Victory Chronicles-DAY 772

A joint operation between the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) and the Armed Forces of Ukraine resulted in drones striking three air bases in Russia on April 5. One of the targets was Engels-2 airbase, where three Tu-95MS strategic fighters were likely severely damaged, and it is reported that seven military personnel, potentially including pilots, were killed. 

The city of Yeysk also suffered an attack, destroying two Su-25 aircraft and the death of four Russian soldiers. Furthermore, a military air base in the city of Kursk was targeted as well. Previously, on April 4-5, there were reports of multiple strikes on Russian territory. The official position of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine is that military facilities in Russia are legitimate targets due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. 

Ukraine’s production of drones has shown progress, and it is expected that UAVs will continue to target Russian military installations, with their range increasing in the future.

During demining operations, 21 sappers from the State Emergency Service were killed and 87 were injured, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. The work itself is already risky, but the dangers are intensified in liberated territories due to the presence of various booby traps and remote mining set up by Russians. The goal of the enemy is to cause as many casualties as possible among Ukrainian personnel, but the government is committed to saving the lives of professionals. To achieve this, the most advanced technologies are being utilized, including special demining machines, drones for surveying potentially contaminated areas, and satellite images. The use of these technologies helps to understand the overall picture, considering that forests and rivers are also affected and must be cleared. 

Two civilians were killed and six injured in a Russian shelling attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine. The Head of Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov, shared the information on social media, stating that a woman and a man were among the casualties. Preliminary reports indicate that a 9-year-old boy and his 36-year-old mother, as well as two individuals aged 20 and 22, were injured but in stable condition. Additionally, a 55-year-old woman and a 51-year-old man sustained serious injuries. All of the victims are currently receiving medical assistance in the hospital. Fedorov also provided visual evidence of the attack, sharing a photograph of a damaged building that resembled a café. 

Marines of the 501st separate marine battalion, Griffin501 unit, demonstrated the specifics of working with the Valkiria drone. This bird has already proven itself at the front as a simple and reliable reconnaissance drone. Among the biggest advantages of the unmanned system are its low radar visibility, flight range and deployment speed, which, together with pre-flight training, can be as little as 5 minutes. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov claimed that NATO and Russia are in “direct confrontation,” likely as part of ongoing Kremlin efforts to intensify existing information operations meant to force the West into self-deterrence. Peskov claimed on April 4 that relations between Russia and NATO have “slipped to the level of direct confrontation” and that NATO is “already involved in the conflict surrounding Ukraine.”

Peskov accused NATO of moving towards Russia’s borders, likely referencing Finland and Sweden’s recent accessions to the alliance, and claimed that NATO is expanding its military infrastructure closer to Russia. Russian officials have long attempted to frame NATO and the West as an existential threat to Russia as part of the Kremlin’s justifications for its war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on March 18 that a full-scale war between NATO and Russia is undesirable but possible. Peskov’s repeated claims that NATO and Russia are already in “direct confrontation” represents an intensification of this ongoing narrative but is likely still part of Russia‘s reflexive control campaign that uses threatening language to delay and influence important decisions regarding Western support for Ukraine.

This Kremlin narrative is also likely an attempt to pose NATO’s defensive activity in response to Russia’s outright aggression as provocative. ISW continues to assess that Russia has been preparing for a potential conventional war with NATO, including through ongoing conventional military reforms and by recreating the Leningrad Military District (LMD) and Moscow Military District (MMD) in western Russia. Russian officials have accused NATO of giving Russia a reason to reconstitute the LMD directly on the border with Finland.

Fighter Vasyl Romaniuk died on December 16, 2023, while performing a combat mission near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The defender received multiple shrapnel wounds to the torso with damage to bones and internal organs.

Vasyl was born on January 4, 1991, in the village of Liubokhyni, Volyn. After he got married, he moved to the village of Holoby. He received his education at the Rozhyshche Vocational College of the Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after S. Hzhytskyi. He was a veterinary assistant. He worked as a senior veterinarian at Vira-1 LLC.

A few years before the full-scale invasion, he bought a house for his family and started renovating it himself. He dreamed of a quiet and happy family life. During the Great War, he served in the 33rd separate mechanized brigade. He worked with an anti-tank missile system.

“He was a loving father, a beloved and caring husband, the best son and a sensitive son-in-law. A very kind, cheerful, bright and inquisitive person. A man with a capital M. He was respected, honored, and respected by his colleagues. He was a professional in his field, always coming to the aid of those who needed it. Everyone who knew my Vasya has nothing but good things to say about him. It seems to me that such bright people simply do not exist…”, said his wife Oksana Romaniuk.

Vasyl was buried in the village of Holoby, Volyn Oblast. The defender is survived by his wife Oksana, daughter Ivanka, parents Vita and Vasyl.

*Vasyl’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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