Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 04-27-2024

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

The Chinese government may be attempting to influence the U.S. election, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a CNN interview today as he ended a three-day trip to China. “We have seen, generally speaking, evidence of attempts to influence and arguably interfere, and we want to make sure that that's cut off as quickly as possible," Blinken said. “Any interference by China in our election is something that we're looking very carefully at and is totally unacceptable to us, so I wanted to make sure that they heard that message again," Blinken said. - Axios

Blinken also raised concerns about the materials and other assistance China has been providing to the Russian military. "Russia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without China's support," Blinken said after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Former UK Defense Minister says German Chancellor Scholz is not up to the task of providing leadership as Russia wages its war.

Former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has slammed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his hesitation in providing military aid to Ukraine.

Wallace expressed his opinion in an interview with the German news agency dpa, Wallace believes that Scholz should provide Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s port city on the Black Sea has always attracted visitors for its beauty and cultural life. Ukraine now needs a strategy that makes use of those and other assets to expand the tourism sector.

The International U-Nation Conference was held in Odesa on April 22, organized by Yan Shapiro of the Odesa Regional Development Agency, to discuss how to promote future tourism in Ukraine and attract international investments in the sector, especially for the Odesa Region. Among the 20 speakers were the leaders of local tourism operators and foreign experts.

Talking about international tourism and investments in Odesa, constantly attacked by Russian drones and missiles, may seem like madness. Yet, it is useful to start talking today about development opportunities and how to attract foreign investors, while waiting for the end of the war. It is important to remember that tourism is an industry that creates many jobs.

Serhiy Kolyada on Putin's latest tantrums because the US Congress has finally got its act together over support for Ukraine.

Emmanuel Macron delivered another impassioned speech at the Parisian university on Thursday. "Europe could die" if it fails to implement key security and economic policy decisions, he warned.

Melodramatic, but spot-on

Hospodářské noviny comments:

Our European leaders don't seem to do longer term national security strategy, and have constantly mis-calculated on Russia policy.

So the EU bureaucracy seems to be blocking the use of the $330 billion in immobilised Russian central bank assets in Western jurisdictions. They seem to have come up with a smoke and mirrors approach, which involves only the use the profits on the interest earned on these assets.

I think this is just a PR stunt to deflect from the fact that the underlying assets are being ring-fenced - Europe seems to prefer to spend Western tax payers/creditors/pensioners money funding the annual $100bn cost of the war in Ukraine, rather than do what is morally and politically/strategically right in allocating the underlying assets - and making the Russian tax payer pay.

About 70 percent of Ukrainian women who went abroad have higher educations. Those that haven't yet found good jobs will likely do so. Businesses, if not foreign governments, may want them to stay.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a profound impact on Ukraine’s demography.

According to the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, only in the first week of the Russo-Ukrainian War, about a million Ukrainians left the country.

What some American politicians refuse to acknowledge is that the fight will go on despite the naysayers – because Ukrainians would be fighting for American values even without the aid.

The prevailing mood in Ukraine has changed dramatically. It is more upbeat again and America has recaptured a good portion of its respect and adulation– which it recently was losing. Generally, Ukrainians are fans of America, so the mood swings with each considered victory. 

President Biden’s speech about quick delivery of more weapons was an added factor for optimism. 

Kremlin and Kyiv trade blows to each other’s energy sectors with the AFU sending over 60 drones after Moscow’s oil and Russia lobbing 34 missiles in a “massive” assault on Ukraine's electric grid.

Russia launched a “massive” missile strike at Ukraine overnight, damaging four power plants in the latest barrage targeting the country’s energy supply, officials in Kyiv said on Saturday.

Two people were killed and at least 10 more wounded in Russian shelling.

Though the suspension is supposed to be temporary, many Ukrainians have complained of its abruptness and criticized the government for its divisive policy.

Ukraine announced that it would suspend the issuance of documents for Ukrainian men aged 18-60 abroad on Tuesday, April 23, to review the processes and comply with the changes required by the new mobilization law, which is due to come into force on May 18.

What followed were chaotic confrontations between Ukrainians and passport service workers in Europe, with hundreds of Ukrainians protesting outside a passport office in Warsaw against the move, and some claimed that they had already paid for the documents.

On what’s just occurred in Congress and what will happen if Trump wins.

Introduction

Last weekend’s update got a great deal of comment, particularly when I tried to summarize the Republican Party’s and Speaker Johnson’s position on Ukraine. I thought it would be worthwhile, considering the great interest people have shown, to allow one of the most senior Republicans with whom I have been exchanging messages, the chance to outline some thinking on the issues. In particular this would be the state of the party, the influence of Trump and the policy towards Ukraine. This was done by email—and the answers are entirely this person’s. There is no alteration beyond one corrected typo. I don’t claim to agree or disagree with any of it—and I do think it is a very valuable way of looking into Republican Party dynamics today (and why, btw, I think it is so important to defeat Trump in the presidential election).

Recent uptick in Ukraine’s drone attacks on oil facilities in and near the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula has increased Moscow’s need to defend against Kyiv’s UAVs.

Russia intercepted 68 Ukrainian drones overnight from Friday to Saturday in its southern Krasnodar region and over annexed Crimea, the Kremlin’s defense ministry claimed on Telegram.

The ministry said 66 of the drones were shot down over Krasnodar and the other two over the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow occupied and illegally annexed in 2014.

In Kharkiv, Russian fired two S-300 MLRS missiles at a hospital building that housed 60 patients, injuring one civilian man.

A medical facility was damaged and one person was injured in a Russian missile attack on the Saltivskyi district of Kharkiv.

According to Ukrinform, the Kharkiv regional police reported this on Facebook.

A Ukrainian mortar battery platoon commander, call sign “Grynya,” shares insights with Kyiv Post on the urgent need for frontline personnel and shifts in Russian battlefield tactics.

A Ukrainian platoon commander of a mortar battery with the call sign “Grynya,” currently fighting in Donbas, told Kyiv Post that the Ukrainian military possesses an ample supply of mines to deter and repel Russian assaults, but highlighted the need for ammo and Kremlin forces increased use of FPV drones to direct artillery fire.

Kyiv officials announced evacuation of two hospitals after KGB chief in Moscow-allied Belarus said on national television that the buildings hosted military personnel “hiding behind sick children.”

Officials in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv Friday announced the evacuation of two hospitals which they feared could be targeted by Russian strikes.

“The city is urgently beginning to evacuate two hospitals because a video is being widely circulated online, de facto announcing an enemy attack on these medical facilities,” Kyiv’s city administration said.

Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, aided by FPV drones, reportedly destroyed two Russian infantry fighting vehicles and an armored personnel carrier.

The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) reported via Telegram the elimination of nine Russian soldiers with the assistance of first-person view (FPV) drones, as well as the destruction of several pieces of military equipment.

“The SSO eliminated the enemy in the Donetsk region,” the caption accompanying the released video said.

Russia trying to press its advantage on the battlefield ahead of May 9 Victory Day celebrations, while Ukraine waits for new weapon deliveries.

Ukraine warned Friday that Moscow was ramping up attacks on railways in a bid to disrupt military supplies ahead of a fresh Russian offensive while Kyiv waits for new US weapon deliveries.

Kyiv fears Russia is seeking to press its advantage on the battlefield ahead of symbolic May 9 Victory Day celebrations, as both sides continued to launch deadly cross-border strikes.