Victory Chronicles
-DAY 420

KEY TAKEAWAYS TODAY

Above:  Polish-Belarussian border. Poland is tightening 210 kilometers of border security with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.  Since Putin’s invasion, Poland has put up walls and razor wire with both Belarus and Kaliningrad.  Now Poland is installing thousands of cameras and motion detectors to on the Kaliningrad border to prevent illegal entry including the type of third-world immigrant exploitation scheme that Moscow uses to cause social unrest.  Moscow and Minsk shipped in thousands of Middle Eastern asylum seekers and sent them to the Belarusian-Polish border in 2021. (i24News)

Below: Heavy weaponry keeps arriving, bringing the counteroffensive closer and closer. The Patriot surface-to-air defense system is designed to shoot down enemy aircraft and missiles over a relatively narrow range. Ukrainians trained on the system in January in the United States. The cost of the system is estimated at $400 million for the system and up to $700 million for the missiles. 

German government confirms that Patriot air defense system is already in Ukraine.

Excellent timing.

Source: https://t.co/WKevKk8Mwg#Ukraine #Germany pic.twitter.com/AMYSRHvLxw

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) April 18, 2023

⚡️The second 🇩🇪German Iris-T SLM air defense system is already in 🇺🇦Ukraine. The transfer of one Iris-T complex and 16 missiles took place a few days ago, Spiegel. pic.twitter.com/plRMQfq2UF

— 🇺🇦Ukrainian Front (@front_ukrainian) April 19, 2023

Denmark expects to transfer the promised 19 CAESAR self-propelled guns to Ukraine next month, the Danish Minister of Defense said at a briefing in Odesa. pic.twitter.com/ryNAMviMVy

— NOËL 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) April 10, 2023

Above: UK Ministry of Defence

• “As the United States and the European Union rally to furnish Ukrainians with weapons to keep fighting against Russia, their own technology is being used by Russia to fight back.” According to a report by the New York Times about the difficulties of cutting off war technology to Moscow.Chips deemed critical to invader weapon technology are passing through third party countries like Armenia and Kazakhstan and directly from businesses in China. As war memes have shown, consumer appliances like toasters, hair dryers and washing machines also have dual-use chips. The Semiconductor Industry Association is helping to close the gaps, but said, ““We have rigorous protocols to remove bad actors from our supply chains, but with about one trillion chips sold globally each year, it’s not as simple as flipping a switch.”
• Someone who looked like Putin showed up in photos that looked like somewhere in occupied Kherson.  The Kremlin announced that Putin visited a military headquarters in occupied territory on April 18th.  However, the propaganda role had the diminutive dictator talking about upcoming Easter. Comrad editors were on hand to edit the comment out. ISW assesses that it’s more information warfare, that the person who looked like Putin met with the the leaders directly responsible for managing the Ukrainian counteroffensive and might portend more shake-up in top brass.
• On the theme of the enemy of my enemy is my friend, the Russian ultra-nationalist Club of Angry Patriots are advocating for a 21st century Russian revolution if the Kremlin freezes the war or gets earnest about peace negotiations.  On the other hand, a former occupation governor of Donetsk Oblast and current angry patriot said that a revolution must happen to win the war because too many are impeding the societal reconstruction necessary to turn Russia into a single purpose war machine.  Angry patriots count as enemies “oligarchs, agents, ethnic mafias, and nationalist separatists”.
• The Kremlin is pushing Belarus to offset Russian budget shortfalls.  Apparently, Belarus will adopt the occupied Donetsk Oblast. After meeting with occupation figures, Lukashenka confirmed that Minsk is ready to assist the territory occupied since 2014 with a full-scale restoration including agriculture, industry, and construction.

Below: After the French Pernod Ricard parent company announced that it would re-enter the Russian market, company brand Absolut Vodka announced that it’s nixing those plans due to a big wave of negative consumer feedback. Swedish farmers threatened to stop selling grain to the company.  Although we aren’t against more alcohol in Russia, we are against companies that pay taxes to the Kremlin. 

BREAKING:

Finland’s largest hotel & restaurant chain Restel announces it will boycott Pernod Ricard after they announced they will re-enter the Russian market:

They have 43 hotels & 230 restaurants

Pernod Ricard owns:

Ballantine's
Chivas Regal
Jameson
Absolut Vodka
Beefeater pic.twitter.com/q4TzGryfma

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 18, 2023

General Staff’s Daily Video Digest with English subtitles

GENERAL STAFF DAILY ENEMY LOSSES

Above: A captured invader T-90A tank seen in Louisiana, USA.  Ukraine gifted the trophy to the USA for research. (Special Kherson Cat)

General Staff on Facebook

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

• Liquidated personnel, 183,750 (+620)
• Tanks, 3,665 (+4)
• Armored personnel vehicles, 7,110 (+12)
• Artillery systems/MLRS, 2,819/538 (+9/0)
• Anti-aircraft systems, 285 (0)
• Aircraft/helicopters, 308/293 (0)
• Unmanned aerial vehicles, 2376 (+23)
• Cruise missiles, 911 (0)
• Warships/boats, 18 (0)
• Vehicles and fuel tanks, 5,692 (+16)
• Special equipment, 330 (0)

GENERAL STAFF STRIKES ON CIVILIANS

Above: Overnight, the enemy sent a swarm of Iranian Shahed drones into Odesa city.  No casualties reported. (Novosti Odesa)

Above:  Last night, the invaders spent their time striking housing and retail centers in Vovchansk, Kharkiv. (Kharkiv Oblast Administration)

Glory to Ukraine!
The 420th day of the Russian large-scale invasion has begun.

