Slava Ukraini! In early 2022 I began a Telegram channel aggregating news from a number of sources daily on the war in Ukraine. Since June 2023 I have provided a daily draft for the Ukraine War Brief Podcast collecting news from over 60 sources daily, much of which forms the basis of the script. While the Podcast is on hiatus I will make this Draft available here both on my own Substack and The People’s Media for those who wish to keep up with events on a daily basis.
ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its situation update at 06:00 on Apr. 27 stated that it was day 794 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
During the past day, 94 combat engagements took place. Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 12 missile strikes, 76 air strikes, and 83 MLRS attacks across the positions of our troops and settlements. As a result of the Russian attacks, unfortunately, there are dead and wounded among the civilian population. Destruction and damage to residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure.
At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers continue to inflict losses in manpower and equipment on the occupying troops, exhausting the enemy along the entire front line.
More than 110 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts came under enemy fire.
Ukrainian missile forces struck 2 concentrations of troops, 1 radar station, 1 ammunition depot, 3 air defence systems, 1 electronic warfare station, 1 stores and equipment depot
Ukraine’s path to regaining territory hinges on West, Russia, Kyiv decisions
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in their Apr. 26 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, stated that Ukraine’s ability to regain all of its territory in the long term rests on numerous future decisions in the West, in the Kremlin, and in Kyiv.
According to ISW, “sufficient and consistent Western aid will be critical for future Ukrainian counteroffensive efforts.”
The analysis comes as Western officials have reportedly discussed the idea of “freezing the lines” at the current frontlines, suggesting the latest US military aid package may not enable Ukraine to recover all Russian-occupied areas. However, the ISW notes these discussions are “very premature” as the newly approved assistance has yet to reach front-line Ukrainian units.
“Ukrainian forces will first have to leverage the incoming US aid to stabilize the frontlines and stop ongoing Russian advances, particularly in the Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar directions, in the coming weeks,” the report states.
ISW also said that Ukraine faces the looming challenge of a forecasted major Russian offensive operation likely beginning in June.
Air Force Daily Report
The Ukrainian Air Force in its situation update at 06:00 stated that during the previous day they launched air strikes on 14 concentrations of enemy troops.
On the night of Apr. 27, the Russian invaders launched a combined attack on Ukraine with missiles of various types.
In total, the enemy used 34 air, ground and sea-based missiles:
- 9 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95 MS strategic aircraft (launch area of Saratov Region - Russian Federation);
- 9 Kh-59/Kh-69 guided air missiles (from the airspace of the Belgorod Region and from the waters of the Sea of Azov);
- 2 S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles (from the Belgorod region - Russian Federation)
- 2 "Iskander-K" cruise missiles (from Crimea);
- 4 Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" aeroballistic missiles from MiG-31K aircraft (launched from the airspace of the Ryazan and Tambov regions - Russian Federation);
- 8 Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.
Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force, mobile fire groups and means of radio-electronic warfare of the Defense Forces of Ukraine were involved in repelling the enemy's air attack.
As a result of anti-aircraft combat, 21 air targets were destroyed:
- 6 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles;
- 8 Kh-59/Kh-69 guided air missiles;
- 1 "Iskander-K" cruise missile;
- 6 Kalibr cruise missiles.
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the Kup’yans’k, Lyman, and Bakhmut axes, in the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Kup’yans’k axis: The enemy carried out 10 assaults, with air support, in the vicinity of the settlements of Kyslivka, Berestove (Kharkiv oblast), and Stel’makhivka (Luhansk oblast). unsuccessfully trying to improve its tactical position.
Lyman axis: Ukrainian defenders repelled 14 attacks in the vicinities of settlements of Druzhelyubivka (Kharkiv oblast), Hrekivka, Serebryans’ke forestry (Luhansk oblast), Tors’ke, Terny, and Zarichne (Donetsk oblast) where the occupiers attempted to breach Ukrainian defensive lines.
