Russia-Ukraine war. Timeline of events, April 1-2

🔘 Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar announced the complete liberation of the Kiyv region from Russian troops. On March 29, after the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin announced that Russia would “dramatically reduce” military activity in the Kiyv and Chernihiv directions. On March 30, the Russian Ministry of Defense called it a “planned regrouping of troops”, the purpose of which was “to intensify actions in priority areas and, above all, complete the operation to completely liberate Donbass.”

Photo: destruction in Irpin after many days of fighting – UNIAN

Situation in Ukraine:

🔘 As a result of a missile attack on Pavlograd, the movement of trains was stopped, according to the chairman of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, Valentin Reznichenko:

“One rocket hit the railroad. Tracks and contact networks were badly damaged. The wagons exploded. Train traffic has been stopped. Rescuers eliminate the fire. Initially, there were no deaths. The second rocket hit the open area. Fire. One person is injured.”

🔘 During a month of hostilities, Ukraine has spent about $10 billion. This was announced today by representatives of the Ministry of Finance at a meeting of Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the economic blocs of the Office of the Head of State and the Cabinet of Ministers.

🔘 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported on a missile attack on the headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kharkov. Also, strikes were carried out on 28 military facilities in Ukraine, on oil depots, an oil refinery in Kremenchuk, as well as on an airfield in Poltava, from where, presumably, an airstrike was launched on an oil depot in Belgorod.

Photo: besieged Mariupol – UNIAN

In the world

🔘 Lithuania is the first country in the EU to refuse Russian gas. The Delfi publication reports that today the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy announced the decision to completely refuse Russian gas supplies because of the desire to maintain energy independence.

🔘 Russian gas continues to flow to Germany, despite Germany’s refusal to comply with Vladimir Putin’s decree, according to which settlements under gas contracts must be made in rubles.

In Russia

🔘 Former editor of the Russian magazine DOXA Natalya Tyshkevich was given 15 days of administrative arrest for a post with a Ukrainian trident from 2017. In Russia, it is now considered an extremist symbol.

🔘 The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said that the Chechen military had begun storming the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. It is believed that this is the last fortified position of Ukrainian troops in the city.

🔘 OVD-Info: More than 200 arrests occurred at anti-war rallies in 17 Russian cities

Photo: in St. Petersburg, the police detained a pregnant woman during her gender reveal party.

🔘 Photojournalist Maxim Levin has been found dead in Ukraine. According to preliminary data, the office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine concluded that photojournalist Maxim Levin was killed by two shots. The Vyshgorod district prosecutor’s office launched a criminal case under article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine “Violation of the laws and customs of war”. Levin disappeared on March 13 in the combat zone in the Kiyv region. On April 1, his body was found near the village of Guta-Mezhigorskaya in the Vyshgorod region.

Photo: One of the last photographs taken by Maxim Levin before his death – Medusa

Other news from Ukraine:

🔘 Kyiv’s losses from hostilities amounted to one trillion dollars, said Zelensky’s economic adviser. According to him, the Ukrainian authorities expect to receive $400 billion from the frozen Russian assets into the country’s reconstruction fund.

🔘 In Energodar, Russian troops disperse protests against the occupation of the city. Stun grenades were used against people. Explosions are heard in the city center. It is reported that several protesters have been wounded and detained.

🔘 Russian troops are trying to reach the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as to tie up the actions of the Ukrainian army in the Kiyv and Chernihiv regions. This was stated by the General Staff in a new information report.

🔘 In the Chernihiv region, in the village of Staryi Bykov, a 25-year-old math teacher Victoria disappeared. Ukrainian media report that a week ago she was taken prisoner by the Russian military. They checked the phones of local residents and found that the girl was sending information about troop movements via chatbots. According to relatives, Victoria was kidnapped for the purpose for getting exchanged for captured Russian soldiers.

🔘 In the liberated Irpin and Romanovka, mobile communications were restored thanks to Starlink modems sent by Elon Musk. This is the first such case in Ukraine and the second in the world, according to Ukrainian media.

