Fight for Donbas: The AFU Repels Attacks of Russian Occupiers

Highlights of the 57th day of the war.

The Russian army is holding an offensive in the eastern direction. Combat operations are underway in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Mariupol, which is besieged by the occupiers, is still fighting. The AFU is successfully counterattacking and also conducting a tactical offensive in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.

Charter97.org is broadcasting the 57th day of the war in Ukraine. One can watch the developments in Ukraine on April 20 in our previous online broadcast.

Special broadcast by Ukraine 24 TV channel

23:44 World-famous Ukrainian women speak in support of the defenders of their Motherland.

23:23 Washington Post: Ukraine have more tanks on the ground than Russia.

As a result of 57 days of the war, the Russian occupiers lost hundreds of military vehicles, while the Armed Forces of Ukraine regularly receive assistance from the allies. As a result, the Ukrainian military has more combat-ready tanks and armoured vehicles on the ground than the enemy.

23:01 Forbes has calculated how much the wealth of Russian billionaires has decreased this year due to sanctions.

In total, against the backdrop of restrictions, the top dozen rich people from Russia lost $108.5 billion. The total fortune of Russians included in the global Forbes list decreased from $606.2 billion to $352.8 billion.

22:46 Andrey Piontkovsky believes that Putin's failure will be obvious in a few days. After the failure near Kyiv, the Kremlin decided to create at least some kind of illusion that could be “sold” to a philistine, but even this did not work.

22:35 Putin and his tiktokers speak about "full control of Mariupol except for Azovstal", but the reality is a bit different.

Andriushchenko, the advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, published a video of "full control": the battle is further than the factory fence in the streets.

22:22 Another destruction of the military equipment of the occupiers was caught on video.

22:15 Volodymyr Zelensky created the National Council for the Reconstruction of Ukraine after the war.

It will include the head of the President's Office, his deputies, heads of all committees of the Verkhovna Rada, deputy prime ministers and all ministers.

22:02 Ukrainian show business is more than ever united by a common idea and a thirst for victory.

The song “Razom Do Peremogi” (Together to Victory) was created with the support of the Masha Efrosinina's Charitable Foundation, and a fundraiser was also opened for victims of the war in Ukraine.

21:45 UnionPay has decided to terminate cooperation with Russian banks that have fallen under Western sanctions.

Sberbank, Alfa-Bank, and many other banks will not be able to issue a common card of the two payment systems Mir - UnionPay.

21:39 The terrorist Strelkov-Girkin is holding press conferences that are alternative to the brave reports of the Russian Ministry of Defence. According to him, Putin's military adventure turned into a complete failure.

21:33 The assault group of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Transcarpathian Brigade destroyed a Russian T-72 tank with the Ukrainian Stugna anti-tank missile system from a record distance of 4.5 km.

21:08 President of the European Council Charles Michel said that the European Union agreed to purchase heavy weapons for donation to Ukraine.

20:53 As previously reported, today one of the air defence units of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down the Russian multi-purpose unmanned aerial system Orlan-10.

In the video, Ukrainian paratroopers find a downed UAV and take a war trophy.

20:37 The operation of the aerial reconnaissance unit of the Azov Dnipro Territorial Defence.

20:28 US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen explained her walkout at the G20 meeting because of Russia.

“I think that participation in these forums requires countries to adhere to the fundamental norms and values that underpin international cooperation. Russia's behaviour is so offensive to international norms that we don't want to allow Russia to participate or listen to what the Russians want to say."

20:14 The commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, Admiral Igor Osipov, was arrested in Russia. The reason for the arrest was the loss of the cruiser Moskva.

20:07 Defender of the national team of Ukraine and the FC Dynamo Kyiv Oleksandr Karavaev could not hold tears, speaking at a press conference after the match in Romania against the local FC CFR Cluj.

This charity match as part of the "Match for Peace! Stop the War!” tour took place in the city of Cluj-Napoca and ended in a goalless draw.

At the end of the interview with journalists, Karavaev was offered to address his compatriots who remained at home and those who protect the country from Russian occupiers.

“Thank you very much, I bow down before you. Because they protect our land...” Karavaev began but did not finish because of tears.

19:44 The British Ministry of Defence has published a new map of hostilities in Ukraine.

