Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 04-13-2024

Latest from the British Defence Intelligence.

• On 6 April 2024, Russian President Putin passed two laws to support Russian Armed Forces personnel fighting in Ukraine and their families. The first law exempted Russian service personnel fighting in Ukraine from paying interest on consumer loans and credit holidays. This follows on from an October 2022 law which exempted mobilised personnel and other participants of the Russian invasion of Ukraine from accruing penalties for late payments for housing, communal services, loans, and credit card debts. 
• The second piece of legislation signed by Putin amended the Russian Labour Code and prohibits employers from dismissing widows of Russian service personnel for one year from the date of the husband's death.
• The Kremlin has likely instituted these laws in hopes of appeasing Russian service personnel, financially incentivising more recruits to join the fight in exchange for state benefits and to limit criticism from the wives of deceased service personnel. Whilst any payment holidays may cost the Russian federal government little in the short term, they are likely to have longer term implications for the Russian economic situation and outlook.

The announcement from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency followed Microsoft’s January announcement that hackers were able to compromise a number of corporate emails.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said a Russian hacker group known as Midnight Blizzard “exfiltrated email correspondence between Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies and Microsoft” after successfully compromising a number of Microsoft corporate email accounts.

“The threat actor is using information initially exfiltrated from the corporate email systems, including authentication details shared between Microsoft customers and Microsoft by email, to gain, or attempt to gain, additional access to Microsoft customer systems.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

Israel is on high alert for a possible direct attack from Iran. The attack targeting Israel Defense Forces positions could include more than 100 drones and dozens of missiles, two US officials told CBS News. It would be difficult for Israel to defend itself against such a large bombardment, the officials explained — though they also suggested that Iran could launch a smaller-scale attack to avoid escalating tensions much further. “The strike plans are in front of the Supreme Leader and he is still weighing the political risk,” an adviser to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier. Either way, some form of retaliation for the Israeli strike on April 1 that killed seven Iranian military officers is expected imminently, the US experts cautioned - NY Post

The former commander of the UK's Joint Forces Command has warned that Ukraine could face defeat by Russia in 2024. General Sir Richard Barrons has told the BBC there is "a serious risk" of Ukraine losing the war this year. The reason, he says, is "because Ukraine may come to feel it can't win…And when it gets to that point, why will people want to fight and die any longer, just to defend the indefensible?" Ukraine is not yet at that point. But its forces are running critically low on ammunition, troops and air defences. Its much-heralded counter-offensive last year failed to dislodge the Russians from ground they had seized and now Moscow is gearing up for a summer offensive. So what will that look like and what are its likely strategic objectives? “The shape of the Russian offensive that's going to come is pretty clear," says Gen Barrons. “We are seeing Russia batter away at the front line, employing a five-to-one advantage in artillery, ammunition, and a surplus of people reinforced by the use of newish weapons." - BBC

The new reactors, located in the western part of the country, would be a significant step for Kyiv to shift away from Russian nuclear technology and ensure future energy autonomy and stability.

Ukraine has started building two US-designed reactors at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in western Ukraine.

As reported by AFP, workers at the Khmelnytskyi NPP poured a symbolic cubic meter of concrete for the reactors on Thursday, April 11, which will use US technology and fuel. However, the news was only made public today as per Energoatom’s request due to security concerns over Russian attacks, where the region has experienced frequent Russian missile strikes as it houses an air base.

Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Chief Vasyl Maliuk said Ukraine has exposed 11 intelligence networks spying for Russia so far this year, where some agents were working for state enterprises.

Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), said the agency has identified 11 spy cells working for Russia so far this year, where some of the agents were former law enforcement officers and employees of state enterprises.

“In total, in 2023, the SBU exposed 47 intelligence networks, all the scoundrels were arrested, and since the beginning of this year, another 11 have been exposed," said Maliuk during a speech at the Congress of Local and Regional Councils under the President of Ukraine.

