Victory Chronicles
-DAY 426

Above: Ukrzaliznytsia resumed transporting Ukrainian export agricultural products through Poland after Warsaw halted imports on April 15. Poland satisfied its farmers by restricting Ukrainian grain and other specific products to transit only. Allowed are overland shipments through Poland and to the seaports of Gdansk, Gdynia, Świnoujście and Szczecin. Meanwhile, Polish dairy producers issued a statement saying they do not want to disrupt dairy trade with Ukraine.  Ukraine is an important consumer of Polish dairy products, accounting for about 3% of total Polish dairy exports. (Photo: Suspilne)

Above: UK Ministry of Defence

• Russian ships are ferrying Iranian ammunition across the Caspian Sea. Russian cargo ships have carried over 300,000 artillery shells and a million ammunition rounds from Iran to Russia via the Caspian Sea over the past six months. The last known shipment left Iran for Astrakhan in early March and carried 1,000 containers with 2,000 artillery shells.
• The Kremlin is force-mobilizing Central Asian migrants by threatening to deport them and revoke their Russian citizenship if they do not fight in the war. Russian authorities are targeting Central Asian migrants for conscription to avoid more negative feedback from Russian personnel and their families over abysmal conditions, while Central Asian governments rarely complain.
• The Ukrainian Resistance Center reported on how schools in temporarily occupied territory are developed into pure child indoctrination centers.  According to Sprotyv, “Let’s note that schools on TOT are propaganda centers and a means of population control. The educational process in schools is reduced to a minimum due to a shortage of personnel.” Occupation authorities are opening a “Komsomol” club in every school where children are encouraged to write reports on the activities of their parents.
• In Foreign Affairs magazine, the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia wrote an op-ed in which they called for the provision of security guarantees for Ukraine while it is on the path to NATO membership. “Nor is it too early to plan for Ukraine’s postwar security guarantees. There will be no investment and sustainable reconstruction in Ukraine unless it is able to defend itself against future aggression.”
• A positive outcome of Russia’s absurd leadership of the UN Security Council this month is the exposure of the aggressor state to a torrent of condemnation. Yesterday, when the Kremlin’s foreign minister hypocritically called a meeting on defending UN principles, he was lambasted by democratic countries across the globe. The UK’s UN ambassador summed it up: “more than a year into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Putin has brought unimaginable suffering to that country while trampling on the UN Charter.”

A powerful speech by the UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the Security Council meeting on Effective Multilateralism.

“I see nothing effective nor multilateral in Russia’s foreign policy.” pic.twitter.com/hMKB1IvtZf

— Yasmina (@yasminalombaert) April 24, 2023

Daily Video Digest with English subtitles

Above: Drunk Russian driver rolled a $300 million mobile S-400 air defense system into the ditch. Russian losses inflicted by Russians aren’t included in the General Staff’s daily update.  (Bulgarian Military)

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

• Liquidated personnel, 187,770 (+690)
• Tanks, 3,688 (+5)
• Armored personnel vehicles, 7,151 (+12)
• Artillery systems/MLRS, 2,863/539 (+14/0)
• Anti-aircraft systems, 291 (+2)
• Aircraft/helicopters, 308/294 (0)
• Unmanned aerial vehicles, 2,437 (+24)
• Cruise missiles, 911 (0)
• Warships/boats, 18 (0)
• Vehicles and fuel tanks, 5,784 (+31)
• Special equipment, 345 (+6)

Above:  Daily shelling in Kherson. (Ukrainian Emergency Services)

Glory to Ukraine!
The 426th day of the Russian large-scale invasion has begun.

• Yesterday, the enemy launched 6x missile and 62x air strikes, shot 70x rounds from MLRS.
• The threat of launching missile and air strikes on the entire territory of Ukraine remains high.
• The main efforts of the enemy continue to focus on conducting offensive actions in the Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mar’yinka areas. Units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repelled 43x enemy attacks on the specified areas of the front during the past day. The fiercest battles continue for Bakhmut and Mar’yinka.
• During the past 24 hours, the adversary shelled the settlements of Klyusy, Gremyach, Chernihiv Oblast; Novovasylivka, Kucherivka, Shalygine, Stukalyvka, Iskryskivshchyna, Volfyne, Mogrytsia, Popivka in the Sumy Oblast, as well as Okip, Mali Prohody, Strelecha, Neskuchne, Gatyshche, Budarky and Chugunivka in the Kharkiv
• Kupyansk axis: The settlements of Topoli, Kam’yanka, Krasne Pershe, Figolivka, Novomlynsk, Dvorichna, Zapadne, Kindrashivka, Masyutivka, Kislivka of Kharkiv Oblast and Novoselivske – Luhansk were hit by enemy artillery and mortar attacks.
• Lyman axis: Makiivka, Nevske, Dibrova, Belogorivka of the Luhansk Oblast and Torske, Verkhnyokamianske, Spirne and Pereizne of the Donetsk Oblast were hit by artillery fire.
• Bakhmut axis: Vasyukivka, Orihovo-Vasylivka, Markove, Hryhorivka, Khromove, Bakhmut, Ivanovske, Chasiv Yar, Stupochki, Severnye and New York of the Donetsk Oblast were affected by enemy shelling.
• Avdiivka axis: the enemy carried out shelling of populated areas. These are, in particular, Novokalynove, Avdiyivka, Severne, Tonenka, Lastochkina, Pervomaiske, Karlivka and Nevelske of the Donetsk
• Mar’yinka axis: Krasnohorivka, Gostre, Georgiivka, Mar’yinka, Pobyeda, Novomykhailivka, and Paraskoviivka of the Donetsk Oblast got under enemy fire.
• Shakhtars’ke axis: the enemy fired at Vugledar, Prechistivka, Velika Novosilka and Komar in the Donetsk
• Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: the enemy carried out shelling of populated areas, that are next to the line of military confrontation. Among them are Novosilka, Novopil’ of the Donetsk Oblast; Olhivske, Malynivka, Chervone, Gulyaipilske, Charivne, Orihiv of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast; Ivanivka, Antonivka of the Kherson Oblast and the city of Kherson.

