Victory Chronicles
-DAY 411

KEY TAKEAWAYS TODAY

Above:  Last week, the Save Ukraine non-profit organization was able to return 31 Ukrainian children who were deported from the Kherson and Kharkiv regions to Russian-controlled territory.  Save Ukraine is dedicated to the rescuing the most vulnerable populations and helping them rebuild their lives. 

Video: NGO Save Ukraine writes, “Children kidnapped by the Russians from Kherson and Kharkiv regions have finally crossed the border with their relatives and are now safe. After a long separation of several months, they will meet their families. Ahead of both children and parents is psychological and physical recovery. And we will continue to care for them until the families are home.”

Above: A study of a “small subset” of religious persecutions carried out by Moscow as part of its campaign to eradicate a separate Ukrainian identity. ISW’s abbreviated Sunday edition looked at Moscow’s systemic campaign to weaponize religion and impose the Moscow orthodox patriarchy in Ukraine. As Moscow runs a domestic propaganda campaign accusing Kyiv of religious repression, it conducts a campaign of systematic religious persecution in occupied Ukraine including destruction or seizure of church property and abduction and murder of church clergy and religious leaders. 

In Russia, Putin has put all religious activity under strict Moscow control requiring all approved churches to register activities and information materials. It has suppressed and banned many protestant sects as well as activities of Buddhism, Roman Catholic, Judaism and Islam. Moscow aims to impose its tightly controlled religious institution throughout its “empire” as a political force and instrument of hybrid warfare. 

Above: UK Ministry of Defence

• The so-called Moscow childrens’ rights advocate, now internationally wanted war criminal, Maria Lvova-Belova praised Moscow Oblast residents for taking in the largest number of children from occupied Donetsk Oblast. Her counterpart from Moscow Oblast claimed that she has personally visited 114 Moscow families who have adopted Ukrainian children from Donetsk Oblast . The Kremlin is trying to solve its demographic disaster by the kidnapping and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.
• Russia is rationing ammunition to the front line due to shortages and stockpiling for the anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. Russian forces are heavily relying on artillery to offset key shortcomings in combat capability, including poor Russian targeting skills, insufficient ground assault capabilities, and inadequate availability of airpower in Ukraine. Russian forces use heavy artillery barrages to flatten settlements before seizing them with ground attacks, offsetting the need to conduct effective infantry attacks or to conduct an airstrike using scarce precision munitions and putting airframes and pilots at risk of Ukrainian air defenses.
• Russian offensive potential continues to decline and current Russian attacks are focused on distracting and dispersing Ukrainian troops in anticipation of a counteroffensive. Russian forces are not making serious advances anywhere on the frontline. Russian offensive operations along the entire frontline have decreased over the past day and Russian forces are struggling to advance anywhere in Ukraine.
• Russian war criminal and fallen star of the 2014 invasion Igor Girkin launched the “Club of Angry Patriots” social movement along with other prominent ultranationalist figures to put pressure in the Russian MoD to change its approach to waging war.The angry patriots stated that Russia will imminently face defeat in Ukraine and may experience a pro-Western coup or civil war if Moscow does not drastically improve the situation, claiming that Russian officials are unable to improve the war effort because most Kremlin officials belong to an anti-war faction. The anti-war faction reportedly advocates for a peace settlement with the West to regain access to its overseas wealth. ISW assesses that Girkin has been ruthlessly criticizing Putin throughout the war and likely has protection from high-ranking “silovik” powers.
• Russia’s missile campaign to degrade Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has failed and Russia appears to have abandoned the effort. The frequency of infrastructure attacks has decreased since March. Moscow incorrectly calculated that it would destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure over the winter causing a humanitarian disaster, weakening Ukrainian military capabilities, and forcing Ukraine to negotiate. Not only has Ukraine restored its domestic energy grid, but now has a surplus for export to the EU.
• The Russian defense industry likely heavily relies on Chinese components to support domestic drone production. The head of an unspecified kamikaze drone assembly facility stated that the factory orders its main components from China. A Russian milblogger claimed on April 7 that he received information about a factory in China that received an order for 100,000 units of kamikaze drone batteries.

General Staff’s Daily Video Digest with English subtitles

GENERAL STAFF DAILY ENEMY LOSSES

Above: Wheat field in Kharkiv region. (MSN)

General Staff on Facebook

Ukrainian General Staff of the Armed Forces estimated enemy losses since February 24, 2022 (with daily additions)

• Liquidated personnel, 178,820 (+670)
• Tanks, 3,637 (+1)
• Armored personnel vehicles, 7,028 (+4)
• Artillery systems/MLRS, 2,750/534 (+10/1)
• Anti-aircraft warfare systems, 282 (0)
• Aircraft/helicopters, 307/292 (0)
• UAV operational-tactical level, 2,323 (+11)
• Cruise missiles, 911 (0)
• Warships/boats, 18 (0)
• Vehicles and fuel tanks, 5,607 (+5)
• Special equipment, 311 (+2)

GENERAL STAFF STRIKES ON CIVILIANS

Above: A volunteer rescuer inspects the aftermath of shelling in Zaporizhzhia over the weekend. The enemy spent the Orthodox Palm Sunday weekend striking residential areas across eastern Ukraine.  (Voice of America)

Glory to Ukraine!
The 411th day of the Russian large-scale invasion has begun.