🔘 More than 4.1 million Ukrainians were forced to leave their homes – UN

Video: bodies of civilians killed in Irpin and Bucha – UNIAN

In the world

🔘 Inspector General of the German Armed Forces Eberhard Zorn said that by the end of May, NATO battle groups will appear in all countries “from the Baltic to the Black Sea” to strengthen the eastern flank of the alliance. At the same time, Germany will not use its forces on the territory of Ukraine, he said.

🔘 Turkey is ready to allocate ships to organize the evacuation of the population from Mariupol by sea. This was stated on Saturday by Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar. According to him, the Turkish side is coordinating its actions with Russian and Ukranian authorities.

🔘 Italy is ready to act as a guarantor of Ukraine’s neutrality, said Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.

Photo: position of the Ukrainian ATGM “Stugna”, in the background – what’s presumably a Russian equipment on fire – UNIAN

In Russia:

🔘 Protests against the war in Ukraine are again taking place in several cities across Russia today. OVD-Info reports that more than 66 people have been detained so far.

🔘 “When the Europeans “sober up from American bourbon”, the time will come to reassess relations with the Russian Federation and enter into a state of dialogue”, Putin’s spokesman Peskov said.

Video: Arrests at anti-war protests in St. Petersburg – SOTA

🔘 “Adjaria can follow the example of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and start the process of secession from Georgia”, said Andrey Klimov, deputy chairman of the Federation Council committee on international affairs.

Video: consequences of an artillery strike on a cluster of Russian military equipment – UNIAN

Situation in Ukraine:

🔘 Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the UN has recorded 1,276 dead and 1,981 wounded among the civilian population

🔘 The death toll from an attack on the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration earlier this week has risen to 31, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reports.

🔘 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the activation of Russian troops in Transnistria.

🔘 The Ukrainian Armed Forces have successfully used Starstreak for the first time. This is a projectile that hits targets with three kinetic darts. With it, a Russian helicopter was shot down in the Luhansk region, reports The Times.

🔘 At night, at least 4 missiles hit two infrastructure facilities in Poltava. This was stated by the head of the Poltava OVA Dmitry Lunin. According to preliminary information, in the morning three enemy planes attacked the industrial facilities of Kremenchug. Information about the victims is being specified

🔘 Zelensky rejected the possibility of territorial concessions from Ukraine in favor of Russia for the sake of signing a peace agreement. In an interview with FoxNews, the president said that the Ukrainian people would not accept any outcome other than victory.

In the world:

🔘 Russia could earn almost $321 billion from energy exports in 2022 if prices are maintained and energy supplies to the EU continue, Bloomberg predicts. This is almost 100 billion more than in 2021. Last year, oil and gas accounted for about half of Russian exports, which gave about 40% of budget revenues, the agency notes. In the event of an embargo on Russian oil and gas, these figures could change radically. If the European Union, the US and the UK do not buy energy in Russia, then the reduction in its production in the country may exceed 20%, and export revenue will drop to $300 billion, the Institute of International Finance predicts.

🔘 German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock: Putin’s so-called peace talks cannot be taken seriously while the bombing continues.

🔘 The EU recognizes Ukraine as a candidate for EU membership and will participate in its post-war reconstruction. This was stated by the head of the European Parliament Roberta Metzola, who is on a visit to Kyiv, at a joint briefing with the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk

🔘 The United States is imposing sanctions on another 120 organizations from Russia and Belarus, the United States Department of Commerce announced.

🔘 Actor Sean Penn appealed to the world’s billionaires with a call to buy fighter jets and air defense systems for Ukraine.

🔘The Pentagon has announced another $300 million in military aid to Ukraine. The assistance package may include: laser-guided missile systems; tactical Switchblade; UAV Puma; armored multipurpose vehicles, tactical protective communication systems, etc.

🔘 According to The New York Times, the United States will help Ukraine get Soviet-made tanks from other countries

In Russia:

🔘 Russian cinemas will start showing videos of bloggers who were deprived of monetization by foreign online platforms.

Photo: burned An-225 Mriya aircraft and destroyed Russian BMD at Gostomel airport – UNIAN

🔘 Ukraine has announced a new exchange of prisoners with Russia. They released 86 of their servicemen, including 15 women, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. He did not specify how many prisoners Ukraine handed over to Russia.

