Prepared by Denis Bogush, military and political expert, International Headquarters for Assistance to Ukrainians
General description of the situation. Russia launched a war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022 (44th day of the war). They began with a rocket-bomb attack on 17 Ukrainian cities, first on military infrastructure and now on civilian infrastructure.
Today, April 8, the forty-fourth day of the heroic opposition of the Ukrainian people to the Russian military invasion has begun.
The main efforts of the Russian invaders continue to focus on the capture of Mariupol, the offensive in the area of the city of Izyum, breakthroughs in the defense of the Allied forces in the Donetsk direction.
In the South Bug direction, the enemy is trying to prevent the advance of our troops. The Russian military left the settlement of Maxim Gorky in the Kherson region and withdrew heavy weapons. In the Kharkiv direction, the enemy continues to blockade the city of Kharkiv. To prevent the advance of our troops, the invaders put up minefields. In the temporarily occupied city of Izyum, representatives of the so-called “DPR” perform the functions of the local “police”, carry out illegal checks of documents, searches of persons and premises of the local population.
Seven enemy attacks have been repulsed in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts over the past 24 hours. In the areas of the settlements of Rubizhne, Popasna, Nyzhne, Novotoshkivske, Zolote and Borivske, the occupiers tried to carry out assault operations, but were unsuccessful.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus carry out operational and combat training activities at training grounds throughout the country. Up to four battalion tactical groups have been involved to carry out tasks to strengthen the protection of the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. According to available information, so-called “volunteers” from Belarus are being recruited from the territory of the republic to recruit new units of a private military company. The information is being clarified.
The enemy completes the restoration of combat capability of Central Military units in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. Separate units of the 6th, 20th All-Army, 1st Panzer Army, Coastal Troops of the Baltic and Northern Fleets carry out operational equipment of the territory. The main focus is on the rehabilitation of railway sections from Kupyansk to Kharkiv, Izyum and Svatove. For this purpose, units of the railway troops of the 38th separate railway brigade of the Western Military District from Yaroslavl were involved.
Over the past day, missile strikes were carried out on the city of Odesa and Mykolayiv, Kharkiv, Kherson regions and Donetsk regions.
Losses of military personnel and military equipment of the RF Armed Forces
- Military personnel – about 19,000 people,
- tanks – 700 units,
- combat armored vehicles – 1891 units,
- artillery systems – 333 units,
- Air Defense – 55 units,
- aircraft – 150 units,
- helicopters – 135 units,
- automotive equipment – 1361 units,
- ships / boats – 7 units,
Cases of resistance from the local population
In the village of Shchaslyvtseve, Kherson Oblast, locals, continuing to resist Russian aggression, set up a new State Flag of Ukraine instead of the one removed by the “new” mayor.
It is reported that an elderly man with a criminal past stole uniforms and cookies from the Russian military from a tank standing in his yard and handed them over to Ukrainian soldiers.
Civilian casualties
Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmila Denisova said that since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 167 children have died.
The occupiers killed more than 400 civilians in Kyiv region. The invaders shot people in armored vehicles and staged mass killings of Ukrainians. And about 200 residents of Borodyanka are considered missing.
The occupiers continue to shell Kharkiv and Kharkiv district. During April 7, the Russians wounded 14 people there, one woman died.