19:26 The UN will provide Ukraine with 50 million dollars. This is the largest amount ever allocated by the UN.

Most of the money will go to help victims of sexual violence.

19:18 Yakymivka, Melitopol district. A local resident tore off the flag of the occupiers and threw it in the trash.

19:14 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) implemented the decision to expel Russia from the Council of Europe and suspended all relations of the Assembly with the Lukashenka regime as a participant in the aggression against Ukraine. Belarus did not have the status of a member of the Council of Europe, the country had the status of an observer.

18:55 Today, near Izyum, Ukrainian soldiers made a severe nightmare for Russian artillery.

Approximately two 2A65 (Msta-B) howitzers and three vehicles with ammo were destroyed in the action.

18:34 They began to set fire to military registration and enlistment offices in order to stop military recruitment in Russia. At least five cases have been reported since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Such cases occurred in Lukhovitsy, Moscow Region, Voronezh, Berezovsky, Sverdlovsk Region, Shuya, Ivanovo Region, and Zubova Polyana, Mordovia.

18:25 Representatives of the Jewish community of Kyiv visited the Berkovets cemetery and recorded there the results of rocket attacks by Russian Nazis.

18:17 Right now, the Nazis are bombing and shelling Azovstal. Petro Andriushchenko, the adviser to the deputy head of the city of Mariupol, reported it.

Also, according to him, there are fights at the tram depot far from the plant.

17:58 The Verkhovna Rada exempted from taxes the payment for the enemy vehicles transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As promised by Ukraine, the payment will range from 10,000 to 1 million dollars, depending on the type of the vehicle and its conditions.

17:47 In the city of Kineshma, Ivanovo region of the Russian Federation, a fire broke out at the Dmitrievsky Chemical Plant.

The Dmitrovsky Chemical Plant is the largest manufacturer of industrial solvents in Russia and Eastern Europe and a supplier of a wide range of chemical and petrochemical products.

17:39 The moment of yesterday's shelling in one of the districts of Kharkiv. People were just miraculously saved.

17:29 A resident of Moscow was fined for wearing blue and yellow sneakers. He just went shopping, but the police detained him and accused him of participating in an unauthorized protest because of the shoes.

17:20 The President of the United States officially announced a ban on Russian ships from entering American seaports.

Biden also said that the United States would continue to provide Ukraine with intelligence and launch a refugee program.

17:11 The Verkhovna Rada adopted in general the draft law on Amendments to the Ukrainian law "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2022".

The draft law is supposed to increase the Reserve Fund of the State Budget of Ukraine by UAH 200 billion for the needs of the defence sector.

17:04 An enemy K-52 Alligator helicopter was destroyed today in the Zaporizhzhia region by an air defence MPADS’s unit of the National Guard of Ukraine.

16:51 Small business resumes activities in Ukraine. This is evidenced by the results of the second survey by the European Business Association among the representatives of the MPB, participants in the Unlimit Ukraine project. The number of non-operating enterprises has significantly decreased, there are 26%, while a month ago there were 42%. 17% of the small businesses surveyed have already resumed operations after a temporary shutdown and another 23% are preparing to resume.

16:40 Another destruction of the equipment of the invaders was caught on video. The Stugna missile system continues to smash Russian tanks.

16:29 “Here we had twenty-five civilians, they went by bus. They were killed,” the occupant admits and says that they were given a medal for this.

The second talks about his plans to rape a Ukrainian woman, and calls it a date.

16:18 The European Union will not remove sanctions against Russia as long as Russian troops remain in Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated this during a press conference with her Estonian colleague Eva-Maria Liimets.

“The EU will not retreat from the sanctions until Putin's weapons fall silent and he withdraws his troops from Ukraine. We will further increase the pressure on the Russian military machine and at the same time, we will do everything to further support Ukraine with weapons and equipment. Because it is quite clear that the courageous Ukrainian soldiers are protecting not only Ukraine but also our European peace order and our freedom,” Baerbock said.

16:07 The building of the Defence Research Institute in Tver burned to the ground.

Five people died and 20 were injured. The Iskanders and the S-400 missiles were developed at the institute.

15:55 The video collection of damaged Russian military equipment by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

15:44 Twenty-three former Ukrainian people's deputies of the "Opposition Platform — For Life" pro-Russian faction, whose activities were suspended, created a new deputy group "Platform for Life and Peace".

