Chronicles of Russia’s Сollapse: April 16.04.2022

#RussiaDisintegration #РазвалРоссии

Compiled by Liza Tumanova for Free Idel-Ural

 Military actions

Since the launch of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine 200 children have been killed, 360 injured. The figures are not accurate since they are being verified in places of active hostilities and on the temporarily occupied territories.

One of Russiа’s numerous failures during the invasion of Ukraine is radio communication. Most of the Russian military use outdated radios with unencrypted frequencies, which can be tapped by the Ukrainian military and even spammed with heavy metal and the Ukrainian anthem on their radio waves.

After the Russian military staying in Sumy region, remnants of chemical weapons – sarin and other substances – were found in the village of Belka.

“The killing of Ukrainian soldiers who remain in Mariupol will ultimately end negotiations with Russia,” said Volodymyr Zelensky .

The occupation authorities of the LDPR are mobilizing children who participated in so-called “patriotic clubs”. The RF military mobilizes minors aged 16. There have already been fatalities among teenagers.

Russian troops have destroyed Akhtyrka in Sumy region. Almost all of the high-rise buildings there are uninhabitable. 25-30% have damage from direct fire, there are no windows, doors or balconies. 70-75% of houses are “affected” by the cold. Batteries and pipes have frozen because there is no heating. 

Within a month, the Russians deported over 40,000 people from the  occupied eastern regions of Ukraine. The people had to go through filtration camps, where they were interrogated, and forced to settle in certain RF areas.

Russia has postponed rotation of its units in Syria due to military actions in Ukraine.

In the full-scale war waged by Russia, 2,500 to 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and about 10,000 more were wounded. Russian losses are seven times greater. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian casualties have totalled 20,100.

The UN World Food Program has called for access to people who are being starved to death by the Russian military under occupation.

Due to heavy losses, Russian troops have significantly reduced their activity in Ukrainian airspace. At the same time, they continue to strike remotely using ballistic and winged missiles.

Russian troops shelled Darnitsa district on the outskirts of Kyiv in the morning. One person died, several were wounded.

The Russian military fired missiles from Su-35 airplanes at Lviv region. Four missiles were destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses. Russian fighters had taken off from Baranovichi airfield in Belarus.

Russia intends to close Mariupol to entry and exit from April 18 in order to filter all remaining men.

The Russian military disrupted the evacuation from Lysychansk by opening fire in the city center during the ceasefire. Locals had to stay in basements.

There are about 700 Ukrainian servicemen and over 1,000 civilians in Russian captivity, including 500 women. In Ukrainian captivity, there are about 700 Russian servicemen.

10 people were killed and 35 wounded as a result of shelling the Industrial District of Kharkiv. Among the dead was a 7-month-old baby, five children were wounded.

In Donetsk and Luhansk regions, 10 Russian attacks were repelled; 3 tanks, 1 armored personnel carrier, 1 item of special equipment, 2 vehicles and 3 artillery systems were destroyed; 1 Russian armored personnel carrier was captured.

Russian troops shelled Lysychansk oil refinery, as a result a 5,000-square-meter fire broke out .

The Armed Forces of Ukraine liquidated the commander of the 8th army, General Mayor Vladimir Frolov from St Petersburg. He is the highest-ranking military man liquidated by the Ukrainian military. 

Severodonetsk is almost 70% destroyed. About 20,000 out of 130,000 citizens, who lived there before the war, remain in the city.

Overnight shelling in Luhansk region has resulted in one person killed and three rescued by medics.

Russian authorities report the launch of Ukrainians’ deportation from Izium, Kharkiv region to Russia. About 100 people have already been deported to Belgorod region.

According to satellite images released by The Washington Post, from February 28 to April 15, at least 824 new graves were dug in the vicinity of Russian-occupied Kherson.

 A poultry farm in Dnipro was completely destroyed by two Russian missiles.

According to the Times, instructors of the elite British Special Air Service (SAS) unit have returned to Ukraine to resume training the Ukrainian military in and around Kyiv.

As a result of the Russian missile attack on a village in the Poltava region, a farm was damaged and a watchman was killed.

The Russians destroyed homes of almost 220,000 Ukrainians. The number of houses destroyed exceeds 37,000. The number of people who have lost their homes is increasing daily.

Today, Russian troops have shelled a kindergarten in Mykolaiv. Fortunately, there were no children there at that moment.

Over 1,000 buildings were damaged in Irpyn near Kyiv: 115 buildings were completely destroyed, 698 significantly damaged, 187 partially damaged. That’s 71% of the town area.

Three civilians who had been killed by the Russian military were buried in the village of Andreevka, Kyiv region. Local resident Nadezhda says that her son was taken away from home, then she found his body on the roadside. Another woman, Oksana, hoped her husband would return after the Russian troops left. She found him shot dead with his hands tied.

Turmoil in RF

Activists were detained in Khabarovsk at the anti-war protest. One of them left the square with the sign “I am not scared”. 

Pavel Durov asked Forbes not to call him a Russian billionaire. He stated that he had left the country a long time ago and didn’t plan to go back.

Putin signed a bill to impose fines for denouncing the “crucial role of the Soviet people” in defeating nazism and comparing the USSR strategy with the Third Reich.  

Russia banned the Prime Minister of Great Britain and high-ranking ministers from entering Russia due to the “belligerent” policy of the United Kingdom towards Russia on the war in Ukraine.

