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

Arestovych is his address explained two possible reasons why occupants had refused to assault on "Azovstal". The first - they cannot do that physically because of the heavy losses. The second - occupants have transported part of their troops to the north in order to complete the main task which is to reach the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Estonia became the first country in the world to recognize Russian actions in Ukraine as a genocide. That is the decision of the Estonian parliament, the Head of the "Sluha narodu" (Servant of the People) Party Olena Shulyak informed.

In Tver the building of the Central Science and Research Institute of the troops of the Air and Space Defense of Russia is on fire, the Russian media inform.

Occupants announced the occupation of Rubizhne for the third time since the beginning of the war. The Head of Luhansk Region Military Administration Serhii Haidai in response called Russia a fake country and informed that occupants had tried to hold positions in two parts of the city but had had no success.

In Mariupol a mass burial of the killed civilians was found in Mangush village. The advisor of the mayor Petro Andryushchenko informed that at the area of the bypass road occupants had organized several graves, up to 30 meters each, and bring corpses there by trucks.

The Ukrainian servicemen in Kharkiv region train to destroy the occupants' tanks "while they are getting stuck in our black soil".

Zelenskyi stated in his interview to BFMTV that with every new day and every new atrocity of the Russian army the trust in the result of the negotiations with Russia fades away. But he still considers the meeting of the leaders of two countries to be a chance of finishing the war.

In the Chernihiv region, it was forbidden to visit the forest during martial law, said the head of the regional state administration Vyacheslav Chaus.

The prosecutor's office reported a suspicion of treason to a deputy of the Kherson City Council from the Nam Tut Zhyty political party. The deputy called on the officials of the region to cooperate with the occupants and participated in the creation of propaganda materials for the arrival of the Pax Russica in the Kherson region.

More and more Russian invaders are realizing that they cannot conquer Ukraine. They despaired of their mission as "liberators" and the only thing they want is to return home safe. This is discussed in the correspondence of the Russian invader with his acquaintance, a copy of which was obtained by the Security Service of Ukraine.

The military intelligence of Ukraine reports that the Russian invaders isolate the captured settlements and shoot volunteers. In particular, today all the occupied settlements of the Velikoburluksky district of the Kharkiv region are blocked. You can only leave through Russia.

Nailed caps started to appear on the beach in the Odessa region, according to the State Border Guard Service.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz may face resignation for refusing to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons. Dissatisfaction with the chancellor's decision is growing within the coalition, but the opposition may in fact launch a no-confidence motion against Scholz next week, writes Spiegel.

Despite the extremely difficult situation, the Azov regiment in Mariupol destroyed 3 tanks, 2 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers over the past two days.

Ukraine demands an urgent humanitarian corridor from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol from the Russians. There are now about 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded soldiers.

The Russian army is preparing to use Soviet military machines against Ukraine. Intelligence records the movement of obsolete weaponry. This was reported by the Central Intelligence Service of the Ministry of Defense.

Russian dictator Putin allegedly ordered not to attack the Azovstal industrial zone, but to besiege it.

"We should not dig into the catacombs, we should block the industrial zone in Azovstal so that the fly does not fly," he said after hearing a report by Defense Minister Serhiy Shoigu on the full-scale war against Ukraine and the situation in Mariupol.

The German Ministry of Defense removed all heavy weapons from the list of needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was given to Berlin by Kyiv, although German industry is ready to supply much of Ukraine's needs in the short and medium term. This was reported by the German newspaper Bild.

The Lithuanian group of companies Vičiūnai Group, known in Ukraine as a manufacturer of Viči products, is leaving the Russian market. The company's statement, the text of which was given to LIGA.net, says that it will completely cease operations in Russia within three to four months.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has arrived in Kyiv. He announced this on Twitter.
"Just arrived to Kyiv. Ukraine has the support, solidarity and commitment of Spain.," he wrote.

Just arrived to Kyiv.

Ukraine has the support, solidarity and commitment of Spain. pic.twitter.com/QyXMEA7vcY

— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) April 21, 2022

Locals found a new 30-meter mass grave near Mariupol, dug by the invaders. The mayor of the city Vadym Boychenko reported about it on air of a telethon.

The United States has delivered to Europe howitzer shells that are going to be supplied to Ukraine. American instructors also began teaching Ukrainians how to operate howitzers. This was stated at a briefing by an unnamed Pentagon official, CNN reports.

Boris Johnson believes that any peace talks about ceasefire in Ukraine are likely doomed, because dealing with Putin is like negotiating "with a crocodile clinging to your leg." Reuters reports.

Lithuania sent a consignment of heavy mortars to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The amount of weapons is not specified, BNS writes, according to Minister of Defense Arvydas Anusauskas.

Russia is approaching default. The Wall Street Journal writes, that on April 20 Russia failed to meet its obligations on government debt service and offered creditors interest payments on dollar-denominated bonds in rubles.

