Russian invasion of Ukraine: tanks and rocket attacks on the cities. Breaking news

In the Siverskyi direction, Russian troops are increasing the engineering and fortification equipment of positions in the Bryansk oblast at a distance of up to 3 km from the state border of Ukraine.

Fighting is going on in the Donetsk direction in the areas of Zarichne, Rubizhne and Popasna settlements. In the Severodonetsk direction, the enemy built pontoon bridges across the Krasna River. It is increasing the air defense system in the Avdiivka direction.

The Russians continue to shell Mariupol and block Ukrainian army units in the Azovstal area. The Russian army is trying to establish logistics for the troops, using the railway.

The Russian ionvaders are shelling the positions of the Ukrainian military in the areas of the settlements of Kurulka and Nova Dmytrivka in the Kharkiv oblast. They also conduct air reconnaissance of positions with the help of the Orlan-10 UAV in the areas of the settlements of Barvinkove, Kurulka and Husarivka, - the General Staff.

60th day of the war. New summary from the General Staff as of 06:00.

On the Slobozhanshchyna direction, 60 km from the state border of Ukraine, launchers of mobile short-range ballistic missile system "Iskander-M" are deployed. The Russians continue to block and attack Kharkiv, destroying infrastructure. In the area of the settlement of Korotychi, the Russian occupation forces mined the area so that the Defense Forces of Ukraine could not advance in this direction.

The main updates of the night:

• The Armed Forces of Ukraine regained control over 8 settlements of the Kherson region - Operational Command South.
• The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, greeted Ukrainians on Easter.
• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will visit the Turkish capital Ankara before his visits to Russia and Ukraine. He will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as Turkey is an important location for humanitarian talks between Ukraine and Russia. This was reported by Reuters.
• Britain will return its embassy to Kyiv next week, showing support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this to President Volodymyr Zelensky in a telephone conversation on April 23, the press service of the British government reports.
• The US state of West Virginia will send M-113 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine at the request of the Ministry of Defense - the number is "not disclosed". These armored vehicles are used to move soldiers, providing them with protection from small arms fire, Voice of America reports.
• Germany uses the experience of World War II to document Russia's war crimes in Ukraine. The Pilecki Institute in Berlin uses its research on studing Nazi crimes and the testimony of Ukrainian refugees, writes Reuters.
• Christ is Risen! Metropolitan Epiphanius congratulated Ukrainians on Easter.
• The World Health Organization warns that the health care system in eastern Ukraine has been destroyed by a full-scale Russian invasion, threatening the lives of thousands of people in Mariupol and other besieged cities. WHO calls on to provide access to affected areas. This was reported by the Voice of America.
• On April 23, the Russian invaders came under attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of Kiselyovka settlement, where they were gathering forces for the offensive. The enemy retreated with heavy losses. This was reported by the Operational Command South. Total losses of the Russian occupiers in the south: 74 Russians; 13 units of equipment.
• Russia is blocking economic data, hiding the impact of Western sanctions. The Kremlin is working on a bill which will ban creditors from exchanging data with foreign countries. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal.
• Russia is protecting the Crimean bridge from possible missile and bomb strikes. At the moment, the bridge is not in danger. This was stated by Advisor to the chief of the president’s office Oleksiy Arestovych in an interview with Mark Feigin on April 23.
• The Netherlands is considering the World Bank's trust fund mechanism as an opportunity for additional financial support for Ukraine during the war. The country also stated its readiness to join the financing of Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and to involve other governments in the initiative. This was reported by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
• As of April 22, Poland has received almost 3 million Ukrainian refugees. This was reported by the Polish Border Guard Service on Twitter.
• On April 23, several villages in the Sumy oblast came under artillery fire from Russia - the invaders fired with mortars and heavy artillery the two settlements in the Konotop district. People were not injured. This was announced by the head of the Sumy Regional Military State Administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyi.
• Turkey has closed its airspace to Russian civilian and military aircraft flying from Russia to Syria. This was stated by Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu, writes Al-Jazera.
• The Russian invaders will need at least five days to restore command after the Armed Forces destroyed the 49th Army's frontline command post. In addition, due to the elimination of enemy ammunition depots in this direction, Russian artillerymen will have to save shells. This was stated by Advisor to the chief of the president’s office Oleksiy Arestovych in an interview with Mark Feigin on April 23.

