Russo-Ukraine War - 02 April 2022 - Day 37

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country.

Veteran International Criminal Court (ICC) war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte called for an arrest warrant to be issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin by the ICC for the invasion of Ukraine in an interview with Swiss newspaper Le Temps. Del Ponte said, "Putin is a war criminal." She is best known for her investigations of war crimes in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. An arrest warrant she said would indicate "investigative work has been done." Del Ponte said, "It would be impossible for him to leave his country, and it would be a strong signal that he has many states against him."

The head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius, said: “Already this month, on the 24th, we will celebrate Victory Day - God's victory over death and the power of evil. Lent continues, but every day brings us closer to Easter, to the Resurrection of Christ. And every day of our joint successful fight against the aggressor brings the victory of Ukraine closer."

Pope Francis said, "From the east of Europe, from the land of the sunrise, the dark shadows of war have now spread. We had thought that invasions of other countries, savage street fighting and atomic threats were grim memories of a distant past." Pope Francis also took direct aim at Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Once again, some potentate, sadly caught up in anachronistic claims of nationalist interests, is provoking and fomenting conflicts, whereas ordinary people sense the need to build a future that, will either be shared, or not be at all," Pope Francis said.

French actor Gérard Depardieu, who had praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past, criticised his “crazy, unacceptable excesses” in Ukraine. Depardieu, who took up Russian nationality in 2013, told Agence France Presse on Thursday: “the Russian people are not responsible for the crazy, unacceptable excesses of their leaders like Vladimir Putin.” Depardieu also said he would give all the proceeds from three nights of concerts in Paris from April 1 to “Ukrainian victims of this tragic fratricidal war". The Kremlin offered to "explain" Moscow's actions in Ukraine to Depardieu. "He does not understand what happened in Ukraine in 2014," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, accusing Ukraine of bombarding civilians in the country's east. "If necessary, we will be ready to tell him about this and explain so that he understands better."

TV presenter Tucker Carlson on the Fox News channel accused the US authorities of having pursued a short-sighted policy towards Ukraine for many years. The broadcast featured a recording of a speech delivered by former British Independence Party leader Nigel Farage in 2014. He warned of Russia's possible reaction to provocations and argued that the West was "playing war games in Ukraine."

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green said the real reason for the United States' aid to Ukraine lies in the mining of Ukraine's huge lithium reserves and President Biden's desire to "contain" Russia. “Arms supplies to Ukraine have placed a heavy burden on the shoulders of American taxpayers. At this time, Biden is in no hurry to negotiate an end to the conflict. Instead, he continues to aggravate relations with Russia,” she wrote on her Twitter.

The United States does not want a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict: Washington needs it to expand control over Brussels and weaken Moscow, writes Global Times. As the newspaper notes, it is for this reason that the States refuse to offer security guarantees to Ukraine. Positive signals, such as the withdrawal of troops from the Kiev and Chernigov directions, are “clearly not what the US wants,” the publication says, as Washington does not want peaceful coexistence between Moscow and Kyiv. The incitement of conflicts corresponds to the strategic needs of the United States. If Ukraine's call for security guarantees is met, a new model of international security guarantee will be created, which will mean a weakening of the role of the US and NATO, the Global Times believes.

The head of the "Servant of the People" faction and the head of the negotiating group of Ukraine David Arahamiya spoke about talks with the Russians on the air of the national marathon The Russian delegation gave an official answer to all Ukraine's positions: they accept all issues except the Crimea issue, but official confirmation of their position is still needed; drafts of documents are sufficiently developed to hold consultations between the two presidents; the meeting is likely to take place in Turkey.

Delegations are working out a format where Ukraine has a peace agreement with Russia, but security guarantees are provided by all other countries, and Russia cannot block this process. Officially, three NATO countries are ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine: Turkey, Germany and Italy. It is important to get more guarantees from the United States and Britain.

