Ukraine – 4/24/23 Sitrep
By: Bohdan Chomiak & Robert Homans
April 24, 2023
Gone!!!!
Today, Fox News announced the departure of its most productive TV host and Russia apologist, Tucker Carlson, by “mutual consent.” Upon hearing the news, I had the same feeling of elation as when, in early December 2013 during Euromaidan, I heard that the statue of Lenin, located at the food of Taras Shevchenko Blvd. in Kyiv had been toppled.
According to the NY Times, RT has already reached out to Tucker, possibly to assess Tucker’s interest in joining the network. More likely, Tucker will follow in the footsteps of Dan Bongino and Joe Rogan, and he’ll make more millions from streaming than he made at Fox News. He has a huge audience, and they’ll follow him. He’ll get sponsorships from acolytes like Mike Lindell at MyPillow.com. He’ll have all his “fellow travelers,” like Candice Owens, Col. Douglas MacGregor, Tulsi Gabbard, Glenn Greenwald, and many others, and they will continue to make asses out of themselves by representing that they are experts on Ukraine.
Tucker will no longer be constrained by being part of a TV network. Over time, I predict he’ll get increasingly shrill and, like Russia itself, eventually he’ll implode.
News From The Battlefield
The Latest Denys reports that Ukraine has crossed the Dnieper River above Kherson, and they have established a significant enclave on the opposite bank. He also mentions that there has been sporadic fighting around Oleshkiy, a small town inland from the river. It is too early to assess the significance of this move by Ukraine, but it certainly gives the Russians something to think about. Much will depend on how Ukraine is able to move supplies across the Dnieper River, as the Antonovsky Bridge is completely destroyed, with entire sections of the span collapsing into the river.
“Reporting From Ukraine” reports more of the same from Bakhmut.
The Air War – Below, my collaborator has posted an excellent analysis on Ukraine’s successes in shooting down Iranian drones. Separately, it was announced that the first battery of Patriot missiles have been made operational in Ukraine, in time to address Russia’s increased use of the SU-35 fighter over Ukrainian territory.
4/24/23 Sitrep
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon April 23 to 12:00 noon April 24, 2023
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
Monday April 24
8:16 AM Bloomberg: The US government has extradited former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, who is accused of receiving a multimillion-dollar bribe in his homeland.
8:15 AM Le Monde: About 80 MEPs call for the Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Chaye, to be declared persona non grata for his words about Crimea and the illegitimacy of the sovereignty of former Soviet republics.
8:14am NBC: Trump in the upcoming US presidential election is ready to support two-thirds of voters from the Republican Party, - News poll.
12:56 AM: Roman Kashpur, who lost his leg in the war at the age of 19, ran the London Marathon with the flag of Ukraine signed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi on an experimental prosthesis.
12:36 AM: EU diplomacy chief Borrell criticizes Chinese ambassador's statement to France on Crimea and post-Soviet countries
· "Unacceptable statements by the Chinese ambassador to France that question the sovereignty of countries that became independent with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The EU can only assume that these statements do not reflect China's official policy
Sunday April 23
11:06 PM: Azerbaijan has established a border crossing point at the beginning of the road connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the Azerbaijan Border Guard Service.
· According to the border service, this was done to prevent the illegal transfer of weapons and contingent to the territory of Azerbaijan.
· This was reported to the command of Russian peacekeepers, since this is their area of responsibility.
10:45 PM: Lithuania on Saturday, April 22, was disconnected from the Russian power system in test mode.
· The country at that time used electricity from local power plants. Imports from Sweden and Poland also continued. Lithuania plans to completely disconnect next year.
· It is reported by the publication LRT.
10:14 PM: In the Sudanese capital Khartoum, ousted President Omar al-Bashir escaped from Koper prison.
· It is reported by Al Araby on Twitter.
· According to the publication, he escaped accompanied by a large number of prisoners.
5:48 pm: The United States has not issued visas to Russian journalists to accompany Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to the UN General Assembly.
· Before flying to New York, Lavrov reacted to the decision of the US authorities and stressed that he "will not forget it, will not forgive it."
· At the same time, the Russian Foreign Minister accused the United States of cowardice and stupidity because of the decision not to issue visas.
5:21 pm: From April 24, Romania will start sealing vehicles transporting Ukrainian agricultural products in transit mode.
· It is reported by SSBT "Ukrtransbezpeka".
· "The customs authorities of Romania will install seals on freight vehicles with Ukrainian agricultural transit goods," the service added.