Bakhmut axis: Ukrainian forces repelled 10 Russian attacks, supported by aviation, in the vicinities of Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast) Spirne, Vyimka, Novyi, Ivanivske and Klishchiivka (Donetsk oblast).
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the Avdiivka, Novopavlivka, and Orikhiv axes, in the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Avdiivka axis: Ukrainian defenders repelled 29 attacks in the vicinities of settlements of Kalynove, Arkhanhel’s’ke, Keramik, Ocheretyne, Semenivka, and Umans’ke (Donetsk oblast) where the invaders, with air support, attempted to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their positions.
Novopavlivka axis: Ukrainian Defence Forces continue to hold back the enemy in the vicinities of Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Prechystivka and Urozhaine (Donetsk oblast), where the invaders, with air support, made 17 attempts to breach Ukrainian defence.
Orikhiv axis: The enemy conducted 3 attacks, with air support, on positions of Ukrainian defenders in the vicinities of Staromaiors’ke (Donetsk oblast), Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia oblast).
The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
Kherson axis: Ukrainian defenders continue to maintain their positions. Over the past day, the enemy carried out 4 unsuccessful assaults on the positions of the Ukrainian Defence Forces on the left bank of the Dnipro River.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing to report.
THE HOME FRONT
Russia hits 4 energy power plants, hospital in Kharkiv overnight
The Russian military attacked energy infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv oblasts overnight into Apr.27 , the Energy Ministry reported. One power engineer was injured, Euromaidan reported.
The Russian strike also hit four DTEK (Ukraine’s prominent fuel and energy company) thermal power plants, damaging equipment, the company reported.
The company reported that since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Russian military has attacked thermal power plants over 170 times.
Lviv Oblast Head Maksym Kozytskyi said that Russia struck two critical energy infrastructures in the Stryi and Chervonohrad regions in the oblast with cruise missiles and Daggers.
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast head Serhii Lysak said that Russia attacked the oblast with missiles, injuring a 39-year-old and 45-year-old man and damaging power facilities.
In the early hours of 27 April, Russian troops struck a medical institution in Kharkiv, injuring a 53-year-old woman, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Ukraine’s air defense forces destroyed 21 of the 34 missiles, Commander of the Air Force Mykola Oleshchuk said. Russian army attacked Ukraine with Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles, Kh-59/Kh-69 guided missiles, S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, Iskander-K, Kalibr and Kinzhali cruise missiles.
Over the past day, the Russian military injured eight people in Kharkiv, including two girls aged 5 and 16 and a 4-year-old boy, and killed a 67-year-old man, the governor said.
RUSSIAN WORLD
Ukraine strikes Russian oil refineries, airfield overnight in Krasnodar Krai
On the night of April 27, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) carried out strikes on a military airfield in Kushchevskaya and two oil refineries in Ilyinsky and Slavyansky of Russia’s Krasnodar Krai Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing sources from the SBU.
The local Governor claimed that Russian defences were able to shoot down 10 drones. The Russian defence ministry later increased that number to 66
According to the source, the military airfield in Kushchevskaya housed dozens of aircraft, radar systems, and electronic warfare equipment.
The report further claims that SBU drones attacked the rectification and atmospheric columns of the Ilsky and Slavyansky oil refineries, leading to fires and evacuation procedures.
On the morning of 27 April, Russian Telegram channels reported that “dozens of drones attacked two oil refineries, a bitumen plant, and a military airfield in the Kuban Oblast overnight.”
Later Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency TASS stated The Slavyansk refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, has been forced to suspend some operations citing Eduard Trudnev, the security director of the company that operates the Slavyansk refinery.
"The plant's operations have been partially suspended. Exactly 10 UAVs flew directly into the territory of the refinery, causing a severe fire. There may be some undetected damage,"
Ukraine strikes Russian storage of deadly glide bombs
Ukrainian suicide drones reportedly targeted Russian storage facilities containing deadly glide bombs during overnight strikes on April 27 in the Slavyansk, Severny, and Kushchevsky districts of the Krasnodar Krai region, Russia. Defence Blog reports.
