Russians displace Ukrainian forces from the territory of FR. 1161st day of war
On April 26, Russian troops occupied the center of the last Ukrainian-controlled village in the Kursk Oblast – border Gornal. This gave Vladimir Putin and the Chief of the Army General Staff to General Walerij Gierasim the basis for announcing the termination of the anti-FR force displacement operation (from the Kursk and Bielgorod circuits). This, paradoxically, confirmed that the annexed Ukraine circuits are not yet treated as part of Russia by Moscow. Kiev has announced that reports of the displacement of Ukrainians do not correspond to the truth, and the operation in FR territory is ongoing. The authorities besides supported any of their reluctant military commentators, while OSINT was not in line with the assessment.
Ukrainian soldiers are most likely inactive in border forested areas of the Kursk and Bielgorod districts, but they no longer control any locality or infrastructure facility. According to DeepState of April 28, under their supervision, there was to be inactive 29 km2 on the aggressor side, however, this value should be considered to be excessive. Not later than 27–28 April, Ukrainians were displaced from the last positions occupied in Gornal and lying somewhat further north to Olesznia. The maintenance of both villages exceeded their logistical capacity (from the Ukrainian side there is no road connection).
The presence of Ukrainian troops in Russia can now only be regarded as diversionary activities. The creation of a group that allows for re-intrusion into the FR seems to exceed the capabilities of the army, even more so that it would should be much stronger than it was utilized in the attack on the course circuit in August 2024.
The Russians proceed their efforts to make a ‘buffer zone’ in the border area of the Sumic regionHowever, they failed to make further progress. most likely under their control there are 4 localities, but all reports of this are denied by Kiev, and occupied by Russian forces are most frequently presented as areas of combat. The information control is facilitated by the full evacuation of the population from border areas of the circuit carried out in erstwhile months.
In another areas of the fighting in Ukraine, the invaders have made further progress, but they inactive do not change the overall situation. peculiarly active remains the front from the northern outskirts of Torećek to the Pokrowsk–Constantinówka road, where the aggressor moves towards the second of these towns simultaneously in respective places. He besides displaced the defenders from the next positions between Welyka Nowosłka and Pokrowski, in Taziw Jara, east of Siewierska and north of Lyman. However, his attempts to take and keep position in small Tokmakka east of Orichiwa in the Zaporo region ended with failure.
On April 24, the Russians carried out another massive attack, and its main targets were Kiev and Kharkiv. According to Ukrainian data, the enemy utilized 72 rockets (initially Air Force Command reported 70) and 145 unmanneds, from which 48 and 64 were shot down, respectively. At the same time, 68 drones were to be localized without any negative consequences. Antonov's bets were hit in Kiev, and according to any sources besides Artem. 1 of the utilized ballistic missiles, the North Korean KN-23, struck in the Światoszyn region. Aggressor damaged 54 buildings, 12 people died, and 87 were injured. In total, 106 buildings were to be affected in the demolition capital, and the full number of victims was estimated to be over 100. about 20 explosions were recorded in Kharkov, and 1 of the targets was Smallshev plants. The damage, in peculiar industrial, warehouse and railway infrastructure, was besides reported from Zaporozhrad, Pawlohrad (chemical plants were encountered) and the Kharkov, Khmelnicki, Kiev and Żytomierski circuits.
On April 28, Russian drones hit a gas infrastructure facility in Cherkasy. Six people were injured and 117,000 subscribers were temporarily cut off from gas supplies. The day before that, the drones hit Dniepr, Odessa and Żytomierz, on 25 and 26 April – in Kharkiv, and on 29 April – in Kiev. On 23 and 26 April, the rockets fell to the Sumsk region. The number of drone invaders utilized again began to rise. According to Ukrainian data, from the evening of 23 April to the morning of 29 April they applied them in full 777. 305 were to be lost and 327 were to be lost locally. The enemy was to usage 80 rockets (including the attack on April 24), from which 48 were declared to be shot down.
As a consequence of the attack on April 28, there was a fire at a fuel base in the fresh Russian region of Krasnodarsk. any sources say it utilized Neptune maneuvering missiles. On the same day, Ukrainian drones were targeted by the production of microelectronics facilities Kriemnij El in Briansk, but there was no information about the hits. This facility was already attacked successfully in January this year and earlier in October 2024. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, harm to unmanned plants in Jełabuda, Tatarstan, was caused by drone strikes on April 23. On the another hand, the biggest Ukrainian attack on Crimea, which, according to Russian data, utilized 60 drones, as well as an attack on a refinery in the Riyaz region on 29 April, ended with failure.
