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

The Vinnytsia region has received 12 tonnes of humanitarian aid from the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic, intended for medics, internally displaced persons and the military, the Vinnytsia RMA.

France does not need Russian gas and calls for sanctions against the Russian energy sector. French President Emmanuel Macron said this in an interview with France 5, quoted by Le Figaro.

Russian military enemy ships in the Black Sea operating zone have withdrawn almost 200km from Ukrainian shores, OC South.

Italy's parliament has backed sending weapons to Ukraine. Prime Minister Mario Draghi said this in an interview with Corriere della Sera.

US President Joe Biden's administration has announced that it is banning anti-satellite missile tests by the United States. This was announced in a White House statement.

Sixteen embassies have resumed their work in Kyiv, showing the world's support and faith in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said on Facebook.

Russia has only 50 percent of the battalion tactical groups it had at the start of the war. Retired Brigadier General Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School, told TSN.

The main news that happened overnight:

- The Russian invasion has damaged or destroyed up to 30% of Ukraine's infrastructure, with damage estimated at $100bn.

- Japan's defence ministry will provide nuclear, biological and chemical defence (NBC) kits and drones to Ukraine as part of its assistance to our country.

- The EU has condemned the Russian occupation army's missile strikes on civilians in Ukrainian cities and demands that Russia be held accountable for war crimes.

- The USA established a special status (Temporary Protected Status) for Ukrainians who were in the country as of 11 April due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukrainian territory.

- On 19 April, the USA convenes a meeting of leaders of several countries, the EU and NATO over the offensive launched by Russia in Donbas.

- Anonymous hackers claimed to have hacked the emails of the Russian construction company Gazregion, which builds gas pipelines in Russia.

- The World Bank has lowered its forecast for global economic growth in 2022 as a result of Russia's war in Ukraine and is preparing a $170bn aid package for countries to cope with the consequences of Russia's full-scale invasion.

- There are 76 Russian battalion tactical groups in Ukraine. There are about 22 more to the north of Ukraine that are likely to be replenished. About 12 are trying to capture Mariupol.

- US President Joe Biden is not planning a visit to Kyiv anytime soon.

- A curfew will be lifted in Dnipropetrovsk Region on the night before Easter on 23-24 April.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian occupiers have damaged 30% of Ukraine's infrastructure, and $100 billion will be needed to rebuild. More than 300 bridges and about 8 000 km of roads have been damaged. This was stated by Minister of Infrastructure Alexander Kubrakov, writes Reuters.

After the missile strikes on peaceful neighborhoods of Lviv, we can say that there is "no safe place, a city, village or town" in Ukraine. The Russian occupiers are at war with the civilian population, not the military - as evidenced by the attack on the Lviv tire fitting plant, which killed civilians. This was stated by Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Igor Zhovkva, CNN reports.

"There is not a single place, a town, a city or a village left where it is safe now in Ukraine."

Ihor Zhovkva, chief diplomatic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, reacts to Russian missile strikes in Lviv, Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/RFVJiBQzXG

— CNN (@CNN) April 18, 2022

On April 18, in the southern direction, the Russian occupiers tried unsuccessfully to advance in the area of Oleksandrivka, Kherson region. The almost hour-long assault was unsuccessful, and the enemy retreated to regain strength. This was reported by the operational command South ("Pivden").

The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 28 russians and five units of equipment, including armored, engineering, automobile and UAVs.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian occupation forces have attacked Ukrainian medical institutions 136 times, 73 people were killed and 52 injured. This was announced by the press secretary of the UN General Secretary Stefan Dujarric, CNN reports.

The United States called today's missiles attacks in Lviv a "campaign of terror" against the people of Ukraine. This was stated by State Department spokesperson Ned Price, writes CNN.

"And so when it comes to what we've seen in recent hours, and in terms of the strikes against Lviv, in terms of the strikes in the outskirts of Kyiv, or what we've seen in towns like Mariupol, towns like Kharkiv, what we've witnessed in Bucha, this, these are clear indications, they are a clear testament to the campaign of brutality, the campaign of terror that the Russians are waging against the people of Ukraine", - Price said.

In Albania, the broadcast of Russian media on all digital platforms has been suspended. This was reported by the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine.

In the coming days, US troops will begin training their Ukrainian colleagues in using howitzer artillery. The training will take place outside Ukraine. This was reported by Reuters.

The US State Department is considering declaring Russia a sponsor of terrorism. This was reported by CNN, citing a senior official of the US presidential administration.

