CIA Chief William Burns said: “If we don’t help the Ukrainians, they could be defeated by Russia by the end of the year.” In the United States, the failure to approve the aid package for Ukraine is raising tension to the highest levels.
And in Europe, in terms of tension, things are no better: German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, after the detention of two alleged Russian intelligence agents, called for opposition to “Vladimir Putin’s terrorist strategy”. “The accusations of alleged organization of explosions and arson are a new circumstance. Germany increasingly finds itself at the center of Russia’s attention. The arrests had enormous symbolic power and demonstrated how strong our democracy is. We are doing everything we can to ensure that Vladimir Putin’s terrorist strategy has no chance of taking root,” Bushman said.
Again from Germany, we learn from Olaf Scholz that: “NATO partners can supply Ukraine with six Patriot systems.” We remind you that Ukraine requested 25. Italy transferred a batch of Iveco VM-90 trucks to Ukraine.
The deputy secretary general of NATO said that there will be no conditions for inviting Ukraine to the alliance before the summit, which will be held in Washington in July this year.
In Ukraine, Natalya Gumenyuk was dismissed from the position of head of the Center for Strategic Communications of the Southern Defense Forces, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On April 18, Ukrainian media workers called on the military leadership to replace Gumenyuk in her position. Journalists said she bans coverage of “war crimes” in the Kherson region and does not allow access to the armed forces.
From the Russian social sphere come images of Russian Defense Minister Shoigu inspecting defense industry enterprises in the Omsk region, including the production of T-80BVM tanks and TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems.
The Russian Minister was informed that, according to his instructions, the safety of armored vehicles was increased during their preparation for shipment to the area of the Northern Military District.
The head of the Russian military department was also informed that over the past year the company has increased the production of TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems by 2.5 times.
And now a look at the front line updated at 3pm on April 19th.
According to the Ukraine Battle Map OSINT team during the attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Dzhankoy (Crimea), at least five S-400 air defense missile launchers were destroyed, and not three, as previously thought.
The Russian Armed Forces carried out combined night attacks against targets in the Russian rear. In the first half of the night, enemy air defense systems and targets were destroyed by “Geranium”. At 05:00, missiles fired from Tu-95ms strategic bombers entered Ukrainian airspace. Numerous explosions were heard in the Dnipropetrovs’k, Pavlohrad, Odessa, Kryvyi Rih, Poltava and Kharkiv regions. On April 18 it also became known that as a result of an attack on Dnipropetrovs’k airfield, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed three MiG-29s with cluster munitions.
In the direction of Kherson, the Armed Forces of Ukraine maintain a presence on the bank in Krynki and on the Antonovsky Bridge. On April 17, the Ukrainian Armed Forces replenished personnel with a small landing force. There is mutual bombing and Ukrainian drones continue to pose a serious threat to Russian troops. Furthermore, the Ukrainian armed forces regularly shoot at civilians: yesterday, following a Ukrainian attack on Aleshki, a civilian was injured by shrapnel.
On the Zaporozhzhie front there are battles in Rabotinye, from the social sphere we learn that there would be an advance of Russian troops north-west of Verbovove. The Ukrainians have many drones with night cameras; Baba Yaga and FPV hexacopters. In the Russian social sphere, it is said that the Ukrainian armed forces use Israeli M971 cluster mortar mines of 120 mm caliber. During the day, a Ukrainian drone was shot down over the Zaporozhzhie nuclear power plant. Attacks on nuclear facilities have become permanent.
Heading south from Donetsk, the Russian Armed Forces are advancing in the south of Krasnohorivka, Russian artillery and air force working closely together. Russian troops are already operating north of the railway tracks.
Northwest of Avdiivka, the Russian Army is trying to cover Novokalynove. The significant advance of Russian troops near Ocheretyne sparked discussions in the Ukrainian segment of social networks.
Battles are taking place at the Yar Watch, the combat contact line has remained without significant changes for 24 hours. The urban areas where the Ukrainian military has entrenched itself are subject to constant attacks by the FAB and UMPC.
In the morning, the governor of Sevastopol reported that the air target was destroyed over the sea at a great distance from the city. Around midnight, 25 air targets were shot down over the Belgorod region as they approached Belgorod, residential buildings were damaged, and ground fires occurred; Bombing of the region’s border areas continues and the Ukrainian armed forces carry out drone attacks.
Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 133 rounds of ammunition into the DPR region, 11 civilians were injured. Horlivka hit by Ukrainians with HIMARS MLRS and M-31 missiles (fragmentation weapons).
Graziella Giangiulio