On 25 April, a bombing took place in the town of Balasza close Moscow, where Lieutenant General Jarosław Moskalik, Deputy Head of the Chief Operations Board of the FR General Staff was killed., active in planning Russian military operations in Ukraine. A day later, the national safety Service reported the arrest of 42-year-old Ignat Kuzin, accused of carrying out an attack on behalf of Ukrainian peculiar services. On April 28, president Volodymyr Zelenski confirmed their engagement in the assassination.
Western support for Ukraine
By the end of April, Kiev will receive 400 1000 artillery missiles under the alleged Czech ammunition initiative – stated on 27 April in an interview with CNN Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic Jan Černochová. This means that the donation may be smaller than in 2024, erstwhile 1.5 million missiles were transferred under the Ukrainian project. Denmark, on the another hand, will allocate EUR 42 million to artillery ammunition for the country, to be distributed through Estonia..
The recently formed 8th Infantry Corps (WDSz) Armed Forces of Ukraine entered six brigadesincluding the only artillery brigade in the WDSz. The command over him was taken over by Colonel Dmytro Voloshin, formerly commander of the 82nd Desert Storm Brigade. The units were taken over from the 7th WDSz Corps formed in January 2024, bringing together all brigades of this kind of troops. After the formation of the 8th WDSz Corps in the 7th there were 4 brigades and a separate regiment. The majority of support and safety sub-groups remained outside the body structure, in direct submission to the WDSz Command (to the 8th only exploratory battalions were moved and Unmanned aircraft, in 7th was the command battalion). This means that organisational transformations did not entail qualitative changes and both bodies as units to execute operational tasks stay de facto independent.
In 2024, military spending accounted for 34% of Ukraine's GDP – the highest percent in the world. In absolute numbers, it was $64.7 billion. This data is provided by the Stockholm global Peace investigation Institute (SIPRI) on 28 April by an assessment of global military spending. Compared to 2023, they increased by 2.9% and, according to the experts of the institute, it will be hard to increase them further. All state taxation revenues are to be utilized for military purposes.
24 April The Ukrainian government simplified the procedures for importing explosives and ammunition components, including 155 mm caliber. This is to facilitate the conclusion of contracts by producers – the request to sign state contracts will disappear. The aim of the change is to accelerate the supply of explosives and support the production of ammunition.
28 April Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrski stated that there are many unresolved problems in the area of basic military training. There are shortcomings in adapting the program to combat situations and deficits of decently qualified instructors. Syrian pointed out the request to make an information and analytical strategy which will take into account in the process of training the experience of individuals fighting on the front.
According to SIPRI, remaining 3rd in terms of military spending (after the US and China) Russia was expected to spend $149 billion on this in 2024 – 38% more than a year earlier. This amount represented 19% of the national budget and 7.1% of GDP.
April 23 independent Russian net portal crucial stories said From April 2023 to May 2024, more than 1.5 000 abroad nationals from 48 countries took contract service in the FR Army in Moscow.Data on them was obtained as a consequence of a hack into the medical database. Most of them come from South and east Asian countries – 771 (including 603 from Nepal, indicating that the Russian side ignored the protests of the authorities of that country calling for cessation of recruitment). 523 were recruited from the erstwhile USSR countries, mainly from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Belarus (71). 72 were obtained from Africa (mainly Ghana, Cameroon and Senegal), and 71 from the mediate East (including Egypt and Iran). fewer mercenaries have come from European countries. Although the revealed information does not cover all verbundle points in Russia, it shows that the army there does not quit the immediate replacement of losses by poorly trained foreigners from countries with advanced poorness and unemployment.
28 April Leader North Korea Kim Jong Un publically confirmed the engagement of the soldiers of this country in the operation to displace Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region. He stressed that the military presence from the DPRK in Russia strengthened the strategical military partnership between the 2 countries, described by him as "the highest level of fraternal relations". The Dictator considered North Korea's participation in the operation to be a ‘holy mission’, in accordance with Article 4 of the Treaty on Comprehensive strategical Partnership between the DPRK and the FR (see IP/14). Russia enters into a military alliance with North Korea), obliging the parties to common military assistance. A memorial commemorating North Korean soldiers participating in the fighting against Ukraine is to be established in Pjongjangu. On 26 April, Chief of General Staff of the Russian Federation, Mr Gierasimov announced the conclusion of the “Kurkish operation” and stressed the military function of the DPRK on the front. This may mean that their contingent will be withdrawn from combat activities, but is not predicted to leave Russia. The Ukrainian General Staff claims that more than 4.5 1000 North Korean soldiers have been "neutralised" since the beginning of the operation.
