Day 412 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russians Beheaded a Ukrainian Prisoner in Bakhmut

Ukraine | April 11, 2023, Tuesday // 11:32|  views

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Day 412 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

  • Russia introduces electronic military mobilization
  • Danish minister: A general decision by the West on fighter jets for Kyiv is possible before the summer
  • UN: Confirmed civilian death toll in Ukraine nears 8,500
  • Russians cut off the head of a Ukrainian prisoner and impaled it on a metal pole
  • Russia gives its paratroopers in Ukraine a controversial weapon of mass destruction
  • US urges Russia to free "wrongfully detained" WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich
  • Denmark provides 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine
  • Russia has begun major exercises in the Arctic
  • Germany is considering suspending visas for Russian athletes


Russia introduces electronic military mobilization

Russia is introducing electronic service of summonses for military mobilization with changes to the legislation on military service, the Russian news agency "Interfax" reported.

The summons will be considered served from the moment its electronic copy is placed in the electronic management system of the state, which provides various electronic services.

"Electronic subpoenas will duplicate all traditional methods. The subpoena is considered received from the moment it is posted on the personal account of the conscript," MP Andrey Kartapolov said on the air of the Rossiya 24 TV channel on Monday.

Military personnel will be able to receive such electronic alerts through a personal account, through the portal for government services or at multi-purpose centers. Until now, summonses are delivered personally to the conscript's address.

"The conscript will go to the military commissariat less frequently, many operations will be carried out remotely without the need for personal presence, including personal registration, deregistration and change of credentials," said Kartapolov, who is the chairman of the parliamentary committee on defense.

After the summons is sent, those subject to military mobilization will have two weeks to report to the military commissariats for a medical examination and assignment to a military unit.

If they do not, they will receive a digitally signed notification of the military commissar that a travel ban is being implemented and a warning that other restrictive measures will follow.

If they do not appear again within 20 days, the conscripts can lose their driver's license, the ability to enter into real estate transactions, take out loans, and others, the deputy explained.

The mobilized person will have the opportunity to appeal within five days at all stages, and this will also be possible remotely, Interfax reports.

Danish minister: A general decision by the West on fighter jets for Kyiv is possible before the summer

The West's decision on the possible delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine may be taken "before the summer", Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said today after the delivery of Polish and Slovak MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv, AFP reported, quoted from BTA.

Discussions take time because the countries must act jointly, but a solution remains achievable "in the short term," the minister said during a visit to Ukraine.

"Denmark will not do this alone," he added, quoted by several Danish media. "We will have to do it together with several other countries. And we will also have to have a dialogue with the Americans on this issue."

"However, I think we can make a decision in the short term," said the defense minister, who is acting due to the incumbent's illness, referring to the prospect of this happening before the summer holidays.

Slovakia and Poland began delivering Soviet MiG-29 fighters to Kyiv in late March and early April, respectively.

Warsaw said it was ready to donate all of its Soviet fighter jets, about 30 in number.

However, none of the modern Western aircraft requested by Kyiv have yet been delivered, although several Western countries have announced initiatives in this direction.

Denmark has a total of 43 F-16 fighters, 30 of which are on combat duty. Currently, these American planes are being replaced with 27 more advanced American F-35 fighters of the next generation, according to AFP.

UN: Confirmed civilian death toll in Ukraine nears 8,500

It has been confirmed that nearly 8,500 civilians have been killed in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported, as quoted by Reuters. There are fears of many thousands more unconfirmed deaths.

The agency said it recorded 8,490 killed and 14,244 wounded between the start of the invasion on February 24, 2022, and April 9, 2023.

It has long described its data as the "tip of the iceberg" because of its limited access to combat zones.

Most of the deaths were recorded in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government and attacked by Russian forces, including 3,927 people in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where fighting has been intense.

"OHCHR believes that the actual numbers are significantly higher as the receipt of information from some places where intense hostilities are taking place has been delayed and many of the reports are still awaiting confirmation," it said in a statement.

Russian forces continue their offensive in the eastern Donetsk region, where several cities are under heavy bombardment.

A UN-mandated investigative body found last month that Russian forces had carried out "indiscriminate and disproportionate" attacks on Ukraine. Russia denies attacking civilians or committing atrocities.

Russians cut off the head of a Ukrainian prisoner and impaled it on a metal pole

Russians beheaded a Ukrainian prisoner of war in Bakhmut and impaled his head on a metal pole.

A photo of the brutal scene was published on the VKontakte social network, "Unian" reported.

"Bakhmut. The remains of a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," wrote the author of the post.

In the comments below, users asked where the evidence was that this was not the head of a Russian occupier or a civilian in Bakhmut. The author of the post replied that he knew the photographer personally and that this skull had a "story".

"Taras fell asleep and did not wake up," he cynically declared.

Executions of Ukrainian soldiers

Russian invaders systematically kill and torture Ukrainian prisoners, bragging about their atrocities on social media. For example, in July 2022, Russian propagandists published on social networks a video of the brutal murder of a Ukrainian prisoner of war. In the released video, an occupier cuts off the genitals of a Ukrainian soldier with a knife. The defender was then killed by a bullet to the head.

On March 6 of this year, a video of Russians shooting an unarmed Ukrainian soldier was circulated online. His last words were "Glory to Ukraine!".

Russia gives its paratroopers in Ukraine a controversial weapon of mass destruction

Russia has given its airborne troops in Ukraine the highly destructive thermobaric weapon, reports the Ukrainian agency UNIAN, referring to another intelligence report of the British Ministry of Defence.

Until now, only the troops for chemical, biological and radiological protection of Moscow in Ukraine have had this weapon, the summary says.