5:02 PM:Borrell calls for sending European navy to Taiwan to ensure freedom of navigation
· The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, believes that the European Navy should patrol the Taiwan Strait for freedom of navigation, because it is an economically important region for the EU.
4:35 pm: German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that now the decision on Ukraine's membership in NATO is not relevant.
· He believes that while there is a war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, it is impossible to discuss it seriously: "You have to make decisions with a cool head and a hot heart, and not vice versa."
4:15 pm: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia summoned Chinese ambassadors over comment on sovereignty of post-Soviet countries
· In particular, Latvian Foreign Minister Eduard Rinkēvičs stressed that "the remarks of the Chinese ambassador to France regarding international law and the sovereignty of nations are absolutely unacceptable" and said that Latvia demands explanations and refutation of this statement.
· Beijing has not yet responded to these statements.
3:12 PM: Elon Musk responded to Stephen King, who asked for donation of money for Ukraine, estimating his assistance at $100 million.
· "I donated $100 million to Ukraine, how much did you donate? By the way, we refused money from the Department of Defense," Musk wrote.
NATIONAL
Monday April 24
9:48 AM: Ukraine is approaching a landmark battle in the war against Russia, said Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
· "When it starts, it's a mystery. But everyone understands that we are approaching this. As for the volumes and pace of supplies, then, of course, we would like to intensify and increase these volumes," said the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
· commented on his autumn forecast that this spring of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will enter Crimea.
o "We still have time," he said, adding that reaching the borders of 1991 was "quite achievable this year."
o In his opinion, during the counteroffensive, "sufficient volumes of territory will be returned by force."
7:29 AM General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: The main efforts of the Russian troops are focused on conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mariinsky directions - about 60 attacks of the Russian Federation have been repulsed. The fiercest fighting continues for Bakhmut and Marinka.
· Over the past day, the Russians inflicted 1 missile and 46 air strikes. About 60 MLRS attacks were carried out on positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements. Aviation is actively used, using cruise aerial bombs in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. There are dead and wounded among the civilian population.
· In the city of Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia region, the so-called Russian occupation "authorities" are trying to take out stolen grain, loading it onto enemy cargo ships - the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
· Also, the Russians are sorely lacking medical personnel on the battlefield. In order to replenish the shortage of military doctors, local employees of medical institutions in Berdyansk, who received passports of citizens of the Russian Federation, began to be forced to register with Russia. In case of refusal, they threaten them with job loss.
· Aviation of the Defense Forces of Ukraine over the past day inflicted 14 strikes on areas of concentration of Russians
· Also, 2 reconnaissance UAVs of "Merlin" type and 1 "Orlan-10", as well as 8 kamikaze drones of "Lancet" type were shot down. Units of rocket troops and artillery hit 3 stations of electronic warfare of the Russian Federation.
Sunday April 23
9:20 PM: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's evening address:
· "It is important to understand in each of our cities, in every village – wherever it is now more or less quiet, wherever today was just a calm spring sunny day: every day of such silence in the rear regions is won by our soldiers in fierce battles on the front line.
· In daily battles! Please, please, honor this. But always help our soldiers when needed, always support the state and defense as much as possible."
8:37 PM: The Israeli air raid alert system will significantly help Ukraine.
· This was stated by spokesman of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ihnat.
· "An early warning system is currently needed. It is critically important to know when the launch took place in order to react promptly and launch air defense systems," Ihnat said.
7:29 pm: The OCU-appointed governor of the Pochayiv Lavra explains how to prepare for the eviction of the Moscow Patriarchate from there.
· "That is, roughly speaking, only the walls and the book value of the Pochayiv Lavra were transferred 1 million 200 thousand rubles. hryvnia. If now they simply terminate the contract of use with them, they have the right to say that they return what they received according to the documents, that is, only walls and premises. And the relics, icons, vessels over which the service is celebrated, historical values that were collected during the existence of the Lavra - they will have the right to take with them. Because they were not registered anywhere at the time of transfer," said the governor of the Pochayiv Lavra, Metropolitan Nestor.
6:45 PM Update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on April 23:
· "During the day, the enemy inflicted 28 air strikes and carried out about 10 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on the positions of our troops and settlements.
· There are civilian casualties, private residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure destroyed and damaged."
· "The enemy focuses its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mariinsky directions.
· Units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine during the day repulsed more than 45 enemy attacks in these sectors of the front. The fiercest fighting continues for Bakhmut and Marinka."