15:41 In New York, activists made the flag of Ukraine with light at the Nebenzya's, Russia's representative to the UN, residence.

15:39 The Verkhovna Rada extended martial law in Ukraine from April 25 for another month.

15:27 Residents of Bucha bury their relatives who had been killed by Russian fascists.

15:22 In the Zaporizhzhia direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a Ka-52 helicopter and a Mi-8 not far from Malinivka.

15:17 Soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroy enemies in the Kharkiv region.

15:15 Iryna Vereshchuk reported on the results of the next exchange of prisoners. 19 people were returned from captivity: 10 military and 9 civilians.

15:07 Chechen volunteers from the Sheikh Mansur's Battalion fighting for Ukraine showed a captured Russian tank.

15:03 Kadyrov promised Putin to kill Zelensky. The head of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov shared information from intelligence.

14:54 AFU fighters start up a trophy IFV-2. The "Z" signs have already been painted over.

14:49 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that if Russia uses weapons of mass destruction, London reserves the right to retaliate without consulting NATO.

14:47 Mariupol mayor says almost all men of the city went through Russian prisons and torture.

14:40 Poster by Belarusian artist Vladimir Tsesler.

14:37 Things are so bad in Russia that it is collecting underwear for soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

14:34 Russian propagandist Simonyan banned father of sailor killed on Moskva cruiser.

14:24 Prime ministers of Denmark and Spain on the streets of Borodyanka. They are shocked by Russian atrocities in this Ukrainian town.

14:14 Former Rada MP and traitor to the Ukrainian people Ilya Kiva has requested political asylum and citizenship in Russia.

14:10 The German government is preparing to supply Ukraine with Soviet-era T-72 tanks via Slovenia on the principle of a so-called feedback, DPA news agency reports.

14:07 SSU reports they have managed to neutralize more than 50 cyber-attacks, dozens of bot farms, as well as block more than 50,000 accounts that were spreading Russian propaganda during the Russian aggression.

13:57 Russia plans to shell road and rail bridges in western Ukraine to slow down the transfer of equipment and weapons from allies.

13:53 Khmelnytsky says goodbye to its heroes. Huge contrast to reports of Russian soldiers rotting in Ukrainian fields and the Russian military command refusing to take them back.

13:43 The work of the Ukrainian Stugna anti-tank missile launcher against the Russian occupiers' T-72.

13:41 Latvia has also recognized the genocide of the Ukrainian people. The country's parliament unanimously passed the decision.

13:29 Russian propaganda has reported today that "life in occupied Kherson has started to get better". However, shop shelves are empty.

13:18 The AFU shot down a Russian fighter jet near Izyum. Video shows pilots ejecting.

13:17 AFU destroys Libyan and Syrian detachment in the Luhansk region, National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine secretary Oleksiy Danilov has said.

13:08 Mariupol defenders destroy occupier's equipment marked "V". Fighting continues in the city despite Russian propaganda claims.

13:07 Estonia has recognised Russia's actions in Ukraine as genocide. The decision was taken by the country's parliament.

12:58 Yandex suspends investments in Russia. The IT giant's parent company, Yandex N.V., is registered in the Netherlands. The suspension of investment relates to "geopolitical tensions" and the effects of sanctions.

12:54 How Ukraine's territorial defence is training to destroy Russian tanks.

12:42 The AFU has demolished an occupant vehicle which was carrying 3OF39 Krasnopol spot high-explosive shells.

12:41 Russian Uragans destroyed by AFU.

12:32 Four Russian billionaires and their families will lose their citizenship in Cyprus.

"Golden passports" obtained through investments will be taken away from Oleg Deripaska, Igor Kesayev, Grigory Berezkin and Alisher Usmanov's sister Gulbahor Ismailova.

12:28 The archive of Ukrainian politician Vyacheslav Chornovol, one of the fathers of the country's independence, has been destroyed in Bucha.

This is reported by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.

12:24 Occupiers isolate seized settlements and shoot volunteers, - SID

Tough situation in the Kharkiv region. Residents have been warned that volunteers who try to deliver aid are being shot dead. The execution of volunteers travelling from SMT Shevchenkovo has recently been reported.

