Victory Chronicles-DAY 1143

Berlin will deliver four sophisticated IRIS-T air defense systems and 100,000 artillery shells to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on April 11.

He made the announcement on the sidelines of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting — known as the Ramstein format — held in Brussels, according to European Pravda, citing German broadcaster n-tv. The package also includes 15 Leopard 1 main battle tank and reconnaissance drones.

Pistorius said Germany plans to procure additional IRIS-T systems in the coming years and will supply 1,100 more ground surveillance radars. At the same event, the UK  pledged an additional $590 million for radar systems and anti-tank mines in conjunction with Norway. 

Ukraine to receive over $22.5 billion in new military aid from Ramstein group meeting. Members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group consisting of some 50 countries agreed to provide more than about $22.5 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine during their latest meeting in Brussels on April 11, UK Defense Secretary John Healey announced.

He co-chaired the session with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, said 51 countries from Europe, the Indo-Pacific region, and South America took part in the meeting. 

The new pledges include funding, equipment, and maintenance support for Ukraine’s defense forces. “This year, the UK will spend 4.5 billion pounds (about $5.6 billion) on military support for Ukraine — the highest figure in our history,” Healey said. 

He announced an immediate aid package worth 350 million pounds (roughly $440 million), which includes radar systems, anti-tank mines, and hundreds of drones. An additional 150 million pounds (about $190 million) will be allocated to repair and maintain Ukrainian combat vehicles, as part of an initiative to return 3,000 damaged military vehicles to the battlefield in the coming months.

Russian airstrike injures three civilians, sparks fires in Ukraine’s Kupiansk town. Russian aircraft dropped guided bombs on the Kharkiv regional city of Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine, injuring at least three people and igniting multiple fires, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported on April 11.

One bomb struck the yard of a private residence, damaging a house and starting a fire. Another hit a medical facility, where eight garage bays and three medical vehicles caught fire. The total area affected was approximately 3,440 square feet (320 square meters). First responders, including firefighters and paramedics, were dispatched to the scene.

Russian airborne strike hits industrial facility in Dnipro, killing one and injuring several. A Russian missile strike on April 10 targeted an industrial facility in the south-central city of Dnipro, central Ukraine, killing one civilian  and injuring several others, local officials said.

The attack hit the Biosphere Corporation, a major Ukrainian manufacturer of household and hygienic products. First responders came to the scene, and investigations into the full extent of the damage are ongoing. Video of the aftermath was shared by Ukrinform, Ukraine’s national news agency.

Key Takeaways:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on April 9 that Ukraine is interested in purchasing a large package of weapons from the United States, possibly within the framework of a future US-Ukraine mineral deal, as part of Ukrainian efforts to obtain security guarantees that would deter a future Russian invasion.
• Russia’s continued unsubstantiated accusations of Ukrainian violations of the energy strike ceasefire – despite the lack of any publicly available official ceasefire agreement – demonstrate how Russia will likely act in the event that Russia accepts the ground ceasefire to which Ukraine and the United States have already agreed
• Russia continues to use bilateral talks with the United States to delay negotiations about the war in Ukraine, suggesting that the Kremlin remains uninterested in serious peace negotiations to end the war.
• Russia is reportedly using social media and financial incentives to recruit Chinese nationals to voluntarily join the Russian military.
• Russian forces reportedly recently executed a wounded Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW) in the Lyman direction.
• The Kremlin continues to use narratives it has historically used against Ukraine to set conditions to justify possible future aggression against Estonia.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Chasiv Yar, and Russian forces advanced near Toretsk and Pokrovsk.
• A Russian insider source claimed that Russian authorities are preparing a dedicated position in Russian regional governments that will oversee veterans’ affairs, and the federal government may include similar positions in the future.

In Memoriam: Andrii Davyskiba, 35, senior combat medic and devoted father, killed in service of Ukraine. Andrii Davyskiba, a senior combat medic with the 144th Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, died of his wounds on April 17, 2024 at the Chernihiv Regional Hospital. He succumbed to blast injuries sustained on April 9 during a combat mission near the village of Hremyach in Chernihiv Oblast.

Born in the town of Sutysky in Vinnytsia Oblast, Davyskiba pursued education at the Odesa State Agrarian University. He lived with his family in Vinnytsia and worked as a veterinary doctor on a local farm, dedicating himself to animal care and advancing his expertise in the field. Outside of work, he focused on his family, especially his young daughter.

After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Davyskiba joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and served as the senior medic in his unit. His family and fellow soldiers remember him as a kind, generous, and deeply committed man. “He adored our daughter — called her his little princess,” his wife said. “Whenever he visited family, he always brought gifts and sweets.”

Despite the demanding nature of his veterinary work, which often kept him busy during holidays and weekends, Davyskiba always made time for his child. Davyskiba was laid to rest in his hometown of Sutysky. He is survived by his mother, widowed wife and daughter.

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

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