The President of Ukraine Volodymyr and Elena Zelens’kyj and Andrzej Duda and Madam were welcomed to Poland on 5 April. During the official ceremony, Duda presented Zelenskyj with the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest award.
The Order of the White Eagle is the highest state award in Poland, one of the oldest Polish orders, founded in 1705 it is awarded for outstanding civil and military service for the benefit of the Republic of Poland. In the past, it was received by Russian generals Menshikov, Repnina and Ogilvy, as well as Hetman Mazepa.
Since 1992, the order has been restored as the highest state recognition in Poland. The Grand Master of the Order is the President of Poland. The first restored titles were awarded to King Charles XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Pope John Paul II.
While Kiev received the MIG 29 from Poland, the Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas held a meeting with Reznikov in Kharkov.
In Europe, German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck proposed the introduction of sanctions against countries receiving uranium from the Russian Federation for their nuclear power plants. He expressed this idea on his return from a two-day visit to Ukraine. During the talks in Kiev, ‘the issue of deliveries of uranium fuel rods from Russia to Europe’ for nuclear power plants was in the spotlight, he pointed out. The vice-chancellor forgets that this measure could send Europe’s energy programme into a tailspin, since until now, European nuclear power plants run on Russian uranium. Russia on the other hand has already reinvested in nuclear energy in Africa, Egypt and Central Asian countries.
In Moscow, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin received the new ambassadors and held a meeting with the governors of the new regions of Russia and told them: ‘By 1 June the creation of special territorial services in the new subjects of the Russian Federation should be completed. The President of the Russian Federation also ordered to take control of the material support of the territorial structures, to provide them with modern technical equipment and weapons. In addition, Putin instructed to actively involve local residents in law enforcement, develop the threat reporting system, and establish feedback channels.
Putin, after calling for the acceleration of the integration of Russia’s historical lands into the Russian legal sphere, also emphasised the problems with building security in new regions, in view of the fact that the entire system must be created from scratch under the conditions of the terror unleashed by Kiev. Intelligence agencies must maximise their efforts to ensure security in new territories.
The State Duma will consider the basic bill ‘On the Citizenship of the Russian Federation’ in the second and third readings at its plenary session on 11 April. The State Duma Committee supported the amendment on the deprivation of acquired citizenship, including for public actions aimed at discrediting the Russian armed forces.
In Ukraine, the Ukrainian armoured vehicle company has launched mass production of 60mm bullets for the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces and has already transferred more than 100,000 of these items to the army.
Mychajlo Podolyak, journalist, Advisor to Ukrainian President Zelens’kyj said that ‘Ukraine will return Crimea in 5-7 months. The Russian army does not have the resources and forces to hold the conquered peninsula,’ he said.
On the front line it is reported that on the night of 4-5 April a Ukrainian drone attacked the Zaporozhia nuclear power plant before the visit of IAEA chief Grossi. A Polish-made Ukrainian attack UAV crashed near the Zaporzhzhia nuclear power plant, shot down by the Russian defence.
The fighting intensified in the last 24 hours in the direction of Krupyansk, where Russian troops, according to the social sphere, killed more than 220 Ukrainian soldiers with self-propelled ‘Gvozdika’ guns and a D-30 howitzer. In addition, three artillery ammunition warehouses were destroyed in the Kharkiv and Zaporozhia regions – under Ukrainian control – . Another warehouse of missile and artillery weapons of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was hit in the Konstantinovka region of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
According to a report by Vladimir Rogov to RIA Novosti, the Ukrainian troop group has completed preparations for a counter-offensive in the Zaporizhzhia region. “They are ready and waiting for the green light. Anything can happen at any time and we are ready to face the enemy fully armed,” Rogov said.
Pindo expert Chuck Farrer reports that Russian troops are advancing in the direction of Avdiivka and more specifically towards Novobakhmutovka; from the H-20 highway towards the eastern outskirts of Avdiivka west of the city in the direction of the O-0542 road and the 9th district.
The situation at 00:00 on 4 April 2023 on the front of Bachmut was as follows: in Bachmut, the assault detachments of the PMC “Wagner” completely liberated the territory of the AZOM industrial complex and the railway station “Bakhmut-1” and other neighbourhoods east of Mira Street.
The “Wagnerites” entrenched themselves along Alexander Sibirtsev Street, occupying school No. 11, and advanced along Svoboda Street in the central part of BAchmuyt and controlled as far as the Atlantic Hotel. Fighting is currently going on at the Atlantic and Bachmut Hotel.
To the south, the Wagnerites, moving from the Korsunsky Street side from the west and from Bachmutskaya and Vasily Pershin Street from the east, approached the Avangard Stadium, coming out onto Ryzdvyanaya Street. Fighting in this area continues.
The main contingent of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is currently controlling the western neighbourhoods of the city, as well as the roads from Konstantinovka and Chasov Yar – PMC assault detachments conduct regular sorties near Krasnoye and Khromovo to curb Ukrainian actions.
North-west of Bachmut, during several days of position battles, Russian units managed to reach the northern outskirts of Bogdanovka. The assault is on the outskirts of the settlement with the support of artillery and aviation fire is ongoing.
The positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Bogdanovka cover the flank of the Ukrainian group in Chasov Yar and the loss of control over this suburb will significantly affect the logistical capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces along the road through Khromovo. The Ukrainian Armed Forces command is trying with all its might to maintain the Bogdanovka – Grigorovka line to prevent a breakthrough of the defence from the north.
As Yevgeny Prigozhin reported, “at the moment the enemy is concentrated in the western part of Bachmut, all important administrative and industrial facilities and the Bachmut-1 station are under Wagner’s control. Now the attack planes are moving from the centre to the west. The fighters have entrenched themselves in Sibirtseva Street and occupied school No. 11. Fighting near the Atlantic and Bachmut hotels. Shelling is ongoing near the Avangard stadium. To the west of the city, artillery is crushing militant positions in Bogdanovka and Khromovo’.
The statement of the press office of the ‘Centre’ group of five April states that: “In the direction of Krasno-Limansky, the crews of the bomber planes of the “Centre” group of forces launched an air attack on observation posts, as well as on the enemy’s temporary deployment points, using high-explosive aerial bombs. When using unguided missiles, the army and ground attack aircraft attacked the firepower and manpower of the Ukrainian nationalists. An attempt was made to attack the 15th regiment of the Ukrainian National Guard in the Chervonodibrovsky section. As a result of damage caused by cannon artillery fire from the “Centre” grouping, the enemy suffered losses and dispersed into the forest. The reconnaissance patrol discovered the concentration of personnel of the 81st Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Torsky sector. During the defeat of the artillery fire, the enemy suffered losses of manpower’. The news cannot be verified at the moment.
Ukrainian formations attacked the Suzemsky district in the Bryansk region with the help of UAVs. One civilian was injured by the explosion of fallen ammunition. The civilian infrastructure was not damaged, emergency services are working on the scene. And still Ukrainian formations attacked the border areas of the Kursk region. In the Korenevsky district, the village of Gordeevka is under shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces. As a result of the attack, the settlement was de-escalated. Problems with power supply are also observed in Uspenovka and Troitskoye.
Graziella Giangiulio
