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UKRAINE WAR BULLETIN - April 15, 2022 - 6 p.m. EDT
Embassy of Ukraine in the USA
Wash, D.C., Fri, April 15, 2022, 6 pm EDT
Distributed by U.S.-Ukraine Business Council​ www.USUBC.org
Russia continues to launch missile strikes on industrial and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Air strikes on the city of Mariupol and the partial blockade of the city of Kharkiv continue.
Russia shells the village of Klimovo in Bryansk region (Russia) blaming Ukraine for it.
The SSU has a shocking interception of a Russian executioner bragging to his friend about the atrocities he committed against Ukrainian POWs.
198 children were killed and more than 355 injured as a result of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.
Almost 1.5 million people in Ukraine are left without access to tap water due to Russian war against Ukraine. More than 4.5 million Ukrainians are at risk of losing their water supply due to damage inflicted on water and electricity networks.
Denys Shmyhal: The Cabinet of Ministers has already commenced activities to establish an International Demining Center.
WAR ROOM
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
In all directions the situation has not changed significantly during the day. Russia continues to launch missile strikes on industrial and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and is trying to launch an offensive in some areas. Air strikes on the city of Mariupol continue.
The partial blockade of Kharkiv continues.
In the Donetsk direction, Russian forces tried to attack Marinka, but were unsuccessful.
In violation of the norms of International Humanitarian Law, the Russian occupiers continue to oppress the rights of Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied territories. They carry out sabotage on the territory of Ukraine, steal, threaten physical violence, take away motor vehicles and civilian clothes from local residents.
In order to suppress Ukrainian resistance, the Russian occupiers are filtering and searching for people involved in military service.
In the temporarily occupied areas of the Luhansk region, the usage of buildings and adjacent territories of secondary schools for the installation of additional field hospitals, places for weapons, ammunition and military equipment is recorded.
In some settlements, Russia is trying to imitate elections and illegally appoint "local governments" from among local residents loyal to the occupying power.
Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has allowed the recruitment of foreigners into Intelligence units of Ukrainian Army during martial law.
The law will ensure the effective implementation of the tasks assigned to the intelligence body of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in counteracting and repelling foreign aggression against Ukraine with the help of motivated foreigners and stateless persons admitted to military service in Defence Intelligence.
In Russia, the production of new T-72 tanks is stopped due to financial problems and lack of imported components.
Security Service of Ukraine
Russia shells village of Klimovo in Bryansk region (Russia) blaming Ukraine for it. The data was confirmed by recent interceptions of occupiers’, telephone conversations intercepted by the Security Service of Ukraine. ‘These are our shelling,’ explains a Russian invader, who is currently in Donetsk region.
Russia grossly violates Geneva Convention and other international documents on treatment of prisoners of war.
The SSU has a shocking interception of a Russian executioner bragging to his friend about the atrocities he committed against Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine
198 children were killed and more than 355 injured as a result of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.
Because of the massive bombardment and shelling by the Russian armed forces of Ukrainian towns and villages, 1,018 educational establishments were damaged, of which 95 were completely destroyed.
Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights
As of 10 a.m. on April 15, 2022, according to the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, as well as other sources that need confirmation, 198 (+1 per day) children have died and 355 children (+4 per day) have been injured since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
As a result of the actions of the Russian occupiers, residents of dozens of Ukrainian cities partially or completely do not have access to drinking water.
As a result of active hostilities in settlements in eastern Ukraine, there was a threat of destruction of the water supply system.
Today, almost 1.5 million people in Ukraine are left without access to tap water and more than 4.5 million are at risk of losing their water supply due to damage to water and electricity networks.
During the evacuation of residents from the city of Starobilsk, Luhansk region to the Dnieper on two buses Russians opened fire - there are wounded and dead.
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
During the day, the enemy shelled 11 settlements in Donetsk region.
As a result of Russian military strikes, civilians were killed and wounded, including 1 child. Civilian objects were destroyed.
During the past 24 hours, the occupiers attacked the following settlements of Donetsk region - Mariupol, Kramatorsk, Bakhmut, Vugledar, Avdiivka, Marinka, Velyka Novosilka, Zarichne, Privillya, Bogorodichne, Pavlivka.
The enemy fired on the civilian population from aircraft, missiles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, tanks and heavy artillery.
The police opened criminal proceedings under Article 438 (violation of the laws or customs of war) and Article 110 (encroachment on the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Border positions in Chernihiv region were shelled again.
12 metal shots of 122 mm and 82 mm caliber were fired from the Russian territory this afternoon.
There are no victims among the border guards and the local population.