Thermobaric weapons are controversial because they are far more devastating than conventional explosives of similar sizes and have a terrible impact on anyone caught in their blast radius, the BBC points out.

Russian TOC-1A mobile installations use thermobaric rockets, creating incendiary and explosive effects. They call them "heavy flamethrowers" that can launch missiles at a distance of up to 9 kilometers.

A thermobaric bomb (also called a vacuum or aerosol bomb - or fuel air explosive) consists of a fuel container with two separate explosive charges.

This munition can be launched as a rocket or dropped as a bomb from an aircraft. When it hits its target, the first explosive charge opens the container and widely disperses the fuel mixture like a cloud. This cloud can penetrate any openings in buildings or defenses that are not completely sealed.

A second charge then detonates the cloud, resulting in a huge fireball, a massive blast wave, and a vacuum that sucks out all the surrounding oxygen. The weapon can destroy fortified buildings, equipment, and kill or injure many people.

US urges Russia to free "wrongfully detained" WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich

The US on Monday determined that Russia had wrongfully detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and urged his immediate release.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken "made a determination that Evan Gershkovich is wrongfully detained by Russia," said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel. The designation elevates the case of Evan Gershkovich in the US government hierarchy and means that a dedicated State Department office will take the lead on securing his release.

"We call for the Russian Federation to immediately release Gershkovich," Patel said in a statement."

"Journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin's continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth," Patel said.

Monday's statement from Blinken was the first public comment on the case since Russian news agencies reported on Friday that Gershkovich had been charged with espionage and had entered a formal denial.

The state news agency TASS and the Interfax news agency said a law enforcement source informed them that the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, had officially charged the American journalist.

The formal decision by the State Department on Gershkovich, who was taken into custody on March 29, was unusually swift and indicated the seriousness attached by Washington to the case, the first time Moscow has accused a US journalist of espionage since the Soviet era.

In practical terms, the determination means that Gershkovich's detention will be handled by the US special envoy on hostage affairs, Roger Carstens, giving more resources to the case.

Russian authorities arrested Gershkovich, 31, in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city, on March 29. He is the first US correspondent to be detained for alleged spying since the Cold War.

The Federal Security Service specifically accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory. The Wall Street Journal has denied the accusations.

Denmark provides 100 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine

Denmark will start supplying Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine before the summer, acting Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said during a briefing with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in Odessa, Ukrinform quoted.

"We will start delivering Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine before the summer. And then, hopefully, looking six months ahead, it will be possible to donate about 100 Leopard 1 tanks, and that, I will say, will be something essential for the Ukrainian army," Poulsen said.

He also noted that next month Ukraine may receive Caesar self-propelled artillery units, which the Ukrainian military is already training on at training centers in Denmark.

"In the near future, we will hear the 'leopards' growling in a Danish accent," said Reznikov.

Russia has begun major exercises in the Arctic

Russia has begun large-scale military maneuvers in its territorial waters in the Arctic involving 1,800 military personnel, over a dozen ships and 40 aircraft and helicopters, DPA and BTA reported.

The Russian Navy's Northern Fleet said the exercises would focus on protecting the security of Russia's merchant fleet and sea lanes, such as the Northeast Corridor.

The exercises are expected to last several days and during them the coordination between the naval, land and air forces will be tested, the Northern Fleet explained.

The Northeast Corridor stretches along the northern coast of Russia. With climate change, the ice lane between the Atlantic and Pacific is becoming an increasingly sustainable route for ships, and the strategic and economic importance of the area is growing.

For Russia, the Northeast Corridor, also known as the Northern Sea Route, is important because it allows it to more easily export the raw materials it produces in the Far North, such as natural gas.

To assert its claim over the polar region, Moscow created units specialized in fighting in the Arctic more than 10 years ago.

Germany is considering suspending visas for Russian athletes

Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Feser has threatened to block Russian athletes from entering the country if they are allowed to compete.

The International Olympic Committee has recommended the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus if they do not support the war in Ukraine and do not have contracts with the army or security forces. Feser believes that the IOC's decision is not correct and said that there is a way for athletes from both countries to be suspended.

"Countries that host major sporting events are not powerless. They can control whether Russians will participate by issuing them visas. If we host international competitions in Germany, we can act accordingly. We always act with a clear position." Feser said.

Germany has already canceled a major competition in response to the release of the Russian and Belarusian athletes. The local fencing federation canceled the World Cup competition that was due to be held in Tauberbischofsheim after the International Fencing Federation (FIE) voted to return athletes from Russia and Belarus.

Following the IOC's recommendation, the international table tennis, taekwondo and wrestling federations took the same decision. Athletics, equestrian sports and sport climbing kept the ban on Russians, and the same is expected to happen in swimming sports.

Germany will host several major competitions, including the world championships in canoeing and archery. Feser believes that the release of athletes from Russia is "a slap in the face of Ukrainian athletes."

"To stage the propaganda of warmongering Putin is to betray the values of sport," Feser said.

IOC President Thomas Bach criticized the governments of European countries and called several times not to mix politics with sport.

The German Olympic Committee, where Bach was president before taking that position at the IOC, said it wanted the ban on Russia and Belarus to remain. However, the organization does not support a boycott of the Paris Olympics if athletes from both countries are allowed to participate.

Novinite is still the only Bulgarian media that publishes a summary of events and highlights related to the conflict, every single day. Our coverage began on day one - 24.02.2022 and will not stop until the war has concluded. Despite the pressure, our independent media will continue to provide its readers with accurate and up-to-date information. Thank you for your support! #stayinformed

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Tags: Ukraine, Russia, Bakhmut

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