WAR IN UKRAINE: April 2, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 403
The British Defense Ministry said Saturday in its daily intelligence update on Ukraine that the Russian chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, has failed to stage a general winter offensive in Ukraine with the aim of extending Russian control of the whole of the Donbas region. Gerasimov took command of the “special military operation in Ukraine,” the report said, but “Eighty days on, it is increasingly apparent that this project has failed.” Russia has only made marginal gains, according to the ministry, at the cost of tens of thousands of casualties “largely squandering its temporary advantage in personnel gained for the autumn’s partial mobilization.”
Russia has assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council despite Ukraine urging members to block the move. It means the UNSC is being led by a country whose president is subject to an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes. Ukrainian diplomats warn to expect multiple procedural acrobatics from Russia to frustrate any actions regarding Ukraine. Already, Russia plans to hold an informal meeting of UNSC imminently on what it said was "the real situation" of Ukrainian children taken to Russia - a move taking absurdity to a new level
Vitaly Merinov, a four-time world kickboxing champion, died in hospital after being wounded on the battlefield, Ivano-Frankivsk Mayor Ruslan Martsynkiv reported on Facebook. “An irreparable loss for the Ivano-Frankivsk community. Vitaliy Merinov died in hospital this night, succumbing to injuries he had suffered in the battle,” wrote Martsynkiv. On the very first day of the full-scale invasion, Merinov deployed to defend his country. He was wounded in the leg, and after recovery, he returned to the front to keep defending Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.
The board of the International Monetary Fund has approved a 48-month extended arrangement worth $15.6 billion, as part of a $115 billion overall support package for Ukraine.