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

Shoigu commented the full-scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine for the first time in three weeks. He stated that Russia "successively fulfills the plan to liberate" "DPR and LPR" - BBC.

On the record intercepted by the Security Service of Ukraine the commander of the platoon from Rostov speaks of the plan to raze to the ground "Azovstal" plant where the Ukrainian soldiers keep defending and the civilians have found shelter. Occupants are preparing 3-ton "surprises" from the skies. 

The World Health Organization condemned the rising amount of missile strikes by Russian occupants on the medical facilities in Ukraine. According to the data of the WHO, 147 incidents have been confirmed, 73 people died, 53 were injured. 

.@WHO unequivocally condemns the continued increase in attacks on health care in #Ukraine. They must stop. To date, WHO has verified 147 attacks, including 73 people killed, and 53 injured. War will not be a solution. Once again, I call on Russia to end the war.

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 19, 2022

Sergei Lavrov gave a large interview to the Indian media India Today where he spoke that Russia had had no intention to "change the regime in Ukraine" and that it would not use nuclear weapon, only usual arming. 

The UN informed that around a third of the agricultural lands in Ukraine this year are unusable for sowing wheat, barley, sunflower and corn.

Up to 30% of agricultural fields in #Ukraine won’t be used to plant wheat, barley, sunflowers, and corn this year. Ongoing hostilities may trigger global food catastrophe, as 36 out of 55 countries with food crises depended on Ukraine and Russian exports. pic.twitter.com/2Rbe4cpzw7

— OCHA Ukraine (@OCHA_Ukraine) April 18, 2022

K-2 combat group of the 54th Separate Mobilized Brigade showed its trophies: the weapons of Russian occupants and what they had left at the battlefield. 

The Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov met the Ambassador of France in Ukraine Etienne de Poncins in Kyiv. The embassy informed that the needs of Ukraine were the topic of the discussion. 

Paskas (traditional Easter cakes) with Z symbol are on sale in Russia. 

Great Britain does not intend to discuss with Russia the possible exchange of Viktor Medvedchuk for two British prisoners of war - Cabinet Minister Brandon Lewis in his interview for Sky News.

On Hospitalna street in Pechersk district of Kyiv a tripwire with a granade was detected. The police and the sappers immediately arrived at the site. 

Arestovych in his video address stated that the amount of manpower of the Russian army in the Joint Forces Operation area on the east of Ukraine is not enough to reach their goal. 

Ukrainian intelligence informed that the Russian army was planning a military invasion of Belarus under the pretext of preventing Russia's involvement "in the European continental region in a regional or large-scale war with NATO members in the West."

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine showed the results of the work of Ukrainian drones' operators and artillerymen:

Almost 50 residents of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk are currently being evacuated to safer regions, Luhansk Regional State Administration head Serhiy Haidai informed. Local authorities will take everyone out willing to leave today and urge civilians to evacuate.

42% of Serbs consider Russia's aggression against Ukraine unjustified. This is stated in a poll conducted by the Institute of European Affairs in collaboration with the Ninamedia Research House, reports N2.

In Mykolayiv region, 87 settlements do not have water and electricity supply, drainage, according to the press service of the regional military administration on Facebook.

The Russian occupiers are digging trenches around the resort of Kirillovka and setting up "Hrads" at recreation centers. Also, in the occupied territories of the region, the Russians kidnap police officers and create "Cossack units". This was reported in the summary of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration.

Sanctions in action. Greek coastguards have detained the Russian tanker Pegasus (Taganrog port of registration) off the coast of Evia in the Aegean Sea, the local newspaper Katimerini reported.

In Mukachevo, a Soviet monument was dismantled from the central part of the city - an obelisk of glory in honor of soldiers killed in World War II.

The State Bureau of Investigation has documented the crimes of Russian invaders in Irpinj, Kyiv Region. Investigators found 13 burials of citizens. This was stated by the director of the department Oleksiy Sukhachov.

Residents of Kharkiv are urged not to visit cemeteries during the Easter holidays due to shelling by the Russian occupiers. The dead can be buried in all cemeteries, except for two - "Pine" and "17", according to the website of the Kharkiv City Council.

"I'm used to shelling": LIGA.net spoke with the volunteer who saved the woman during the attack in Kharkiv.

Over the past day, Russian troops shelled 17 settlements in Donetsk region. As a result of the shelling, 5 civilians were killed, 6 more were wounded, the child is among them.

It was a difficult night in Mykolaiv region: Russians shelled again the cities of the regioo from "Hurricanes", "Hrad" and "Tornadoes". For the past 24hrs in the Mykolaiv region 10 people were wounded, there are no children among victims, the Mykolaiv regional council reported.

At around 9 am today, an explosion erupted in the sky near Odessa - a 12th rachist's drone was shot down by a Ukrainian air defense unit. The press service of the South Air Command confirmed the destruction of the drone on Facebook.

The United States intend to arrest the yacht Amadea of ​​Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, which arrived a week ago from Mexico in Fiji, writes Fiji Times.