Arakhamia reported that negotiations were at the point of direct consultations. Arakhamia told Ukrainian television that if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the venue would most likely be in Turkey. Arakhamia said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had called the two leaders and "seemed to confirm from his side that they are ready to arrange a meeting in the near future."

Adviser to the Head of the President's Office Mykhailo Podoliak on the same talks: The key task was to find security formulas for Ukraine for many years to come. 90% of how this war should end is by signing an agreement that will guarantee Ukraine's security. That the guarantor countries make legal commitments.

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said in an interview with the American channel Fox News that Ukraine will not make concessions regarding its territorial integrity. "We are not trading our territory. The issue of territorial integrity and sovereignty is not being discussed, "Zelensky replied.

A human rights group tracking the detention of anti-war activists in Russia said that 208 people were detained across the country in protests. According to OVD-Info there were protests in 17 cities. Most of the arrests were made in Moscow and St Petersburg. The organization says that since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine there have been over 15,300 arrests made.

The US authorities, together with their allies, intend to facilitate the transfer of Soviet tanks to Kiev. This was reported by the New York Times on April 2, citing a source in the US administration. Jim Sciutto reported "US is expected to help facilitate transfer of tanks from NATO allies to Ukraine, according to senior US officials. The tanks will be Soviet-era T-72 tanks, which Ukrainian military has experience operating and will be delivered “within days, not weeks,” I’m told."

The Pentagon announced the allocation of a new batch of weapons to Ukraine for $300 million. Among other things: missile systems with laser guidance; tactical unmanned aerial vehicles Switchblade; Puma unmanned aerial systems; anti-aircraft systems; armored highly mobile multi-purpose wheeled vehicles; night vision devices, thermal imagers and optics; secure tactical communications systems; medicines, field equipment and spare parts.

"Ukraine needs more anti-aircraft systems, not excuses," the Washington Post columnis Josh Rogin said. He criticized the US's delay in supplying Ukraine with aircraft or C-300s that can shoot down enemy missiles and medium-range aircraft. The author is indignant that two weeks ago Slovakia announced its decision to hand over the C-300 complex to Ukraine if the Americans provide them with no less modern analogues - but so far there have been no deliveries. Rogin recalls a similar story with Polish planes, which Ukraine never received due to fears from the US leadership that it would anger Russia. However, in reality, the only way to prevent a larger-scale war is to make Ukraine win, the author believes. And every day the delay in supplying her with weapons leads to new deaths of innocent people.

The United States handed over 4,600 Javelin missiles to Kyiv, which is almost half of the amount that America itself bought in 10 years. Despite this, a number of US military and politicians are insisting that the United States give Ukraine more offensive weapons - because there is nothing to lose. "We give Ukrainians enough to keep them from losing the war. But it is not enough for them to win it, " NBC quoted US General Ben Hodges as saying.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine appealed to France, Germany and Great Britain with a request to transfer free of charge military off-road vehicles Land Rover Defender (200 units), Mercedes Benz W461 and UNIMOG 1300L (250 units and 120 units), VBL Panhard (250 units). From its American patrons, Kyiv, among other things, wants to receive Javelin anti-tank systems and Stinger MANPADS in quantities determined by Washington, 250 pickup trucks and at least 60 strike UAVs.

"In everything we're doing, we are very careful not to take any unconsidered step that could make Germany a target of Russia," German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told the German newspaper Rheinische Post. While it's difficult for Ukrainians to understand, he added, "In politics, there are no faultless moral positions. There are always trade-offs to prevent something worse from happening. That's the basis for political moves." The comments were in response to Ukraine's request for more support from Germany in its fights against Russia.

Workers of the Greek railway company TrainOSE refuse to participate in the transportation of US and NATO military armored vehicles from the port of Alexandroupolis to the Ukrainian border, the company's management is putting pressure on them, according to the information portal of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).

Zelenskyi commented on the explosions at the oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod on Fox News on April 1: “I do not discuss my orders as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. There are things I only share with the Armed Forces, "Zelensky said when asked if he had ordered a strike on the facility.