• After talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured that he would continue to provide military aid to Ukraine. He stressed that the British government is helping to gather evidence of war crimes, as Russia must be held accountable for its actions. He wrote about this on Facebook.

• All Russian war criminals will be justly punished for the murders they commit. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video address on April 23.

• The OSCE uses all available channels to facilitate the release of its staff detained and imprisoned in Donetsk and Luhansk. The organization condemned Russia for refusing to continue the mission in the east of Ukraine. This was reported by Reuters.

• In the evening of April 23 in the Odesa oblast, soldiers of the Anti-Aircraft Defense Rocket Forces of the Ukrainian Air Force shot down two Russian cruise missiles, which were launched from the Black Sea by a Russian ship and flew in the direction of the South Port. This was reported on Facebook by the Operational Command South.

• During the day on April 23, units of the Anti-Aircraft Defense Rocket Forces of the Ukrainian Air Force and the Ground Forces hit 17 air targets of the Russian invaders. This was reported by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

• Russia's mobilization of Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories is a violation of the Geneva Convention. This is stated in the report of British intelligence on April 23.

• The Russian invader kidnapped the honorary consul of Bulgaria in the temporarily occupied Melitopol. They also kidnap local businessmen and people who do not hide their patriotism. Attempts are made to mobilize some of them into the Russian army. This was stated by the mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov on a telethon.

• The "Yuzhnoukrainsk" nuclear power plant was officially renamed to "Pivdennoukrainsk". At the request of the State Language Protection Commissioner Taras Kremin the relevant decision was made by Energoatom.

• During today's shelling of Odessa by the Russian invaders, their missiles, in addition to a 16-storey residential building, hit one of the city cemeteries - more than 1,000 square meters were destroyed. This was reported by the Telegram channel of the Odesa City Council.

• Advisor to the chief of the president’s office Oleksiy Arestovych said that, "according to some sources," the Russian invaders are going to escort Ukrainian prisoners of war through the streets of temporarily occupied Donetsk and Mariupol during the May 9 parade. He said this on the air of "Feygin Live".

The occupiers have shelled the psychoneurological residential care facility in the Sumy Region, Head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyi reports.

“As a result of the enemy shelling in the village of Atynske, all windows and doors have been shattered in the local psychoneurological residential care facility. There are no civilian casualties,” he wrote.

Also, in the village of Boyaro-Lezhachi, the private house grounds were damaged, with no casualties.

The Russian troops have destroyed the memorial monument of Metropolitan bishop Ihnatiy, one of the founders of Mariupol. The landmark was located near a church in the Livoberezhnyi District of the city, Mariupol City Council reports.

Ukraine and Poland have signed a memorandum to create a joint logistics venture and boost the volumes of railway transportation of Ukrainian exports to the EU and global markets through Europe.

As a part of the new company’s setup, railway routes will be expanded for the goods that can’t be delivered via the ports blocked by Russians.

Today, 23 April, the Joint Forces Operation troops have fended off 12 enemy attacks, destroying 4 tanks, 5 artillery systems, 15 armour, 1 AFV, and 4 automotive materiel.

Also, the air defence detachments shot down 1 warplane (Su-25), 1 cruise missile, and 3 drones (Orlan-10) in the sky of Donbas.

Mykola Tyshchenko, a Servant of the People PD, has been awarded an honorary weapon “for the work in service of the Archangel Michael battalion”.

The video of Tyshchenko’s conferral has been published by former Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Bohdan.

The PD received the honorary Stechkin pistol for the “selfless defence of Mukacheve”.

In Mykolaiv, locals report explosions, too.

Explosions have been heard in Odesa

The Kyiv Hero City obelisk on the Victory Square in Kyiv has been “deleninized” on the “proletariat leader’s” birthday.

The monument in the central part of the Ukrainian capital also had the depictions of the highest awards of the USSR—the Order of Lenin and the Golden Star medal. The statue of Lenin has been toppled today by concerned activists.

