QUICK READ April 23: UN Secretary-General meets Putin first and then Zelensky

A Ukrainian walks past the rubble of damaged buildings in Borodianka, April 22, 2022 – Photo: Anadolu Agency

* According to the Guardian newspaper on April 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said life is returning to normal in many regions country after the withdrawal of Russian forces. According to him, so far, 184 settlements have been cleared of bombs and mines. Mr. Zelensky said there is still work to be done, but progress is now quite good.

* According to Reuters news agency, British military intelligence said on April 23 that Russian forces had not made any major progress in the past 24 hours despite increased activity. Ukrainian counter-attacks continue to hamper their efforts in the Donbass region.

* The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on April 22 that the agency’s expert team, led by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, will to Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26 to help ensure the safety of this facility.

The delegation will provide important equipment and assess the level of radiation at the plant, as well as repair the system to monitor the protection measures remotely at the factory. This system did not transmit data to the headquarters of IAEA since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

* Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said Canada “stands with Ukraine”. “We have coordinated with the US to transfer some M777 howitzers and related ammunition to the Ukrainian forces. We have also supplied Ukraine with Carl Gustaf grenade launchers and we will provide armored vehicles and other equipment. other support,” she wrote on her official Twitter account.

* April 22, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova summoned the Russian ambassador, stressed the country is a neutral country and asked Russia to continue to respect this as other parties. According to Reuters, the incident took place after a Russian military commander announced that the establishment of a road corridor connecting Russia’s territory and the Crimean peninsula would open the way for Transnistria, a separatist region in Moldova.

* “We are absolutely certain Ukraine will win in this war and victory will come in a short time,” UKraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told CNN when asked about British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s earlier assessment that hostilities in Ukraine would last until 2023. and the possibility of Russia winning is still there.

* “During the process of trying to stabilize the ship, 1 service member was killed and 27 other members of the crew went missing. The remaining 396 crew members were evacuated,” the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed. specified in the announcement on the morning of April 23 (Vietnam time).

The image, shared by several military analysts and open intelligence sources, shows the scene of a ship resembling the cruiser Moskva before it sank – Photo: TWITTER

This is the first time Moscow has spoken out about loss of life on cruiser Moskva. The ship sank on April 14 after an explosion in an ammunition depot, according to the Russian side’s explanation, and an unsuccessful attempt to put out the fire.

Meanwhile, some officials Ukraine and US intelligence confirmed that the Ukrainian military fired a Neptune anti-ship missile that sank the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet.

The flagship Moscow – the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – has an official number of 680 members, but no one knows how many members were on board when the ship was operating at the time of the fire.

* Interfax news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as confirming Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres will arrive in Moscow on April 26. Guterres will hold “negotiations” with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Guterres’ spokesman said the trip will focus on urgent measures to restore peace in Ukraine and relations between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the future presidents of the two countries.

On April 28, Guterres will visit Ukraine and meet with Ukraine’s foreign minister and President Zelensky.

* Russia is starting to withdraw elite units from Mariupol after taking control of this important port city, according to the AP News Agency on April 23.

Quoting Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defense council, the AP said at least 12 Russian combat units had withdrawn from Mariupol and were moving towards other fighting points in eastern UKraine.

Ukrainian engineers go to mine mines in the Kiev area on April 21, after the withdrawal of Russian forces – Photo: REUTERS

* On April 22, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the country will provide self-propelled artillery to Ukraine, in the context of an increasing number of Western countries transferring heavy weapons to Kiev.

Speaking to the newspaper Ouest-FrancePresident Macron stated: “We will provide important equipment, from Milan (anti-tank missiles) to Caesar (self-propelled artillery)”.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Florence Parly confirmed on Twitter that France would send “several Caesar cannons and thousands of shells”.

* In the recorded message broadcast at the end of April 22 (Vietnam time), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of trying to attack other countries and Ukraine is just the first place.

He cited the words of a senior Russian officer, who claimed that establishing a land corridor linking Russia with the breakaway eastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula would create “an exit for Transistria”. This is a breakaway enclave in Moldova, a country that is neither part of the European Union (EU) nor NATO.

Caesar self-propelled artillery that France will send to Ukraine – Photo: AFP

* In a notice broadcast late on April 22 (Vietnam time), the Russian Defense Ministry said: Russian engineering forces have gained control of a large ammunition depot in the Kharkov . region.

According to the Russian side, this warehouse is located on an area of ​​several hundred hectares and contains thousands of tons of ammunition of all kinds dating from the Soviet era (old) and newly arrived Western-made weapons.

* Satellite images obtained by the United Nations Satellite Center confirmed the Massive destruction of civilian infrastructure around Kievthe capital of Ukraine.

According to UN spokeswoman Eri Kaneko, about 77% of the city of Horenka, 71% of the city of Irpin and 58% of the city of Hostomel had been damaged or destroyed as of the end of March.

Uragan rockets of Russian forces are collected by Ukrainian engineers in Kiev on April 21 – Photo: REUTERS

* The territory of Taiwan (China) will provide an additional 8 million USD to Ukraine, including 3 million for the Kiev government and 5 million for 6 other hospitals in the country. The announcement was made after a phone call between the head of Taiwan’s foreign ministry Joseph Wu and the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, on April 22.

* Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed The West is transferring the weapons that Kiev requested and thank you to these countries. He described these as weapons that “will help save thousands of lives” but did not elaborate on the type or number.

* Pentagon spokesman John Kirby expects at least 20 countries to attend a meeting focused on responding to requests for long-term military assistance from Ukraine. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Germany on April 26 and more than 40 countries have received invitations.