Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 04-29-2024

Before being killed, the man stole a police officer's gun and shot him.

Russian police in St. Petersburg shot a man who was attempting to commit suicide after he stole one of their guns and fired at one of them.

As reported by Russian state media TASS, the incident took place on Anglisky Avenue on Saturday, April 27. The 42-year-old suspect’s mother called the ambulance after her son took 100 tablets for epilepsy treatment in an apparent suicide attempt.

With nearly no possessions, not even a watch and one of the last refugees of her village, which was destroyed by Russians, Lidia Lominovska, 97, walked some six miles, passing by corpses.

Ukrainian grandmother Lidia Lominovska was drained. The 97-year-old had walked for hours in search of safety after the Russians bombed her frontline village of Ocheretyne.

Wearing a colorful headscarf around her wrinkled face, the frail but resilient Lominovska recounted her exhausting trek of some 10 kilometers (six miles) in the eastern Donetsk region.

An Iranian airliner flew right through the middle of it, followed by two Royal Air Force Typhoons. Over the Black Sea, the Americans flew their very best spy drone for the first time.

Unique and at times peculiar NATO aircraft activity spiked around the Atlantic Alliance’s eastern borders on Monday, April 29 with at least three British Typhoon fighters sharing airspace and appearing to closely escort an Iranian airliner, a first-ever sortie in theater by the Pentagon’s best-equipped maritime spy drone, and a Ukrainian government plane defying the Russian Air Force and flying safely in the Balkans.

The Kyiv-operated plane, a Ministry of Emergency Situations An-32 firefighting twin-engine, made an almost-unprecedented flight out of Ukrainian wartime airspace to fly the length of Hungary and land at Zagreb airfield, in Croatia, flight tracking data reviewed by Kyiv Post showed.

Stronger defense, Migration based on European values, and Voice of Civil Society are the three main points of Dr. Marta Barandiy’s program.

Dr. Marta Barandiy, born and raised in Ukraine, is seeking to be the first Ukrainian-Belgian to enter into the European Parliament in the upcoming elections.

Polish farmers lifted blockades on all checkpoints with Ukraine after months of intermittent protests.

Polish farmers, who, after months of protesting, lifted blockades at checkpoints with Ukraine may soon be replaced by Polish carriers.

Ukrainian logistics company representatives told Kyiv Post that the last checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Polish border was completely unblocked by Polish farmers. On Monday, April 29, all checkpoints on the border with Poland were operating freely for the first time in three months.

The runway's estimated length of approximately 6,000 feet (1.8 km) suggests the airfield's capacity to accommodate helicopters and various aircraft types.

According to the report of OSINT (Open-source Intelligence) researcher RedIntelPanda on the social network X, Russia has initiated the construction of a new airfield near the village of Alexeyevka in the Belgorod region.

The OSINT researcher noted that the road to the site of the future airfield construction was paved as early as July 2023. Over the subsequent months, before the onset of winter, the grading of the future runway appeared mostly complete.

Stoltenberg, in his X post, shared a photo with President Zelensky, stating, “The situation is difficult, but it is not too late for Ukraine to prevail – and more support is on the way.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, as reported on the social network X. This visit, his third since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, occurred during a challenging period on the battlefield for Ukraine.

Stoltenberg released a photo showing him in Kyiv, shaking hands with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief said Russian troops have been trying to drive Ukrainian troops out of the Kherson bridgehead but to no avail, though he admitted the frontline situation was difficult.

Ukraine has established control over Nestryha Island in the Kherson region, said the country’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky on Sunday.

Controlling the island at the mouth of the Dnipro River could provide Ukraine with tactical advantages such as better drone coverage of the area and further impede Russian supply routes, where both Ukrainian and Russia have been relying on waterways to supply their troops in the area.

Is Ukraine still a priority? Does what happens in "a far-away land, distant from our shores" really matter? Does what happens in Ukraine really have any bearing on our lives?

Also: Ukraine Withdraw Abrams Tanks; Looking Back (and Forward) on the US Approving Aid for Ukraine.

