WAR IN UKRAINE: April 23, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 424
Ukrainian search teams say they have retrieved the bodies of hundreds of dead Ukrainian soldiers, along with similar numbers of Russians, who they plan to repatriate. Meanwhile, Kyiv is demanding the return of every Ukrainian captured by Russia - CNN
Shelling "does not stop" in some frontline areas in the eastern Donetsk region, but Russian troops have been held off, according to a Ukrainian military spokesperson. Meanwhile, some Ukrainians who fled the invasion ended up in far-flung parts of Russia. Now they are unsure if they can ever return home — or if they want to - CNN
The Ukrainian counteroffensive will start in a month, said Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur. “If the weather changes, it may happen sooner. If not, then a month, maybe two, will pass.“
Russia’s foreign minister will meet with the United Nations secretary-general in New York on Monday, according to Russian media and the country’s UN representative.
Russians interrogate Finns at border crossings after Finland joins NATO. They are asked about the purpose of the trip, military ranks, place of service and connections with the army, Finnish media reports - Hromadske
Georgia-based NGO Idite Lesom (Go by the Forest) has led one of the most brazen campaigns from abroad to help young Russians dodge the draft. Last week, it says it was once again swamped with new inquiries from concerned Russians as reports emerged of a new Kremlin-backed law to streamline conscription. Hundreds of thousands of Russian nationals have fled their homeland since President Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilization" in September 2022 to provide 300,000 troops for the war effort. Many of them, including longtime anti-homelessness activist and Go by the Forest founder Grigory Sverdlin, have settled in neighboring Georgia. The group claims to have helped nearly 6,800 Russians since its founding a half-year ago, including more than 5,100 it says would otherwise have been sent to the fighting. It says its stated aim is to help ensure that "as few people as possible pull a trigger" in Europe's first full-scale military invasion since World War II, an effort it calls "nonviolent civic resistance” - RFE/RL
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomed Defense Secretary Oleksii Reznikov to the start of the 11th Ukraine Defense Contact Group summit at the Ramstein air base in Germany on April 21. “It’s always a pleasure to speak with my good friend and counterpart Oleksii Reznikov," Austin wrote. "Over the past year, members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group have provided tremendous capabilities to Ukraine. We will support them for as long as it takes." Ramstein summits are held to coordinate efforts to provide military aid to Ukraine - Kyiv Independent