Victory Chronicles-DAY 1161

Russian troops are ramping up their offensive near the strategic junction of where the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions converge, Ukrainian defense officials reported on April 29.

According to Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces, Ukrainian units repelled 23 Russian assaults on the Novopavlivka front in the  past 24 hours. He described the clashes as intense, with Russian forces attempting to break through defensive lines and gain a foothold near key areas.

In the Orikhiv sector, Russian troops are pushing toward Mali Shcherbaky, Lobkove, and Stepove. Their objective is to secure staging areas that would allow them to threaten critical Ukrainian logistics routes running from Zaporizhzhia to the eastern part of the oblast and to shell the city and its suburbs.

Their goal Meanwhile, in the Kherson region, Voloshyn said, Russian forces have stepped up efforts to land small assault groups of soldiers on islands along the Dnipro River. Although most enemy boats are destroyed, some Russian troops manage to reach the islands, where they are resupplied with ammunition, food, and water dropped by drones. Ukrainian officials say some of these isolated soldiers have surrendered after running out of supplies.

Voloshyn also raised alarms over Russia’s growing use of combined strikes against Kherson, including guided aerial bombs followed by artillery and drone attacks.

Ukraine reports Russian combat losses near 1 million since all-out invasion began. Russia’s combat losses in Ukraine have surpassed 950,000 personnel since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s General Staff reported on April 29.

According to the latest figures, Ukrainian Defense Forces estimate that Russia has lost approximately 950,860 enemy troops, with . 1,060 casualties reported in the past 24 hours alone.

In addition to personnel losses, Ukrainian forces report to have destroyed significant quantities of Russian equipment, including: 10,728 Russian tanks, 22,352 armored fighting vehicles, 27,080 artillery systems, 1,146 air defense systems, 34,177 operational-tactical UAVs, and 46,432 vehicles and fuel trucks.

Ukraine’s military said the ongoing depletion of Russian manpower and materiel is significantly eroding Moscow’s ability to conduct large-scale operations across multiple sectors of the front.

Ukrainian police: Russian strikes kill five civilians and injure four in Donetsk region. Russian forces killed five civilians and injured others and injured, including a child, in a wave of attacks across the Donetsk region, Ukrainian police reported on April 29.

Authorities recorded 3,281 instances of shelling over the past 24 hours that targetied both frontline positions and residential areas. In the village of Novoekonomichne, three civilians were killed. Another civilian was killed in Kostiantynivka following strikes by a Russian aerial bomb and artillery shells.

Russian forces also hit five population centers on April 29 – Kramatorsk, Dobropillia, Sofiivka, Hruzke, and Shakhove. One person was killed In Shakhov and another wounded. Officials continue to  asses the full-scale of casualties and damage across the region.

Ukraine MiG-29 pilot shoots down Russian drone in daylight intercept. Ukraine’s Air Force released dramatic footage of a MiG-29 pilot intercepting and destroying a Russian Shahed attack drone during a recent combat mission. 

The pilot, known by the call sign “Denfix,” serves in a tactical aviation brigade under Air Command West. His primary mission: to hunt and eliminate Russian cruise missiles and attack drones –  weapons Moscow has increasingly deploys in its ongoing assault on Ukraine.

To counter these threats, Ukraine deploys every available asset, including surface-to-air missile systems, mobile fire groups, electronic warfare units, and, when necessary, fighter jets.

While Russian forces usually launch Shahed drones at night, the Air Force noted a growing trend of daylight attacks. Denfix, credited with more than twenty confirmed kills of enemy missiles and drones, said visual engagements in daylight offer a critical advantage.

“Unlike night missions, I could clearly see the target through the sight,” Denfix said. “After the explosion, I felt pure happiness — knowing I had stopped the drone from reaching our land and hurting our people.”

Key Takeaways:

• Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin announced another unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine – this time in honor of a major Soviet and Russian military holiday, while continuing to reject the March 2025 US-Ukrainian 30-day general ceasefire proposal. Putin continues to refuse any ceasefire other than on terms that advantage his war effort.
• Putin is leveraging unilateral ceasefires to achieve informational and battlefield advantages in Ukraine, counter to U.S. President Donald Trump’s goal of using a general ceasefire as a stepping stone towards an enduring and sustainable peace agreement in Ukraine.
• Ukraine – in contrast to Russia – continues to demonstrate its support for Trump’s desired full, permanent ceasefire.
• The Kremlin continues attempts to hold legitimate ceasefire negotiations hostage in order to secure additional concessions from Ukraine and the United States.
• Lavrov reiterated on April 28 Russia’s longstanding demands for Ukraine’s surrender and concessions from the West, as Russia continues to offer no concessions of its own.
• Russian and North Korean officials touted the success of their joint military operations in Kursk Oblast in order to highlight the international community’s inability to deter Russian efforts to involve its allies directly in Russia’s war against Ukraine, as the Kremlin pledged to offer North Korea reciprocal active military support.
• Russia is reportedly expanding its military infrastructure along its border with Finland and stockpiling new tanks, likely in preparation for future aggression against NATO.
• Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová announced on April 27 that the Czech Ammunition Initiative will have delivered another 400,000 rounds of large-caliber artillery ammunition to Ukraine by April 30.
• Russian forces recently advanced in Sumy Oblast and near Kupyansk, Siversk, Toretsk, and Novopavlivka.

In Memoriam: Ukrainian soldier Ivan Syvydiuk, a hero of Ukraine’s defense forces. Ivan Syvydiuk, 20, a senior soldier with the 5th Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was killed in action Feb. 26, 2024, while saving the lives of his comrades during a combat mission near the village of Ivanivske in Donetsk Oblast. He had turned 20 just a month earlier, on Jan. 31.

Syvydiuk was born in the town of Chervone in the Berdychiv district of Zhytomyr Oblast. He studied at the local lyceum and later attended the Kyiv Institute of Business and Technology. Before the war, he worked at the Andrushivka Dairy Plant as an operator in the production of dry dairy products. He was passionate about mechanics, cars and boxing.

In April 2023, Syvydiuk signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to defend his homeland. He served as a gunner-operator in the assault company of the 5th Assault Brigade.

For his service, Syvydiuk was awarded the “War Veteran” medal and the Ministry of Defense’s “Iron Cross.” He was posthumously honored with the Order “For Courage,” Third Class, and promoted to the rank of junior sergeant.

“I am proud of my son, a hero. Ivan gave everything for us, for a free Ukraine and peace. He gave his life while having so many plans and unfulfilled dreams,” his mother, Snizhana Ivanivna, wrote. Syvydiuk was laid to rest in his hometown of Chervone. He is survived by his parents, Snizhana Ivanivna and Serhii Pavlovych, and his brother, Roman.

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

• Italian prime minister: Putin’s three-day ceasefire is not enough
• ABC: Australia delays handover of decommissioned Abrams tanks to Ukraine due to US opposition
• Future German Foreign Minister: Putin must understand that we are for Ukraine
• UN: Putin’s ‘three-day ceasefire’ not enough, peace must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty
• Macron:  Pressure on Russia will increase in coming days to achieve ceasefire in Ukraine
• FT: Europe and Ukraine fear Trump is looking for excuses to pull out of peace talks
• White House reacts to Putin’s “truce”: Trump wants permanent ceasefire