Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 376.
As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes gathers information and provides updates on the situation.c
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 13 of 15 drones launched by Russian forces tonight against several communities. No civilian casualties have been reported so far.
In video footage circulated online yesterday, Russian troops shot to death an unarmed Ukrainian prisoner of war for spelling out “Slava Ukraini!” (Glory to Ukraine!). The Ukrainian President’s Office decried the killing as another Russian war crime.
General Oleksandr Syrskyy, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces, made yet another visit to units defending Bakhmut and its suburbs yesterday. With additional Wagner forces now engaged, the fighting there is more intense than ever. Gen. Syrskyy praised the Ukrainian army for protecting the city and draining Russia’s capacity to wage war.
The Ukrainian government has appointed Semen Kryvonis chief of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, Prime Minister Shmyhal announced yesterday. The government made the appointment pursuant to a transparent process that involved participation by three international partners in reviewing three final candidates. “Ukraine has now fulfilled all seven EU recommendations” bearing on the start of negotiations for membership in the EU, Shmyhal stated.
Diplomatic efforts to bring the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) under Ukrainian oversight have reached a complete stalemate, says Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. “Our position, voiced on all international platforms, boils down to the fact that any negotiations regarding the ZNPP should be based on: firstly, the plant’s demilitarization, and secondly, the exit of Rosatom employees from the ZNPP. Thirdly, Ukrainian personnel should be given the opportunity to operate a nuclear facility calmly, without pressure. But in response to this, we receive a worthless decree from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin stating that the ZNPP is a ‘federal’ property, with the registration of the corresponding company in Moscow titled ‘Zaporizka Station’.” Halushchenko’s ministry has received “alarming” messages from International Atomic Energy Agency staff at the site that the Russians are operating it in such a way that the equipment and facilities are significantly deteriorating.
A Russian ship under sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury, reportedly carrying military cargo, has entered the Black Sea under Russian naval escort via the Turkish-controlled Bosporus straits. The Sparta IV is owned by SC South, a Russian shipping company that transports military equipment. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Government imposed sanctions on both the company and the Sparta IV in particular. The ship recently brought humanitarian aid to the Syrian city of Tartus for victims of the earthquake but left with goods loaded on it at the local Russian naval base.
By Daria Dzysiuk, Alan Sacks