Day 422 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russians Bombed their own City

Ukraine | April 21, 2023, Friday // 12:00|  views

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Day 422 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

  • A Russian military plane dropped an aerial bomb on its own city
  • Pentagon leaks: Ukrainian intelligence planned attacks on Russian forces in Syria
  • From the new Iranian delivery: Russia sent “Shahed” drones against Kyiv for the first time in 25 days
  • Ukraine is disappointed that the EU is failing to fulfill the plan to buy ammunition
  • The Contact Group for Ukraine meets at Ramstein Air Force Base
  • Ukraine's public debt has risen to almost 80% of GDP
  • NATO Secretary General in Kyiv: NATO stands with Ukraine


A Russian military plane dropped an aerial bomb on its own city

A Russian military plane mistakenly dropped a munition over the city of Belgorod, which is located near the border with Ukraine. The incident resulted in an explosion and damage to buildings, Reuters reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.

The governor of Belgorod region said that two women were injured.

"During the flight of a Sukhoi Su-34 aircraft over the city of Belgorod, an aviation munition was unintentionally released," the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement. The agency did not specify what the ammunition was.

The Su-34 is a supersonic fighter-bomber, BTA informs. According to the ministry, several buildings were damaged and an investigation has been launched.

The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, stated on Telegram that as a result of the fall of the ammunition, a crater with a diameter of 20 meters was formed. Four cars and four residential buildings were damaged, he also reported.

Pentagon leaks: Ukrainian intelligence planned attacks on Russian forces in Syria

Ukrainian military intelligence has developed plans to carry out covert attacks against Russian forces in Syria with the help of Kurdish forces, the Washington Post claims, citing a top-secret US intelligence document leaked by the so-called “Pentagon leaks”.

The opening of a new battle front thousands of kilometers from the war in Ukraine is in all probability aimed at imposing costs and casualties on Russia and its paramilitary group - the private military company "Wagner Group", also operating on the territory of Syria. This should have forced Moscow to eventually redistribute its military resources and redirect some of those involved in the war in Ukraine to Syria.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered a halt to the planned operation in December, but the leaked document, based on intelligence gathered as of January 23, details how planning has progressed and how such a campaign could proceed if Ukraine revives it.

The document, which in places bears the handle HCS-P, indicating that certain information was obtained from human sources, details how officers from the Main Directorate of Intelligence, the military intelligence service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, could plan attacks without the involvement of the Ukrainian government.

Dozens of top secret documents have been leaked online, revealing sensitive information intended for senior military and intelligence chiefs. In an exclusive investigation, The Washington Post also reviewed dozens of additional classified documents, most of which have not been made public.

In 2015, Vladimir Putin sent Russian troops to Syria to help Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime retain power during the civil war and established a permanent presence of thousands of Russian troops there. The deployment, which includes advanced fighter jets and air defense systems, has strengthened Moscow's regional presence, but exists in an environment that Russia does not fully control. Moscow transferred some troops and equipment from Syria to the battlefield in Ukraine last fall, which may have led Kyiv to assess that their withdrawal from Syria created a vulnerability there.

Attacks on Russian forces in Syria could "raise the threat level to the point where the Russians would have to call in reinforcements," which could help Kyiv’s military efforts in Ukraine itself, said Aaron Lund, a fellow at the think tank Century International.

During planning in December, the document states, Ukrainian military intelligence officers preferred to strike Russian forces using unmanned aerial vehicles and start with "small" strikes, or possibly limit them to mercenary forces from "Wagner".

Kyiv’s intelligence is said to have trained operatives of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the military arm of Syria's Kurdish-controlled autonomous northeast, to strike Russian targets and carry out "unspecified 'direct action' activities" along with missile attacks and drones. In return, the Kurds wanted training, air defense systems and a guarantee that their role would be kept secret. The leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces has also prohibited strikes on Russian positions in Kurdish areas.

“The documents you speak of regarding our forces are not genuine; our forces have never been a party to the Russian-Ukrainian war," said Farhad Shami, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces.

According to the leaked document, Turkey was aware of the planning, saying Turkish officials were "seeking to avoid a potential retaliatory strike" and suggested that Ukraine stage its attacks from Kurdish areas, rather than those in the north and northwest, held by others rebel groups, some of which are supported by Turkey. Turkey opposes the SDF and considers its main military element, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, a terrorist group according to Turkey. The SDF, however, is the main partner of US troops in Syria, where they often share bases in an ongoing mission to quell the resurgence of the Islamic State group.

From the new Iranian delivery: Russia sent “Shahed” drones against Kyiv for the first time in 25 days

After a 25-day lull, the Russian army carried out the first air attack with "Shahed 136" kamikaze drones against the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the local administration announced. 8 out of a total of 10 drones were shot down while flying towards Kyiv, no injuries or damage were reported.

“From the northern direction, the terrorist state sent drones. According to preliminary information, the aggressor probably used a new batch of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles ‘Shahed’”, commented the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration Sergey Popko in the department's official telegram channel.

