“Horrified by the Russians, we will help Kiev as long as necessary”

9:30 Si combatte a Bakhmut Russian forces have launched what the Ukrainian military has called “unsuccessful attacks” on the suburbs of Bakhmut, as heavy fighting continues inside the besieged city. “Heavy fighting is going on in Bakhmut,” the Ukrainian Army General Staff said. “The enemy launched unsuccessful attacks in the vicinity of Khromove and Ivanivske”, in the suburbs on the outskirts of Bakhmut. 9:45 “Ten years of demining Ukraine” The British Ministry of Defense: “It will probably take at least a decade to demine Ukraine”. According to London, “civilian casualties related to landmines continue to be reported daily” and “the most affected regions are Kherson and Kharkiv Obasts”. Even in the near future, forecasts are gloomy because with the arrival of spring and the increase in the number of people who will work in the fields, “the risk of accidents will increase”. 10:05 Putin: “Ukraine is the priority of our armed forces” Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia has clear priorities in using its Armed Forces, first of all, in Ukraine. “We have clear current priorities in the use of the Armed Forces, first of all regarding Ukraine and the protection of our people in Donbass, in other new territories” Putin explained during a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Serghei Shoigu. Putin met with the defense minister who briefed him on the Pacific Fleet exercises. 10:20 Another Russian attack on Sloviansk Four people died in Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region (east), following a Russian attack launched yesterday: regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko announced it, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. Yesterday’s casualties add to the 15 dead, including a two-year-old child, and the 24 wounded caused by a rocket attack launched by Russian forces on the city last Friday. 10:45 Child victims of war 470 children have been killed in Ukraine since the war with Russia began. This was reported by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, adding that 948 children are injured and 407 are considered missing. According to the report, among injured and killed, “the most affected children are in Donetsk oblast (451), Kharkiv oblast (275), Kiev oblast (127), Kherson oblast (94) , Zaporizhzhia Oblast (89), Mykolaiv Oblast (86), Chernihiv Oblast (68), Luhansk Oblast (66), Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (66)”. 11:00 Japan protests Russian exercises in the Pacific Japan’s cabinet chief Hirokazu Matsuno said Tokyo had lodged a protest with Russia over its military exercises around the disputed islands near Hokkaido. Matsuno also said that Russia informed Tokyo it would conduct missile exercises around the disputed islands from April 18 to 22. The Guardian reports it. 11:35 Attacked 16 villages of the Zaporizhzhia region Russian troops yesterday attacked 16 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine, the head of the regional military administration, Yurii Malashko, announced on Telegram, as reported by Ukrinform. Malashko specified that there were 52 reports of damaged structures. “Yesterday the enemy fired 56 times on 16 peaceful settlements in the region: 46 artillery shells, 4 air raids, 4 drone attacks and 2 attacks with MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems, ed.)” the official wrote. A 61-year-old man was injured in the village of Preobrazhenka as a result of shelling. 12:05 Moscow: 7 British mercenaries killed An assault team of the Russian Central Military District has captured a stronghold of the Ukrainian armed forces in an unspecified forest and killed seven British mercenaries, the Russian Defense Ministry said, as reported by Interfax. “Troops killed a group of seven British mercenaries with numerous F-1 grenades and small arms and seized a Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold,” the ministry said. 12:55 Russia sentences dissident Kara-Murza to 25 years Kara-Murza was sentenced to the prosecutor’s requested sentence of 25 years in a maximum security penitentiary, the Judiciary Commission chaired by Judge Sergei Podoprigorov said in a statement released by Interfax. Kara-Murza was found guilty of treason, “dissemination of knowingly false information about the actions of the Russian armed forces and collaboration with an organization undesirable in Russia”. Kara-Murza’s defense said they would appeal the ruling. 13:40 Mattarella: “We will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary” We will continue to give “support to Ukraine as long as it is necessary, as long as it is needed, from every point of view: military, financial, humanitarian supplies, for the reconstruction of the country. This with the conviction that this concerns not only Ukraine but all the countries that appeal to the freedom of individuals and peoples”. This was stated by President Sergio Mattarella speaking from Warsaw after an interview with Polish President Andrzej Duda. 13:43 Mattarella: “Horrified by Russian behavior, we need EU cohesion” “After Russia’s brutal aggression there is a need to support Ukraine. And it will be support as long as it is necessary under every profile with the conviction that it concerns all countries. If Ukraine is left alone more aggressions will follow. Ukraine has the right to solidarity and we will fully guarantee it. Also because we are horrified by some Russian behavior, such as hitting civilian targets. All this requires great cohesion” of the European Union. This was stated by President Sergio Mattarella speaking from Warsaw after an interview with Polish President Duda. 13:43 Duda: “Those who are against aid to Kiev are with Russia” “Anyone who calls for the suspension of aid to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression is acting in Russia’s interest and trying to make Russia win over Ukraine.” This was stated today by the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, during press statements following his meeting today with the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, who is visiting the country. “Russia’s supremacy is obvious. If Ukraine doesn’t get help, Russia will manage to win the war and the period of its supremacy over this part of Europe will begin.” Duda also confirmed the Polish line of support for Ukraine’s accession to the EU, and support for enlargement to include the Western Balkans. 14:07 ‘Russia holds 20,000 civilians hostage’ “The total number (of people) that the Russian Federation currently holds captive is just insane. I can name only the number of those who officially turned to me among the relatives of civilian hostages held hostage by the Russian Federation. This is over 20,000 people. It is simply an incredible number of citizens of Ukraine that Russia has detained and is detaining without reason in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” said the commissioner for human rights of the Ukrainian parliament, Dmitry Lubinets, in an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda . Ukrinform reports it. 14:10 Borrell: “Russia blocks 50 ships with grain in the Black Sea” “Russia is once again blocking 50 ships in the Black Sea with urgently needed grain on board. The EU supports the efforts of the United Nations and will continue to facilitate exports through its fast lanes, which have brought 25 billion tons of wheat to the world“. The high representative of EU foreign policy Josep Borrell wrote on Twitter. 15:01 Former Wagner militiamen: “We executed children” Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group killed children in Bakhmut and Soledar. This was confessed to Gulag.net, a Russian human rights organization, by two members of the militia, who entered Wagner through prison recruitment. One of the two, Azamat Uldarov, said he had “shot a 5-year-old girl in the head”. “I carried out the order with this hand, I killed the children, including five-year-olds,” the militant said. Together with him, Alexei Savichev also confessed. 15:48 Wheat deal at risk

Pointing out the bottleneck in the Bosphorus, Bridget Brink, US ambassador to Ukraine, said more than 50 ships were awaiting approval to go to Ukrainian ports “to load grain for those in need.” Russia did not respond to comments from Ms Brink or the ministry, but the Kremlin said the prospects for a renewal of the wheat deal were “not so bright”. Moscow says a separate deal, under which the United Nations agreed to help Russia with its food and fertilizer exports, is not working.

16:23 US ambassador imprisoned by Gershkovich. “He is in good health” Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested in Russia on espionage charges, is “in good health“, according to US Ambassador to Moscow Lynne Tracy. Until now, the reporter had not been able to receive visits from US diplomatic personnel in Russia. 19:21 Lavrov: “We want the war to end as soon as possible” Russia is interested in ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible. This was stated by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, in a press release at the end of a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, according to reports from the Ria Novosti agency. “It is clear that we are interested in ending the Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible. We have explained in detail the reasons for what is happening, the goals we are pursuing in this regard,” said Lavrov.