Russia-Ukraine war. Timeline of events, April 3-4

Advisor to the President of Ukraine Arestovich:

1. The regrouping of Russian troops continues with the intention of resuming the offensive on Mariupol and in the south of the Kharkiv region.
2. In the remaining sectors of the front, the enemy was stopped, and he left the Kiev, Sumy and almost the entire Chernihiv region.
3. The frigate of the Russian fleet of the type “Admiral Essen” was damaged.

The German Foreign Ministry announced the mass expulsion of Russian diplomats. According to Spiegel, 40 employees of the Russian embassy have been declared persona non grata.

A Ukrainian delegation has been created to negotiate with Russia and agree on a draft treaty on security guarantees for Ukraine. The delegation was headed by David Arakhamia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that the horrors that the world saw in Bucha are just the tip of the iceberg of all the crimes committed by the Russian army in Ukraine.

MEP Roberta Metsola: “The invasion of Ukraine should be “the most costly mistake the Kremlin has ever made. The blow to the Russian economy must be proportionate to the unprecedented atrocities we are witnessing. The atrocities committed by the Russian army in Ukraine are horrendous. They are disgraceful and they are shameful. We will bring all those responsible to justice.”

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called for Russia to be excluded from the UN Human Rights Council.

Advisor to the President of Ukraine Arestovich: “After the defeat in Ukraine, Putin will be forced to look for enemies inside the Russian Federation in order to write off his failure and look like winners in the eyes of the Russian layman. Among such “traitors” may be Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed regret for his softness towards the Russian Federation: “My commitment to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was a clear mistake. I did not believe that Vladimir Putin would accept the complete economic, political and moral collapse of his country for the sake of his imperial madness.”

The head of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, said that the Ukrainian intelligence data that Russians carry sub-sanctioned goods through his country are “unacceptable fakes” and “lies.”

Airbnb has banned Russians and Belarusians from booking accommodation around the world. Earlier, the service announced that it would stop working in Russia and Belarus.

VIDEO: Chernihiv is called the “second Mariupol”. The city has been shelled since the beginning of the war. On March 23, the Russian military blew up the bridge that connected Chernihiv with Kiev. It became impossible to evacuate civilians and bring humanitarian aid.

The Spanish authorities have confiscated the Tango yacht from the Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, according to the website of the Spanish National Guard. A 78-meter yacht worth about $ 100 million at the time of the arrest was parked off the island of Mallorca. The operation was carried out jointly with the FBI.

Ukrainian authorities claim that goods subject to sanctions are smuggled through Tbilisi to Russia. Ukrainian intelligence also claims that the Georgian leadership ordered the Georgian special services not to interfere with the activities of smugglers.

New photographs are emerging showing the bodies of civilians tortured and killed by the Russian military in the city of Bucha near Kiev as Ukrainian rescue teams move from street to street. Some of the dead are still buried under the rubble.

PHOTO: Journalists are brought to a mass grave in the village of Motyzhin, Kiyv region, which was discovered after the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki: The discovery of hundreds of bodies of murdered civilians in Bucha and Irpin, some with their hands tied behind their backs, should be qualified as genocide. Morawiecki called for the creation of an independent commission to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

The Kremlin categorically denies accusations against Russia of the massacres in Bucha, Presidential spokesman Peskov said: “We provided information very quickly yesterday, the Ministry of Defense commented that there are signs of video fraud and various fakes”.

French President Macron urges leaders of other EU countries to impose sanctions on the Russian oil and coal industry, as “this is what will be especially painful for Russia” – AFP

Berlin, however, said that it would not impose an immediate embargo on Russian energy, despite the atrocities in Ukraine. But Germany, the EU’s largest economy, is working to achieve complete independence from Russian gas, coal and oil, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said. According to him, there is already success along this path: after the invasion, Germany’s dependence on Russian gas decreased from 55% to 40%.

Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are preparing a complete transport isolation of Russia and Belarus, and will launch the process in the next 48-72 hours. After that, any transportation will become impossible – Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Mustafa Nayem.

The European Union allocates 17 billion euros to countries hosting refugees from Ukraine.

UN Human Rights Office: Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, 3,455 civilians have become victims of Russia’s aggression. Among them, more than 1,400 dead and more than 2,000 wounded. This is a preliminary estimate, the UN believes that the real figures will be much higher.

UN Human Rights Office: Reports of heavy casualties continue to come from the fighting around the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, which Russia recognized on February 21, right before the start of the military invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine has accused Russia of organizing deliberate massacres. Hundreds of bodies were reportedly found in towns and villages around Kyiv after Russian troops withdrew. Several Western countries have already announced that they will support the investigation of the International Criminal Court. Russia claims that all evidence is fake, and demands the convening of the UN Security Council today, April 4.