Ukrainian journalist and YouTuber Roman Vintoniv (Michael Schur), who joined the territorial defense, talks about how the Ukrainian army differs from the Russian army in the presence of freedom of speech among sergeants of the Armed Forces.

"We have the opportunity not only to carry out the order, but to suggest how to do it better. It is important when the decision is made through dialogue! A sergeant is a liaison between personnel and commander. When there is proper communication between everyone, there is chemistry", - he said.

During the day on April 18, the air defense of the Air Force and the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed seven air targets of the Russian occupiers. It is reported by VR AFU.

→ 1 aircraft (SU-30 fighter):

→ 4 UAV (Operation-tactic level);

→ 2 cruise missiles.

The Russian occupiers did not take Kreminna, there are street fights, the city is actually in a "gray" area. This was announced by the adviser of the head of the President's Office Olexiy Arestovich in an interview with Mark Feigin on April 18.

According to Arestovich, the Russian occupiers have four tasks in their offensive in the east and south:

→the first direction of efforts - Rubizhne, Popasna, Severodonetsk;

→the second direction of efforts - from Izyum in the direction of Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Barvenkovo;

→the third direction - on Gulyaypole;

→the fourth direction - on Mariupol.

After the loss of the cruiser "Moscow", the Russian occupiers withdrew their missile and landing ships 200 km off the coast of Ukraine - the invaders are looking for a safe zone to launch missile strikes on Ukrainian cities. They are still blocking shipping. This was reported in a video of the operational command "South" ("Pivden").

Journalist Dmytro Komarov showed how the Russian army "protects the Donbas": the occupiers are bombing housing estates of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, where civilians are. The author of the video called on citizens of Severodonetsk to evacuate - while it is possible to leave the city.

A priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate will be tried for collaborationism in Zhytomyr Region. The suspect tried to convince the community that the Russian authorities allegedly "sent troops to liberate Ukrainians from the Nazis and Bandera, to protect the Russian-speaking population of the fraternal people." This was reported by the regional prosecutor's office.

Employees of the State Border Guard Service will allow citizens of Ukraine to pass, including with a domestic passport. This applies to all citizens, regardless of the areas from which they come. This is stated on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Several explosions sounded in Mykolaiv, the mayor Senkevich reported. He promises to provide more information in the morning.

The President of France Emmanuel Macron has said he will not name "red lines" for the war in Ukraine.

He explained that after the naming of the "red line" it may be necessary to "become an ally" of one of the parties to the conflict and even "go to war with Russia."

Macron also said that he is no longer communicating with Vladimir Putin after it became known about the war crimes of the Russian army in Bucha.

Ukraine reports suspicion to Russian General Serhiy Burakov, who led the Chernobyl station capture operation.

The total direct damage to Ukraine's infrastructure due to Russia's war has reached $84.8bn, with total losses amounting to $600bn, a KSE Institute report says.

Zelenskyy: We are developing a comprehensive plan to rebuild what has been destroyed, modernise state structures and accelerate Ukraine's development as much as possible.

It is not just about the amount of physical work - to build housing, restore businesses, start new businesses that will work to restore infrastructure and renew economic relations in our state. But also about rethinking how our country will develop further.

Zelenskyy: A similar process is going on with other Russian armaments. Producing new artillery, aircraft, new helicopters, cruisers under sanctions will be an impossible task for Russia.

None of the missile strikes have somehow fundamentally changed the situation for Russia. And if one assesses them all together, the conclusion is that they are strategic nonsense.

Today's strikes on Lviv, on Dnipropetrovsk and other Russian strikes mean only one thing: we, the world and history will take significantly more from Russia than Russian missiles in Ukraine.

The President: In the east and south of our country the occupiers have been trying to attack a little more deliberately than before. They are pressing, they are looking for a weak spot in the defence of our state in order to find and enter it with the main forces...

Apparently, Russian generals, who are used to not counting losses, have already killed so many Russian soldiers that even they have to be more careful, because no one will be left to attack.

It can now be stated that Russian troops have begun the battle for Donbass for which they have been preparing for a long time. A very significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive.

No matter how many of their military forces are driven there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day. We will not give up anything Ukrainian, and we don't need anything foreign.

Zelenskyy: The Russian army is not slowing down its use of missiles against Ukraine. Although it should realise by now that it will be extremely difficult for it to rebuild its missile stock under even the sanctions already in place. Without imports, they can't even do that.

