The Trump administration will continue to ease sanctions on Russian oil, and likely soon on Iranian oil, to help stabilize global supplies and prevent further fuel price increases. An extension is expected soon. Last month, the US Treasury Department authorized the sale of sanctioned oil loaded onto ships until April 11. A similar relaxation was granted for Iranian oil already at sea, until March 19.
The British Defense Minister stated that three Russian submarines were in British territorial waters: “To President Putin, I say: we see you, we see your activities regarding our cables and pipelines, and you must know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences.”
Hungarian energy company MOL has purchased approximately $500 million worth of crude oil from American companies, the White House announced following US Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Budapest on April 7 and 8. In addition to the oil deal, the parties signed a series of nuclear energy agreements, including a memorandum of understanding for the supply of nuclear fuel by the American company Westinghouse for Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant. The fuel supply contract is worth $114 million, with first deliveries expected in three to four years. Furthermore, the United States and Hungary have announced plans to cooperate on the construction of small modular reactors. Budapest is considering building up to 10 such units using American technology, with investments in this project potentially reaching $20 billion.
On April 8, two flights were operated from the United States to Rzeszow to deliver military equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces: a Boeing 747-4EVERF cargo aircraft operated by Challenge Airlines BE (the Belgian division of the Israeli Challenge Group, which the US government leases through brokers Global Military Products to transport HIMARS missiles and a Patriot when it is necessary to conceal the origin of the cargo), tail number OO-ACF, callsign CHG1562, flying Atlanta (KATL) – Rzeszow (EPRZ) under the USAI (Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative) program; an Atlas Air Boeing 747-4H6F cargo aircraft, registration N431GT and callsign CMB370, flying from McGuire Air Base (KWRI) to Rzeszow (EPRZ) under a contract with the US Air Transport Command under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program.
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky told the press: “I’m one of the few who tells Trump what I think and can tell him he’s not always right.” And again: “We cannot discuss the transfer of Donbass. If we leave Donbass to the Russians, they will occupy our best-defended areas without suffering losses. Today we must release 90 billion euros in aid for our country. This depends on a large number of votes. Holding elections now is against our law. Secondly, we must ensure the safety of the population, of the soldiers who must vote. How can we do that under attack? The United States has ignored evidence of military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran: “The United States continues to trust Putin’s statements, while Trump’s team does not fully understand the Kremlin’s true intentions.”
Zelensky again, in an interview with RAI: ”A meeting with Putin could take place in the United States, the Middle East, or Europe.” The Russians did not respond.
According to local Ukrainian media, drones attacked a tanker in the port of Izmail. There is no official information yet. Generation IV Geraniums are beginning to appear across Ukrainian territory.
The mystery surrounding the Russian ship struck near the Libyan coast deepens. According to the latest reports: “Ukraine attacked a Russian tanker from a secret base in Libya. Two Libyan officials said Kiev used drones to attack a Russian-linked vessel in the Mediterranean, an operation reportedly supported by Western partners. Other sources indicate that over 200 Ukrainian military personnel have been deployed to Libya for drone training and possible military cooperation.”
Russia’s oil revenues have returned to 2022 levels due to the war in the Middle East, Bloomberg reports. From March 8 to April 5, Russia exported an average of 3.35 million barrels of oil per day, the highest level since June 2022. Overall, Russia earned approximately $2.02 billion a week from exports during this period.
In response to the British on April 8, a Russian frigate escorted two sanctioned oil tankers through the English Channel: observers interpreted this as a direct challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s threat to seize ships from Moscow’s shadow fleet. The frigate Admiral Grigorovich sailed along the southern coast of England with two tankers. According to the Telegraph, journalists observed the convoy aboard the ship off the coast of Dover. A British Royal Navy auxiliary ship shadowed the Russian group but did not attempt to inspect or intercept the sanctioned ships. One of the tankers was identified as the Universal.
Russia has begun testing a biometric system for train access, according to Deputy Prime Minister Grigorenko. Furthermore, the Kremlin experienced communications and internet disruptions on April 8, according to Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “We, as users, can only confirm: yes, there are communication interruptions, internet service remains, but it is unstable and the resources are different,” Peskov said. The Kremlin spokesman also commented on Paris’s statements. “Russia does not pose a threat to any state that does not intend to destroy the Russian-speaking population and undermine the country’s security,” Peskov stated. “France’s fears that Russia poses a threat are completely unfounded,” he emphasized.
