As the war reaches its 785th day, the following are the key developments on Friday, April 19, 2024.
Fighting:
– Russian shelling in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region near the front line resulted in two deaths and two injuries. In the southern Kherson region, at least 16 people were injured due to Russian shelling.
– Two individuals were injured in a Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.
– The death toll from a Russian attack on Chernihiv in northern Ukraine has risen to 18, with a further 78 people injured.
– Ukraine’s military spy agency reported significant damage to Russian missile launchers, radar stations, and other equipment at Russia’s Dzhankoi airfield in occupied Crimea. Russia has not responded to the attack.
– Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed to have brought down five Ukrainian balloons, equipping with GPS and explosives, over the Voronezh and Belgorod regions.
– The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) noted a new attempted drone attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine, with no reported damage or injuries.
Politics and diplomacy:
– Polish prosecutors detained a man suspected of collaborating with Russia’s military intelligence on a plot to assassinate Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy.
– Germany arrested two men, dual nationals of Germany and Russia, on suspicion of planning sabotage attacks on US military sites in Germany to undermine support for the war in Ukraine.
– China’s envoy held talks on the Ukraine war and bilateral relations with Ukraine’s ambassador, without providing further details.
Weapons:
– NATO Secretary-General emphasized Ukraine’s urgent need for more air defense systems, as Kyiv’s foreign minister urged allies for more Patriot systems.
– The European Commission noted signs of China supplying dual-use components to Russia that could be used for weapons manufacturing.