On the 774th day of the war, here are the latest updates. This is the situation as of Monday, April 8, 2024.
Combat:
Ukraine’s military reported intense fighting near the frontline city of Chasiv Yar, with their forces successfully resisting Russian air and ground assaults. Ivan Fedorov, the official in charge of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, confirmed three casualties in Huliaipole due to a Russian shell hitting a house. Additionally, a woman lost her life in Kupiansk following a Russian attack on an apartment building, while five people were wounded in a similar incident in Kharkiv. Meanwhile, in Russia’s Belgorod region, one woman died in a car hit by shrapnel from a Ukrainian drone that was destroyed. Russian authorities claimed to have downed a total of 15 drones in the Belgorod and Bryansk regions.
Russia accused Ukraine of a drone assault on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Ukraine denied. Russia seized control of this facility shortly after launching its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Politics and Diplomacy:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to visit Beijing for discussions with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Monday and Tuesday. The talks are expected to address the “Ukrainian crisis.”
Weapons:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that without the approval of a $60 billion military aid package by the US Congress, Ukraine would lose to Russia and put other countries at risk of similar attacks. Republican lawmakers have been blocking this aid package for several months.