Victory Chronicles-DAY 1148

Multiple Ukrainian drones struck the permanent base of Russia’s 448th Missile Brigade in Kursk that Ukraine’s military defense assessed to be responsible for the April 13 ballistic missile attack on the city of Sumy that killed 35 people and injured at least 117, including 15 children, Ukraine’s General Staff reported.

Ukrainian drone units, Special Operations Forces, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) coordinated strike and targeted multiple military sites allegedly linked to attacks on innocent Ukrainian civilians, according to the General Staff.

The strike caused secondary explosions of stored Russian ammunition. Ukrainian military officials said they are assessing the full impact of the operation.

The military’s dispatch said that all Russian units and service members involved in attacks on civilian areas will be identified and held accountable. “This systematic and targeted campaign against key Russian military sites will continue until Russia ends its armed aggression,” the General Staff said in a statement.

Italy transfers first 25imillion euro  installment to help rebuild Ukraine’s energy system. Italy has disbursed the first 25-million euro of a 200-million euro initiative to support the restoration of Ukraine’s war-damaged energy infrastructure, the Italian Embassy in Ukraine said on April 16.

The funds, provided in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), will be allocated to the state-owned energy company Ukrhydroenergo that runs Ukrainian hydroelectricity facilities. 

Funds will be channeld toward urgent repairs, grid stabilization, and the restoration of electricity access in the country’s hardest-hit regions.

“This initial funding is a concrete signal of Italy’s strong support for Ukraine’s energy sector,” said Italian Ambassador to Ukraine Carlo Formosa. “The recovery of the country begins with light, warmth, and basic services.”

The 25-million euro tranche is part of a larger 125-million euro aid package from Italy focused on Ukraine’s energy security and infrastructure recovery, and complements broader international assistance.

Italy first announced the funding initiative in November 2024, when Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani pledged to invest 200 million euros in rebuilding Ukraine’s power grid.

Russian aerial strikes damage infrastructure, injure two in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Russian forces launched a series of drone, artillery, and guided bomb attacks on the south-central region of Dnipropetrovsk overnight on April 15, injuring two people and damaging civilian infrastructure across several areas, local officials said.

Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted seven drones, but others struck a private business in the city of Kamianske, igniting two fires and damaging 10 vehicles and a gas pipeline, said Serhii Lysak, head of the regional military administration.

Two civilian men, ages 39 and 48, were injured and received medical attention.

Aerial footage shows wounded Russian troops limping toward Ukrainian positions with makeshift crutches. Airborne Ukrainian reconnaissance captured footage of wounded Russian soldiers inching toward the front lines on crutches and sticks during assaults along the Donetsk regional Pokrovsk axis, according to the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group.

Ukraine’s “Spartan” (Spartacus) Brigade’s drone operators observed one Russian soldier advancing toward Ukrainian defensive positions while leaning heavily on a stick. Other images showed multiple wounded assault troops hobbling on improvised crutches.

“These are not isolated cases,” the Ukrainian military reported. “Russian troops often choose to advance despite injuries, fearing execution by their own commanders more than Ukrainian firepower. Many hope surrendering to Ukrainian forces is their only chance of survival.”

The Soviet Union’s Red Army used so-called anti-retreat or barrier troop units that were located in the rear of the front line during World War II – a similar practice that has been documented in the current war that Russia instigated.

Key Takeaways:

• Two high-ranking members of Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin’s inner circle reiterated Putin’s June 2024 non-negotiable demands that any resolution of the war in Ukraine must result in regime change, extensive territorial concessions, and long-term limitations on Ukraine’s military after US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff’s April 11 meeting with Putin.
• Kremlin officials continue to set informational conditions to demand that Ukraine surrender territory that Russia does not currently occupy and to justify Russia’s ambitions of asserting control over independent countries, including NATO member states.
• Naryshkin threatened a Russian attack against NATO states in response to NATO states building up their defenses in line with US President Donald Trump’s push for Europe to increase its own defense capabilities.
• Lavrov reiterated Putin’s rejection of Trump’s proposal for a 30-day full ceasefire.
• Russia may recognize the end of the 30-day energy infrastructure strikes ceasefire soon and intensify its long-range strikes against Ukraine, but the exact parameters of the ceasefire — including its end date — remain unclear.
• Ukraine’s National Guard announced on April 15 the formation of two new army corps on the basis of two existing brigades, amid Ukraine’s continued efforts to transition to a corps structure.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk and Pokrovsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Velyka Novosilka and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.

In Memoriam: Ukrainian soldier Mykhailo Hrynevych, a hero of Ukraine’s defense forces. Mykhailo Hrynevych, 33, a valiant soldier with the 21st Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine’s military, was killed in action Jan. 6, during a combat mission near the village of Mykolaievo-Dar’yino in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. 

Known by the call sign “Hrynia,” he died after sustaining a fatal head injury from a mortar shell blast in the neighboring Russian region northeast of the Ukrainian state border..

Born in the village of Remchytsi in the western Rivne Oblast, Hrynevych graduated from the local vocational school. Construction work was his main occupation incivilian life.

He was drafted in June 2022 and served as a senior rifleman. For his service, Hrynevych was awarded the “War Veteran – Combat Participant” award.

“He was always kind, hardworking, a loyal brother, a loving son and husband,” said his brother, Yurii. “He honored his military oath. He died in battle as a hero, for Ukraine’s freedom and independence.” Hrynevych was laid to rest in his hometown of Remchytsi. He is survived by his parents, sister, brothers and widowed wife.

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

• Bloomberg: Russia asks to buy Boeing Jets with frozen funds in US talks
• The Economist writes that Trump administration is ’fed up’ with Europe’s efforts to strengthen Ukraine
• Denmark to send soldiers for training in Ukraine
• US softens calls for Ukraine to pay back aid in minerals deal talks
• Rubio, Witkoff heading to France for talks on Ukraine, Iran and trade
• Politico: Postwar Russian energy return ‘illusory,’ Belgium says
• Trump admin stops G7 from condemning Russia over Sumy strike