposed on all settlements liberated from the occupiers from April 2 to 6:00 on Tuesday, April 5. This is done so that specialists can assess the scope of work and put it in order. After that, the process of demining and infrastructure restoration will be able to take a planned nature," Kuleba said.
17:10 – the Russian occupiers launched a missile strike on the city of Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region. Some of the missiles were shot down by air defense systems. The area was shelled by enemy missiles a month ago and suffered significant damage. Almost all the premises were burned by a missile strike. Now the enemy has hit the headquarters building, which has already been destroyed. It is known in advance that several workers were injured, and evacuated to a local hospital, and the condition of one of them is critical.
In the basement of one of Bucha's houses, the occupiers set up a barracks, and in the next room, a torture chamber, where civilians were shot. They tied their hands, knelt against the wall, and shot…
So far, 410 bodies of killed civilians have been removed from the territory of the Kyiv region liberated from Russian aggressors. This was announced by Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova. "As of April 1-3, 140 bodies have already been examined by prosecutors and other specialists. At the same time, there is work with the local population, search for witnesses, victims, collection of photos, and video evidence. This is delicate and painstaking work: people are scared, tired, and tormented, they have experienced unspeakable horror. Here, too, it takes time and a professional approach to record everything correctly and not lose any chance to find and punish the perpetrators."
Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, Motyzhyn: Ukraine will never forgive the war crimes of the occupiers, the horror experienced by the residents of these cities!
Donetsk and Luhansk regions
In Severodonetsk, the Russians visited one of the buildings in the city center for the third time in a week, the head of the Luhansk Regional Department Serhii Haidai. Last night in Severodonetsk there was a fire in six high-rise buildings and a shop, in Rubizhne, five objects of residential stock were burning, in Lysychansk, there were two.
Fighting continues in some neighborhoods of Rubizhne and Popasna.
Due to the detonation of the dam in the Oskil Reservoir, the Siversky Donets River rises from its banks. The water spilled in the southern direction and has already reached Studenko and Sviatohirsk.
While trying to leave Mariupol, Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravičius was killed by the Russian occupiers. This was announced by Russian and Latvian documentary filmmaker Vitaly Mansky. "Our friend, the participant of Artodkfest, Lithuanian documentary filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius, was killed today in Mariupol, with a camera in his hands, in this shitty war of evil against the whole world," Mansky wrote. In 2016, Kvedaravičius made the film Mariupolis about the war in Donbas. This film is called "human story amid historical upheavals."
21:30 – Authorities of Donetsk and Luhansk regions call on all residents to evacuate. "Everyone who has the opportunity must temporarily leave the region. We all have to discard panic. There's a great probability that the situation will become more complicated. It is obvious. And in this case, one of the important levers of manipulation and achieving the results for the enemy will be the population. Therefore, it is necessary to leave, to get this lever out of the hands of the occupier. And it will be much easier for the defenders of the Donetsk region to beat the enemy," said Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration.
Serhii Haidai, the Head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, said: "Earlier I said that we should take out the maximum number of people before the Russians start firing missiles at cities, not for the faint of heart. Everything that is happening, everything is serious! Sitting quiet, and waiting is not about the situation where we find ourselves in."
Kharkiv region
Kharkiv. April 2, 2022
In Izium, about 80% of residential buildings were destroyed due to Russian shelling, Deputy Mayor Volodymyr Matsokin reports. According to city officials, 15 to 20,000 people are trapped in Izium and villages near the city and in need of humanitarian assistance.
In the town of Lozova, after enemy shelling, several private houses, a transformer substation, and a warehouse building were occupied. At least 5 people were injured. They were hospitalized in the district hospital.
17:00 – the pilot of the bomber shot down near Izium was caught and detained.
In the evening, the occupiers fired on the Slobidskyi district of Kharkiv, said Oleh Sinehubov. Unfortunately, there are civilian casualties. There are currently 23 victims, including children. Information is still being clarified.
There are threats of missile strikes in the Lozova community, it is recommended to evacuate the population.
Kherson region
13:00 – a rally against the occupation is held in Kherson. People came to the monument to Shevchenko with Ukrainian symbols and posters with the words "Kherson is Ukraine!"
They chant: "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!" "Glory to the nation! Death to the enemies!" And "Glory to the soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces!"
17:00 – the Russian military kidnapped three more residents of Kakhovka: Vasyl Lotaniuk, Ihor Bakhur, and Anatolii Kachynskyi.
In Nova Kakhovka, the occupiers detained Oleksandr Hunko, a journalist and writer, and editor-in-chief of Nova Kakhovka.City, after searches. This was announced by his daughter Oksana on her Facebook page.
Good news: The military of the Russian Federation released the deputy of the Kherson regional council Serhii Drozdyk, the first deputy chairman of a regional council Yehor Ustinov reported.
Oleksandr Shapovalov, the mayor of Beryslav, was also released from captivity. Shapovalov was captured on March 19 while delivering humanitarian aid to occupied Nova Kakhovka.
Kherson journalist Kostiantyn Ryzhenko was also found. He got in touch and said that he was fine. He continues to hide and will continue to volunteer. It was suspected that he, too, could be abducted.
Mykolaiv region
20:00 – The Head of the Mykolaiv regional state administration Vitalii Kim reported that as a result of the attacks on Mykolaiv, 14 people were taken to hospital. 11 of them were hospitalized, including a 15-year-old teenager. 1 died, and could not be saved.
Odesa region
6:30 – a series of explosions in Odesa. The speaker of the Odesa Regional Military Administration Serhii Bratchuk urged everyone not to publish videos and photos, to stay in hiding during the siren. He has not shared information about the explosions yet. We are waiting for official statements.
7:00 – Odesa was attacked from the air. A fire has been reported in some areas. Some missiles were shot down by air defense.
Chernihiv region
Kolychivka, Yahidne, Ivanivka… These settlements of the Chernihiv region will remember the horrors of war for a long time. Currently, the settlements have been liberated from Russia's invasion. The territory is being cleared and controlled by the military of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Humanitarian aid is being brought to the population.
Oleksandr Medvediov, the mayor of Snovsk, Chernihiv region, was released from captivity. He was captured on March 25.
Sumy region
Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the head of the Sumy Regional State Administration, showed a photo of the bridge over the Seim River blown up by orcs. "It was the way from Putyvl to Sumy," Zhyvytskyi wrote.
16:30 – Sumy residents who have left the city should not return yet. The mayor of Sumy Oleksandr Lysenko told about it. According to him, about 50,000 people left the city.
The enemy began to withdraw units of the armed forces from the Sumy region. Probably, the enemy decided to abandon the offensive in the Siveria and, in part, Sloboda directions, from the latest report of the General Staff as of 18:00.
Oleksii Shybaiev, deputy head of the Nova Sloboda community, has been released from the captivity of the Russian army.
Western Ukraine
In Ivano-Frankivsk, more than 2,500 people signed up for shooting training. Training is held every day, except weekends, in rifle ranges of the Ivano-Frankivsk community.
22:30 – explosions were heard in Ternopil, Rivne region, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kolomyia. The mayor of Ternopil confirmed the explosions. Don't post photos and videos and locations!