And when all the loopholes used to circumvent the sanctions are closed, and when even tougher sanctions restrictions are imposed, restoring Russia's missile capability will be unrealistic. That is, Russian missile strikes lead to only one thing - the missile self-demilitarisation of the Russian Federation.

Russia is unlikely to agree to exchange Viktor Medvedchuk for Mariupol defenders, says Mikhail Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the Presidential Office.

"Mariupol has become for them a symbol of Ukraine's indestructibility. The Russians are a little bit turned on strange symbols - Z, V, what they draw there - and for them to destroy the symbol of Ukraine's indestructibility is a very important moment," Podolyak said.

Fifteen countries and EU diplomatic missions are already operating in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian MFA.

Ukrainian fighters repulsed seven enemy attacks in the east overnight

In particular, on 18 April, the United Forces destroyed 10 Russian tanks, one artillery system, 18 armoured vehicles and eight vehicles, as well as one enemy mortar along with its crew.

Air defence units in the skies of Ukrainian Donbas shot down an enemy Su-30 fighter jet and four Orlan 10-type drones.

CIT informs that there is not a single brigade of marines left in Russia that has not suffered losses in Ukraine.

The Marines are one of Russia's most combat-ready and trained units, and their losses are evident from rumours of a possible further attack on Moldova.

"If the most combat-ready units are largely lost, there is nothing to attack Moldova, Poland or the Baltic states," the CIT added.

Today there are already 2 million 120 thousand people in Kyiv. Hold on to the return to the capital, according to mayor Klitschko.

Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov regiment, addressed world leaders:

Hundreds of civilians are now hiding in the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Among them are people of all ages, women, children, families of Mariupol defenders.

The Russian occupying forces know about them and willingly fire at the plant. They use bombs and rockets, all varieties of artillery both ground and naval for indiscriminate attacks.

The USA has introduced a special status (Temporary Protected Status) for Ukrainian citizens staying in the country, the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, has said. 

"Temporary Protected Status will allow Ukrainians to stay in the USA for up to 18 months with the possibility to apply for a work permit in the country," Yermak explained. The decisions have been entered into the Federal Register and will be made public and registered tomorrow (19 April).

Russians hit Azovstal with super-heavy bombs, Mariupol city council says. There are at least 1,000 civilians in the underground shelters of the steelmaking plant.

Candidate for President of France Marie Le Pen: If I were president, I would cooperate with Russia after the war in Ukraine to ensure that Moscow does not form an alliance with Beijing.

She also said that "Crimea was never invaded... there was a referendum in Crimea". In her words, the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 was "radically different" from the current Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russian military hit one more district of Kharkiv — Nemyshlyanskyy. Proceedings have been initiated.
Occupant shell fell near a residential building at about 10:30 — 10:45, which led to its partial destruction and damage to neighboring houses.

Fedorov has reported how over $45 million of Aid For Ukraine (Ukrainian crypto fund) were spent

"Colonial heritage must be destroyed". Kyiv council proposes to dismantle 60 Russian memorials. The list includes, for example, monuments to Vatutin and Shchors, an image of Vladimir Lenin on the obelisk "Hero-City Kyiv" and the coat of arms of the USSR on the shield of the "Motherland" sculpture.

Since 24 February, the UN has recorded 2,072 deaths and 2,818 injuries of Ukrainian civilians as a result of the war.

Russia "still has plenty" of missiles, saidNational Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksiy Danylov.

"They have large stocks from Soviet times such as Tochka-U and others, which they said were kind of decommissioned. When they attacked Kramatorsk, they said they didn't have them. This is complete nonsense. To our regret, there are still plenty of them, and they can get on our nerves with old Soviet missiles.

A temporary bridge across the Irpin River near Stoyanka has been opened. The crossing was built in 13 days. Only passenger cars weighing up to 10 tons may use it. Heavy vehicle traffic is bypassed.

The occupiers are holding some 1,000 Ukrainian civilians hostage and torturing them. One in two is a woman. The head of the Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine, Iryna Vereshchuk, said this at a meeting with representatives of the International Criminal Court.

Hackers steal $76m in stabelcoins and donate $250,000 to Ukraine

Tennis centre of the Ukrainian Tennis Federation in Irpin ceased to exist after Russian “liberators” arrived

Russia's goal is to take over Donetsk and Luhansk regions completely before Easter and "make a gift to its Führer", Danylov said.

"It is unlikely that they will succeed," the National Security and Defence Council secretary added. He also once again urged people to evacuate Donbas and the south of Kharkiv Region.