During the day, pyrotechnic units of the State Emergency Service were involved 270 times, 1,564 explosive devices, including 2 aerial bombs, were found and neutralized.
In total, since the beginning of the large-scale military invasion of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, 63,543 explosive devices and 417.4 kg of explosives, including 1,935 aircraft bombs, have been neutralized.
https://www.facebook.com/mvs.gov.ua
As of April 15th, the number of identified Ukrainian citizens killed by Russian soldiers will reach 900, 350 of them in Bucha. This was announced at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine (Kyiv) by Andriy Nebitov, Head of the Kyiv Police Department in Kyiv oblast. According to Nebitov, 180 settlements in the Kyiv oblast were temporarily occupied. “There are a lot of mass graves. Most of the people were murdered with small arms. Two large mass graves were found in Bucha, 40 bodies in the first and 57 in the second. Of the 40 bodies in the first grave, 95% were murdered by a sniper or small arms. People were just shot in the streets, and these are recorded facts, and there are testimonies of witnesses and videos, "he added.
Nebitov also gave examples of six murdered and buried in one grave in the village of Shevchenkove. One man was murdered while trying to protect local women from violence, and another was killed while riding a bicycle. The bodies of two local civilian brothers were also found in this grave. These people had nothing to do with the Armed Forces or the Territorial Defense. The circumstances of the murder of others are being clarified.
According to the National Police of Ukraine in the Kyiv oblast, in the Gavronshchyna village, a Russian infantry fighting vehicle shot one of the vehicles moving along the green evacuation corridor as part of a large convoy. This car was marked accordingly, and there were six people in the vehicle, including children. Five people were murdered, and the survivor was seriously injured. Witnesses of this crime were buried, exhumations of bodies have already been carried out, and a forensic medical examination is underway.
"All these facts will be recorded procedurally, and this will be enough to bring the organizers and perpetrators to justice both under national law and in the International Criminal Court," Nebitov added.
POLICY
President of Ukraine
I am sure that you periodically see in the media - Ukrainian and Western - reports on how long this war can last. Some say a few weeks. Others - several years. Some say the war will last until the end of this year. And someone advises to prepare for a permanent confrontation with Russia as long as it exists.
Of course, I also hear different predictions. I have much more information than some media outlets about the intentions and capabilities of the Russian army. About the potential of the Russian economy. About the emotional state of society in Russia. All this must be taken into account before saying how long the war will last. Therefore, we must take into account the effectiveness of instruments of influence on Russia used by Ukraine and our entire anti-war coalition against Russia's aggression.
The success of our military on the battlefield is really significant. Historically significant. But not enough to clean our land from the occupiers yet. We’ll beat them more.
Sanctions against Russia are very significant. Economically painful. But still not enough for the Russian military machine to be left without means of subsistence. We promote stronger, more destructive ones.
So, in fact, it is these two areas that determine how long this war will last.
I always tell all our partners with whom I discuss this issue that the amount of support for Ukraine directly affects the restoration of peace. It literally defines how many more Ukrainians the occupiers will manage to kill.
If someone says: year or years, I answer: you can make the war much shorter. The more and the sooner we get all the weapons we have requested, the stronger our position will be and the sooner peace will come. The more and the sooner we get the financial support we have requested, the sooner there will be peace. The sooner the democratic world recognizes that the oil embargo against Russia and the complete blockade of its banking sector are necessary steps towards peace, the sooner the war will end.
So the number one task is to speed up the restoration of peace.
Our Armed Forces are doing it brilliantly. They are repelling the occupiers' attacks. They are carrying out counterattacks. They have already tormented - in the true sense of the word - Russian conventional aviation so much that they are forced to use strategic long-range aircraft.
I am grateful to each of our defenders for this great work.
Our diplomats must continue their activity in all possible directions, at all possible levels. Both official and unofficial.
The next package of sanctions against Russia must include an abandonment of Russian oil. In general, the democratic world must admit that money for Russian energy resources is in fact money for the destruction of democracy. When these decisions are made, we will all be able to see that peace is approaching.
I held a meeting with government officials today. The key topic is the solution of urgent economic issues that arose during martial law.
It was noted that four-fifths of all Ukrainian enterprises have already returned to work in a safe area. In particular, this applies to heavy industry enterprises. Transport networks are being rebuilt. Good performance is shown in trade and services. And all this is also the fulfillment of the national task of accelerating the restoration of peace.
That is why I am grateful to everyone who keeps jobs, who employs our people, who helps businesses adapt to these difficult conditions and gives Ukraine the necessary economic strength to live.
No matter what, in all cities and communities where there are no occupiers and hostilities, it is necessary to restore the economy to the maximum.
