Victory Chronicles-DAY 775

The UK and France are calling on their allies to provide more aid to Ukraine in order to ensure victory over Russia. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and French Foreign Minister Stephane Séjourne emphasized in a joint column that if Ukraine loses the war against Russia, it will have negative consequences for everyone. They argue that the cost of failing to support Ukraine now will be greater than standing up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “If Ukraine loses, we all lose. The costs of failing to support Ukraine now will be far greater than the costs of repelling Putin,” they wrote.

The foreign ministers stressed the importance of the international community working together on global challenges. Cameron plans to use his visit to Washington, D.C., to persuade members of Congress to vote for further support for Ukraine, and he has called on his European colleagues to put pressure on the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

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An investigation conducted by NGL Media reveals the extensive damage caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine, with over 60,000 hectares of Ukrainian forests destroyed. The estimated cost of this destruction is at least $360 million. Ukrainian intelligence suggests that the Kremlin authorized this destruction for military and commercial purposes at the start of the conflict in 2022. The State Agency of Forest Resources reports that nearly 30% of Ukraine’s forests have been damaged as a result of the fighting. However, the estimated cost does not account for the value of the timber that could have been grown in these areas or the environmental harm caused. The long-term consequences of this destruction include lowered groundwater levels, reduced biodiversity, poorer air quality, dry rivers and ponds, and an increased risk of wildfires. The Minister of Ecology in Ukraine states that the environmental impact of Russia’s war has already exceeded $56.6 billion.

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From the beginning of the week of April 1 to April 7, sapper units of the State Special Transport Service found, removed and neutralized 3,437 explosive devices. The area of 1534.28 hectares was cleared of mines (checked). The largest number of explosive items was seized in Kharkiv Oblast – 1952. Since the beginning of the large-scale aggression of the Russian Federation, units of the State Service of Ukraine for Emergency Situations have discovered, seized and neutralized 132,994 explosive items. An area of 75870.79 hectares has been cleared of mines. 

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Footage of a failed assault by the occupiers near Terny, as a result of which the Russians lost 11 pieces of equipment and the Azovs captured an enemy tank as a trophy, was published by the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine. Intelligence spotted an armored group of Russians. It was moving toward the positions of the Defense Forces in the Kreminna sector. Fighters of the 12th Azov Brigade and the 95th Airborne Brigade broke the enemy column. The troops and crews of the enemy vehicles fled, abandoning their equipment. In total, more than 50 occupants were killed during the assault. Later, the Azov fighters captured and safely delivered a new T-72B3M tank to the rear of their own forces. 

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Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate Head Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov reported that Ukraine anticipates Russian offensive operations to intensify in late spring and early summer. Budanov stated in an interview with German broadcaster ARD published on April 7 that Ukraine expects that Russian offensive operations will especially intensify in the Donbas.

Budanov also reported that Russian forces will likely attempt to advance to Chasiv Yar (west of Bakhmut) and in the direction of Pokrovsk (about 43km northwest of Avdiivka). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously stated in a CBS News interview published on March 28 that the major Russian offensive effort may start in late May or June.

ISW has recently observed that Russian forces intensified the tempo of their offensive operations across the theater, including by conducting a roughly reinforced company-sized mechanized assault toward Chasiv Yar on April 4, and continues to assess that the Russian military appears to be successfully mitigating likely increased manpower and materiel losses.

Zelensky and senior Ukrainian military officials have recently warned that delays in security assistance have forced Ukraine to cede the battlefield initiative to Russia and that the Ukrainian military cannot plan a successful counteroffensive or defensive effort without knowing when and what kind of aid Ukraine will receive. ISW continues to assess that delays in Western military assistance have forced the Ukrainian military to husband materiel and that Ukrainian forces likely must make difficult decisions prioritizing certain aspects of its defense at the expense of contesting the initiative to constrain Russian military capabilities or plan for future counteroffensive operations as prolonged US debates about military aid continue.

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Senior fighter Ivan Krolevskyi, with the call sign Roger, died on October 22, 2023, near the village of Robotyn, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. While performing a combat mission, he hit an enemy mine. On December 4, the fighter would have turned 25 years old.

Ivan was born in the village of Lipyny, Khmelnytskyi Oblast. Since childhood he lived in Donetsk Oblast. In 2014, he graduated from Bilets secondary school №10. In 2018, he received a full general education at the Biletsky Professional Lyceum. He liked to fish and read psychology books.

In 2019, the man signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and went to the territory of the Joint Forces Operation to defend his homeland from enemies. During the full-scale war, Ivan fought in the ranks of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after the Black Cossacks. He held the position of senior driver mechanic.

During his military service, Ivan Krolevskyi was repeatedly awarded, including the Presidential decoration “For Defense of Ukraine”, medals “For Courage” and “Participant of the Joint Forces Operation”, and posthumously the Order “For Courage”, III degree.

“Ivan was an incredibly sincere person, a master of his craft, who never refused to do his job, no matter how difficult or dangerous it was. I often scolded him for this, because I was also a military man and understood the risks. He loved his family very much and had many plans for the future, which, unfortunately, did not come true,” his wife said.

The Hero was buried in the central cemetery of Rodynske, Donetsk Oblast, where he lived Ivan is survived by his wife Anastasia and 2-year-old son Mykyta. 

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

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• FT: EU arms manufacturers concern about dependency on Chinese raw materials as demand rises due to war in Ukraine
• IAEA reports 3 hits to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reactor containment
• Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant drone strike: Russia often resorts to false-flag attacks
• The Economist: The Kremlin wants to make Ukraine’s second city unliveable
• Russians executed Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Kherson Oblast
• UK intelligence states degradation of Russian medical industry amidst war in Ukraine