On April 20, four evacuation buses were able to leave Mariupol along the humanitarian corridor, on April 21 the evacuation will continue, Minister of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk informed on Telegram.

Binance cryptocurrency exchange will restrict access for users from Russia. Accounts of Russian users with crypto assets with a total value of more than €10,000 will be restricted. For now users will be able to use only the withdrawal function.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported the losses of the Russian occupiers during the invasion of Ukraine:


- liquidated personnel - about 21,000,
- tanks - 829 units,
- armored personnel vehicles - 2118 units,
- artillery systems - 393 units,
- MLRS - 136 units,
- anti-aircraft warfare systems - 67 units,
- aircraft - 172 units,
- helicopters - 151 units,
- vehicles - 1508 units,
- boats / cutters - 8 units,
- fuel tanks - 76 units,
- UAV operational-tactical level - 166 units,
- special equipment - 27 units,
- mobile SRBM system - 4 units.

In Mykolaiv as a result of night shelling one person was killed, the head of state administration Vitaly Kim reported.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called on French leader Emmanuel Macron to make a decision about the Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine and to choose "between business and money or the struggle for freedom." He told this to the French channel BFMTV.

In Ukraine, the war has already killed 208 children, another 376 got injuries of varying degrees.

The forces of the Russian invasion of Ukraine are trying to succeed before May 9. Troops are trying to move towards Kramatorsk, which is under constant shelling. This was reported by the British Ministry of Defense on Twitter.

Today it will be possible to leave for free from Severodonetsk, Lysychansk and, if possible, Popasna, Hirske and Rubizhne. Without ceasefire.

Assembly places:

• Severodonetsk: 28 Khimikiv Avenue;
• Lysychansk: GTV (RTI), 40 years of Victory; 324 Sosiura Street, State Emergency Service of Ukraine;
• Popasna: 1a Shcherbakova Street;
• Hirske: 13a Gagarin Street;
• Nyzhne: 13 Parkova Street;
• Rubizhne: 11 Chekhov Street.

In Severodonetsk, Luhansk oblast, due to the shelling by the Russian army, there are no intact food warehouses left. The head of the Luhansk Regional Military State Administration Serhiy Haidai reported it on Telegram.

Ukraine is not afraid of May 9, although it is confident that Russia may try to present its "so-called victory" in the war by that date. This was stated in an interview with BFMTV by president Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We are not afraid of May 9, we are sure that Russia could use this date to show its so-called victory," he said.

The village of Ivankiv in the Kyiv region survived the occupation by the Russian invaders.
Fierce fighting continued in the suburbs with the enemy trying to destroy everything in their path. The ring road near Ivankiv, where the Egg of Life monument is located, was a hotspot of the clash.

German Interior Minister Nancy Feather has advocated greater support for people persecuted for political reasons in Russia.
"We want to do everything we can to ensure that these people who reject Putin's criminal war are safe in Germany," she said in an interview with publications from the Funke Mediengruppe, DW reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his electoral opponent Marine Le Pen argued over Russia, sanctions and the European Union in a debate ahead of the second round. This is revealed in a BFMTV chronicle.
The topic of the war in Ukraine was started by Macron. He said he did not want "this war to spread".

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said the US will announce a new phase of security assistance to Ukraine at very short notice as Russia's invasion continues, reports  CNN.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims that Ukraine still has not received fighter jets from its allies. He said this in an interview with the French channel BFMTV.

The new active phase of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine "will not last long: it will be rather rapid and harsher". This is the opinion of Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Presidential Office, who gave an interview to the Azerbaijani edition of Report.

Alinka from Rivne wrote a letter to Patron the pyrotechnic dog.
"Patron, come and visit me, I'm waiting for you and your owner!" the girl wrote under the "portrait" of the four-legged pyrotechnician.

In Donetsk and Luhansk regions, nine enemy attacks were repelled, one tank, ten armoured vehicles, two vehicles, one artillery system, two units of special engineering equipment, an anti-aircraft missile system and an enemy ammunition depot were destroyed.

A group of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has hit four aerial targets in the previous day: three unmanned aerial vehicles and one cruise missile, the General Staff has said.

General Staff summary as of this morning:

- In Balakleya (Kharkiv region), wounded Russian servicemen began to be accommodated in the town's polyclinic and despite the fact that the occupiers had set up a hospital for the Russian military in the building of the local music school. In other words, this indicates a significant increase in the number of wounded and problems with their subsequent medical evacuation.
- In the Kherson region, the occupiers have set the goal of completely cutting off humanitarian support to the region by the Ukrainian authorities. The population is being terrorized. For example, in the village of Zolotaya Balka in Kherson Region, the occupiers held a meeting with the local population where they announced that there would be no more "green" corridors and prohibited people from leaving the village. In addition, the Russian military warned that if their positions were shelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, they would start shelling the village. At the same time, the occupiers continue to search people's homes.