The UK Ministry of Defence reported "A fire has destroyed several oil tanks at a depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, close to the Ukrainian border. On 30 March, explosions were also reported at an ammunition depot in the vicinity of the city. The probable loss of fuel and ammunition supplies from these depots will likely add additional short-term strain to Russia’s already stretched logistic chains. Supplies to Russian forces encircling Kharkhiv (60 km from Belgorod) may be particularly affected."

Jerome at Military Land reported "The battle of Kyiv is over. The Russian Army acknowledged the loss of its offensive potential in the area of Kyiv and has withdrawn its forces to Belarus, or rather what has remained of them.... Russian troops have withdrawn from dozens of settlements, leaving their equipment behind in many cases. Ukrainian forces have begun to clean up the areas and eliminate the remaining pockets of resistance.... Russian troops have withdrawn from dozens of settlements in Chernihiv Oblast as well. Ukrainian forces regained the control of highway M-01 (Kyiv – Chernihiv). However, the bridge near Shestovytsia is reportedly destroyed. Russia forces remain north of the regional capital.... Russian forces bypassed Izium and have moved in the direction of Slavyansk and Barvinkove. According to Ukrainian officials, a few members of Izium city council betrayed and reveled the weak points of Ukrainian defenses. Ukrainian elements have stopped the advancing enemy near the village of Mala Komyshuvakha."

Zelenskyy warned his nation that retreating Russian troops were creating a "complete disaster" outside Kyiv as they leave mines across "the whole territory." He said in a video address to the nation "They are mining the whole territory, they are mining homes, mining equipment, even the bodies of people who were killed". Briefing of Oleksiy Arestovych, Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on the course of hostilities on April 2, stated that during the day the main directions of action were in Kyiv region, where from the north-west and from the north-east Ukrainian troops pushed the enemy towards the state border ; Ukrainian troops liberated more than 30 settlements in the Kyiv region and seized much Russian equipment; the Russians are withdrawing their troops from the Kursk region, trying to resist Ukrainian forces. These troops do not threaten Sumy or Chernihiv. On one of these columns, which entered at night, the Ukrainian forces struck a powerful blow; in the Kherson direction our troops continue the offensive ; in eastern Ukraine, the Russians are trying to surround the Ukrainian group . Yesterday in the area of Volnovakha the enemy tried to launch an offensive, but was repulsed. In the area of Avdiivka and Yasynuvata, the Russians were also stopped and pushed back, inflicting heavy losses; Ukrainian forces are still waiting for heavy fighting in the south, for Mariupol and the east of the country, but after these battles in Russia there are hardly any reserves left for an active offensive.

Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukraine Ministry of Defense reported that in the city of Narovlya (Belarus), the occupiers set up a specialized bazaar selling property looted in Ukraine. They sell washing machines and dishwashers, refrigerators, jewelry, cars, bicycles, motorcycles, dishes, carpets, works of art, children's toys, cosmetics. The occupiers are also trying to exchange stolen currency - dollars and euros. But due to internal restrictions on currency circulation, Belarusians are reluctant to agree to exchange transactions and offer the occupiers to turn to local banks. The scouts found out that a convoy of trucks with various property - industrial goods and household items - was moving from the town of Buryn (Konotop district, Sumy region) to the state border. In the city of Mozyr (Belarus), Russian military KAMAZs are gathering, from which soldiers unload packages of items obtained by looting. The loot is sent to Russia by the Russian express delivery service "SDEK".

Operational information from the Ukraine General Staff : the Ukrainian military completely destroyed 16 battalion tactical groups of the enemy. In total, the Russians involved 75 BTGs in the war against Ukraine, half of which are currently being rebuilt. The Russians plan to surround the Allied forces and reach the administrative borders of Luhansk and Donetsk regions; the occupiers hold separate borders in the temporarily occupied territories of Kyiv and Chernihiv oblasts, probably in the areas near the state border of Ukraine. Russian troops pass abandoned positions, deployment routes, elements of transport infrastructure and equipment that cannot be evacuated; the Russians continue to blockade Chernihiv, but there is information that the bulk of the occupiers are already preparing to leave for Russia; from the Brovary direction to the territory of the Kursk region withdrew part of the units of the 2nd General Army. Other units are ready to move towards the Russian border; in the Donetsk direction, the enemy is concentrating its main efforts on taking control of the settlements of Rubizhne, Severodonetsk, Popasna, Troitske, Avdiivka, Marinka, and Krasnohorivka. He is trying to establish full control over Mariupol.