🔘 The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law on the nationalization of the property of Russians and Ukrainians who publicly support the Russian invasion. The country’s parliament also banned the use of Russian neo-Nazi symbols and recognized Russia as a terrorist state.

Video: Ukrainian military found stolen goods from a store in an armored personnel carrier abandoned by Russian troops. Among them there is a frying pan and a toy car – UNIAN

Situation in Ukraine: 

🔘 Director of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant: the plant is operating normally after the withdrawal of Russian troops

🔘 The main thing from the latest briefing of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

• Allegedly wounded Russian servicemen who received significant doses of radiation during their stay in the Chernobyl exclusion zone were taken to the radiation medicine center in Gomel.
• The Russian army plans to hold a referendum on April 4 in the city of Tokmak, Zaporozhye region. The local population has already been informed about this.
• When leaving the city of Bucha, Kiev region, Russian troops mined civilian structures, infrastructure facilities and terrain within the settlement.

🔘 In the city of Kakhovka, Kherson region, the Russian military announced the appointment of its mayor, the heads of the police and Vodokanal, local authorities say. Pavel Filipchuk, a former deputy of the Kherson regional council from the Opposition Platform – For Life party, who was reportedly living in Russia but returned to Kakhovka a few days before the start of the war, was named mayor.

🔘 The American edition of The Intercept on March 31 drew attention to a video that a few days earlier was posted by the Ukrainian website Censor.net. The video allegedly shows the bodies of dead Russian soldiers in the village of Malaya Rogan near Kharkiv, which was reportedly liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers. The Intercept notes that the video appears to be of the same scene featured in another video, where captured Russian soldiers were shot in the legs. The fact that this video was recorded in Malaya Rogan was previously reported by BBC News.

🔘 It will take at least 10 billion dollars to eliminate the damage caused to the infrastructure of Mariupol by the occupiers, said the mayor of the city Vadim Boychenko.

Photo: woman near a residential building damaged by shelling in Mariupol – UNIAN

In the world:

🔘 The Canadian National Post reports that Ukraine has suspended the recruitment of volunteers for the Foreign Legion. According to her, this is due to the lack of weapons and the low qualifications of volunteers who have no combat experience. According to the publication, “the Ukrainian military does not want to sacrifice young Canadians or young Britons for dramatic effect.”

🔘 Germany approved the supply of armored vehicles to the Ukrainian army. We are talking about 58 Soviet-made infantry fighting vehicles from the stocks of the former GDR. Now the equipment belongs to a Czech company. According to German media, the German government has been blocking attempts to sell these BMPs to Ukraine since 2019, fearing “to anger Putin”

🔘 Joe Biden said that more than 30 countries agreed, following the US, to send “tens of millions of barrels” of oil from their reserves to the market. The day before, Biden announced a plan to supply the market with one million barrels of oil per day from the US strategic oil reserve for six months. This is 180 million barrels of oil, which corresponds to about two days of global demand. “Gazprom” has ceased its participation in the German “daughter” Gazprom Germania, abandoned all of its assets. Among them is Gazprom Marketing & Trading Ltd. Gazprom Germania, which operates several gas storage facilities in Germany, has not yet commented on the move. Earlier in Germany, it was reported that the authorities are considering the possibility of nationalizing the subsidiaries of Gazprom and Rosneft.

In Russia:

🔘 Several explosions occurred in the Belgorod region, as a result of one of them, a power line was damaged, the governor said.

Photo: a crater from a shell that fell in the Belgorod region of Russia

🔘 The first contingent of Syrian mercenaries have arrived in Russia to undergo military training before being deployed to Ukraine. According to The New York Times, the group includes at least 300 soldiers.

🔘 Negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv continue today via video link, TASS reports citing a source. The head of the Russian delegation, Medinsky, said that the positions on Crimea and Donbass are unchanged.

Photo: destroyed AN-225 Mriya aircraft at Gostomel airport – UNIAN

Situation in Ukraine: 

🔘 The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has refused to confirm or deny involvement in the emergency at the oil depot in Belgorod

🔘 A draft law on amending the anthem of Ukraine has appeared on the website of the Verkhovna Rada. Its initiators are deputies from the Servant of the People party Ivan Yunakov and Georgy Mazurashu. The bill proposes to change the first line “Ukraine has not yet died” to “Ukraine is flourishing”. There are also a number of changes, for example, the line “We will lay down our soul and body for our freedom” is proposed to be replaced with “We have strengthened our soul and body.”