· "Having no significant achievements on the battlefield, servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces and representatives of PMC "Wagner" are increasingly trying to find those responsible for this.
· Responsibility for their own tactical mistakes and losses is shifted onto each other.
· As a result, recently in the village of Stanytsia Luhanska, Luhansk region, there was a fight between servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces and mercenaries of PMC "Wagner", which escalated into a shootout. As a result of the conflict, there are casualties on both sides."
· "All medical institutions in the temporarily occupied territory are overcrowded with wounded occupiers.
· In the village of Mistky, Luhansk region, the invaders equipped a local school for a military hospital.
· There are a large number of wounded Russians there. In addition, there is a large shortage of medicines and dressings in all medical institutions of the occupiers."
· "Aviation of the Defense Forces during the day inflicted 11 strikes on areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the occupiers.
· Also, 2 enemy reconnaissance UAVs of the "Merlin" type and 1 - "Orlan-10" were shot down.
12:07 PM State Emergency Services: 381 explosive objects neutralized by pyrotechnicians of the past day.
Mordor - russia
Monday April 24
11:21 AM: Yesterday, the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation was attacked by four drones - Russian media. *
· According to the source, one of the drones, which flew over the village of Murom 500 meters from the border, managed to land by means of electronic warfare. A second drone spotted on the outskirts of the village of Sereda was also allegedly shot down. It is reported that "when falling, the ammunition detonated, and the drone exploded."
11:04 AM: The Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan abandoned the parade on May 7 and May 9 to save money.
· "The priority is to maintain the required level of combat capability and mobility of units of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan," the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan said.
9:13 AM: President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine cannot refuse to hold Bakhmut as capturing it could open a springboard for Russia to advance on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
· The President said this in an interview with Al Arabia.
· "We cannot abandon Bakhmut because it (helps) to expand the front and give Russian troops and Wagner a chance to seize more of our land," Zelensky said.
8:41 AM: A kamikaze drone with 17 kg of explosives fell in the suburbs, according to local media.
· According to the publication, this happened in the Bogorod city district. The device that fell was a Ukrainian-made UJ-22 Airborn, he ran out of fuel in the tank. Inside there were 30 briquettes weighing 570 grams each with standard US ammunition – plastic explosive C-4.
07:14 AM: In the early morning, temporarily occupied Sevastopol was attacked by surface drones.
· This was announced by the so-called "governor" of the city Mikhail Razvozhaev.
Sunday April 23
11:40 PM Social Networks: Explosions were heard near Belgorod on the evening of April 23.
9:45 PM: Russia will not be able to accumulate even a third of its former stockpile of missiles by autumn, said Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat.
· "Production (of missiles – ed.) lasts quite a long time, in the conditions of sanctions it is not easy to implement," Ihnat said.
· He suggested that Russia would try to get some additional weapons systems from other countries.
9:00 pm: New interception of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine:
· A Russian soldier who is in Donetsk talks about his intentions to leave the unit without permission due to the disorder in the unit and the low level of combat capability.
8:10 pm: Two members of the United Russia State Duma faction died today — 77-year-old Nikolai Bortsov and 56-year-old Jasharbek Uzdenov.
· In 2021, Bortsov ranked 194th on Forbes' list of wealthy Russians, and Uzdenov was the former Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Karachay-Cherkessia.
2:20 pm: 7 Russian ships are on alert in the Black Sea, including 2 carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles, with a total salvo of up to 8 missiles, - the Ukrainian Navy.
12:51 PM: In the Belgorod region, the villages of Spodaryushyne and Murom were shelled, regional governor Gladkov said.
· As a result of the shelling, houses and outbuildings were damaged, and no people were injured.
LUHANSK
Monday April 24
10:30 AM: At night, an explosion occurred at an oil depot in the temporarily occupied Rovenki, Luhansk region.
· The so-called "authorities" report a Ukrainian drone attack.
DONETSK
Monday April 24
10:48 AM Donetsk RMA: At midnight, Russians fired two missiles at Kramatorsk, damaging a school and nearby private homes
· Russian troops also shelled Novoukrainka, Marinka, Krasnohorivka, Kurakhivska hromada, Halytsynivka, Bakhmut, Toretsk community, Predtechyne, outskirts of Chasovoyarsk and Soledar communities, Torske and Zarichne.
· Private houses, high-rise buildings, administrative building were damaged, 2 people were injured.
