Marines break out of encirclement in Mariupol, join Azov, Ukrainian media said. In Mariupol, a unit of the 36thnaval infantry brigade named after rear admiral Belinskyi was able to break out of encirclement and join the Azov regiment.
Despite complexity, the special operation was successful, said Ukrainian web site Prestupnosti.net quoting an unnamed officer of the brigade.
“We joined the Azov regiment, but I cannot give you details. A few hundred marines managed to get out, including the wounded,” the officer said.
Mariupol has been cut off since March 1. The Russian troops created a humanitarian catastrophe in the city to exterminate civilians. Attempts to unblock Mariupol were not successful. It was difficult to resupply the military.
On April 11, the 36th marine brigade, part of Mariupol’s defense force said that apparently that could be their last day, and that Ukraine’s military command had not contacted them in the past two weeks.
Commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhnyi reassured that the military command is in contact with Mariupol’s defense forces. Details of the defense operation should not be a topic for a public discussion, he added.
On the evening of April 11, Russian forces dropped an unknown chemical substance on Mariupol. Russia deployed chemical weapons on Azovstal factory, a stronghold of Azov servicemen, Azov commander Andriy Biletskyi said.
The President and Ukraine’s military command are looking for ways to help the Ukrainian troops in Mariupol, advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak on April 12. These plans cannot be made public, he added.
Ukraine’s Security Service detains Putin’s crony Medvedchuk. Viktor Medvedchuk, Putin’s crony and MP of the recently banned OPZZh party (Opposition Platform – For Life) was detained in a special operation carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service, President Zelenskyi announced. “Ukraine’s Security Service held a special operation. Well done! Details later. Glory to Ukraine!” the President said.
He earlier released a photo of handcuffed Medvedchuk wearing uniforms of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Ukraine’s Security Service said it will take similar action on pro-Russian actors and Russia’s agents in Ukraine.
Ukrainian and Russian women to carry a cross together during procession on Good Friday in Rome, Vatican said. Iryna and Albina who are to carry a cross moved to Italy two decades ago, Radio Vatican said.
Ukrainians are angered at Vatican’s attempt to “make peace” between the Ukrainians and the Russians. Ukraine’s diplomats appealed to the Holy See.
“Embassy of Ukraine to the Holy See understands and shares general concern in Ukraine and many other communities about the idea to bring together Ukrainian and Russian women to carry the Cross during Friday’s Cross Road at the Collosseum. Now we are working on the issue trying to explain difficulties of its realization and possible consequences,” Ukraine’s Ambassador to the Vatican Andriy Yurash twitted.
His wife Diana Yurash supported the statement calling the Vatican’s initiative inhumane. “That is inhumane in all senses including the use of ethnicity of women who are far from their historic fatherlands not just geographically, but also mentally,” she said. Ukraine’s Greek Catholic Church did not support the idea either, calling it untimely and ambiguous.
“For the Greek Catholics of Ukraine, the texts and gestures of the 13th station of this Way of the Cross are incoherent and even offensive, especially in the context of the expected second, even bloodier attack of Russian troops on our cities and villages. I know that our Roman Catholic brothers share these thoughts and concerns,” the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Major Archbishop Svyatoslav Shevchuk said.
Ukraine in Flames #33. What sanctions against Russia are necessary for Ukrainian victory?
Russia has left North Korea, Iran, Syria and Iran behind in ‘the most sanctioned country ever’ competition. The number of sanctions Russia received since February 24 has reached 8,000, and continues to grow.
Ukraine is still the biggest sufferer of the war, not the sanctioned Russia. Sanctions have started to hurt Russia, but it’s a mixed picture. Notoriously, Russia’s pipeline gas revenue is still up and fetching much higher prices compared to a year ago. In January 2022, Russia earned $ 9.5 billion from the pipelines, compared to $ 3.4 billion a year earlier. The World Bank is now predicting the Russian economy will shrink by 11 percent in 2022, but Ukraine is likely to face a 45 percent contraction.
Since the biggest consumers of Russian gas are the EU states, there is still potential to further pressure the aggressor. Notably, the energy embargo has not been fully imposed by the EU. The European Commission’s most recent – sixth – round of sanctions against the Russian Federation will include restrictions on gas and oil exports and, hopefully, a much stronger cooperation to improve implementation of the already imposed restrictions.
How will the upcoming sixth round of sanctions hit Russia? What further restrictions on the aggressor will help Ukraine’s victory? See in Ukraine in Flames #33.
Speakers:
Hennadiy Chyzhykov, President of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine
Oleksiy Honcharenko, Ukrainian MP, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe
Dmytro Boiarchuk, Executive Director of CASE Ukraine
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Ukrainian MP, Head of the committee for integration of Ukraine to European Union