Russian media subsequently published footage allegedly showing the aftermath of an attack on a military airfield in Kushchevskaya, Krasnodar Krai, revealing the destruction of a storage facility where Russia’s wing kits for ‘dumb’ bombs were reportedly housed.
Visible in the footage were control units and fairings of the UMPK, or Unified Gliding and Correction Module. The UMPK is a wing kit assembly used to convert unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions. Russia has upgraded heavy Soviet-era aviation bombs, outfitting them with planning and guidance modules, thus creating a relatively inexpensive alternative to guided missiles.
Wagner mercenary, who returned from war in Ukraine, dismembered woman in Russia
In the village of Nikolskoye, Leningrad Oblast, of the terrorist country of the russian federation, a former participant in the war with Ukraine Alexei Serov, who confessed to the murder of a local woman, was detained, writes 47news.
The search for the 47-year-old woman began after her daughter contacted the police. The operatives found 42-year-old Serov. During the search, a suitcase with the victim's severed limbs was found in his apartment. Before the arrival of the police, Serov threw another suitcase - with the head and body - out of the window.
The suspect admitted to killing the woman during an argument and then dismembering her corpse with a hacksaw. As it turned out, Serov was previously convicted: in 2018, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for murder in Udmurtia. But after the start of the war in Ukraine, he was recruited to the Wagner PMC and went to the front. After the end of the six-month contract, Serov received a pardon from the president of the russian federation, vladimir putin, and in the summer of 2023 he came to work in the Leningrad Oblast.
On April 18, the Kremlin said that it saw no cause for concern due to the surge in violence by war participants who had returned from Ukraine.
NEWS WORLDWIDE
Zelenskyy told Johnson without US aid Ukraine could hold out only until “March or April”
Mike Johnson had been speaker for less than two months when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to him with a stark message: Time is running out. Politico reports.
As the two men huddled in the speaker’s office in December, a Ukrainian Ostroh Bible perched near them, Zelenskyy made it clear just how much longer his country could hold out against a renewed onslaught of Russian missiles and drones.
“March or April,” the president said, according to two people familiar with the discussion.
The December meeting and the bleak prognosis contributed greatly to Johnson’s decision to go against his conservative colleagues and come to the aid of Ukraine with a $60 billion aid package, according to three people familiar with the speaker’s thinking, granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Most importantly, it provided Johnson with a deadline — one the speaker took on as his own for the Ukraine aid package.
There is no single reason why Johnson, who had previously insisted that support for Ukraine be tied to conservative border policies, changed his mind. But the meeting with Zelenskyy gave Johnson more urgency to decide if staking his speakership to send more weapons to Ukraine was worth it, the three people said.
Support for Ukraine may falter if "Kremlin voices" succeed in European Parliament elections
Viola von Cramon, MEP and Deputy Chair of the European Parliament's delegation to the EU-Ukraine Association Committee, has expressed concern in an interview with Interfax Ukraine about the possible weakening of support for Ukraine if radical parties strengthen their presence in the European Parliament following the European elections.
Von Cramon praised the work of the present European Parliament in supporting Ukraine. "Each time the Parliament was at the forefront of supporting Ukraine, with military, financial, legal, and humanitarian support," she said.
"I'm very afraid of the future, if many of us are not re-elected, if the right is stronger, support for Ukraine may decrease," she said.
The MEP explained that whenever someone from the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AFD, or Alternative for Germany) or other right-wing parties speaks at the plenary, it is the "voice of the Kremlin".
"The more of those voices you have, the more difficult in general it becomes to have strong support. You still will have support here [after elections]. But then if you have more voices pro-Putin, pro-Kremlin, and pro-Russia I think it will become more difficult and it will be more scattered. I'm still optimistic, but I'm also a little bit worried," von Cramon said.