The Hague makes another substantial manifestation of support for Kyiv

The Netherlands has provided another EUR 1 billion in defense assistance and EUR 400 million for recovery to Ukraine in addition to obligations under the bilateral security agreement, President Volodymyr Zelensky said after a phone talk with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on April 12.

"Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a phone talk that the Netherlands has provided another EUR 1 billion in defense aid to Ukraine and EUR 400 million for recovery. This is in addition to the obligations under our bilateral security agreement," Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel.

Senior officials from both nations boasted of a "new heyday" in bilateral relations during an official visit to the North Korean capital by Beijing's third highest-ranking official.

China's top legislator and a senior North Korean official emphasised opening a "new chapter" of Beijing-Pyongyang relations, the North's state media said Saturday, as they met for one of the most high-level talks between the allies in years.

Beijing's third highest-ranking official Zhao Leji – a member of the powerful Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo – is on a goodwill visit to the nuclear-armed North as the two countries mark 75 years of diplomatic ties.

A Polish politician said the new council would assist in the reconstruction of Ukraine and include representatives from the science, business and government sectors.

Poland is set to create a new Council for Cooperation with Ukraine focused on the reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, said Paweł Kowal, a Polish politician slated to chair the council.

“The Prime Minister has already signed the order, the Council for Cooperation with Ukraine will be established, the Prime Minister has appointed me as its chairman.

In response to Russia's armed aggression Ukraine, once the world's breadbasket, has had to focus more on reinforcing it military arsenal along with most countries in the West.

Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, we have not only become one of the world's largest importers of arms but have also increased our own domestic arms manufacturing capabilities. In 2023 alone, we tripled the national production volumes of our weapons and military equipment.

It's important to realize that weapons and equipment deliveries provided to us by allies are not merely acts of charity or loyalty. Our use of this weaponry, much of it used in battle for the first time, has a direct influence on the development of the defense industries in the countries of origin.

Belgium concerned about alleged Russian propaganda schemes targeting the European parliament.

Belgium’s federal prosecutor has launched an investigation against members of the European Parliament allegedly paid by Moscow, and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo will bring the issue of Russian interference to the top of next week’s leaders’ summit, he said on Friday, April 12.

At the end of the investigation, the prosecutors will either indict the suspects or drop the case.

Former US President Donald Trump said he is not opposed to Republicans approving a military aid package Kyiv has been pleading for months, but that it should “exist in the form of a loan.”

Former US President Donald Trump signaled to his fellow Republicans that he is not opposed to approving military aid for Ukraine, but that it should “exist in the form of a loan” after months of impasse in Congress.

“We’re looking at it right now, and they’re talking about it, and we’re thinking about making it in the form of a loan instead of just a gift. We keep handing out gifts of billions and billions of dollars, and we’ll take a look at it.

Worrying news from the front in Ukraine's Donbas.

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Saturday the situation on the eastern front had worsened in the face of a heightened Russian offensive.

Syrsky, who took over as commander-in-chief in February after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired his popular predecessor, Valery Zaluzhny, also said Russian forces had superior weapons and numbers.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

A major power plant near Kyiv was completely destroyed by Russian strikes early on Thursday, energy company Centrenergo said. Trypillya power plant was the largest electricity provider for three regions, including Kyiv, officials said. "The scale of destruction is terrifying," said Centrenergo chairman Andriy Hota. Russia has long been deliberately and systematically targeting Ukraine's energy system. Mr Hota told the BBC that Thursday morning's strikes destroyed "the transformer, the turbines, the generators. They destroyed 100%". A fire broke out in the turbine workshop of the Trypillya plant - located 50km (31 miles) to the south of Kyiv - following Thursday's large-scale airborne attack. The Centrenergo boss said the plant was targeted by multiple missiles. Staff on shift were able to escape, he said, because they ran for cover as soon as the first drone hit. Residents were urged to shut their windows, charge all their devices and stock up on water. More than 80 missiles and drones targeted sites across Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday. Many targeted energy infrastructure and almost a third made it through Ukraine's air defences. Hours later, Centrenergo confirmed its Trypillya plant had been put out of use. Mr Hota said his company's entire generative capacity in Ukraine was now destroyed. It was one of Ukraine's largest providers of electricity and heat. It operated two other power plants - one in the Kharkiv region which was destroyed in late March, and one in an area of the Donetsk region that was taken over by Russia in 2022 - BBC

