Ukraine has laid thousands of anti-tank mines near its border with Belarus and Russia to fortify defensive positions, Ukraine’s defense ministry said. On Sunday, Russia bombed what Ukrainian officials called an “infrastructure facility” in the Chernihiv region. Social media images suggest a direct hit on a bridge near the Russian border.
(Bloomberg) — Ukraine has laid thousands of anti-tank mines near its border with Belarus and Russia to fortify defensive positions, Ukraine’s defense ministry said. On Sunday, Russia bombed what Ukrainian officials called an “infrastructure facility” in the Chernihiv region. Social media images suggest a direct hit on a bridge near the Russian border.
Leaked Pentagon documents reveal the extent to which Moscow’s intelligence services have been penetrated by the US, the New York Times reported, saying the material provides key insights into a “deeply compromised” Russian military. The source of the leaks remains unknown.
Ukraine’s top central bankers are headed to this week’s International Monetary Fund/World Bank meetings in Washington, which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will also address via video link in a “ministerial roundtable” with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and others.
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Key Developments
- Russia Formally Charges US Journalist With Spying, Tass Says
- Seoul Dismisses Report of US Spying on Allies, Says Ties Strong
- Russia Shrinks Budget Deficit a Little as Spending Growth Slows
- Estonian PM Vows More Defense Spending in New Ruling Coalition
- Russia Says It Cut Oil Output by 700,000 Barrels a Day in March
(All times CET)
Russia to Give Bonuses to Troops Who Damage NATO Tanks: NYT (5:30 p.m.)
Russia’s military is planning to pay bonuses to troops able to damage or destroy tanks that NATO countries are donating to Ukraine, according to the New York Times, citing recently leaked US intelligence documents.
The incentive is part of a large range of measures engineered to boost flagging troop morale. “Financial incentives would be offered for the capture and destruction of foreign tanks, and videos of tanks being destroyed would be widely distributed,” according to the document, which was labeled top secret.
Challenger 2 tanks from the UK and German Leopard 2 tanks were among the first to arrive in Ukraine. The US plans to deliver M1 Abrams main battle tanks by the end of the year.
Russian Missile Hit Infrastructure in Chernihiv Region (3:06 p.m.)
A missile launched from an aircraft on Russian territory hit an unspecified “infrastructure facility” in the northern Chernihiv region, Ukraine’s northern operation command said on Telegram. Images on social media suggests a direct hit to a bridge identified as spanning the Sudost River near the Russian border.
Separately, a Russian drone was downed in the neighboring Sumy region. Authorities determined the UAV was a Russian-made ZALA 421-16 attack drone, authorities said.
Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s top aide, said on Telegram that Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region had been shelled, with two civilians injured and residential homes damaged.
Ukraine Central Bank Chiefs Heads to World Bank/IMF Meeting (11:21 a.m.)
Ukraine’s central bank governor Andriy Pyshnyi and deputy Serhiy Mykolaychuk have left for Washington to join the annual spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, according to a Facebook post.
The pair will meet with leaders of the IMF and World back as well as the US Treasury Department and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, among others. Pyshnyi is set to discuss the fulfillment of Ukraine’s memorandum with IMF, ways to strengthen sanctions against Russia and Ukraine’s post-war recovery.
Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal are scheduled to address the meeting on Wednesday in a live-streamed discussion with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and others.
Poland Will Deliver 200 Rosomak APCs to Ukraine (9 a.m.)
Poland will ship 100 KTO Rosomak armed personnel carriers to Ukraine now and another 100 later, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Saturday in his nightly video address. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s office last week announced plans to sign a letter of intend between Zelenskiy and Morawiecki on APC deliveries.
Ukraine Fortifies Border With Belarus and Russia With Anti-Tank Mines (8 a.m.)
Ukraine has laid more than 6,000 anti-tank mines along its northern border with Belarus and Russia to fortify its defenses there, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev said in a statement posted on social media by Ukraine’s defense ministry.
“Anti-tank minefields are being created in tank accessible areas and probable paths of pushing the enemy deep into our territory which are roads, forest lanes, bridges, power lines, etc.,” Nayev said in a Facebook post.
Two Civilians Killed in Russian Strike on Zaporizhzhia (7 a.m.)
Two civilians — an 11-year-old girl and her father — were killed when a Russian missile hit a residential building in Zaporizhzhia overnight, state emergency services said. The wife and mother of the victims was pulled from the wreckage.
Two missiles destroyed one building and damaged dozens of others during the overnight strike, said city council secretary Anatoliy Kurtev.
Leaked Documents Show Russia’s Military Struggles: NYT (6 a.m.)
Leaked Pentagon documents reveal the extent to which Moscow’s security and intelligence services have been penetrated by the US, the New York Times reported, saying the material has provided key insight into a “deeply compromised” Russian military.
The documents portray a “battered Russian military” — as well as US assessments the struggles of Ukraine’s armed forces, the newspaper reported.
The source of the leaks remains unknown. The material, mostly dated from late February and early March, has appeared on social media sites in recent days. “The trove of documents offers perhaps the most complete picture yet of the inner workings of the largest land war in Europe in decades,” the New York Times said.
Ukraine Deputy FM Minister Visits India (5 a.m.)
Ukraine’s first deputy foreign minister is in India for talks with the minster of external affairs and other top officials. In the first visit by a Ukrainian official since Russia’s invasion over a year ago, Emine Dzhaparova is expected to “send a strong message for peace,” according to local media.
During the four-day stay, Dzhaparova will ask India for more humanitarian aid and for equipment to help repair energy facilities damaged during a winter of Russian missile attacks, The Hindu newspaper reported. Ukraine hopes to get an invitation from India to participate in the G-20 summit in New Delhi in September.
Ukraine Brings Back 31 Children from Russia (4:30 p.m.)
Ukraine is repatriating 31 children who were illegally deported to Russia, Mykola Kuleba, head of the NGO “Save Ukraine,” said during an online briefing. It was the fifth such mission and one of the largest since Russia’s invasion over a year ago. The kids are expected to arrive in Kyiv on Saturday.
Relatives of the children need to endure lengthy interrogations by the Russian security agency FSB before being allowed to pick up their children. Two other kids were unable to return after their grandmother, who traveled to bring them home, died during the trip.
Kuleba estimated 19,500 Ukrainian children are being held in Russia. The total number of Ukrainian children in Russia and in Russia-occupied territories may be as high as 1.5 million, he said.
Ukraine Says Russia Preparing to Evacuate Civilians to Crimea (4 p.m.)
Russia has intensified preparations to evacuate civilians to Crimea from the occupied parts of Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Ukraine’s general staff said on Facebook.
Residents of the occupied cities of Melitopol and Skadovsk are being surveyed on personal details, from whether they hold a Russian passport to their level of education. “Buses with those willing to evacuate are reported to periodically depart,” the general staff said, and occupying officials “are spreading information that the forced evacuation of civilians will begin in late April.”
The efforts come ahead of a potential counteroffensive by Kyiv to recapture territory held by Kremlin forces since shortly after the February 2022 invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin formally annexed the regions in October in defiance of international law.
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