🔘 Ukrainian military personnel shot down a Russian attack helicopter Mi-28

🔘 Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to occupy the liberated settlements of the Kiev region following the retreating Russian troops

Video: Ambush on a Russian column of armored vehicles – UNIAN

In the world:

🔘 Australia will send Bushmaster armored personnel carriers, as well as ammunition and humanitarian aid to Ukraine

🔘 US and allies ‘unlikely to offer Ukraine the security guarantees Ukraine demands of them’ – CNN, citing sources

🔘 Residents of Belgorod report on social media that a missile was shot down over the city by air defense systems. TASS claims that a projectile fired from Ukraine fell in the village of Nikolskoye, Belgorod Region. There are no casualties or destruction.

🔘 Police officers in Moscow detained Artem Medvedev because he tore the letter Z from the glass of a city trolleybus, OVD-Info reports. Also, the police noticed the inscription on Medvedev’s backpack – “No to war”.

🔘 The Russian pro-Kremlin channel Tsargrad announced that it had received 1 billion rubles in penalties from Google for blocking the YouTube channel. The bailiffs arrested the money on Google accounts, and then seized it in favor of the TV channel, Tsargrad noted. The channel will use the funds received to support Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine, the statement says.

Video: Ukrainian helicopters attack oil depot in Belgorod – UNIAN

🔘 “Georgia participates in all international financial sanctions that were imposed against the Russian Federation due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine”, President of the Republic Salome Zurabishvili said on CNN.

🔘 Russia has blocked the extension of the OSCE mission in Ukraine.

Other news from Ukraine:

🔘 Explosions in Lviv, Odessa and Dnipro are reported by local media. There has been no official confirmation yet. Lviv authorities deny reports of explosions in the region

🔘 The Azov Regiment called on the military-political leadership of Ukraine to conduct an operation to de-blockade Mariupol.

🔘 The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the Vyshgorodsky district of the Kiyv region. This was announced by Deputy Chief of Staff of the Command of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Gruzevich.

🔘 President Zelensky, after a conversation with Erdogan, said that Turkey is ready to become a security guarantor for Ukraine.

🔘 Russian military fired at the car of student Anastasia Tagirova, who was carrying humanitarian aid to Chernihiv, killing her on the spot. — UNIAN

🔘 Russian troops left the territory of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, according to the State Agency of Ukraine for the management of the exclusion zone. They took with them the prisoners who guarded the station.

Photo: Destroyed column of Russian troops in the Kiev region – UNIAN

In the world:

🔘 UK authorities are concerned that the US, France and Germany are pressuring Ukraine into an early settlement and significant concessions in peace talks with Russia, writes The Times, citing a senior source in the British government

🔘 The head of NATO warned that Russian forces are not withdrawing, but regrouping and continuing their attempts to besiege Kyiv and other cities. Ukrainian and US officials say there may also be a regrouping of Russian forces in Belarus. But at the same time, massive shelling is underway in eastern Ukraine, which indicates that Russia is switching its military efforts to the Donbass.

In Russia:

🔘 Despite the sanctions, Russia was able to pay off its external public debt from frozen foreign exchange reserves. This is reported by the publication RBC, citing a source close to the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation.

🔘 In Penza, schoolchildren wrote a denunciation of a teacher who emotionally discussed the war in Ukraine with her students. The words of the teacher in the police were regarded as spreading fakes about the Russian army. Officially, the criminal case against the teacher has not yet been launched.

🔘 In the Russian border city of Belgorod, after an airstrike by Ukrainian aviation, an oil depot caught fire, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. According to emergency services, eight tanks with fuel with a volume of two thousand “cubes” each are burning, there is a threat of the fire spreading to eight more tanks. There were no deaths as a result of the fire. Two employees of the oil depot were injured. They received first aid.

Photo: Fire at an oil depot in Belgorod — Nexta live