Meanwhile, Ukrainian air defense forces said they destroyed overnight 16 of 17 "Shahed" drones in Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia and Khmelnytskyi regions at night. In Mykolaiv, five people died from an attack on Thursday

The rockfall that trapped 13 miners in one of Russia's largest gold mines in the country's far east occurred on Monday and rescue work started the following day.

A rockfall has trapped more than a dozen miners in a mine in the far east of Russia, and the Kremlin on Tuesday said it was making every effort to rescue them. Thirteen miners are believed to be under the rubble of the Pioneer mine in the Amur region, one of Russia's largest gold mines in terms of processing capacity, Russian state-run agencies reported.

"The President gave the order to take all necessary measures to save the miners who are now blocked," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Russia relies heavily on propaganda and disinformation. In the wake of the ISIS attack in Moscow, the West should use the truth to let Russians know how Putin has failed them.

Russia has launched a propaganda crusade to cynically argue that even though the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) took credit for the recent Moscow concert hall terror attack, it was actually Ukraine, with its American and British overlords, behind the death of 137 Russian citizens in the audience that day.

On April 9, the Russian Investigative Committee found a link between the terrorists who attacked Crocus City Hall and Ukrainian security services. And last week, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev confirmed that the terror attack could be traced to Ukrainian special services and reminded the Russians that “the Kyiv regime is not independent and is fully controlled by the United States.” Why is the Kremlin so keen to argue that it was not ISIS but Ukraine plotting the carnage in Moscow?

A 17-year-old developer from the Donetsk region has developed a program to dub YouTube videos from different languages into Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar.

Taras Ivanov, a 17-year-old developer from the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, has developed a tool that could translate YouTube videos from most languages into Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar.

According to Ivanov’s Telegram post, the “Free Translator Service” tool is free and operates on a donation basis. Users simply have to paste the video link into the Telegram bot he created, and the program will generate an audio track in Ukrainian or Crimean Tartar.

As the 2024 expiration of the Russian gas transit contract via Ukraine approaches, the EU faces a pivotal choice, writes Sergiy Makogon.

Despite a significant reduction in reliance on Russian gas – from 40% to 12% – some EU member states wish to continue receiving gas from Russia, jeopardizing collective energy security and political autonomy.

Recent calls from Slovakia and Austria to extend the transit highlight this dilemma and clash with the EU’s REPowerEU Plan to end reliance on Russian fossil fuels by 2027.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that Russia’s ongoing strike campaign against Ukrainian energy facilities aims in part to devastate the Ukrainian defense industry, confirming ISW’s ongoing assessment that Russian strikes against Ukrainian energy facilities aim to degrade Ukrainian defense industrial capacity.

• ISW continues to assess that the development of Ukraine’s defense industrial base (DIB) over time can allow Ukraine to sustain its defense against Russia and longer-term national security needs with significantly reduced foreign military assistance.

• Russian forces are domestically producing and fielding a new air-to-surface subsonic cruise missile against Ukraine designated the Kh-69 as part of continued efforts to improve strike packages and penetrate Ukraine’s degraded air defense.

• The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed that it prevented a group of Central Asians from perpetrating a terrorist attack against a Russian military facility in occupied Ukraine with Ukraine’s help, likely as part of efforts to set information conditions to portray any future Ukrainian attack on legitimate Russian military targets in occupied Ukraine as “terrorist” attacks.

• Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Avdiivka and Donetsk City.

• Russia is reportedly sending about 2,400 Eastern Military District (EMD) military personnel currently in Russia to fight in Ukraine to make up for personnel losses at the front.

• Russian occupation officials continue to expand educational programs that aim to indoctrinate Ukrainian children and erase their Ukrainian identity.