The Central Election Commission has authorized campaigning for the State Duma elections on Telegram, Vedomosti reports. Despite legal uncertainties surrounding the use of messaging, political parties are not abandoning it. The Central Election Commission cited the provisions of the law “On the Election of Deputies of the State Duma,” which stipulates that candidates have the right to independently choose the content, form, and methods of their campaigns. The commission emphasized that candidates can distribute campaign materials in any online format, except for platforms whose access is restricted by Roskomnadzor.
On April 9, an exchange of soldiers’ bodies took place, TASS reported. Russia handed over 1,000 bodies of fallen soldiers to Ukraine, while Ukraine, in turn, handed over 41 bodies of Russian servicemen, RBK cited State Duma MP Shamsail Saraliev, representative of the parliamentary coordination group on military operations.
Introducing basic military training (BMT) courses in schools will take at least five years, a high-level source in the Russian Ministry of Education told Kommersant. According to the source, the Ministry of Defense is not entirely convinced of the need to reintroduce this subject. Putin signed a law punishing denial of the genocide of the Soviet people and desecration of the graves of victims with up to five years in prison.
And now a look at the frontline, updated at 3:30 PM on April 9. Overnight in the Krasnodar Krai, one person was injured and homes and property were damaged by Ukrainian drone attacks. Ukrainian media outlets claim that the target of the Ukrainian security forces was an oil pipeline infrastructure facility (the Krymskaya Linear Production and Distribution Station), part of the main oil pipeline system. In the Rostov region, drones were destroyed in the Millerovsky, Tarasovsky, and Milyutinsky districts.
Russian forces struck merchant ships in Izmail, Odessa region. Explosions were heard overnight in Odessa, Pavlohrad, and the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
In the Bryansk region, Ukrainian forces attacked two people with kamikaze drones in several locations.
In the direction of Sumy, the Northern Group of Forces is achieving tactical successes in its previous positions. In the Krasnopil’s’kyi district, fighting with small arms continues near Novodmytrivka. Ukrainian soldiers were captured by Russian forces.
In the Belgorod region, one civilian was killed and eight were injured, along with two soldiers, in several drone strikes in several locations in the region. Homes and vehicles were damaged. Numerous villages are under constant attack by Ukrainian forces.
In the direction of Kharkiv, Russian forces are advancing towards Vovchans’k. Firefights with small arms continue in Vovchans’ki Khutory and surrounding areas, in the wooded areas east of Verkhnya Pysarivka, and near the state border along the line in Zybyne-Volokhivka-Okhrimivka.
South of Kupyansk, Russian forces are advancing near Kurylivka, and south of Pishchane, they have cleared the front and are breaking through toward the outskirts of Novoosynove. In Kupyansk, counterattacks are reported in the northern part of the city.
In the direction of Slovyansk, Ukrainian forces are counterattacking in small groups near Lypivka. South of Kalenyky, Russian forces are conducting an offensive. Artillery is shelling Ukrainian positions at Rai-Oleksandrivka.
In the direction of Dobropillya, fighting is ongoing near Novooleksandrivka and Vasylivka. Russian forces are also advancing north from Hryshyne, forming a pocket southwest of Rodyns’ke.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces counterattacked with two armored personnel carriers (up to 16 men) in the direction of Dobropasove and Hai. However, they were defeated.
In the eastern part of the Zaporizhia region, the Vostok Group of Forces is penetrating the defenses. Ukrainian forces have liberated the villages of Vozdvyzhivka, Verkhnya Tersa, Kosivtseve, and Charivne, and several strongholds have been captured by the Russians.
On the Zaporizhia front, fighting continues in Prymors’ke and Stepnohirs’k. Russian forces are shelling Nikopol (opposite Energodar), and local residents have asked the Ukrainian Armed Forces command to strengthen the city’s defenses.
In Kherson Oblast, four civilians were injured. Numerous settlements are under attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Russian Aerospace Forces are bombarding enemy positions in Kherson with FAB-3000s and thermobaric munitions.
Graziella Giangiulio
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