12:22 Latvian parliament approves law to deprive citizenship "for support of Russian military special operation in Ukraine.

12:16 Luhansk OVA governor Serhiy Gaidai denies occupiers' reports about the capture of Rubizhne.

12:04 Croatia's Prime Minister Plenkovic says he is terminating all contacts with President Milanovic. He accused the head of state of being pro-Russian.

12:01 Footage shows destroyed Russian T-72B tank burning down.

11:56 The AFU showed the operation of the Stugna anti-tank missile system, which has become a real threat to Russian equipment.

11:52 About 20 villages are occupied in the Mykolaiv region. The situation is constantly changing.

11:44 98% of Mariupol buildings have been destroyed. Russian aggressors have wiped the city off the face of the earth.

11:34 Pictures taken on 20 April show hundreds of units of Russian military equipment near the village of Soloti, the Valuisky district, Belgorod region. It is preparing for an offensive in Donbas.

11:33 All that remains of Russian APC-3 after encounter with AFU fighters in Donbas.

11:24 A record player from a destroyed house in Mariupol. Another symbol of resilience of Ukrainian people.

11:15 Ukraine demands Russians to open urgent humanitarian corridor from Azovstal. This was announced by the Minister of Reintegration Iryna Vereshchuk. There are 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded on the territory of the industrial zone blocked by the Russian occupiers.

11:10 Austria has stopped importing and refining oil from Russia, oil and gas company OMV says.

11:08 Natallia Radzina, editor-in-chief of Charter97.org, says in an interview with a Ukrainian TV channel: The pressure must continue; changes are possible in Belarus.

11:06 Despite the extremely difficult situation, the Azov regiment has destroyed in the last two days: 3 tanks, 2 IFVs, 1 APC of the Russian occupiers.

10:59 The photo shows 63-year-old Vladimir Lukyanovich from Irpin cooking food on the street. This is the way most residents of this city make food now.

10:55 How the village of Ivankovo became one of the key points in the fight against the occupiers. The village is just 25km from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The Russians attacked the AFU from this very location.

10:48 Destroyed convoy of Russian aggressors with D-30 howitzer.

10:42 Ukrainian intelligence reports the Russian Army is mobilising obsolete Soviet military equipment.

10:35 The UN says a total of 5,034,439 people have left Ukraine since 24 February. Nearly three million of them are now in Poland.

10:34 Russian propagandists no longer shy away from showing the destruction of residential buildings. Footage from Mariupol.

10:29 Gmail has blocked the Russian State Duma's work email without the possibility to restore data.

10:21 Burning tank of occupiers near Izyum, the Kharkiv region.

10:17 Putin called the storming of the Azovstal industrial zone in Mariupol unreasonable, ordered to cancel it. However, to block it. An outpost of the city's defenders is located there.

10:15 The prime ministers of Denmark and Spain have arrived in Kyiv. They will meet with Zelensky.

10:09 The Washington Post has shown a map of military operations in Ukraine.

10:07 Russian Defence Minister Shoygu has reported to Putin on the "liberation" of Mariupol. However, fighting for the city continues.

9:58 Germany has removed all heavy weaponry from its list of military aid to Ukraine at the behest of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the list has been reduced from 48 to 24 pages, Bild reports.

9:55 Crypto currency exchange Binance will restrict access to Russian users. It is reported that customers whose assets exceed 10 thousand euros will be barred from trading.

9:52 This morning in Gomel, a Russian Armed Forces gasoline truck hit a blue civilian Volkswagen. Judging by photos from social networks, the damage is not severe, the protecting hood flew off.

9:43 The mother of a Russian soldier who lives in Volyn addressed her son and urged him to lay down his arms and not to kill his compatriots.

9:39 Russia's offensive on Dnipro is unlikely, as are renewed attempts to seize Kyiv, Ukrainian Defence Ministry says.

9:37 Ukrainian activists film Russian army of marauders and criminals.

9:30 Russia nears sovereign default, Wall Street Journal reports.

US bond market regulators have announced that the Kremlin has failed with its obligations to service Russia's public debt. The Russian Federation has offered lenders interest payments on dollar-denominated bonds in rubles.

9:26 New figures on Russian occupier losses. 21,000 invaders destroyed.

