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Russo-Ukraine War - 09 April 2023 - Day 410

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) 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. 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]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that on 5 April 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin chaired a full session of Russia's Security Council, the first such event since October 2022.

The main report was presented by Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, and discussed reconstruction, law enforcement and public order in the illegally-annexed areas of Ukraine.

The choice of Kolokoltsev as the main speaker is likely an attempt by the Kremlin to portray the situation in those territories as being normalised. In reality, much of the area remains an active combat zone, subject to partisan attacks, and with extremely limited access to basic services for many citizens.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of April 9, Russian forces launched more than 10x MLRS attacks, 23x air and 4x missile strikes. 2x russian S-300 air defense missiles targeted and hit civilian infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia. The attack killed and wounded civilians, destroyed and damaged residential buildings. Another 2x S-300 missiles were launched at a civilian infrastructure facility in Kostyantynivka (Donetsk oblast).

The likelihood of missile and air strikes across Ukraine still remains high.

Russia continues to focus its main efforts on the offensive operations on Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Mar'inka axes. During the day of April 9, more than 40x Russian attacks were repelled.
Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no significant changes in the operational situation, no signs of the formation of Russian offensive groups were found.
During the day of April 9, the Russian occupants shelled the settlements of Yasna Polyana (Chernihiv oblast), Volfyne, Zapsillya, Popivka (Sumy oblast), Veterynarne, Kozacha Lopan', Mala Danylivka, Hatyshche, Ustynivka, Milove, Velykyi Burluk, and Topoli (Kharkiv oblast).
Kup'yans'k axis: Krasne Pershe, Novomlyns'k, Dvorichna, and Zapadne (Kharkiv oblast) came under Russian fire.
Lyman axis: during the day of April 9, Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensives to the south of Dibrova. Novoselivs'ke, Makiivka, Nevs'ke, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast), Kolodyazi, Tors'ke, Sivers'k, Spirne, and Berestove (Donetsk oblast) were shelled with artillery.
Bakhmut axis: Russia continues to conduct offensive operations, attempting to take full control of the city of Bakhmut. Fierce fighting continues. During the day of April 9, Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensives to the east of Bohdanivka and near Khromove. The Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled about 20x Russian attacks in this area of the front line. Vasyukivka, Min'kivka, Zaliznyans'ke, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Markove, Bakhmut, Khromove, Chasiv Yar, Ivanivske, Bila Hora, and Druzhba (Donetsk oblast) suffered from Russian shelling.
Avdiivka and Mar'inka axes: Russian forces conducted offensive operations in the vicinities of Novokalynove, Berdychi, Avdiivka, Sjeverne, and Maryinka (Donetsk oblast). None of them were successful. The fiercest fighting in this area of the frontline is for Avdiivka and Mar'inka, where more than 10x Russian attacks were repelled. At the same time, Russian forces shelled the settlements of Novokalynove, Avdiivka, Lastochkyne, Pervomais'ke, Krasnohorivka, Hostre, Heorhiivka, and Mar'inka (Donetsk oblast).
Shakhtars'ke axis: Russian forces did not conduct any offensive operations during the day of April 9. The Russian invaders shelled the settlements of Novomykhailivka, Bohoyavlenka, Shakhtars'ke, Novoukrainka, Velyka Novosilka, Prechystivka, and Zolota Nyva (Donetsk oblast).
Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: Russia continues to improve fortifications at its defensive lines and positions. In particular, the Russian invaders shelled Vremivka, Novopil' (Donetsk oblast), Zatyshshya, Hulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Huliaipilske, Bilohir'ya (Zaporizhzhia oblast), Vesele, Burhunka, Ivanivka, Antonivka, Dniprovs'ke (Kherson oblast), and Kherson.

The Russian invaders do not stop their practice of forced abductions of civilians in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. In particular, Russian occupation forces in Starobil's'k (Luhansk oblast) search the residences of civilians suspected of supporting Ukraine and take the people to unknown destinations they are not returning from.

During the day of April 9, the Ukrainian Air Force launched 6x air strikes on Russian forces concentrations. In the meantime, missile and artillery units hit 4x anti-aircraft missile systems, 11x Russian concentrations of manpower, weapons, and military equipment, 1x ammunition depot, and 5x electronic warfare stations.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that, the New York Times, citing documents published on the Web (raising questions of authenticity), reports that the Ukrainian command began to transfer reserves to the city area, which were being prepared for a potential spring-summer offensive. The publication noted the statement of the Ukrainian General Kirill Budanov, who described the situation here as "catastrophic" for Kyiv.

"Various elite units entered the battle. This has come at a strategic cost to Ukraine, which has sought to retain its most trained and equipped troops for the counter-offensive expected in the coming weeks or months.

At the same time, it is reliably known that the fighters of the PMC "Wagner" took the stadium "Metallurg" and the territory adjacent to it, continuing to move from here to the north-west.

The Bild expert also said today that at least 75% of the city is under the control of Russian attack aircraft. This information also requires clarification from the scene.

The situation on other sectors of the front

War correspondent Sergei Sreda reports on the advance of Russian units in Maryinka. The fortified area of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) at the local tire repair plant was liquidated.

During the day, the Russian army hit 98 enemy artillery positions, 127 areas of accumulation of personnel and equipment, the command post of the Kharkiv grouping in Veliky Burluk. Also, in Orekhovo and Vuhledar, the weapons depots of the 102nd and 72nd brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed, and in Zaporozhye, a fuel storage facility with 70,000 tons of fuel.

At the same time, ten rockets from the Smerch and HIMARS systems, the Grom-2 missile were intercepted by anti-aircraft weapons. 14 drones shot down.

Meanwhile, in the Kupyansk and Limansk directions, about 90 Ukrainian soldiers, 5 armored vehicles, 11 vehicles, a Gvozdika self-propelled gun and a D-20 howitzer were destroyed in a day. Eliminated two enemy sabotage groups.

To the south, in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as in the DPR, about 330 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a tank, 4 armored vehicles, 9 cars, 3 Gvozdika and Akatsiya self-propelled artillery mounts, as well as Msta-B and Hyacinth guns were destroyed -B", D-30 and 2 D-20.