Photo: Marko Melnyk

A Ukrainian firefighter saves books from a building destroyed by bombing in Chernihiv.
Photo: Emilio Morenatti, AP

Today, Russian troops attacked twice in the area supervised by the East Operative Tactical Command, and the fights continue to this moment. Ukrainian defenders have destroyed:

Up to 150 personnel
2 tanks
1 fighting vehicle
8 APCs
3 AFVs
1 multi-purpose light-armoured towing vehicle
3 motor vehicles
2 artillery systems
1 warplane
1 drone

Just Kyiv residents singing in the city metro.

“The word ‘authorities’ doesn’t make people sick anymore,” Zelenskyy said.

“Ukraine has done everything it could. We are so united now. More importantly, though, we need to stay united—until the war ends and after it ends. We are so united! The word ‘authorities’ doesn’t make people sick anymore. And I’m truly proud of it. I am not ashamed of being this country’s leader. And I believe that uniting our efforts is our big victory and our big weapon.”

Zelenskyy said what he would discuss with Putin:

“The issues I would discuss with the Russian president concern exclusively—exclusively—the things of interest to me as the President of Ukraine. It’s the issue of our territorial integrity. It’s these issues that I would discuss with him: what’s next for our Ukrainian Donbas and our Crimea. What we could agree on in their regard, if we could at all.”

Meanwhile, on the occupied territories...

The image of the old woman, who met the Ukrainian troops with the Victory Banner will be put on the propulsion rocket of Roskosmos during one of the next launches, the state corporation’s director Dmitry Rogozin said.

Zelenskyy on global leaders visiting Kyiv:

“We are not a country for tragic selfies—we have a real war here. Therefore, you are welcome to visit,but remember that it’s not the time to come to us empty-handed. We expect not just any present or a cake, but specific things and specific weapons.”

“We never ask or demand anything from the countries incapable of helping us,” he added.

Zelenskyy: Ukraine would never use nuclear weapons if we had them because we are totally sane people. Any president of our country who so much as stretched their hand toward the nuclear button would have been swept away by our people, and I would be the first among them.

The most unfair thing about it is that [the Russian higher-ups] are capable of that deep inside, so they think others are capable of it, too. Therefore, the risks of the Russian Federation launching the war would have been minimized had we had nuclear weaponry.

Zelenskyy on the involvement of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in negotiations: “As far as I know, he visited Kyiv. However, I’m not ready to discuss the format of his meeting.”

The world history textbooks will include a new word—ruscism. The word is new, unlike the Russians’ deeds—they are the same as 80 ago, Zelenskyy emphasized.

Zelenskyy informed that the death toll of today’s Russian missile strike on Odesa increased to 8 people. “A three-month-old child was killed. He was born when the war broke out. Stinking scumbags!”

If our people get killed in Mariupol or pseudo-referendums are held in the occupied territories [Kherson Region, specifically], Ukraine will withdraw from the negotiations with Russia, Zelenskyy said during the press conference.

The IMF has opened a special account under its administration for the aid allocated for Ukraine, Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal informs.

“We are hoping to allocate a part of SDR available on all partner countries’ accounts to fund the defence of our country, fulfil our social obligations and support the Ukrainian economy.”

Zelenskyy: There has been no war of this kind in the world, and it can’t be compared to no other—all experts say it. The Russian Federation has suffered no losses this high in any war it began, nor showed such a level of “military arrogance”—tortures and violence.

The President informs that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin will arrive in Ukraine tomorrow, 24 April.

The Kremlin is shocked by how much hate the Russian people show towards Ukrainians. This is what they have managed to achieve with their propaganda, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy: I think most Ukrainians are ready to protect their motherland, and I am thrilled to live in such a country. We will be such a country [like Israel]. Moreover, we are such a country.

I believe we will become one of the strongest countries in Europe— not because we are special, though we subjectively are, but because we have no other choice.

Zelenskyy holds a press conference for Ukrainian and international mass media.

The occupiers have been shelling the Hirske community in Luhansk Region today, killing another four people, Head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Serhiy Haidai informs.

Two residents of Zolote were killed by the shelling at about 3 PM. Also, several people were injured. Sadly, some of them were beyond saving. More dead bodies were discovered later. Overall, six deaths have been confirmed in the community so far.