9:19 Ukraine has further reinforced the border with Moldova near self-proclaimed Transnistria to prevent Russian sabotage groups from entering from there.

9:13 Jewellery work by the AFU near Polohy, the Zaporizhzhia region

Another Russian army APC was destroyed this night.

9:10 White House press secretary Jen Psaki says the US will announce a new phase of security assistance to Ukraine at very short notice as Russia's invasion continues.

9:03 The approximate coordinates of the sunken Russian cruiser Moskva have become known.

The remains of the ship locate at 44°56' N 31°44' E, at a depth of 50-60 metres.

8:59 The AFU will hit the Crimean bridge, which Russia is using to reinforce its army, as soon as it gets an opportunity.

The secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, has announced this.

8:55 Russia has already killed 208 children in Ukraine, with 376 wounded.

8:50 Mykolayiv regional head Vitaly Kim trolls Russia. This country has two misfortunes - fools and roads. Well, the greatest misfortune is when a fool shows the way.

8:41 Russia insists on bringing in aggressor Lukashenka as a party to future agreements with Ukraine.

8:38 The war in Ukraine through the eyes of AFU soldiers.

8:31 Russian commanders are likely to want to demonstrate significant gains ahead of Victory Day, and this could affect how quickly and vigorously Russian troops attempt to conduct operations, British intelligence reports.

8:27 The organizers of an Italian regatta have banned 60 Russian yachts from participation.

8:26 Lithuania has handed Ukraine a batch of heavy mortars worth tens of millions of euros, BNS news agency reported, citing the Baltic republic's defence minister, Arvydas Anušauskas.

8:19 The Ukrainian military has inflicted further losses in manpower and equipment on the Russian occupiers at the southern defence borders.

An enemy assault near Oleksandrivka, the Kherson region, was repelled and enemy observation posts were eliminated.

8:15 The enemy attempted to fortify in the western and northwestern parts of Rubizhne, but failed, according to the Luhansk region head Serhiy Gaidai.

8:07 Occupiers in the Kyiv region filled up a car with Ukrainian number plates with looted goods and wanted to take them home, but something went wrong.

8:05 Russia has rejected the "Easter truce" in Ukraine proposed by the UN Secretary General.

Ukraine's representative to the UN has announced this, publishing an excerpt of the Russian representative's speech.

8:02 A Ukrainian soldier against the background of a Russian tank he destroyed.

7:56 Ukrainian fighters demonstrate downed Russian Orlan-10 UAV.

7:55 A multi-storey building in Kharkiv burned down after shelling by Russian troops.

7:54 Two mass graves found in Borodyanka near Kyiv. Many Ukrainians had been tortured by Russian mutilators.

7:52 The AFU eliminated the commander of the second company of the Sparta terrorist battalion, call sign "Vodyanoy", near Avdiivka.

7:45 G7 countries will give Ukraine more than $24bn of extra aid this year and next.

7:40 Ukrainian fighters from the 30th OMBr show the destruction of another Russian tank.

23:57 Special Operations Forces fighters blew up a bridge right in front of a convoy of Russian occupiers.

23:45 A request to circumvent the blocking of the Charter-97 website has entered the top interest of Belarusians.

23:35 The occupiers have received orders to kill all prisoners of war in Popasna, the Luhansk Region, the Ukrainian intelligence service has said, releasing new audio intercepts.

23:23 During the 55 days of the war, 1,800 couples got married in Kyiv. During this period, 1,429 babies were born in Kyiv - 759 boys and 670 girls. Among the newborns there were 32 twins.

23:10 The host of 100k1, Alexander Gurevich, has posted anti-war messages on the Youtube page of Russia 1 TV channel:

"Today I want to talk about the war. Because this is the only thing I can think about. I feel horror and powerlessness! I also thought about my mother-in-law, Ludmila Maksimovna. My mother-in-law was born in Odessa, lived in Kharkiv for a long time on Rymarska Street. She passed away two years ago. I can't imagine how she would have listened to today's news reports about dying soldiers, explosions, civilians in Kyiv and Kharkiv sleeping in the metro, again fleeing the war... I am sure that if my mother-in-law had been alive, she would have found the strength to say: "This war must end! No more war!" But our parents, who lived through that terrible war, have already passed away. So I say these words. These are my words: "This war must end!"