LIVE War in Ukraine – day 802: Moscow forces attacked on Easter night with 24 Shahed drones / Putin went to the Easter service held by Kirill / Ukrainians allegedly shot down a Su-25

Russia launched 24 Shahed drones on Easter night, of which 23 were shot down, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Sunday morning. The attack came after Russian strikes on Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Dnipro regions and the port city of Odesa on Saturday killed at least two civilians, set fire to a food factory and damaged other infrastructure, homes and commercial buildings, said regional officials, according to Reuters. Zelensky said Russia used eight missiles of various types and nearly 70 aerial guided bombs against towns and frontline positions on Saturday.

All information about the war in Ukraine – day 802 – LIVE on HotNews.ro:

10:39 a.m Zelensky posted an Easter message of unity in prayer on his social media accounts:

“For our warriors of light, who repel demons in every direction. For those who still follow one commandment in life: protect Ukraine. For all the civilians who strive every day to make the country strong and effective in defeating the forces of evil.

To all our towns and villages, who deserve God’s blessing rather than the constant terror of evil. For all our lands and people, whose spirit is unshakable. Happy Easter to all of you fellow Ukrainians! Christ is risen! He is truly risen!”

10:03 am Moscow has persuaded Cuban citizens to join the Russian armed forces with salaries of around $2,000 a month, plus the provision of Russian passports months after they enlist, according to a BBC investigation.

At least 200 names of Cubans were leaked by pro-Ukrainian hackers in the autumn, with the BBC confirming that at least 31 accounts whose names matched the leaked documents appeared to be in Russia or linked to the Russian military.

Social media posts also suggest that some Cubans receive Russian passports months after enlisting in the armed forces, a theory that has been corroborated by local media reports.

Other Cubans who moved to Russia to find jobs in construction were reportedly sent to the front in Ukraine instead.

New estimate of Russian losses

09:09 The Ukrainian military estimated that Moscow’s forces lost yesterday: 860 soldiers, 9 tanks, 18 other battle tanks, 21 guns, 1 multiple rocket launcher, 2 anti-aircraft systems, 1 plane, 37 different vehicles and 4 special equipment.

Putin went to the Easter service held by Kirill

08:44 Vladimir Putin and a crowd of other faithful in Moscow attended the Easter service held by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, a staunch supporter of the Russian leader and his war in Ukraine.

Putin, dressed in a dark suit with a white shirt and dark red tie, was in attendance at the capital’s main church, the Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer, with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, each holding a red candle lit.

The Russian leader crossed himself several times during the service. When Kirill announced that “Christ is risen,” Putin joined the other faithful in replying, “He is truly risen.” (Reuters)

Moscow forces attacked on Easter night with 24 Shahed drones

08:06 Russia attacked from the north and south last night with 24 Shahed-131/136 attack drones launched from Russia’s Kursk region and Cape Chauda (Crimea), Ukrainian Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk said.

“The enemy’s air attack was repulsed by the anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force and the mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine,” he said on the Telegram account of the Air Force of Ukraine.

“As a result of combat operations, 23 attack drones were destroyed in Kharkiv, Kherson and Dnipro regions,” he added.

07:42 Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Moscow has no desire for peace. “Russia will not leave Ukraine alone unless forced,” he said in his video speech last night.

The world peace summit to be held in Switzerland in June – without Russia – “must succeed”, the Ukrainian president said.

Brief recap of recent events:

• Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Su-25 attack plane over eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video message late Saturday.
• Russia opened a criminal case against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and put him on the list of wanted persons. The reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine: This demonstrates “the desperation of the Russian state and propaganda machine, who do not know what else to invent to attract attention.”
• Security breach: German military disconnects connection to Webex video conferencing service. Security breach due to which data from more than 6,000 video conference meetings of the German army were visible on the network until Friday evening, Zeit Online revealed.
• Russia claims to have shot down four ATACMS launched by Ukraine over Crimea. Kiev has not yet commented on the allegations of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
• Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto believes that Emmanuel Macron’s statements about the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine “increase tensions”: “I do not judge a president of a friendly country like France, but I do not understand the purpose and usefulness of these statements.”
• Serghei Şoigu announced how many soldiers will participate in the May 9 parades in Russia. A T-34 also appeared at the rehearsals in Moscow – VIDEO
• Lithuanian firms have unknowingly exported goods to the Russian military industry. Lithuanian companies delivered at least 130 million euros worth of dual-use goods to Russia’s neighboring countries, which are believed to have subsequently ended up in the Russian military industry.
• The Russian military continues to improve its fighting qualities overall, despite having suffered widespread degradation, especially among elite units, since the beginning of the war until now, notes the Institute for the Study of War
• Ukrainian ground forces commander Oleksandr Pavlyuk said that approximately 510,000 to 515,000 Russian troops are currently deployed in occupied Ukraine.

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