Energy issues and the end of this heating season were discussed. The season was successful in spite of everything. Despite all the predictions, tariffs have not increased. There were no rolling blackouts. Supplies were not disrupted even in wartime. Preparations have also begun for the next heating season. We discussed the purchase of gas, the purchase of coal.
We offer at least for the next 6 months the electricity tariff in the amount of 1 hryvnia 44 kopecks per kilowatt for those who use less than 250 kilowatts. This is 80% of our people.
The Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food reported that the sowing campaign has begun and continues in all regions of our country, including Luhansk and Donetsk.
We also talked to government officials today about filling in the questionnaire that Ukraine received from President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. This is a necessary stage in the preparation of our country to become a candidate for EU membership. The work is almost complete, and we will soon provide the answers to the representatives of the European Union.
I held an important meeting today with all the leaders of the state power bloc. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Chief of the General Staff, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Commander of the National Guard, Minister of Internal Affairs, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine. The meeting was also attended by the Head of the President's Office, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and the head of our delegation at the negotiations. The main topic is Mariupol. Details cannot be made public at the moment. But we are doing everything to save our people.
The restoration of normal life in those areas and districts where the occupiers were expelled continues. The amount of work is really huge. 918 settlements of different scales, but equally important for us, for Ukraine, have already been de-occupied.
We carry out demining. We restore the supply of electricity, water and gas. We restore the work of the police, post office, state and local authorities.
Humanitarian headquarters have started working on the territory of 338 liberated settlements. We are resuming the provision of regular and emergency medical care, the work of educational institutions - where it is really possible. In total, on this day, Russian troops have destroyed or damaged 1,018 educational institutions across our country.
Restoration of roads and railways has begun. In particular, from tomorrow the railway connection with Chernihiv and Nizhyn will be restored. Trains are already running between the cities of the Sumy region.
The teams of Ukravtodor and Ukrzaliznytsia work quite efficiently, and I am grateful to them for this speed. For giving people back a sense of normal life, which the occupiers tried to destroy forever.
In the south and east of our country, the situation is still very difficult, far from talking about recovery.
In the occupied districts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the Russian military continue to terrorize civilian residents of our country. They are looking for anyone who has ever been associated with the Ukrainian army or government agencies.
The occupiers think that this will somehow make it easier for them to control the territory. But they are wrong. They deceive themselves. The problem of the occupiers is not that they are not accepted by some activists, veterans or journalists. Russia's problem is that the entire Ukrainian people does not accept it and will never accept it again. Russia lost Ukraine forever. Actually, it lost the whole world. It will not be accepted anywhere anymore.
And the cruelty with which Russian troops are trying to conquer the Azov, Donbas, Kharkiv regions, only takes away even the slightest chance of these territories and these people to have any ties with this state at least sometime in the future.
Maybe somewhere in Russia cruelty is respected. But in Ukraine cruelty is despised. And punished. And it is obligatory.
Today I signed decrees on awarding our military. 237 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were awarded state awards, 34 of them posthumously.
The title of Hero of Ukraine was awarded to Colonel Kashchenko Dmytro Valeriyovych, commander of the 58th separate motorized infantry brigade of the Operational Command "North" of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. For the personal example of heroism that inspires comrades in service, for extremely effective combat operations and concrete and very important results for maintaining the positions of our army and expelling the occupiers.
And finally. The important words that hope always wins even under seemingly insurmountable circumstances.
This Saturday, the Jewish community celebrates Passover. Holiday of liberation. Holiday of life. I sincerely wish all those who celebrate in Ukraine and in the world peace, good and the inevitable defeat of any evil that threatens freedom and life on earth.
Prime Minister of Ukraine
Denys Shmyhal on International Demining Center
The Cabinet of Ministers has already commenced activities to establish an International Demining Center, announced the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal in his address on April 15.
“The Russian army left behind thousands of mines, shells and bombs. Our pyrotechnic heroes have neutralized more than 80,000 of them. Every day 4-5 thousand dangerous explosives are dismantled. But, unfortunately, for months to come we will find and neutralize such remnants of the "Russian world" on our land,” said the Head of Government.
According to the Prime Minister, establishment of such a center was talked over with the UN Under-Secretary-General, with the leaders of European countries and with all our partners, Besides, the Ministry for the Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories in synergy with the Ministry of the Interior and other ministries, is to develop a multi-year State Mine Action Strategy.
Denys Shmyhal announced also that an interactive map with places of detection of explosive objects and dangerous areas has been launched on the official website of the State Emergency Service.
According to the Head of Government, the Ministry of the Interior has already been commissioned to increase the number of sappers and rescuers in order to speed up this work. But thousands of square kilometers of territory are to be checked, Denys Shmyhal told.