• During the day of April 9, the adversary launched 26x air strikes and 4x missile strikes. 2x russian S-300 air defense missiles targeted and hit civilian infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia. The attack killed and wounded civilians, destroyed and damaged residential buildings.
• Another 2x S-300 missiles were launched at a civilian infrastructure facility in Kostyantynivka (Donetsk oblast). Also, the adversary launched 60x MLRS attacks at the positions of Ukrainian troops and civilian infrastructure in various settlements. The attack hit civilian infrastructure in Kup’yans’k (Kharkiv oblast) and Druzhkivka (Donetsk oblast). As a result, civilians were wounded and residential buildings damaged.
• The likelihood of missile and air strikes across Ukraine still remains high.
• The adversary continues to focus its main efforts on the offensive operations on Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Mar’inka axes. During the day of April 9, the Ukrainian defenders repelled 58x enemy attacks on these axes.
• During the day of April 9, the enemy shelled the settlements of Yasna Polyana Hrem’yach (Chernihiv oblast), Baranivka, Volfyne, Zapsillya, Popivka (Sumy oblast), Veterynarne, Kozacha Lopan’, Mala Danylivka, Hatyshche, Ustynivka, Milove, Velykyi Burluk, and Topoli (Kharkiv oblast).
• Kup’yans’k axis: Krasne Pershe, Novomlyns’k, Dvorichna, Zapadne, and Pershotravneve (Kharkiv oblast) came under enemy fire.
• Lyman axis: during the day of April 9, the adversary conducted unsuccessful offensives to the south of Dibrova. Novoselivs’ke, Cherneshchyna, Makiivka, Nevs’ke, Yampolivka, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast), Kolodyazi, Tors’ke, Sivers’k, Spirne, as well Berestove (Donetsk oblast) were shelled with artillery.
• In the Bakhmut direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled more than 30x enemy attacks in this area of the front line.  Vasyukivka, Zaliznyans’ke, Min’kivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Markove, Bakhmut, Khromove, Ivanivske, Chasiv Yar, Bila Hora, Ozarianivka, Druzhba, and Zalizne (Donetsk oblast) suffered from enemy shelling.
• Avdiivka and Mar’inka axes: the enemy shelled the settlements of Novokalynove, Berdychi, Stepove, Avdiivka, Lastochkyne, Sjeverne, Pervomais’ke, Krasnohorivka, Hostre, Heorhiivka, and Mar’inka (Donetsk oblast).
• The invaders shelled the settlements of Pobjeda, Novomykhailivka, Bohoyavlenka, Shakhtars’ke, Novoukrainka, Velyka Novosilka, Prechystivka, and Zolota Nyva (Donetsk oblast).
• Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: the adversary continues to improve fortifications at its defensive lines and positions.  More than 45x settlements near the line of active combat were shelled by the enemy. Among them are Vremivka, Novopil’ (Donetsk oblast), Zaporizhzhia, Ol’hivs’ke, Mala Tokmachka, Novoandriivka, Kam’yans’ke (Zaporizhzhia oblast), Kachkarivka, Mykolaivka, L’vove, Mykil’s’ke, Inzhenerne (Kherson oblast), and Kherson.

Support the Armed Forces! United we will win! Glory to Ukraine!

KHARKIV-LUHANSK

Above: Volunteers in Kupyansk, Kharkiv, are on hand to unload supplies provided by NGO Kormil including food, clothing and housing repair supplies. (Kupyansk City Administration)

Map via ISW

• Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks on the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna
• The Luhansk People’s Republic claimed that Russian medical specialists have examined more than 94,000 children in Luhansk Oblast and that occupation officials have sent thousands of children from Luhansk Oblast to Russian federal clinics, the majority of which are likely in Russia.
• Russian forces continue to construct fortifications in areas of Kursk Oblast, Russia, that border Ukraine and maintain a presence in border areas of Kursk and Belgorod oblasts to support the information operation to frame the war as an existential threat to Russia, as well to disperse Ukrainian forces by pinning them to border areas away from the frontline.

DONETSK

Above: Ukrainian railroad company Ukrzaliznytsia added a new Lviv-Kramatorsk train that completed its first run this weekend. One year ago, the enemy targeted civilian evacuation trains at the Kramatorsk train station.  from Ukrzaliznytsya: “Ukrainian Kramatorsk is full of life, indomitable courage… and expectations for justice for criminals, which will inevitably come.” 

Above: On Palm Sunday before Orthodox Easter, the invaders bombed a cemetery in Kramatorsk.  Citizens have been warned not to go to cemeteries during the holidays due to the threat of sadistic strikes on places where civilians gather.  Luhansk authorities reported that the invaders are now stealing headstones. There are no words for this kind of depravity. (Censor.net)

Maps via ISW

• Fierce fighting continues in Bakhmut although Russian forces have not made serious advances anywhere on the frontline and the pace of attacks in and around Bakhmut has slightly decreased over the last few days. Russian Airborne forces have appeared in Bakhmut.
• The tempo of Russian offensive operations along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City frontline has reportedly decreased. Russian advances on Avdiivka have stalled but Russian forces are maintaining their operational tempo near Marinka (27km southwest of Avdiivka). Russian forces conducted roughly a quarter of all their assaults in Ukraine in the Marinka area on April 8.

ZAPORIZHZHIA-KHERSON-CRIMEA

Above: The enemy struck civilians in Zaporizhzhia with S-300 missiles over the weekend causing death and destruction.  A small army of municipal workers, local volunteers and NGOs start immediately to restore and support. Local residents repair damage to housing, the city sets up tents where psychological counseling is offered, Doctors Without Borders provide medications, the World Food Program offers food, toiletries and blankets. (Ukrinform)