The resistance forces of the Chernihiv region in Shestovytsia replenished the stocks of armored vehicles for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "The occupiers" relocated so quickly and in an organized manner "that they left a lot of interesting and useful things for our army in the surrounding forests," the General Staff said.

The head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration Oleh Synegubov spoke about the situation in the region and the city. The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to fight actively in the Izium district. Among the victories - the destruction of 2 transport and combat helicopters Mi-8 RF. Soldiers of the 95th Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down two Russian Mi-8 transport and combat helicopters. They were eliminated by calculating the domestic portable anti-tank missile system "Corsair". According to the military, this is the first time that an air target has been successfully destroyed by anti-tank missiles.

Britain's state-of-the-art Starstreak portable missile system shot down a Russian helicopter during its first use on the Ukrainian battlefield. Tungsten spears of the complex broke off the tail of the enemy Mi-28N in the sky over Luhansk region.

Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, in an interview on the Belarus 1 channel, said that the demilitarization of Ukraine as part of the Russian special operation "is in full swing." The Kremlin spokesman said “Demilitarization is indeed in full swing, the military potential, the military infrastructure of Ukraine has been largely destroyed during the special operation of our armed forces. This is indeed one of the goals of this operation”.

The official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Major General Igor Konashenkov, reported on the progress of a "special military operation to denazify and demilitarize" Ukraine. According to Konashenkov, the troops of the Luhansk People's Republic are developing an offensive against the positions of the Ukrainian 57th motorized infantry brigade and blocking the village of Borovskoye from the east and south. During the fighting, up to 30 Ukrainian nationalists and five armored vehicles were destroyed.

Russian troops launched air-launched precision-guided missiles at the Lozovaya and Pavlograd railway stations. As a result of these strikes, armored vehicles, ammunition and fuel tanks were destroyed, which were sent to reinforce the grouping of Ukrainian troops in the Donbas. The Armed Forces (AF) of Russia delivered a high-precision Iskander strike on the defense headquarters in Kharkov. In addition, high-precision strikes disabled a military airfield in the city of Mirgorod in the Poltava region. At the camouflaged parking lot of this airfield, several Ukrainian combat helicopters and an aircraft were destroyed, as well as storage facilities with fuel and aviation weapons. 28 more Ukrainian military facilities hit by Russian Aerospace Forces aviation. During the day, operational-tactical aviation of the Aerospace Forces (VKS) of Russia hit 28 military facilities of Ukraine.

High-precision air-launched missiles disabled military airfields in the cities of Poltava and Dnepropetrovsk. In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 124 aircraft and 84 helicopters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been destroyed. High-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons destroyed storage facilities with gasoline and diesel fuel at the Kremenchug oil refinery, from which the Ukrainian group of troops was supplied in the central and eastern regions of the country.

Ramzan Kadyrov proclaimed: “For one wounded Chechen fighter, we destroy ten Bandera henchmen. Even the slightest scratch of our soldiers does not remain without inevitable retribution! <...> Fierce and fearless when it comes to the honor and blood of their brothers, the Chechens never forgive the damage done to them!” Kadyrov wrote in his Telegram channel. As the Chechen leader noted, the sentence is immediately carried out by servicemen from Sultan Rashaev 's "Fighter" unit.

Kadyrov addressed Ukrainian nationalists in Mariupol: “I know you want to surrender. I have your talks [on radio communications - ed.]. You cannot decide who to surrender to, who will not beat you, humiliate you. I give you my word, if you lay down your arms, come out yourself, then we will not touch you... If you take the right path, as in the Chechen Republic, the president can declare an amnesty, and you can fall under the amnesty... One day you have, and the day after tomorrow we will destroy you all.”

