Ukrainian troops conduct counteroffensive operations in the east. Russia fires drones at Odesa region overnight. Patriot missile defense systems arrive in Ukraine. Ukraine will plead for urgent shipments of surface-to-air missiles it likely lacks at the next Ramstein meeting later this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukrainian troops are conducting counteroffensive operations in the east, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said. \u201cThe Ukrainian Armed Forces are being constantly trained on various defensive and offensive scenarios. Counteroffensive operations are part of what\u2019s happening now in the east,\u201d Malyar said in a televised interview on Wednesday. Counteroffensive should not be narrowed to offensive operations conducted on precise dates, she added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCounteroffensive should not be narrowed to offensive operations, as it is rather a strategic goal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to liberate all our territories. Our goal is to liberate territory and stop the enemy\u2019s offense,\u201d the Deputy Defense Minister said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She added that planning of a counteroffensive involves preparation of materiel and reserves, training, tactical formation, and preparation of Plan A, B, and C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the past day, Ukrainian troops repelled more than 60 Russian attacks and shot down 10 drones, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a morning report on Wednesday. Russian forces concentrate most of their efforts on conducting offensive operations on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka axes. The heaviest battles rage for Bakhmut and Maryinka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukrainian troops hold back Russian attacks on the Bakhmut axis. They inflict heavy losses on Russian forces, Commander of Ukraine\u2019s ground forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said. The Bakhmut sector remains the epicenter of the fighting, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine\u2019s air defenses shot down 10 out of 12 Iranian-made Shahed-136\/131 kamikaze drones fired by Russia at Odesa region overnight into Wednesday, April 19, Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk said. One of the drones hit a children\u2019s recreational facility, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished. There were no casualties in the attack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the evening of April 18, Ukrainian troops destroyed seven drones, including six Shahed-136 drones. Six of them were intercepted near Zaporizhzhia, and one on the outskirts of Dnipro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Germany has dispatched more military equipment to Ukraine, including a Patriot missile defense system (capable of intercepting Iskander and Kinzhal missiles) and associated munitions. The package also includes 16 Zetros trucks, and two border protection vehicles. Ukraine\u2019s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov confirmed that a Patriot system had arrived in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavlyuk said that Patriot missile defense systems sent by the U.S., the Netherlands, and Germany had arrived in Ukraine. Germany has also sent another IRIS-T air defense system with missiles to Ukraine. That\u2019s the second out of the four promised systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine likely lacks missiles for air defense. Ukraine will plead for urgent shipments of surface-to-air missiles at a meeting of its western allies this week, fearful that an acute shortage could allow Russia to launch widespread bombing attacks, according to an article by the Financial Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kyiv will press allies to bolster their dwindling stocks at the so-called Ramstein military co-ordination group on Friday, according to three officials briefed on the preparations. Without adequate air defences, western capitals fear a long-planned counter-offensive against occupying Russian troops could falter, the publication added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n