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Day 785: Borrell urges EU countries to send their anti-missile systems to Ukraine

Ukraine took out four S-400 air defense launchers with a strike on the Dzhankoy airfield. Ukraine is set to build a record number of the Bohdana artillery systems in April, and ramp up production next month. EU’s foreign policy chief urges EU countries to send their anti-missile systems to Ukraine. 

Ukraine takes out four S-400 air defense launchers with strike on Dzhankoy airfield

Ukraine’s defense forces took out four Russian S-400 air defense launchers and some other equipment during an attack on the Dzhankoy airbase in Crimea on Wednesday, according to Ukraine’s defense intelligence.

In a statement on Thursday, the agency said: “A successful operation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces that targeted the Dzhankoy military air field in temporarily occupied Crimea on April 17, 2024, destroyed or critically damaged four S-400 air defense missile launchers, three radar stations, an air defense command post, and Fundament-M air defense command and control system.”

The number of damaged or destroyed enemy aircraft and the number of casualties among the Russian personnel are being clarified, the statement reads.

Ukraine to build record number of Bohdana artillery systems in April, ramp up production next month

Ukraine’s defense industry will for the first time build ten Bohdana self-propelled artillery systems in April.

In a daily security update posted to social media Thursday, President Zelenskyi said: “A share of our domestic weapons production is growing. The state signs serious long-term contracts with our companies to bring in predictability, and expand opportunities to hire more people and attract investment. Already this month, our industry will produce 10 Bohdana artillery systems for the first time, and will further increase its production capacity beginning in May.”

Earlier in April, a New York Times article said Ukraine’s arms industry was building eight of the self-propelled Bohdana artillery systems each month.

Borrell urges EU countries to send their anti-missile systems to Ukraine: “We cannot only rely on the U.S.”

European Union countries must send their anti-missile systems to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses as Russia pounds its cities, EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Thursday, according to Reuters.

“We have Patriots, we have anti-missile systems. We have to take them (out) from our barracks where they are just in case and send them to Ukraine where the war is raging,” Borrell told reporters at a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers in the island of Capri.

“Otherwise the electricity system of Ukraine will be destroyed. And no country can fight without having electricity at home, in the factories, online, for everything,” he added.

Borrell said he regretted “internal politics” in the U.S. was delaying a much needed aid package for Ukraine. “We cannot only rely on the U.S. We have to take our (own) responsibility and stop saying, ‘oh, the U.S. will do’,” he said.

Speaking at Forum Europa last week, Borrell urged EU member states to send more air defense systems and ammunition to Ukraine.

Assessing agricultural losses from soil erosion due to military operations. Ukraine in Flames #600

The military actions of the Russian Federation not only lead to the destruction of Ukrainian cities and villages, but also contribute to the destruction of the ecosystem in general and its components in particular. Therefore, there is an urgent need to assess the damage caused to the environment and convert it into a monetary equivalent in order to further take this damage into account for the aggressor to pay reparations. Such an assessment is also necessary to build a plan for landscape restoration and land reclamation, as well as to take preventive measures to preserve the life and health of the population. Watch Ukraine in flames #600 to find out more about the methodology and results of distance assessment, and we will also talk about recommendations to Ukrainian farmers based on this information.

Guests:

  • Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine 
  • Oleh Syniehubov, Head of the Kharkiv Military Administration
  • Tifain Luka, Programme Coordinator at the Food and Agricultural Organization