Pentagon Chief about Patriots for Ukraine: We continue to work on this in a very earnest manner
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III said that negotiations on providing Ukraine with additional Patriot systems continue, however, only an integrated air and missile defence system could change the situation. Interfax Ukraine reports .
"In terms of Patriots and what we will be able to do for orders left to be seen. But I can tell you that we continue to work on this in a very earnest manner. All of the countries that have Patriots certainly value that capability, but I think going forward we'll be able to hopefully work with a number of countries to put together additional patriot capability," he said at a press conference following the 21st meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Friday.
According to the Pentagon chief, in the last several days he has been talking "one on one" with some of his European counterparts, discussing this issue and other issues. He emphasised that the United States will continue to work on the air defence issue.
"I would point out that it's not just Patriot that they need. They need other types of systems and interceptors as well. I would caution us all in terms of making Patriot the silver bullet. I would say that it's going to be an integrated air and missile defence, as we said so many times before, that really turns the time," Austin said.
MILITARY & TECH
Canada to provide Ukraine with over $ 2.3 mn for drone production
Canada will allocate 3 million Canadian dollars (approximately $ 2.3 million US) to pay for Ukrainian production of combat drones for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Canadian Ministry of Defense reported following a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
This marks the first time that Canada is providing funding for the production of military drones directly in Ukraine. The Canadian ministry said the country is doing this initiative in cooperation with the United Kingdom.
Canada will also additionally allocate $10 million towards a Czech initiative for the production and procurement of artillery ammunition for Ukraine from third countries.
The ministry states that these funds are in addition to the $40 million announced in March.
Canada will transfer another 100 Teledyne FLIR drones to Ukraine in addition to the 800 previously promised. Delivery of these drones will begin in May.
Australia announces new $100 million aid package for Ukraine
Australia has announced a new $100 million aid package to Ukraine, including $50 million for short-range air defence, $30 million for drones, and the rest for various equipment such as inflatable boats, as well as ammunition and RBS-70 man-portable air defence systems. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense of Australia Richard Marles stated during a press conference in Lviv as reported by UNN.
Today we are announcing the next package of assistance to Ukraine worth $100 million. 50 million of this amount will be allocated to short-range air defence. 30 million, as announced by the Prime Minister, will be allocated for the purchase of drones as part of the drone coalition. The rest of this amount will be spent on the purchase of various things, from inflatable boats to many other things
— Richard Marles, Australian Minister of Defense
The RBS is a very effective and highly mobile short range air defence system that can literally be deployed anywhere.
Spain provides Patriot missiles to Ukraine and prepares Leopard tanks for delivery
This was stated in the statement of the Minister of Defense of Spain, Margarita Robles, after the meeting of the Contact Group on Defense Issues for Ukraine at the ministerial level. Ukranews reports.
According to her, Patriot missiles will arrive in Ukraine within a few days. However, she did not specify the exact number of missiles to be provided.
She said that Spain recently sent to Ukraine sets of medicines and individual first aid kits. Spain will soon deliver 155 and 120 mm caliber ammunition to Ukraine.
The Minister also noted that the preparation of new Leopard battle tanks for transfer to Ukraine is proceeding according to plan, and the first units will be ready by the end of June.
Ukraine strikes Russian storage of deadly glide bombs
Ukrainian suicide drones reportedly targeted Russian storage facilities containing deadly glide bombs during overnight strikes on April 27 in the Slavyansk, Severny, and Kushchevsky districts of the Krasnodar Krai region, Russia. Defence Blog reports.
Russian media subsequently published footage allegedly showing the aftermath of an attack on a military airfield in Kushchevskaya, Krasnodar Krai, revealing the destruction of a storage facility where Russia’s wing kits for ‘dumb’ bombs were reportedly housed.
Visible in the footage were control units and fairings of the UMPK, or Unified Gliding and Correction Module. The UMPK is a wing kit assembly used to convert unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions. Russia has upgraded heavy Soviet-era aviation bombs, outfitting them with planning and guidance modules, thus creating a relatively inexpensive alternative to guided missiles.
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