Hello All,

After the great pleasure last weekend after the House of Representatives (finally) approved US aid for Ukraine, this week its been back to the war at the front. In some ways the approval of US aid has led to a Russian attempt to take as much territory before that aid arrives.

The visit to France, which will be followed by trips to Serbia and Hungary, marks the Chinese leader's first European tour since the coronavirus pandemic.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to make a state visit to France on May 6 and 7, Paris announced on Monday, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East expected to be high on the agenda.

The visit to France, which will be followed by trips to Serbia and Hungary, marks the Chinese leader's first European tour since the coronavirus pandemic.

The 1960s Soviet-era S-200 air defense missiles system designed to shoot down high-altitude Cold War aircraft was upgraded, or new tactics were adopted, or both.

To take down a Tu-22 and two A-50s , Ukraine likely used 1960s Soviet-era S-200 [NATO: SA-5] air defense missiles systems designed to shoot down high-altitude strategic bombers and spy planes.

They may have been upgraded, or Kyiv may have adopted new tactics, or both.

The International Youth Forum on UAV Development, supervised by Russians, has commenced at the Belarusian State Technical University, where representatives of the Wagner PMC were observed.

Russians have started recruiting Belarusian youth to assemble drones, a report released on Sunday, April 28 from Ukrainian partisans says.

According to the National Resistance Center (NRC), the International Youth Forum on UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) Development has commenced at Belarusian State Technical University under Russian supervision.

The forum aims to “maximize the involvement of young Belarusians in developing and producing UAVs for the Russian Armed Forces.”

Polish farmers have lifted blockades on all checkpoints with Ukraine after months of intermittent protests that brought on unprecedented tension between the two nations.

Truck traffic resumed at the Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne border crossing on Monday morning – the last one still blockaded by Polish farmers – potentially marking the end of the months-long protests that had brought unprecedented tension between the two nations.

According to an official announcement by the State Border Service of Ukraine (DPSU), truck registration and movement have resumed in either direction after 10:00 a.m.; a DPSU representative also told Ukrainska Pravda that all border checkpoints with Poland are currently unblocked.

In February, Adam Kadyrov was awarded a medal at the UAE SWAT Challenge Special Forces competition in Dubai, despite not participating in the actual competitions.

Adam Kadyrov, the son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has been appointed as the "curator" of the Vladimir Putin Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes.

Ramzan Kadyrov himself made the announcement on his Telegram channel, stating that the university's rector, Baibetar Vaikhanov, had requested Adam for the role.

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

A long-awaited influx of U.S. weapons will help Ukraine to blunt Russia’s advance in the coming months, Biden administration officials said after Congress passed a major aid package, but an acute troop shortage and Moscow’s firepower advantage mean that Kyiv won’t likely regain major offensive momentum until 2025 at the earliest. Lawmakers’ approval of the foreign aid bill following months of partisan gridlock was a victory for President Biden. The sprawling legislation includes $61 billion to fuel Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invading forces. As initial shipments of arms, including artillery shells, air defense missiles, and armored vehicles, begin to reach Ukraine, U.S. officials said they expect the new weapons will buy time for Kyiv to replenish its military ranks and strengthen battlefield defenses — including trenches and minefields — ahead of an expected Russian offensive. A U.S. defense official, who like some others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Western projections, said the aid would give Ukraine the chance to better cope with continued Russian attacks “whether on the front lines or in the skies” and more effectively defend troops and civilians alike. “But time is precious,” the official said. “And time shouldn’t be wasted.” - Washington Post

Ukraine’s army chief reported that the battlefield situation was worsening for Kyiv, with Ukrainian forces tactically retreating along three sections of the front line in the eastern Donetsk region. In a post on the Telegram messaging app, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Russian troops continue to attack “along the entire front line" of more than 1,000 kilometres, with pitched battles raging west of the city of Avdiivka. Russian troops “will likely make significant tactical gains in the coming weeks” while Kyiv awaits badly needed weaponry from the US, a Washington-based think tank said. In its latest operational assessment, the Institute for the Study of War said that Moscow’s forces have opportunities to push forward around Avdiivka, the eastern city they took in late February after a grueling, montshlong fight, and threaten nearby Chasiv Yar. Its capture would give Russia control of a hilltop from which it can attack other key cities forming the backbone of Ukraine’s eastern defences. Despite this, the think tank assessed that neither of these efforts by Moscow are likely to cause Kyiv’s defensive lines to collapse “in the near term.” - Euronews

Ten years ago, Russia tried to engineer a “civil war” in Ukraine, with bogus referenda. Recent analysis and this Kyiv Post reporter’s experience confirm that it was an invasion, not a civil war.

