WAR IN UKRAINE: April 9, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 408
Ukraine is able to export electricity for the first time in six months as its energy infrastructure recovers from months of repeated Russian attacks. Russia began its lengthy and deliberate assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure last October. It led to power cuts and scheduled blackouts, leaving towns and cities in darkness during winter. Ukraine was forced to stop electricity exports - but will now be able to sell its excess power again. Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko signed an executive order authorising the exports, although local customers remain the priority - BBC
A trove of leaked Pentagon documents reveals how deeply Russia’s security and intelligence services have been penetrated by the United States, demonstrating Washington’s ability to warn Ukraine about planned strikes and providing an assessment of the strength of Moscow’s war machine. The documents paint a portrait of a depleted Russian military that is struggling in its war in Ukraine and of a military apparatus that is deeply compromised. They contain daily real-time warnings to American intelligence agencies on the timing of Moscow’s strikes and even its specific targets. Such intelligence has allowed the United States to pass on to Ukraine crucial information on how to defend itself. The documents lay bare the American assessment of a Ukrainian military that is also in dire straits. The documents, from late February and early March but found on social media sites in recent days, outline critical shortages of air defense munitions and discuss the gains being made by Russian troops around the eastern city of Bakhmut. The intelligence reports show that the United States also appears to be spying on Ukraine’s top military and political leaders, a reflection of Washington’s struggle to get a clear view of Ukraine’s fighting strategies - NYT
Farmers in central and eastern Europe protested this week against the impact of cheap Ukrainian grain imports, which have undercut domestic prices and hit the sales of local producers. Protesters blocked traffic and border checkpoints with tractors along the border between Romania and Bulgaria, in an effort to prevent Ukrainian trucks from entering their country, according to local news outlets. Local producers say they cannot compete with the price of Ukrainian grain and have demanded compensation from the European Commission. Ukraine, often called the “breadbasket of Europe” due to the vast quantities of grain it produces, had its Black Sea ports blockaded by Russia following the invasion in February 2022. Fearing that the situation was “threatening global food security,” the European Commission set up what it called “solidarity lanes” in May to facilitate exports - CNN
Top sanctions officials from the U.S. Treasury Department are planning international trips this month to pressure firms and countries still doing business with Russia to cut off financial ties because of the war on Ukraine.
A Ukrainian minister will visit India from April 9 in the first face-to-face talks between the two countries since Russia's invasion of its European neighbor last year.
Ukrainians in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on April 8 laid flowers at a small memorialat the central train station one year after Russian missiles hit the transport hub, killing dozens - RFE/RL
Satellite imagery shows new 70-kilometer Russian trench in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Russia has dug a 70 kilometer long unbroken trench as part of their defensive lines in the occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to the Center for Journalistic Investigations - Kyiv Independent
Ukraine's state-owned defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom announced on April 8 that it would launch joint maintenance of Soviet-era T-64 tanks with a unit of state arms producer Polish Armaments Group (PGZ).
Hundreds of supporters including Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin turned out on Saturday for the funeral of Vladlen Tatarsky, the high-profile Russian military blogger who was killed in a bombing attack last weekend. On Sunday an explosion ripped through a cafe on St. Petersburg's Neva river embankment, killing the controversial 40-year-old who was known for his staunch anti-Ukraine stance. At a Kremlin ceremony announcing the annexation of four Ukrainian regions last September, Tatarsky recorded himself saying: "We will defeat everyone. We will kill everyone. We will rob everyone as necessary. Just as we like it." Mourners, some carrying flowers, gathered at Moscow's prestigious Troyekurovskoye cemetery on Saturday amid a large police presence - Moscow Times