12:15 AM: Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky visited the Bakhmut direction.
· "I drove along the entire contact line, was in units that hold the entire Bakhmut front. Here we work together with commanders and soldiers on planning operations, assault actions and defense, control the situation directly on the ground," he said.
12:07 AM Social Networks: Explosions heard in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region.
Sunday April 23
3:37 PM Operational Command Tavria: Russia will soon begin assault operations in the Vuhledar area.
· He said that on Saturday, April 22, Russians shelled the city six times from aircraft.
· According to Dmytrashkivskyi, the Russians adhere to the tactics of "scorched earth" so that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would not be able to hold the defense somewhere.
12:21 PM Local Military Administration: Among the ten thousand local population in Severodonetsk there are more than a thousand children. The provision of medical services in the city is at the level of paramedic care.
ZAPORIZHIA
Monday April 24
2:47 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in Zaporizhzhia.
Sunday April 23
12:37 PM Zaporizhia rMA: Over the past day, the Russians carried out 70 artillery attacks, 4 MLRS attacks and 4 UAV attacks on peaceful settlements on the contact line in Zaporizhia region.
· Olhivske, Novodanylivka, Kamianske, Huliaipilske and 14 other villages and cities were under attack. A 56-year-old man was wounded.
DNIPRO
Monday April 24
11:36 AM Social Networks: Explosions heard in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Region
9:28 AM Dnipro RMA: The Russians struck Nikopol tonight. They hit the city with heavy artillery.
· No people were injured in the shelling.
Sunday April 23
6:26 PM Dnipro RMA: Russians attacked Nikopol with drones.
· "One 33-year-old man received shrapnel wounds. Two more – with mine-blast injuries and contusions," Lysak wrote.
KHERSON
Monday April 24
11:38 AM Kherson RMA: Russians shelled peaceful settlements of Kherson region 83 times
· The Russians attacked Kherson three times, firing 13 shells at the city. Last day, due to Russian aggression, two people were killed, six more were injured of varying degrees of severity.
11:00 AM Social Networks: Explosions heard in Kherson region
Sunday April 23
7:45 PM Kherson RMA: In the afternoon, Russians again shelled Kherson with mortars.
· "Unfortunately, as a result of this shelling, an 80-year-old grandfather died," Prokudin wrote.
03:59 PM Kherson RMA: Russians shelled the village of Kizomis, Kherson region, with artillery.
· The enemy targeted a local school building, a law enforcement car and about 25 residential buildings. As a result of shelling, 2 women were injured.
· In the village of Havrylivka in the Kherson region, Russian artillery attacked a cemetery, with no casualties.
· The day before, the Kherson Oblast Defense Council banned visiting cemeteries and burial sites.
1:32 PM Operational Command South: Five guided aerial bombs from four aircraft were dropped on Kherson during the day.
· "The enemy twice used Lancet-type attack drones in Kherson district. He also launched a group aerial bomb strike with 4 Su-35 aircraft with the dropping of five KAB-500s. Private residential buildings were damaged," the message says.
1:09 PM Air Command South: The Ukrainian military shot down four enemy kamikaze drones in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions during the evening of April 22 - the morning of April 23.
MYKOLAIV
Sunday April 23
2:45 PM Operational Command South: Today, around 11:50 a.m., the Ukrainian military shot down a Russian Merlin reconnaissance drone in the Mykolaiv region.
KYIV
Sunday April 23
4:59 pm: Patrol police have begun involving military committees in the fight against "fans of fast and furious and drifting" after "repeated warnings", First Deputy Head of the Patrol Police Department Oleksiy Biloshytsky said.
· In the center of Kyiv, representatives of military registration and enlistment offices, accompanied by patrol policemen, handed out summonses to "fans of fast and the furious."
SUMY
Monday April 24
11:35 AM Social Networks: Explosions heard in the village of Khoten, Sumy region.
9:07 AM Social Networks: Explosions heard in Sumy region.
Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins. Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.
SOURCES
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/
https://espreso.tv/
https://cutt.ly/Blyskavka
Sorry you feel this way but Tucker was one of the few truth tellers left. Whether about vaccines, the election, antifa or even Ukrainian war/money graft he was constantly bringing up issues that the left hated. So his opinion was different from yours, but he is here in the United States where many of us don’t want to be sucked into another world war.
I’m sure he’ll be back in a good way.
The question is, does Russia run out of equipment and will to keep fighting in Ukraine, or does Ukraine run out of men. A sad situation.