• Over the past day, the enemy launched 4x missile and 60x air strikes, carried out 58x rounds from MLRS; civilians were also injured.
• The threat of launching further missile and air strikes across the entire territory of Ukraine remains high.
• The main efforts of the enemy are concentrated on conducting offensive operations in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mar’yinka areas. Over the past 24 hours, more than 60x enemy attacks have been repelled by units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine on the specified areas of the front. The fiercest battles are fought for Bakhmut and Mar’yinka.
• During the past day, the enemy shelled the settlements of Gremyach, Chernihiv Oblast, Velyka Berizka, Korenyok, Boyaro-Lezhachi, Iskryskivshchyna, Volfyne, and Richki, Sumy Oblast, as well as Veterinarne, Kozacha Lopan, Hlyboke, Vovchansk, Bochkove, Okhrimivka, and Nesterne in Kharkiv
• Kupyansk axis: Kam’ianka, Ridkodub, Krasne Pershe, Novomlynsk, Dvorichna and Zapadne of the Kharkiv Oblast were subjected to the enemy shelling.
• Lyman axis: the enemy tried to improve the tactical position, conducted unsuccessful offensive actions near the settlement of Dibrova. Stelmakhivka, Nevske, Hryhorivka, Belogorivka in Luhansk Oblast and Ivanivka, Torske and Spirne in Donetsk Oblast were hit by artillery fire.
• Bakhmut axis: the enemy continues to conduct offensive actions. Heavy fighting continues for the city of Bakhmut. At the same time, our defenders repelled an enemy offensive in the vicinities of Stupochki. Vasyukivka, Minkivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Novomarkove, Hryhorivka, Bakhmut, Ivanovske, Stupochki, Chasiv Yar, Kostyantynivka, Toretsk and New York of the Donetsk Oblast were affected by enemy shelling.
• Avdiivsk axis: the enemy carried out unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of Stepove, Berdychi, Avdiivka, Severne, Pervomaiske and Nevelske settlements. They shelled the settlements of Novokalynove, Avdiivka, Tonenke, Netaylove and Pervomayske in the Donetsk
• Mar’yinka axis: our defenders repelled numerous enemy attacks in the vicinity of the Mar’yinka settlement of the Donetsk At the same time, Krasnohorivka, Mar’yinka, Pobyeda and Novomykhailivka got under enemy fire.
• Shakhtars’ke axis: during the past day, the enemy conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the axis of Prechistivka. russians shelled the settlements of Vugledar, Prechistivka, Novoukrayinka and Velika Novosilka of the Donetsk
• Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: the enemy continues to conduct defensive operations. At the same time, during the day they carried out shelling of populated areas, which are next to the frontline. Among them are Novopil’ of Donetsk Oblast; Olhivske, Malynivka, Chervone, Gulyaipole, Charivne, Orihiv, Stepove and Plavni of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast; Antonivka of the Kherson Oblast and the city of Kherson. There are casualties among the civilian population.

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

KHARKIV-LUHANSK

Above: Spotted in Kharkiv – “Long Live Belarus” – a slogan banned in…Belarus.  (Belarus in Sweden)

Ukrainian BMP-1 from the 14th Mechanized Brigade operating in the Petropavlivka area, Kharkiv Oblast.

Fairly clear footage of the crew targeting a Russian position with a number of PG-15V HEAT rounds. pic.twitter.com/pk2SNwo9jH

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 19, 2023

Map via ISW

• Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks northeast of Kupyansk and along the Svatove-Kreminna line on April 18. Russian forces conducted unsuccessful ground attacks near Synkivka (8km northeast of Kupyansk), Dibrova (5km southwest of Kreminna), and Spirne (25km south of Kreminna). Footage published on April 17 and 18 purportedly shows Ukrainian forces driving a captured TOS-1A thermobaric artillery system in the Svatove-Kreminna direction and Chechen ”Akhmat” special forces repelling Ukrainian forces near Kreminna.

DONETSK

Above: President Zelensky visited the frontline town of Avdiivka on Tuesday.  (Defense of Ukraine)

Above: Fortress Bakhmut. (National Review)

Maps via ISW

• Russian forces have increased heavy artillery and air strikes against Bakhmut. Wagner forces are not currently suffering from artillery ammunition shortages.
• Russian forces continued to make gains in Bakhmut on April 18. Geolocated footage published on April 17 indicates that Wagner Group forces have likely advanced closer to the House of Culture in northwestern Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces repelled Russian forces near Ivanivske and Predtechnyne (12km southwest of Bakhmut).
• Russian forces continued to conduct ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line on April 18. Geolocated footage shows that Russian forces have advanced up to the H-20 highway northeast of Krasnohorivka (3km north of Avdiivka). Russian forces conducted unsuccessful ground attacks near Stepove (2km north of Avdiivka), Novokalynove (8km north of Avdiivka), Berdychi (4km northwest of Avdiivka) Avdiivka, Sieverne (5km west of Avdiivka), Pervomaiske (11km southwest of Avdiivka), and Marinka (27km southwest of Avdiivka).

ZAPORIZHZHIA-KHERSON-CRIMEA

Above: Portable bomb shelter in Kherson. While the Kremlin has stopped widespread civilian missile attacks across Ukraine, residents living near any border with Russia World still face daily shelling. (France TV)

• Russian forces have heavily mined the east bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast in preparation for a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive. Russian forces in Mariupol have not conducted any major movements recently. Some Russian forces deploy from Mariupol to other areas including the Vuhledar Russian forces continue to transport personnel and defensive fortifications through Melitopol between other rear areas and the front.