Satellite images of the city of Bucha taken by Maxar Technologies show a large trench about 90 meters long on the territory of the Church of St. Maxar Technologies said that according to the images, the trenches began to be dug, probably as early as March 10.

By the morning of April 4, Russia had supposedly withdrawn its troops from the north of Ukraine, but significantly increased its attacks in the south. Early in the morning, missile strikes were carried out on Odessa, Kherson, Kharkiv, Ternopil, Nikolaev, and the Luhansk regions.

The Russian offensive against Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine continues. Heavy fighting continues in the city amid attempts to evacuate tens of thousands of stranded locals.

The importance of Mariupol

The fighting in Mariupol and the siege of the city by Russian troops have been going on almost since the beginning of the war, that is, for more than a month. The city is critically important for both Ukraine and Russia in this war. Firstly, it is the largest port of Ukraine. Secondly, if Mariupol falls, it will create a land corridor for Russia between Crimea, which it annexed back in 2014, and the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in the East, which have also been controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces since 2014. Such a corridor would make it much easier for Russia to move goods and people in and out of Crimea. Currently, the peninsula is connected to Russia by a single bridge built with significant Russian investment.

The European Union should consider banning gas imports from Russia, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said: “There must be an answer. Such crimes must not go unanswered.” About 40% of the gas consumed in Europe today is supplied from Russia. This fact will make Germany and other European countries reluctant to expand sanctions against Russia’s energy sector.

The EU will discuss a new package of sanctions against Russia on April 6. It will be about personal restrictions, a ban on the use of ports, export restrictions and an embargo on energy resources – Financial Times.

Ukrainian President Zelensky spoke at the Grammy Awards at night in Las Vegas: “What is the strongest contrast to music? The silence of destroyed cities and dead people. Fill the silence with your music. Do it today. Please support us as much as you can. In any way, but not by silence.

VIDEO: During the occupation of the city of Irpen near Kiev, the Russian military shot portraits of Ukrainian soldiers on the Alley of Heroes:

 An international outcry and demands for an independent investigation followed the emergence of shocking footage of dozens of bodies of civilians allegedly killed by the Russian military during the occupation of the Ukrainian city of Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv. The photographs were taken by reporters from many well-known international agencies, including France Presse and Reuters, immediately after the liberation of the city by Ukrainian troops.

 European leaders condemned the alleged atrocities in Bucha and called for an investigation into the actions of the Russian military and new sanctions. International media report on deliberate executions, cars crushed by tanks and shot on the streets of local residents. “I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Bucha, Ukraine”, UN Secretary General António Guterres.

 The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed the extensive footage was “fake,” saying “not a single local resident suffered from any violent actions”, during Russia’s occupation of Bucha. “In the settlements of the Kiyv region, Russian military personnel delivered and issued 452 tons of humanitarian aid to civilians”, it said in a statement. A separate statement claimed the footage was staged.

 CNN journalists said they were present at the opening of a mass grave in Bucha. Local residents say that they were forced to dig this common grave on the territory of the church in the early days of the war. Presumably, at least 150 people were buried there. Ukrainian President Zelensky called the incident in Bucha a genocide.

 US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the State Department will help document atrocities committed by the Russian military against Ukrainian civilians. State Department spokesperson Ned Price suggests US will take additional actions against Russia “very soon”.

 “This is not a real withdrawal of Russian forces”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, warning that attacks in Ukraine will continue. “We see that Russia is repositioning its troops and they are taking some of them back to rearm them, to reinforce them, to resupply them. We should not in a way be too optimistic because more attacks will continue”.

 About 70% of Chernihiv is destroyed following an assault by Russian troops, Vladyslav Atroshenko says.

A rally in memory of the victims in the city of Bucha in Ukraine was held in front of the Ukrainian embassy in Tbilisi in the afternoon. After the Ukrainian army returned the city under its control, more than two hundred bodies of murdered civilians were discovered on its streets. In the evening, a mass rally was held near the parliament in support of Ukraine and for the freedom of Georgia.

FROM THE STATEMENT OF THE ORGANIZERS: European Georgia Party, Freedom Institute, Tabula and Voter Education Society

“For more than a month, the Ukrainian people, at the cost of their blood, have been defending their freedom from evil! The world is divided into black and white, supporting freedom today means supporting Ukraine, and this is a matter of dignity for all self-respecting nations! The Georgian government is depriving us of our national dignity. It presents us as a society that knows no enemy […] that is willing to give up freedom for the illusion of security—and lose both freedom and security as a result! […] If we continue in the same spirit, there is a great danger that we will get stuck in Putin’s swamp. And we will lose the historical opportunity to establish ourselves in the free world.