The defendants in the criminal cases from among the high-ranking military armed forces of Ukraine (AFU), involved in the death of the population of the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics, were charged in absentia with the genocide of the Russian-speaking population. The Investigative Committee of Russia charged in absentia with the genocide of the Russian-speaking population the former head of the military department, independent Valery Geleta, the former head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko, and 20 more relatively heroic military leaders of the independent. This was stated by the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin. If the Ukrainian generals think that the Russian general joked like that, then it is unlikely, even on April 1st.

European governments and companies were working on a common approach to President Vladimir Putin's demand that they pay for Russian gas in roubles as the threat of an imminent halt in supplies eased. European capitals have been on alert for a disruption to gas imports for weeks as Putin seeks retaliation over the West sanctioning Russia for invading Ukraine. But the Kremlin said it would not immediately turn off gas exports to Europe as payments on deliveries due after April 1 come in the second half of April and May. "If Putin turns off the gas it might only be for a relatively short period of time, he needs our money and cannot reroute all the natural gas," a European gas trader, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called for "real sanctions" against Russia in a meeting with EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola at a refugee reception center near Warsaw. Morawiecki expressed dismay that sanctions had not hit hard enough as evidenced by the successful Russian central bank interventions and enforcement of capital controls, stabilizing the ruble. "This means that all economic measures — microeconomic, macroeconomic, financial, budgetary and monetary — have not worked as some politicians would have liked," he said.

Residents fleeing the besieged region around the southern port city of Mariupol took a convoy of buses and private cars to reach Ukrainian-controlled Zaporizhzhia. The fleet arrived as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 3,000 people have been rescued from Mariupol, though it was not immediately clear if he was referring to the bus passengers. The Red Cross said its own Mariupol rescue effort was forced to turn back after “arrangements and conditions made it impossible to proceed”, but added its team will try again on Saturday. Seven humanitarian corridors to evacuate people from Ukraine’s besieged regions were planned, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has said. The planned corridors include one for people evacuating by private transport from the city of Mariupol and by buses for Mariupol residents out of the city of Berdyansk, Vereshchuk added.

During Russia's war with Ukraine, more than half a million Ukrainians returned from abroad, spokesman of the State Border Guard Service Andrey Demchenko reported. "Since February 24, 620 thousand citizens of Ukraine have been registered to enter Ukraine. Recently, we have seen an increase in the number of Ukrainian citizens returning home," he said. Over the last 24 hours, more people returned to Ukraine through the border checkpoints in Lviv region than left - 19 thousand against 14 thousand. This was announced by the head of the Lviv Regional State Administration Maksym Kozytskyi.

Hundreds of Ukrainians have set up camp in the Mexican border town of Tijuana and are hoping for asylum in the United States. Volunteers are working on the spot, collecting the names of Ukrainians on the waiting list. According to local authorities, about 600 Ukrainians are in a camp at the entrance to the border, another 500 stayed in hotels in the city. About 40% of people are children. A Mexican migration service official says about 100 Ukrainians are allowed to enter the United States every day. A few days ago, the Biden administration announced that the United States would accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war.

The total combat losses of Russia during the war were reported by Ukraine as: 17,800 deaths among personnel; 631 tank; 1,776 armored combat vehicles; 317 artillery systems; 100 rocket-propelled grenade launchers; 54 means of air defense; 143 aircraft; 134 helicopters; 1,236 units of automotive equipment; 7 ships / tankers; 76 fuel tanks; 87 UAVs of operational and tactical level; 24 units of special equipment; 4 OTRK / TRK launchers.

Law enforcement officers detained a SBU major general in reserve who used forged documents to enter Hungary through the Tisza checkpoint in Zakarpattia. In particular, he provided a false certificate of alleged unfitness for military service and "demoted" himself to the rank of private.