Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 10.04 – 16.04

Easter is celebrated in Ukraine

For the second year in a row, Ukraine has celebrated Easter during a full-scale war with Russia. 
On Easter, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recorded an address to Ukrainians from the Kyiv Cave Monastery.

«We celebrate Easter today with unwavering faith in our victory.

We have already come a long way. Perhaps the most difficult of the peaks is ahead. We will overcome it. And together we will meet our dawn when the sun rises over our entire country. This is a blue and yellow flag. It will certainly rise on all our God-given land, on all the territories temporarily occupied by the devils.

The sun will shine in the south, the sun will shine in the east, and the sun will shine in Crimea. The orange sun in a peaceful blue sky, and this is the light of justice.»

In addition, it was reported that Ukraine and Russia conducted a large Easter prisoner exchange. According to the head of the Presidential Office, Ukraine returned 130 people.

 

A video of Russian occupiers beheading a Ukrainian soldier has appeared online

Russian occupants brutally killed a captured Ukrainian soldier and recorded it on video.

On the evening of April 11, a video of the brutal murder of a Ukrainian prisoner was shared on social media. The footage shows a Russian soldier cutting off the head of a Ukrainian defender, who was still alive at the time, with a knife.

We wrote about President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call for a response from the international community in this article.

In turn, Czech President Petr Pavel commented on the situation. 

«If this is confirmed, it will put Russian soldiers alongside the Islamic State, which we must all condemn,» Pavel said, referring to the terrorist organization known for brutal executions of prisoners in Iraq and Syria.

 

Polish Prime Minister announces delivery of a new batch of MiG-29 to Ukraine

Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki announced the transfer of another batch of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. He made the announcement during a debate organized by the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, DC.

In addition, the German Ministry of Defense Boris Pistorius has allowed Poland to supply Ukraine with five MiG-29 fighters left over from the German Democratic Republic's army.
We wrote more about it in this article.

 

ISW explains why Russia has suddenly launched Pacific Fleet exercises

Russia has launched a Pacific Fleet exercise to demonstrate its naval power and to please Beijing ahead of Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu's visit to Moscow on April 16-18, according to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War.

As you know, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on April 14 that the Russian military had put the Pacific Fleet of the Eastern Military District on the highest level of combat readiness. Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov said that units of the Pacific Fleet would conduct combat exercises.

The Pacific Fleet's combat readiness test is likely intended to send a signal to China that Russia supports China's security goals in the Pacific and that Russia remains an equal military partner that can act as a Pacific power despite the degradation of Russian military power in Ukraine,» ISW analysts said in a report.

The institute also suggests that the Kremlin intends to use the Pacific Fleet readiness test to try to deter further Japanese support for Ukraine ahead of the G7 meeting on May 19-21.

 

Pentagon document leaks: arrested military officer charged

Massachusetts National Guard soldier Jack Teixeira was indicted on Friday in the case of leaking classified documents from the US Department of Defense.

Teixeira, who appeared in court in Boston on Friday, is accused of unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information, as well as unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials.

Next Wednesday, April 19, the court is to choose a preventive measure against Teixeira. The prosecutor's office requests that he be placed in custody until the trial begins.

Teixeira was identified as a possible culprit in the leak of classified documents. According to media reports, he was the administrator of an online group in which he disseminated secret Pentagon intelligence, including information about Ukraine's defense capabilities.

As you know, a huge number of US intelligence documents have been published on social media in recent weeks. In this regard, the U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the leak, which could last several months.

By the way, the leaked documents contain information that China, despite warnings from Western countries, has approved the supply of certain lethal weapons to Russia.

 

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.