Now more than ever, we need to pull ourselves together, remember what is at stake, and come together to defend our historic cause”.

Photo: JAMnews/ Bashir Kitachayev

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🔘 In the city of Kakhovka in the Kherson region, local residents took to the rally. According to Strana, the Russian military opened fire and used grenades to disperse the crowd.

🔘 The mayor of the city of Berislav, Kherson region, Alexander Shapovalov, who was captured by the Russian military, was released from captivity. According to Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Irina Vereshchuk, as of April 3, 11 mayors of the cities of Kiev, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporozhye, Nikolaev and Donetsk regions are in captivity of the Russian military.

🔘 About 80 percent of residential buildings in Izyum were destroyed due to Russian shelling — Deputy Mayor Vladimir Matsokin. According to the estimates of the city authorities, in Izyum and the villages near the city, from 15 to 20 thousand people are blocked and in need of humanitarian assistance.

🔘 On the morning of April 3, in Odessa, high-precision missiles destroyed an oil refinery and three storage facilities for fuel and lubricants – the Russian Ministry of Defense.

🔘 158 children died and more than 258 were injured in Ukraine due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation as of April 3 – Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

Video: Georgian volunteers burn the Russian flag at the airport in Gostomel – Nexta live

🔘 Polish Vice Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczynski said that Warsaw is open to hosting US nuclear weapons on its territory. Russian officials reacted by saying that in this case “nothing remains of Poland”

🔘 Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will continue on April 4 in an online format. This was stated by the head of the negotiating group from Russia, Vladimir Medinsky.

Photo: fires in Odessa after rocket attacks by Russian troops – UNIAN

🔘 Russia verbally accepted the draft peace treaty proposed by Ukraine at the talks in Istanbul, with the exception of the proposal on Crimea. This was stated by the head of the Ukrainian team of negotiators David Arakhamia. According to Arakhamia, Kyiv is now waiting for Moscow to confirm its position in writing. The issue of Crimea and Donbass is proposed to be submitted for negotiations between Zelensky and Putin. The head of the Russian delegation, Medinsky, said that the draft peace treaty was not yet ready.

🔘 Lithuanian documentary filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravichyus died in Mariupol. According to media reports, a rocket hit the car in which the director was driving. Kvedaravičius was rushed to the hospital, but it was not possible to save him. In 2016, Kvedaravičius made the film entitled Mariupoli about the war in Donbass. Its world premiere took place at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Situation in Ukraine: 

🔘 On April 2, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced that Russian troops had left the Kiyv region. After the military left, many bodies of dead civilians remained in the city. A photo of the bodies of people in civilian clothes with their hands tied was published by adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak.

🔘 The mayor of Bucha, Anatoliy Fedoruk, said that since the liberation of her Ukrainian army, “280 people have already been buried in mass graves” in the city.

🔘 Rocket strikes were carried out in Odessa. There is no information about victims. Local authorities said that the city’s air defenses shot down several missiles.

🔘 Arakhamiya: If the Ukrainians support maintaining the course in NATO in a referendum, then new negotiations will be held with Russia.

🔘 Zelensky refused to sign the law on changing the text of the Ukrainian anthem:

“I have a question for these people: what have you done in your life so that you have the moral right to change the words of the anthem? What are you – outstanding poets? Maybe you distinguished yourself by something in the battles for Ukraine? Or now the time has come that you can change the anthem and you need it when you want? Calm down and stop making a fool of yourselves”.

🔘 Russia is ready to open a “green corridor” in Mariupol for foreigners at the request of Turkey. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation undertook not to shoot at the evacuation columns from the beginning of April 3.

Photo: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports that dead civilians were found near the highway 20 km from Kyiv. Russian troops allegedly tried to burn the bodies – UNIAN

In the world:

🔘 American intelligence believes that Russia will want to take Donbass under full control and declare victory by May 9th. This is reported by CNN, citing sources familiar with intelligence. The interlocutors of the TV company recalled that Russia has revised its strategy towards Ukraine and officially declares that it now intends to focus on the Donbass. In the rest of Ukraine, Russian ground forces “cannot maintain control over areas where they are fighting,” they said. In the case of Donbass, CNN reports, Russia has a better chance. Sources say it is important for Russian President Vladimir Putin to succeed by May 9, as Victory Day has a symbolic meaning for him.

🔘 The US will facilitate the transfer of Soviet tanks to Ukraine, CNN reports, citing a source familiar with the plan. The White House is expected to facilitate the transfer of Soviet tanks to Ukraine. Officials declined to say how many of the tanks would eventually make their way to Ukraine, or when.

Photo: Russian tank destroyed by Javelin ATGM — UNIAN