Sunday, April 21

Russia’s war against Ukraine

An activist holds banner that reads ‘Free Azov. Don’t be silent’ during the rally organized by Ukrainian POWs relatives near the monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko on April 20, 2024 in Lviv. (Les Kasyanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

US House passes $61 billion in aid to Ukraine. The U.S. House of Representatives on April 20 passed a key foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other allies after months of political infighting and a deteriorating situation on the battlefield.

Zelensky praises US House for passing Ukraine aid bill. “Certainly, we will use American support to strengthen both our nations and bring a just end to this war - a war that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin must lose,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 20.

Zelensky: Ukraine could sign bilateral security agreements with US, Nordic, Baltic states in near future. The president said Ukraine is moving towards “an important agreement with the U.S.,” adding that the agreement could happen after Congress approves the $61 aid bill for Ukraine that awaits an upcoming vote on April 20.

Source: Ukrainian drones strike Russian energy facilities overnight. Ukrainian special services, together with the military, orchestrated a large-scale drone attack on Russia’s energy infrastructure overnight on April 20, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.

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ISW: Russia likely to intensify offensives amid closing window of Ukrainian material constraints. Russian forces have maintained and, in some areas, intensified ongoing offensive operations, likely to exploit persisting Ukrainian materiel shortages before the arrival of promised Western security assistance, the Institute for the Study of War said in its April 20 report.

Danish commander-in-chief meets Syrskyi, Umerov to discuss further assistance for Ukraine. Commander-in-Chief of the Danish Armed Forces Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard visited Kyiv and met his counterpart Oleksandr Syrskyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on April 20, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief wrote on Facebook.

Zelensky signs decree to restrict online gambling. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed on April 20 a decree on counteracting the negative effects of online gambling, which proposes to ban it for the military until the end of martial law.

Read our exclusives

Who was Pavlo Petrychenko, the prominent activist recently killed in combat?

As a team member of the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation, Pavlo Petrychenko helped establish a volunteer center in Kyiv to support the military until he decided to join the Armed Forces himself two months into the full-scale war.

Photo: Courtesy of Prytula Foundation / Viktor Zalevskiy

Ukraine’s obsolete S-200 missile systems reportedly back on track to hit Russian targets

The first Russian Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber was reportedly shot down by Ukraine and crashed over Russia’s Stavropol Krai overnight on April 19. The aircraft was carrying out a combat mission. 

Photo: George Chernilevsky/Wikimedia

Video: Russian military uniforms reveal inequality between forces

Human cost of war

Mediazona confirms identities of over 50,400 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine. Through open-source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 50,471 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Prosecutor’s Office: At least 545 children have been killed since beginning of full-scale invasion. At least 1,843 children have been killed or injured since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office reported on April 20.

Russian attack on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast kills man. Russian troops attacked the Dnipro district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on April 20, killing a 54-year-old man, local governor Serhii Lysak reported.

2 killed, 2 injured in Russian attack on border city of Vovchansk. Russia attacked the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast on April 20, killing two men, injuring another man and a woman, the regional Prosecutor’s Office reported.

Russian missile attack on Odesa injures 8, including 2 children. Russian forces hit a residential area in Odesa with a missile attack, wounding eight people, including two children, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported on April 20.

Russia attacks 13 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring 1. Russian forces struck 13 communities in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast in 54 separate attacks throughout the day, the regional administration reported on April 20. At least 283 explosions were reported in Sumy Oblast over the past 24 hours.

International response

NATO’s Stoltenberg, European leaders laud House passage of Ukraine aid bill. European leaders praised the passage of a $60.84 billion Ukraine aid bill by the U.S. House of Representatives on April 20, but some caution that Europe must urgently ramp up support for Ukraine.

Politico: US considers deploying extra military advisers to Ukraine. The United States is contemplating the deployment of additional military advisers to the embassy in Kyiv as Russia appears to be gaining momentum on the front lines. These advisers would not serve in combat capacities.

Slovak citizens raise $2.8 million for Czech ammunition initiative after government refuses to contribute. Nearly 40,000 Slovaks contributed to the initiative, with an average donation worth 64 euros ($68), according to the “Ammunition for Ukraine” website.

US House approves bill to transfer seized Russian assets to Ukraine. The U.S. House of Representatives on April 20 passed a bill that would allow the seizure and transfer of frozen Russian assets held in the U.S. to Ukraine.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Francis Farrell, Kateryna Denisova, Lili Bivings, Kateryna Hodunova, Dinara Khalilova, and Olena Goncharova.

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