The running joke in the Kyiv Post newsroom in February 2014 was how Russia would react after the months-long pro-democratic uprising ousted the pro-Kremlin president.

Viktor Yanukovych had fled to Russia and was now wanted for treason in Ukraine, but we were speculating that Moscow would probably cut off natural gas supplies to the country, as it had done in the past.

Moscow over the weekend claimed another eastern village, Novobakhmutivka, as struggling Ukrainian forces await the arrival of crucial US weapons.

Ukraine said Monday it had foiled 55 Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after it admitted to a worsening situation on the front line.

Moscow over the weekend claimed another eastern village, Novobakhmutivka, as struggling Ukrainian forces await the arrival of crucial US weapons.

Mass inspections against foreign citizens in Russian cities began following the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall, for which individuals from Tajikistan were accused.

The Tajik Foreign Ministry has reported that Russian authorities are detaining more than a thousand Tajik citizens at Moscow airports, with many held in inadequate conditions and denied entry.

As of the end of April 27, 954 Tajik citizens, including students studying at Russian universities, were reportedly held in temporary detention at Vnukovo airport, the ministry stated.

The Intelligence Directorate channel bot is the official communication service for residents of Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.

Telegram messenger blocked the official information bot of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR), in what has been described as an unwarranted move by the platform.

The blocking of the information bot was announced on Telegram, and the HUR official channel reported that the decision contradicted Telegram’s own rules and public statements.

In a recent interview, Macron suggested opening a debate on the idea that France could defend Europe with its nuclear warheads.

French politicians slammed President Emmanuel Macron for proposing an open debate on a common European defence and defending the continent with nuclear weapons.

In an interview published by Ebra group media on Saturday, Macron suggested opening a debate on the idea that France could defend Europe with its nuclear warheads.

He is accused of passing information to Russian intelligence services that he obtained while working in the procurement unit of the German military, or Bundeswehr.

A German former soldier will go on trial on Monday accused of spying for Russia, as Berlin faces a surge in Moscow-linked espionage cases amid the Ukraine war.

The suspect, identified only as Thomas H. in line with German privacy laws, was arrested in August last year in the western city of Koblenz.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Recent Russian gains northwest of Avdiivka have prompted Ukrainian forces to withdraw from other limited tactical positions along the frontline west of Avdiivka, although these withdrawals have yet to facilitate rapid Russian tactical gains. Russian forces remain unlikely to achieve a deeper operationally significant penetration in the area in the near term.
• The continued Russian stabilization of their salient northwest of Avdiivka presents the Russian command with a choice of continuing to push west towards its reported operational objective in Pokrovsk or trying to drive northwards to conduct possible complementary offensive operations with the Russian effort around Chasiv Yar.
• Syrskyi also noted that the threat of a possible future Russian offensive operation against Kharkiv City is causing Ukraine to allocate additional forces and equipment to defending the city, although ISW continues to assess that the Russian military lacks the forces necessary to seize the city.
• The Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade denied a recent report that Ukrainian forces had pulled US-provided M1A1 Abrams tanks from the frontline.
• Recent Russian efforts to increase control over migrants in and entering Russia following the March 22 Crocus City Hall terrorist attack appear to be straining relations between Russia and Tajikistan.
• Russian authorities arrested several Russian journalists working for Western publications in Russia within the past several days, likely as part of an ongoing effort to limit Western and independent Russian media’s ability to reliably report on Russia.
• Russian forces recently marginally advanced near Svatove.
• The United Kingdom’s (UK) Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Leo Docherty, stated on April 27 that the UK assesses that Russian forces have suffered 450,000 killed and wounded personnel since the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.