Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 27.03 – 02.04

Zelenskyy and leaders of four countries arrive in Bucha on the anniversary of the liberation

On March 31, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Bucha together with the leaders of Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Moldova to commemorate those killed during the Russian occupation.

Zelenskyy arrived in Bucha on the anniversary of the liberation with Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and Moldovan President Maia Sandu.

The leaders arrived at the Church of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, where mass graves of the killed residents of Bucha were found.

Earlier it was reported that the leaders of the four countries arrived in Kyiv on Friday to take part in a summit dedicated to the anniversary of the liberation of Bucha.

The information about the summit was not public, and the visits of foreign leaders were not announced.

 

Ukraine needs F-16 aircraft

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi has emphasized that Ukrainian defenders need Western F-16 fighter jets.

Zaluzhnyi posted a video in which Ukrainian soldiers describe how Ukraine's military aviation has been putting up unexpected resistance to the Russians since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

One of the pilots says that the most difficult thing is not the ability to pilot, but the ability to use the aircraft in real combat.

Ukraine has long been asking its Western partners, including the United States, for F-16 fighters. Joe Biden's administration has refused, saying that Ukraine does not need these planes at the moment. The US Congress called sending F-16s "not a wise use of resources."

 

Russia plans to draft almost half a million people this year

Russia plans to increase its army by 400,000 people this year, and in 2022, the occupiers may have managed to draft more than 500,000 people.

Bloomberg writes about this with reference to data from the Federal Statistics Service and interlocutors familiar with the conscription plan in Russia.

In addition, according to Bloomberg's interlocutors familiar with the Kremlin's plan, Russia plans to draft another 400,000 contract soldiers this year as Putin prepares for a prolonged war against Ukraine.

The total number of the Russian army, as reported by the Russian Defense Ministry, is planned to increase to 1.5 million from 1.15 million by 2026.

The agency emphasizes that Putin's desire to expand the Russian Armed Forces is exacerbating the labor shortage, as the war against Ukraine is drawing hundreds of thousands of workers from other sectors of the economy to the army.

 

Ukraine's Defense Minister talks about a counteroffensive

Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that the Ukrainian General Staff is planning a counteroffensive in several areas, but it all depends on weather conditions. The military is also waiting for the «right moment» but Reznikov believes it will happen in April or May.

He said this in an interview with the Estonian channel Err.ee.

Reznikov was asked when German Leopard tanks would be seen at the front.

«You will see them in the counteroffensive, according to the decision of our General Staff. It is already planned in several directions. It depends on when the most appropriate moment is, as they decide. It also depends on the weather conditions. In spring, the ground is very wet. Only tracked machines can be used. I think we will see them in April or May.»

 

Russia failed to achieve its goals by the end of March – ISW

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) point out that Russia has failed in its so-called «great» winter offensive and has not achieved its goals of completely seizing Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Military analysts note that Russian, Ukrainian, and Western sources noted on April 1 that the winter offensive of Russian troops did not achieve the Kremlin's goal of seizing territories along the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions by March 31.

Experts also pointed out that Russian military bloggers are concerned that Russian troops must complete their offensive operations in Bakhmut and Avdiivka to prepare for Ukrainian counteroffensives, which they expect between April 16 and May 9.

The military bloggers emphasized their disappointment that there have been no decisive battles over the winter and noted that Russia will not be able to continue a large-scale offensive if it cannot keep Bakhmut and Avdiivka under control in the coming weeks.

 

The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» and the charity organization Global Empowerment Mission in English for readers from other countries to tell the stories of people who survived the horrors of the Russian occupation.

Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» та благодійною організацією Global Empowerment Mission на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти історії людей, які пережили жахи російської окупації.