On the approach to Kyiv, about 8 enemy drones were detected and shot down. After midnight on the night of Thursday to Friday, an air alert was declared on the territory of Ukraine, and after the blackout, the alert was declared again in a number of regions of the country.

Meanwhile, the head of the joint coordination press center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in southern Ukraine, Nataliya Gumenyuk, reported that the Russians are gradually preparing to launch new missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine, and this is evidenced by the rather long pause without air attacks. According to Gumenyuk, the threat of air attacks is possible during the "sacred" dates for the Russians.

"Such a long pause in massive airstrikes, maintained by the enemy, could mean preparations for some significant, by his standards, repetition of a massive missile attack. It is unlikely that the enemy will have the strength, means and time to prepare several such strikes, but the enemy can dedicate such a strike to his sacred dates, as he likes to do it with a certain symbolism, that is, around May 9," Gumenyuk said.

According to her, however, the commitment to a specific date is not mandatory - the attack can happen before or after May 9.

“It should be clear that the insidiousness of the aggressor is strong enough that, given our expectations for May 9, he can use this element with the attack earlier. We must be aware that there are Russian missile carriers at sea that are equipped and ready for use, so a missile attack can be carried out at any time, including with the participation of aviation and Shahed drones”, Gumenyuk added.

Ukraine is disappointed that the EU is failing to fulfill the plan to buy ammunition

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba criticized the European Union for failing to "implement its own decision" to jointly buy ammunition for Ukraine, as members of the bloc argue over how to implement the plans, Politico reported.

"The inability of the EU to implement its own decision on the joint supply of ammunition to Ukraine is disappointing," Kuleba said on Twitter, marking a significant shift in tone from Kyiv to the club it hopes to join.

European leaders agreed last month to buy 1 million shells for Ukraine over the next 12 months. But talks have hit an impasse at ambassadorial level over how to spend the €1 billion earmarked for joint contracts.

Kuleba said it was a test of the EU's ability to make major new security decisions and whether the bloc really had "strategic autonomy" - echoing a term used by French President Emmanuel Macron. He recently caused controversy by saying that Europe should not become "America's follower".

The main dispute in the negotiations to buy ammunition revolves around how much to limit the money to EU manufacturers and whether to include companies from places like the US and the UK.

France is leading efforts to keep money within the bloc, while others, including Poland, fear the European defense industry may not be up to the task of delivering 1 million missiles to Ukraine within the promised 12-month deadline.

Talks are likely to continue next week, meaning EU foreign ministers will have no deal when they meet on Monday in Luxembourg to discuss the war.

"For Ukraine, the cost of inaction is measured in human lives," Kuleba said.

The Contact Group for Ukraine meets at Ramstein Air Force Base

In Germany, the contact group for Ukraine is meeting at the Ramstein airbase.

It will be attended by ministers of defense and high-ranking military personnel from over 50 countries. The Ukrainian president has already said that he expects important decisions to be made at the forum and warned that the delay in arms deliveries is costing the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.

Kyiv is asking its Western partners for modern F-16 fighter jets, but so far neither the United States nor any other country supporting Ukraine has decided to provide them.

All NATO allies agreed that Ukraine will eventually become a member of the Alliance - this is what the organization's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. However, now the main task is to make sure that Ukraine will prevail in the war with Russia, he added.

Ukraine's public debt has risen to almost 80% of GDP

A war-related economic downturn and new loans saw Ukraine's public debt rise to almost 80% of gross domestic product (GDP) last year.

Specifically, government debt, as well as government-guaranteed debt, rose from 48.9% in pre-war 2021 to 78.5%, the finance ministry said on Twitter.

The direct government debt in the country and abroad has grown from 86.6 billion dollars to 101.6 billion dollars, the department added.

At the same time, however, the Ukrainian economy suffered a massive collapse following the full-scale Russian invasion last year.

Ukraine's GDP is now estimated by the ministry to be the equivalent of around $161 billion for the whole of 2022, which is roughly comparable to the GDP of the German city of Hamburg.

In the European Union, according to the so-called Maastricht criteria, a level of public debt is considered stable when it represents no more than 60% of the gross domestic product (GDP).

NATO Secretary General in Kyiv: NATO stands with Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Ukraine on Thursday (20 April 2023) for talks with President Zelensky and his government. Mr. Stoltenberg underlined NATO's enduring support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia's brutal war of aggression. "NATO stands with you today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes," said Mr. Stoltenberg.

In a press conference with President Zelensky in Kyiv, the Secretary-General underlined that NATO Allies have delivered more than 150 billion euros of support to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and that Allies have provided training for tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers over the years. "Allies are now delivering more jets, tanks, and armored vehicles, and NATO's Ukraine fund is providing urgent support... All of this is making a real difference on the battlefield today," he said.

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: Russia, Ukraine, Zelensky, Kyiv

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