During today’s shelling of Odesa, Russian missiles hit one of the city’s cemeteries, destroying over 1,000 sq m of its territory, Odesa mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov informs.

Turkey has closed its airspace in the direction of Syria for Russian aircraft, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British PM Boris Johnson have discussed the newest round of military aid to Ukraine, which will include heavy weaponry, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andiy Yermak informs.

Three police officers and one woman were injured as a result of the most recent shelling of Kharkiv, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office reports.

A 62-year-old woman was injured as a result of the most recent shelling of Kharkiv that damaged a mall and nearby residential buildings. Police officers arrived to rescue the injured woman, but the occupiers started shelling the city again.

The emergency responders have extinguished the fire that broke out in the 16-storey residential building in Odesa as a result of the Russian missile strikes on the city, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reports.

At about 2:35 PM on 23 April, a Russian missile hit a 16-storey residential building in the Kyivskyi District of Odesa, causing fire on its 4th and 5th storeys. The fire had been confined to the area of 220 sq m by 3:54 PM and extinguished at about 5 PM.

So far, 6 dead, including 1 child, and 18 injured have been confirmed. Two people have been rescued from under the rubble, and 86 residents have been evacuated. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has involved 96 emergency response personnel and 18 fire engines. The emergency response activities continue.

The threat of another missile strike on Odesa persists, Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration Maksym Marchenko reports.

Update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 6 PM:

• The enemy forces are trying to ramp up armed hostilities in the East and surround the Ukrainian troops.
• The situation is unchanged in the Volyn and Polissia directions.
• In the direction of Slobozhanshchyna, the Russians continue to partially block Kharkiv, shelling the Ukrainian positions.
• In the directions of Donetsk and Tavria, the invaders have focused on taking Popasna and Rubizhne as well as on the preparations for an advance toward Severodonetsk. Near Mariinka and in most other directions, the enemy’s efforts have been vain.
• The occupiers have attempted no advances in the Southern Buh direction, resorting to sporadic artillery strikes instead.
• The Russians have problems with medical support for their troops. In Balakliia, Kharkiv Region, the invaders are using a local outpatient hospital in addition to their field hospital.
• In the occupied Vovchansk, the Russians forced local medics to help them on the frontline.
  Also, Russian troops are trying to offset the personnel shortages by forcibly mobilizing locals in the Kherson Region.
• Moreover, the Russian army has been using civilian lorries to move military consignments and stealing agricultural machinery.

Zelenskyy: This is what Mariupol looked like before the Russian invasion— a beautiful city with a half-a-million-strong population. Now, there is no undamaged building in it. Mariupol is no more, like Viktor Dedov, who shot these pictures.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is among the five recipients of this year’s Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, according to the foundation’s press release.

A Russian missile stroke the suburbs of a village in the Dnipro region and hit a gas pipe, the head of the region Valentyn Reznichenko informs. Specialists are working there now.

Graffiti in Pavlohrad

Sappers in the Dnipro region neutralized an operational part of the enemy missile that did not explode.

Video of the destructions of an apartment building in Odesa where Russian missile hit:

Two peaceful citizens blew up o a mine in the Zolochiv community. Both died. They came to visit their mother. The information is provided by the head of the Zolochiv community Victor Kovalenko.

On the day of April 23, preliminary, four people are injured in Kharkiv and two people are injured in the Chuhuiv region as a result of the shelling, the Emergency Medical Center informs.

Andriy Yermak in his interview with a French issue TF1 talks on Mariupol. In particular, he says that the Russians launched another fake about full control of the city. The head of the President's Office assures that the fight for the city continues and the Ukrainian military stay in constant contact with military command despite the complicated situation.

The Russians thwarted the evacuation of the residents from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia again. Instead, they arranged their own one and fraudulently put Mariupol residents in their buses, which were going to the occupied territory to the city of Dokuchaevsk, the deputy mayor of Mariupol Petro Andryushchenko informs.

5 Ukrainians died, 18 injured as a result of the shelling of Odesa. A three-month-old child is among the dead. Rescue work continues, the death toll could rise, the head of the OP Andriy Yermak informs.