LIVE TEXT The war in Ukraine, day 768. Russia adopts “preventive and defensive measures” in the Black Sea / Pope Francis calls for a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine / Over 50% of Russians blame Ukraine for the terrorist attack in Moscow

UPDATE Japan offers Ukraine a grant of 118 million dollars for health and reconstruction

Japan has offered Ukraine $118 million in aid under two World Bank projects, the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance announced on April 1.

UPDATE Survey: Most Ukrainians say they understand the motivation of those who avoid incorporation

Most Ukrainians say they understand the motivation of those trying to avoid mobilization, according to a poll conducted by the Institute of Social and Political Psychology in Ukraine, published on April 1. At the same time, almost 43% of the respondents declared that they are ashamed of the men who evade the mobilization.

UPDATE Zelenski organizes a meeting on drone production and electronic warfare

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a three-hour meeting on April 1 to discuss drone production and electronic warfare systems with senior members of the military and government.

NYT UPDATE: Assassination of Russian pilot in Spain bears similarities to previous Moscow-related murders

The killing of Maksim Kuzminov, a Russian helicopter pilot who had defected to Ukraine, is similar to previous attacks in Europe linked to Moscow, but so far no evidence of direct Kremlin involvement has emerged, the New York Times (NYT) reported on 31 March, citing unnamed senior police officials.

UPDATE FSB announces that it has arrested 4 alleged accomplices of the armed attack in Moscow in Dagestan, who allegedly planned another attack

The Federal Security Service (FSB) said the four suspects, who were arrested in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan, were planning another attack in the Dagestan city of Kaspiysk.

UPDATE The Russian attack on the town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region injured a woman

Russia launched an attack against the city of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region on April 1, injuring a 27-year-old woman, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Reuters UPDATE: Iran warned Russia of ‘major terrorist operation’ before Moscow shootings

Iran warned Russia of the possibility of a major “terrorist operation” on Russian soil before last month’s shootings outside Moscow, Reuters reported on April 1, citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

UPDATE Ukrainian authorities: Russia used five hypersonic missiles against Kiev in 2024

Russia launched five 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles against Kiev in the first three months of the year, the city’s military administration announced on April 1, cited by The Kyiv Independent.

The statement came a week after claims that Russian troops had used Zircon ballistic missiles in a March 25 attack on Kiev, injuring at least two people.

Illia Yevlash, an Air Force spokesman, said Ukraine could shoot down Zircon missiles using air defense systems such as SAMP/T or Patriot. Kiev has urged its Western allies to send more such weapons to defend the country’s entire territory.

UPDATE Ukraine takes into account the US example of banning TikTok

Ukraine would consider banning TikTok if the US does it first, deputy Yaroslav Yurchyshyn said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine published on April 1, according to The Kyiv Independent.

The US House of Representatives passed it in March 2024 a bill which requires the Chinese company ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to sell its shares in the company within six months or lose access to American markets. The bill is currently in the Senate.

UPDATE Energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, almost completely destroyed

The Russian attacks destroyed “almost all” of Kharkiv’s critical energy infrastructure, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in an interview with Liga.net, published on April 1.

Kharkiv has been at the forefront of Russian attacks since the full-scale invasion began and has seen an escalation of strikes in recent weeks.

“Private (energy) infrastructure is also destroyed. Russia wants to intimidate us, but this is impossible,” Terekhov said.

UPDATE France wants Beijing to send “very clear messages to Russia” regarding the war in Ukraine

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on April 1, during a press conference in Beijing, that France wants “China to send very clear messages to Russia” regarding its large-scale war in Ukraine, notes The Kyiv Independent.

The comments were made after a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

Beijing has fostered close ties with Moscow during its full-scale war against Ukraine, boosting economic cooperation and disrupting Western attempts to isolate Russia.

UPDATE An employee of a kindergarten, detained for allegedly helping the Russian army in the attacks on Kharkiv

Cyber ​​specialists of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) unmasked a kindergarten employee who allegedly orchestrated Russia’s missile and drone attacks on the city of Kharkiv, the SBU announced on April 1.

FT UPDATE: Over 50% of Russians blame Ukraine for the terrorist attack in Moscow

More than 50% of Russians believe that Ukrainian leaders are responsible for the shootings at the Crocus City Hall concert hall outside Moscow, the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing a poll by OpenMinds.

right The Kyiv Independentapproximately 27% of respondents blamed ISIS, while another 6% pointed to the so-called “collective West”, namely the USA, Great Britain and NATO.

Russians between the ages of 31 and 50 have the highest number of those who believe in Ukraine’s involvement in the shootings – more than 50%, according to the survey.

150,000 citizens are called up for compulsory military service, according to a document posted on Sunday on the Kremlin’s website.

UPDATE Ukrainian forces shot down two drones launched by Russia

The Ukrainian armed forces shot down, during the night from Sunday to Monday, two of the three drones launched by Russia over Ukraine, the military officials in Kiev announced, according to Reuters.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy showed that equipment at a power station in the Zaporozhye region was damaged by a drone attack.

ISW UPDATE: Russia can concentrate its offensive potential in only one operational direction

Russia could focus its potential late spring or summer offensive against Ukraine in the western part of the Donetsk region, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its April 1 report.

The Russian military command could consider the area near Avdiivka, a key front-line town in the Donetsk region, captured by Russia in February, ISW said to be a priority. Russia’s willingness to commit a tank battalion to an attack in the area is one indication of such plans, the report said, according to The Kyiv Independent.

UPDATE Russia lost 442,880 soldiers in Ukraine

Russia has lost 442,880 soldiers in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on April 1.

This figure includes 710 casualties suffered by Russian forces in the last day.

UPDATE Russia demands the extradition of some Ukrainians, including the head of the SBU, after the terrorist attack in Moscow

The Russian Foreign Ministry has demanded the arrest and extradition of the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), citing the March 22 terrorist attackwhich was claimed by an ISIS group, according to The Kyiv Independent.

Without providing any evidence of this, the Russian Foreign Ministry tried to blame Ukraine for the terrorist attack at the concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, which killed at least 139 people.

In its statement, the ministry said that “all traces” of the attack led back to Ukraine, a claim that was denied by Ukraine and Western intelligence services.

Russia’s disinformation campaigns to undermine support for Ukraine have grown significantly in Europe in terms of scale and skill, a top German diplomat has warned, according to the Financial Times.

Germany is one of the Kremlin’s main targets, and tools based on artificial intelligence are a serious concern, the source said.

UPDATE Pope Francis calls for a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine

Pope Francis called for a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine in his Easter sermon on Sunday, according to Sky News.

The sovereign pontiff uttered a sincere prayer for peace in his annual assessment of global crises, delivered from St. Peter’s Square.

This year, Francis said his thoughts went especially to the people of Ukraine and Gaza and to all those facing war, especially the children who he said had “forgotten how to smile”.

ORIGINAL NEWS:

According to the report, the ministry specified that four barges were observed at the entrance to the Black Sea fleet facility in the seaport of Novorossiysk.

The British Ministry of Defense stated that this was done to “enhance the defences” of the port against Ukraine.

“The port of Novorossiysk now has a crucial role in housing the most valuable assets of the Black Sea Fleet,” the ministry said.

At the same time, the vice-admiral of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea probably tried to improve the chances of survival of Russian ships by “adopting additional preventive and defensive measures, including by narrowing the entry space in the port facilities”, he writes Sky News.