Address of the Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Government has embarked on implementing a Ukraine Recovery Plan. First of all, this applies to the territories recently liberated from the Russian occupier.
The first key point is security. Therefore, the priority objective is to demine the areas that were affected by fierce battles. The Russian army left behind thousands of mines, shells and bombs. Our pyrotechnic heroes have neutralized more than 80,000 of them. Every day 4,000 - 5,000 dangerous explosives are dismantled. But, unfortunately, for months to come we will find and neutralize such remnants of the "Russian world" on our land.
Hence, the Cabinet of Ministers has already commenced activities to establish an International Demining Center. We talked about this with the UN Under-Secretary-General, with the leaders of European countries and with all our partners who visited Bucha and Borodianka with us.
The process of complete dismantle will take time, in some areas it may take months. The Ministry for the Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories in synergy with the Ministry of the Interior and other ministries, is to develop a multi-year State Mine Action Strategy. Such a strategy should include not only the phased search and disposal of explosive devices, but should also cover other areas, from schooling to communication campaigns that tell what these objects look like.
The atrocities we saw in Irpin, Bucha, Borodianka, dozens of other villages and towns is indescribable. Our sappers find mined children's toys, washing machines, bags of potatoes, playgrounds. Hundreds of land mines have been installed in the forests, and thousands of mines have been buried in the fields. The actions of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine are pure evil that must be punished and can never be forgiven.
An interactive map with places of detection of explosive objects and dangerous areas has been launched on the official website of the State Emergency Service. I am separately asking and appealing to parents from cities and villages that have been deoccupied: tell children about the dangers, do not let them go for walks outside the settlements, outside the territory where mine action has already been carried out.
The Ministry of the Interior has already been commissioned to increase the number of sappers and rescuers in order to speed up this work. But we will have to check thousands of square kilometers of territory, so I ask everyone to be vigilant and responsible.
The second stage of Ukraine Recovery Plan, which is taking place in parallel with the first, is the reconstruction of critical infrastructure.
Ukrenergo restored 60% of the destroyed networks in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions. The activities will be completed in early May. Gas supplies have been restored to almost 30,000 households. The Kyiv-Chop highway has been cleared by 90% and traffic on this section will be fully restored in the near future. The clearing of the Kyiv-Chernihiv road continues. Temporary crossings are being built on the sites of destroyed bridges - to Irpen, Bucha, Chernihiv.
The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development has started to shape and implement a strategy for the demolition of uninhabitable buildings that are in a state of emergency. After their demolition, it will be possible to embark on immediate construction of new housing.
Meanwhile, the State continues to provide people in the frontline and deoccupied territories with food, medicine and other basic necessities. The Government has already purchased food kits to the tune of UAH 5 billion for free distribution and has involved more than 700 domestic enterprises in the process.
Programs for internally displaced persons also continue to operate. The Government allocates UAH 2,000 to each adult and UAH 3,000 to each child in a family that has been forced to relocate. A UAH 578 million resource has already been allocated for the payment of such assistance. These funds will allow to obtain assistance for about 155,000 internally displaced persons.
Besides, the Government in synergy with the United Nations, is launching two more payment programs. The decision was made at today's meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. According to our agreements, IDPs who need additional protection will receive UAH 2,200 each month per each family member. These resources will be paid by the UN World Food Programme within 3 months. Moreover, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will also provide special assistance to our low-income IDP retirees. They will also be paid an additional UAH 2,200. We plan to cover with these payments from donors about 700,000 internally displaced persons.
At the same time, the Government prolongs encouraging the resumption of business activity and employment. We allot almost UAH 1.3 billion as an additional resource from the reserve fund for the Social Insurance Fund to ensure the payment of unemployment benefits.
All this is also possible thanks to the support and assistance of our international partners. Today, at a session of the Government, an agreement was signed with the Government of Japan to attract assistance in the amount of 13 billion yen. These are preferential funds to finance the priority needs of our country and the Ukrainian people. Also recently, the Ministry of Finance has inked an agreement with the Government of Canada to raise CAD 500 million. We are negotiating help at all levels and with everyone who demonstrates ability and readiness to help.
Ministry for Digital Transformation of Ukraine
257k Ukrainians have used eVorog (e-Enemy) Chabot for informing the Armed Forces of Ukraine about the movement and geolocation of the occupiers.
Team of the Ministry for Digital Transformation works 24/7 and processes every message in the chat. The Ministry is grateful for this incredible contribution to common victory over the invaders. Citizens are encouraged to send new details about the movement or actions of the occupiers in the Chabot eVorog, but should remember to care about their own safety when photographing the enemy.