The richest Russian senator Valeriy Ponomarev declared more than 4 million ruble income in 2021.  

11 095 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Russia.  

Billionaire Oleg Deripaska offered to cut the government staff in half, downsize the security officers three-five fold and refuse from public capitalism. He called upon “cutting off luxury of the public bourgeois” and attracting foreign investors. Those who disagree are to be placed on a retired list or are to start up their own business. 

The Russian government legalized turning in weapons to the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Services if their life is threatened.

Journalists of Ekho Moskvy, Dozhd and other independent Russia media outlets announced there was a spam attack on the phones aimed at breaking their accounts.  

“United Russia” called for blocking the party’s fake website. It was published on this website that Medvedev gave orders to destroy Starlink satellites. 

Friendly fire

The Alfa-Bank app is no longer available on Google Play. 

The cosmetic brand L’Occitane will shut down all shops and stop online sales in Russia. 

Latvian public airlines Air Baltic, dealing with passenger and сargo flights, made a decision to leave the Russian market and stop all flights in and outside of Russia.    

Online freelancer platform Fiverr suspended its activities in Russia. 

The German insurance company Munich Re Group, one of the global insurance market leaders, left the Russian market. 

Tenaris, one of the global leading manufacturers of pipes for the energy sector, specifically drilling and casing pipes in the oil industry, suspended all sales and purchases in Russia.  

What is left of the economy 

Russian bakeries will not be able to purchase European equipment due to the sanctions imposed. Hence, the baking industry will raise prices for baked goods.   

Putin ratified the bill banning from placing depositary receipts of Russian companies’ securities on foreign platforms and made them delist the existing ones.  

Thousands of Russian and Belorussian trucks got stuck in very long queues at the EU border before a new sanction package was imposed. Since April 16, they could not be legally operating in the EU and had to leave the EU, but it takes up to 10 days to clear the customs. 

The limitations on money recovery imposed due to sanctions destabilized the debt sales market. 

From April 17, ships sailing under the Russian flag will be banned from entering the Romanian ports. 

International isolation

Professional firefighters and rescuers from the United States, Australia, Germany and Poland came to Ukraine to help the State Emergency Service eliminate consequences of the war. They have started working in Borodianka, Kyiv region.

The Italian Embassy in Kyiv will resume full work on Monday, April 18.

Mriia will live on. The world’s leading companies will be involved in the aircraft restoration. The destruction of the legendary, unique An-225 aircraft by the Russians was a heavy blow not only for the ANTONOV Company, but the whole world community as well.

The French authorities froze  Russian oligarchs’ real estate: villas of Putin’s close friend Arkady Rotenberg and Alexander Ponomarenko as part of implementation of sanctions. The villa of Andrey Melnichenko, the owner of SUEK and Eurochem, was arrested on the Côte d’Azur, as well as the house In Cannes that belongs the former chairman and co-owner of Sibur, Dmitry Konov. Two hotels belonging to Elena Ermakova, the wife of billionaire Gennady Timchenko, were also arrested.

The top of the Empire State Building in New York City will be illuminated in blue and yellow for 15 minutes after sunset until early summer.

Actor Hugh Jackman spoke via video link with 7-year-old Kostia from Odesa, who was forced to leave his home because of the war. The boy drew Wolverine, played by Jackman. In turn, the actor posted a message and signed, “Say hello to my new, very courageous friend Kostia. He’s 7. He drew Wolverine. Very similar, don’t you think?”

Activists in Washington launched a light projection of the Ukrainian flag on the Russian embassy building.

The developers of “Stalker” GSC Game World raised more than $800,000 for the Ukrainian army thanks to a charity game sale. All money will be given to the Come Back Alive foundation.

In London, Jamie Oliver’s restaurant held a charity dinner in support of Ukraine. Among the dishes were borshch in mushroom broth with garlic doughnuts, stuffed cabbage rolls, and slow-roasted pork. For dessert, dumplings with berries and sunflower seed halva.

A large yellow and blue inscription “Glory to Ukraine” appeared on the pedestrian walkway in front of the Russian embassy in Poland.

Hollywood actress with Ukrainian roots Vera Farmiga called on the world to help Ukraine with the supply of heavy weapons: “Stop the war! Publish your photo with the sign ArmUkraineNow. Ask the government to support Ukraine. Select 3 friends and ask them to do the same.”

Marina Abramovic will repeat the performance “In the presence of the artist” to support Ukraine.

Banda Agency together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine launched a domestic and international advertising campaign about Ukrainian courage. As part of it, billboards devoted to bravery of Ukrainians have already appeared in more than 15 countries around the world. One of them was recently posted at the subway entrance in New York City: “I thought I knew what courage was, but then I saw Ukraine.”

The Polish Post has joined the appeal to the Universal Postal Union to stop the delivery of items to Russia and Belarus. Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Australia, and Latvia also joined the blockade.

Krakow City Council deputies renamed the square near the Consulate General of Russia to the “Free Ukraine” square.

Some Lithuanian parliamentarians and ministers propose to make May 9 not only Europe Day, but also the Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Genocide in Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised courage of the Ukrainian military. He is convinced that Ukraine will succeed in its confrontation with Russia, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin will fail.

Germany has joined the group of countries that have allowed Ukrainian transport operators to carry out bilateral and transit traffic on a permit-free basis until June 30.