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

Above: “Get out, occupiers”.  Activists of the “Yellow Ribbon” movement continue to resist the invaders in temporarily-occupied Luhansk region. (Zhovta Strychka)

• Ukrainian forces have made marginal gains south of Kreminna as of April 24. Geolocated footage posted on April 24 shows that Ukrainian forces have made marginal advances northeast of Verkhnokamianske (18km south of Kreminna) and southeast of Bilohorivka (12km south of Kreminna).
• Russian forces did not conduct offensive actions along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on April 23 and 24. Russian forces are conducting unsuccessful assaults in the Lyman direction, however. Russian forces are building fortifications around Severodonetsk and other large cities and roads in occupied Luhansk Oblast.
• Ukrainian forces continue to target Russian logistics nodes in rear areas of Luhansk Oblast. Enemy occupation sources claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted a HIMARS strike against Alchevsk (over 50km from the front line on the T0504 highway) and struck an oil depot in occupied Rovenky, Luhansk Oblast (over 100 kilometers from the front line  Geolocated footage shows firefighters struggling to put out a fire in Rovenky.

Above: General Mud has taken command in eastern Ukraine.  (Associated Press)

American M1224 MaxxPro MRAP armored fighting vehicles of Ukraine's Armed Forces on the eastern front

The United States donated at least 440 M1224 MaxxPro MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles to Ukraine, according to the Pentagon.

📹https://t.co/waE6xoOpuu pic.twitter.com/Gn0tEpHTVo

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) April 25, 2023

• Russian forces continued ground attacks in and around Bakhmut and did not make any confirmed territorial gains in the city on April 23 and 24. Russian forces continued attacking in Bakhmut and Ukrainian forces repelled Russian ground attacks near Novomarkove (12km northwest of Bakhmut), Hryhorivka (8km northwest of Bakhmut), Bohdanivka (5km northwest of Bakhmut), Khromove (immediately northwest of Bakhmut), and Ivanivske (immediately southwest of Bakhmut).
• Russian forces continued to conduct ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line on April 24. Ukrainian forces repelled Russian ground attacks near Novokalynove (8km north of Avdiivka), Stepove (3km northwest of Avdiivka), Pervomaiske (11km southwest of Avdiivka), Marinka (immediately west of Donetsk City), and Novomykhailivka (10km southwest of Donetsk City).
• Russian forces did not conduct any ground attacks in western Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces conducted a large airstrike against Vuhledar, indicating that Russian forces may be preparing for another offensive push in the area.

Russia is destroying peaceful Ukrainian town Vuhledar. Hold Russia accountable. Kick the terrorist Russia out of the @UN Security Council. And every ditrbag asking "how serious is this war?" and "I'm not saying there is no footage but where's the footage?" or "Russian culture":… pic.twitter.com/XoTxcb2n0u

— Stardust Collector (@ruinwanderer) April 24, 2023

Above: “The Ukrainian flag will fly over Simferopol”.   (Zhovta Strychka)

Above: “This is a message from our coordinator from Melitopol! It is becoming more and more dangerous in Melitopol, the Rashists are so afraid of Ukrainian resistance that they spread their cameras almost everywhere. Despite all this, our activists are not afraid to hang yellow ribbons in the most dangerous places of Melitopol, where there are a lot of police patrols and cameras. Our underground printing press prints new posters every day! More and more people are joining our resistance movement. Our people, despite fear and usual fatigue, are waiting for the Armed Forces!” (Zhovta Strychka)

• Russian social media users are expressing concern over an approaching Ukrainian counteroffensive along the Zaporizhia Oblast frontline. Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces are concentrating in Zaporizhia Oblast to strike toward Orikhiv (50km southeast of Zaporizhzhia City), Rabotyne (14km south of Orikhiv), and Ocheretuvate (29km southeast of Orikhiv). Another warned that Ukrainian forces may attempt to cross the Kakhovka Reservoir to take Enerhodar or reach the Sea of Azov..
• Ukrainian forces likely conducted a naval drone attack against the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s base in Sevastopol in the early morning of April 24. Geolocated footage shows a likely Ukrainian naval drone detonating in the port of Sevastopol reportedly around 3:30 am on April 24.The Russian MoD claimed that Russian forces destroyed all three drones.
• Wagner forces arrived on the east bank in Kherson Oblast in an effort to control the civilian population and are looting private property at an accelerated pace.