Here is where things are on Wednesday April 9:
Struggle
- The Moscow Ministry of Defense said that its units had intercepted and destroyed 23 Ukrainian drones overnight at the border in the regions of Kursk and Belgorod in Russia.
- The ministry also said that Russian forces had organized a shock attack and took over the village of Guyevo in Kursk, which has been detained by Ukrainian troops since August 2024.
- Moscow said it had made air strikes and artillery on Ukrainian troops inside Russian territory, pushing kyiv soldiers to the border.
- The Ukrainian forces have attacked two Russian energy facilities in the last 24 hours despite a moratorium agreed mutually on energy strikes, said the Russian Defense Ministry.
- Ukraine said Russia had launched 46 drones and an ISKANDER-M ballistic missile during a night attack, of which nine drones were slaughtered and 31 were lost due to electronic war measures.
- At least 17 people were injured in Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian cities in Dnipro and Kharkiv, which also caused fires and damaged houses, regional authorities announced. A woman was left in serious condition because of her injuries.
- Ukraine said that his forces had struck and destroyed an airplane hangar complex, several military buildings and technical equipment, killing around 30 Russian soldiers in the village of Ozerki, located in the border region of Russia, Kursk.
Ceasefire
- The United States Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Shea told the United Nations Security Council that Washington “would have no patience” for negotiations made in bad faith or violation of any commitment in efforts to end the Russian war against Ukraine. “We will finally judge [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin’s commitment to a cease-fire of the actions of Russia, “said Shea.
Politics and diplomacy
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it was very difficult to imagine the start of negotiations with the United States on a new nuclear weapon reduction treaty due to mutually tense confidence with Washington, which was only on healing.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his troops hired six Chinese soldiers fighting for Russia on the battlefield and held two as prisoners of war. Zelenskyy said he had ordered officials to obtain an official explanation from China explaining why Chinese nationals were fighting with Russian forces.
- China’s burden on affairs has been summoned to the presence of Chinese fighting for Russia, said Ukraine Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha. “Chinese citizens who are fighting within the framework of the Russian invasion of Ukraine invasion question the declared position of peace of China,” he said.
- A new series of consultations in Russia-US will take place Thursday concerning the restoration of the normal functioning of the Russian and American embassies, reported the reuters news agency citing a diplomatic source.
- According to Russia’s state news agency, TASS, the Moscow delegation during standardization talks will be directed by the newly appointed Russian ambassador Alexandr Darchiev, while the American delegation will be led by the assistant state secretary Sonata Coulter.
Help
- Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever said that his government had decided to provide a assistance package of 1 billion euros ($ 1.19 billion) to Ukraine this year. He also said that his country was planning to support Kyiv with a similar package each year during his mandate.
- The American Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, will practically attend a meeting of Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on Friday, reported the AFP news agency, quoting an American defense official.
