Victory Chronicles-DAY 1140

Ukrainian forces have captured two Chinese military personnel  who were fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine’s easternmost Donetsk Oblast, the nation’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on April 8.

“Our troops have taken two Chinese nationals who were fighting in the ranks of the Russian army. This happened on Ukrainian territory — in Donetsk Oblast. We have their documents, bank cards, and personal data,” Zelenskyy said. 

According to Ukraine’s second war-time president , intelligence services and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) are now working to verify information that more Chinese nationals may be serving in Russian units. 

The captured individuals are currently in SBU custody. Zelenskyy instructed Ukraine’s foreign affairs minister to urgently contact Beijing to clarify how China intends to respond to the situation. 

“This is a clear signal that [Kremlin ruler Vladimir] Putin is willing to do anything except end the war. He is looking for ways to continue fighting. This requires a response from the United States, Europe, and everyone who wants peace,” Zelenskyy added.

The presidential office later clarified that the prisoners were captured near the settlements of Tarasivka and Bilohorivka in Donetsk Oblast, during a skirmish involving six Chinese combatants. 

“This is yet another country providing military support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — following Iran and North Korea. But there’s a difference: North Korean fighters were engaged near Kursk, outside Ukraine. Chinese soldiers are fighting directly on Ukrainian soil,” Zelenskyy said. “This is an important development we must discuss with our partners.”

Ukraine develops over 20 new fiber-optic drone models in 2025. Since the beginning of this year, Ukraine has developed more than 20 new certified models of drones equipped with fiber-optic control systems that are immune to electronic warfare jamming devices. 

Eleven homegrown companies have launched production of these drones. Kyiv has prioritized scaling up the manufacturing and delivery of fiber-optic drones to support the country’s defense needs. Additionally, Ukraine is expanding its capabilities in long-range strike drones.

As the Russo-Ukrainian war dynamically evolves and both sides adapt to altering battlefield conditions, Ukraine has started flame trails of Russia’s fiber optic cables that, when they get to the drone source, destroy them.

Civilians reportedly buried between buildings in Pokrovsk amid worsening security. In the front line city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s easternmost region of Donetsk, fresh civilian graves have begun appearing in courtyards between apartment blocks, a grim testimony to the toll of ongoing Russian shelling and deteriorating security conditions. 

Photographs shared by Ukrainska Pravda from Ukrainian troops, alongside images shared by volunteer Denys Khrystov on Facebook, reveal the tragic sight of newly dug graves between residential buildings.

These images point to the dire reality that the intensifying Russian attacks may be preventing local authorities and emergency services from recovering and properly burying the dead. Military experts label such attacks as “double tap,” in reference to when first responders arrive at a bombardment scene and then the same location gets struck again. The heavily fortified town of Pokrovsk is located just a few kilometers from the front line and has been under frequent bombardment in recent weeks.

Elite Ukrainian assault brigade wipes out half a Russian battalion in Luhansk region. Troops from Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade,repelled a Russian assault in Luhansk Oblast, destroying roughly half a battalion of enemy forces in a single day, the brigade’s press service reported.

Russian forces attempted coordinated attacks across positions held by three battalions of the brigade, including efforts to retake ground previously lost near the settlement of Nadiia. The report said that Ukrainian defenders decisively repelled the assault and inflicted significant losses.

Footage released by the brigade shows destroyed Russian groups and equipment, underscoring what the military described as a “complete rout” of the attacking force.

Key takeaways:

• The Kremlin is using the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to consolidate social control over occupied areas of Ukraine and destroy any semblance of religious freedom.
• Russian officials discussed plans for the continued forced absorption of occupied Ukraine into the Russian economy during the “Integration-2025” forum.
• Russian federal media censor Roskomnadzor issued an order on March 31 that will likely contribute to further crackdowns against pro-Ukrainian sentiment and dissent in occupied Ukraine.
• Russia continues to weaponize the school system in occupied Ukraine to Russify and militarize Ukrainian children and eradicate Ukrainian identity.

In Memoriam: Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Kosakovskyi, a hero of Ukraine’s defense forces. Oleksandr Kosakovskyi, a dedicated soldier of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces, was killed in action on October 5, 2024, near the city of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast. He was 44 years old. The soldier, known by the call sign “Kosar” (Cropper), died from injuries sustained during a fatal blast while carrying out a critical combat mission.

Born in the village of Mykhailivka in Vinnytsia Oblast, was at an industrious and compassionate individual. He was studious and graduated from the Novoushytskyi Vocational College with a degree in Agricultural Mechanization. 

In 2004, he furthered his education by earning a degree in Law from the Vinnytsia Institute of Regional Economics and Management. Before the war, he worked in the ATB supermarket chain and enjoyed running a small farming operation in his free time.

After Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Kosakovskyi volunteered for service. He joined the 172nd Battalion of the 120th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade where he  initially served in a mortar platoon and later was retrained as a combat engineer.

“Oleksandr was a true patriot, a loving husband, and a wonderful father,” his wife Olena said. “He dreamed of teaching our son how to farm, to pass on his love for the land.” Kosakovskyi was laid to rest at the Alley of Glory in Vinnytsia. He is survived by his parents, wife, and son.

*Oleksandr’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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