On the 1513th day of war, Russian forces launched a large-scale aerial attack. The initial toll indicates over 100 casualties in the capital Kyiv, in the city of Odesa, and in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
In the last 24 hours, Russian forces have launched two waves of combined attacks on Ukraine, using missiles launched from the ground and air, as well as attack drones.
The Ukrainians also struck during the night. The Tuapse refinery in the Russian Krasnodar region was attacked by drones, causing the fuel tanks to catch fire. However, two children were killed by a Ukrainian drone that hit a building.
News is coming from the front:
- The Ministry of Defense in Kyiv announced the introduction of a new model of operations that integrates drone warfare into infantry activities.
- Kyiv forces regained control of nearly 50 square kilometers of territory occupied by Russia in March, consolidating their gains from earlier in the year.
- With the improvement in spring weather, Russian forces have intensified offensive operations along nearly the entire 1,200 km front line.
- Ukrainian counterattacks in the southeast have hindered Russian efforts around the city of Pokrovsk and the overall Russian spring offensive, military analysts say.
- Russian forces are now slowly advancing in the Donetsk region, frequently announcing the capture of new villages. The Russians are also trying to establish buffer zones in the border regions of Kharkiv and Sumy.
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Meanwhile, Moscow is calling for the prompt resumption of negotiations on Transnistria in the 5+2 format, which includes Moldova, Transnistria, OSCE, Russia, Ukraine, and observers from the United States and the European Union. Due to the positions of Chisinau and subsequently Kiev, the format has been inactive since 2019.
Russian Attacks
- At least 14 dead overnight - At least 16 people were killed overnight in Ukraine in Russian attacks, authorities cited by Kyiv Independent announced Thursday. Additionally, at least 91 people were injured in several regions, including Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv.
- 12-year-old child killed in Kyiv - Four people, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed in the capital of Ukraine, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who added that 54 residents were injured, including several medical staff members. He stated that the attacks on Kyiv were still ongoing in the morning. "In the Podilsky district, where the ground floor of a private residential building collapsed, a child was rescued from the rubble," he said. In the same district, a low-flying drone crashed into an 18-story building, the mayor added.
- Victims in Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk - The city of Odesa (south), where at least nine people were killed and 23 injured, was targeted by multiple waves of rocket and drone attacks overnight, said Serhiy Lisak, head of the local military administration, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. Three people were also killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region (center) in a Russian attack, said Oleksandr Ganja, head of the regional military administration. According to the official, 34 people were injured there.
- Russia's Unleashed Attack - Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 44 missiles and 659 drones of various types in the last 24 hours. From Wednesday at 07:00 to Thursday at 07:00, the Russians launched two waves of combined attacks on Ukraine using ground-launched and aerial missiles and attack drones. In total, the Air Surveillance Forces detected and tracked 703 aerial assets:
- 19 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles;
- 20 Kh-101 cruise missiles;
- 5 Iskander-K cruise missiles;
- 659 drones of various types.
- Precise Strikes on Russian Targets - In his Telegram comments, Sîrskîi said that Ukrainian forces are trying to reduce Russia's offensive capabilities by maintaining a high pace of strikes on military installations, defense industry, and other facilities. In March, Ukraine hit 76 such targets, including 15 oil refining facilities, he said. Ukraine has increased attacks on Russian ports, refineries, and fertilizer factories in an attempt to reduce Moscow's revenues from commodity exports amid rising global prices due to the conflict in Iran.
- What the Russians are doing - Russian forces are engaged in a slow advance in the eastern Donetsk region, frequently announcing the capture of new villages. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that it had captured the settlement of Vovchansk Kuty in the northeastern region of Kharkiv. The Russian army also claims to be trying to establish buffer zones in the border regions of Kharkiv and Sumy.
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Other relevant information
- Russia calls for resuming negotiations on Transnistria - Russia calls for the resumption of negotiations on Transnistria in the 5+2 format as soon as possible, said a senior Russian diplomat, according to TASS. The 5+2 format includes Moldova, Transnistria, OSCE, Russia, Ukraine, and observers from the US and EU. However, due to the positions of Chisinau and subsequently Kiev, the format has been inactive since 2019. "Meetings between the political representatives of Chisinau and Tiraspol in the so-called 1+1 format have proven insufficient to reach a solution," said Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in an interview with Izvestia. According to Galuzin, the 5+2 format has all the necessary attributes and enjoys international recognition. "Tiraspol has never refused dialogue with Chisinau to discuss practical issues of interest to both parties," he asserted. The Russian Foreign Ministry hopes that the upcoming meeting between the political representatives of the Republic of Moldova and Transnistria, scheduled for April 16, will give a new impetus to the dialogue, TASS reports.
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