Stellantis (Peugeot, Opel, Chrysler, Citroën, FIAT) has stopped its only Russian plant, PSMA Rus, in Kaluga. This was reported on the website of the corporation.

There is a significant threat of shelling by Russian troops in the Kyiv district of Kharkiv. Residents are urged not to go outside and stay in shelters, according to the Telegram of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.

The Russians damaged a high-voltage line in Luhansk region, leaving 215 settlements without electricity. "The situation is critical - the light has disappeared in almost the entire region," the head of the regional state administration Serhiy Haidai informed.

In Mariupol, the Russian occupiers are attacking Azovstal with heavy bombs and chaotically hitting the residential sector, whereto they themselves have opened access for civilians. This was announced by the mayor's adviser Petro Andryushchenko along with a recent video from Mariupol. Follow the link to watch this video.

Director of the Department of International Organizations of the Russian Foreign Ministry Petro Ilyichev threatened that Russian troops would destroy weapons being received by Ukraine from abroad. He called it "legitimate targets."

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 19.04 were approximately:

On Tuesday, New Zealand imposed sanctions on Russia's largest banks and the Central Bank in response to the invasion of Ukraine. This was reported on the website of the New Zealand government.

Ukrainian defenders stopped the occupiers' attempts to launch an offensive near Avdiivka twoce. At the same time, Russian troops continue constant shelling in the Marjinka and Toretsk communities. This was reported in the Telegram by the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko.

The Minister of Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk informed that today there are no humanitarian corridors.

In the Pology district of the Zaporizhzhia region, two men were blown up by enemy mines, one of them is in critical condition. Zaporizhzhia regional military administration's spokesman Ivan Arefyev informed on Facebook.

Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, urged people to evacuate from the region. "Leave, because the residents of Kreminna did not manage to do so and are now hostages," he said.

Today, on 19 April, Poltava will host a live-fire training exercise, said Dmytro Lunin, head of the regional state administration.

monobank will not close accounts of its customers in occupied Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. But it will stop serving those who are in Russia, Belarus and a number of other countries. This was reported on Facebook by monobank co-founder Oleh Gorokhovskyy.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have repelled offensives of the Russian occupants in Rubizhne and Popasna, Luhansk Region. This was reported by the head of the regional military administration, Serhiy Haidai, during a nationwide TV marathon.

The Russian army shelled settlements near Kryvyy Rih overnight, with damage to private and apartment buildings. The head of Kryvyy Rih military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, said this on Facebook.

Russia has already killed 205 children in Ukraine

The occupiers destroyed six houses in Kremenna over the past 24 hours, the head of the Luhansk regional military administration, Serhiy Haidai, has said.

Sisters from Kryvyi Rih created a cartoon about the legendary An-225 Mriya plane destroyed by the Russians. The video is available at the link.

The Conflict Intelligence Team reported that all brigades of the Russian Marines have suffered losses in Ukraine even though they are one of Russia's most combat-ready and trained units.

Due to the Russian invasion, the number of people in Ukraine with limited access to drinking water has increased by 4.6 million.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff has revealed significant losses in two brigades of the enemy.

• Losses of the 126th Coastal Defence Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet are up to 75 per cent.
• The 810th Independent Marines Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet has lost 158 servicemen killed, about 500 wounded and 70 missing.

Operational information from the AFU General Staff as of 6:00.

• During the previous day, missile strikes against targets in the western regions have intensified.
• In the Slobozhansky and Donetsk operational districts, the russian aggressor is conducting offensive and assault operations in certain areas. The russian enemy continues to transfer weapons and military equipment to Ukraine from the central and eastern regions of the russian federation. Along with combat units, it transfers support units. In addition, in order to improve the logistics system, the russian occupiers are deploying logistics centres and creating field bases for repairing and renewing damaged equipment.
• In the Slobozhansky direction, the russian enemy continues to partially block the city of Kharkiv. According to available information, in order to organize the air defense system of the offensive group, the russian enemy is transferring additional anti-aircraft missile divisions of short-range surface-to-air missile system "Tor" (SA-15 Gauntlet) to the Kharkiv region. At the same time, mobile long range surface-to-air missile divisions of S-400 (SA-21 Growler) and S-300 (SA-10 Grumble) were deployed in the areas of the Belgorod region bordering on Ukraine to cover the main command and control points, as well as the rear areas.
• In the Izyum direction, the russian enemy is conducting offensive operations on the left bank of the Siversky Donets River. To support the offensive actions of the group in this direction, the enemy created a system of main and reserve firing positions for rocket and barrel artillery.
• In the Donetsk and Tavriya directions, the russian occupiers intensified offensive operations along the entire line of contact.
  The main efforts of the enemy are focused on breaking through the defence of Ukrainian troops in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, as well as establishing full control over the city of Mariupol. In the Zaporozhzhia oblast, the concentration of units of the russian occupying forces continues in certain areas.
• In the South Buh direction, the russian enemy focuses on reaching the administrative border of the Kherson region. In order to improve the tactical situation, the russian occupiers are trying to conduct offensive operations in the area of ​​the village of Oleksandrivka. The russian enemy does not stop shelling of civilian objects in the city of Mykolaiv.