According to new reports, Russia is facing continuing personnel problems in its ongoing war against Ukraine, which has already seen the reported deaths of thousands upon thousands of Russian troops. Russian leaders have apparently “[failed] to mobilize enough military personnel in” the North Caucasus region, per an English summary from Ukraine’s The Kyiv Independent of revelations that were originally provided in Ukrainian by the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Discussing Russian leadership’s failure to secure necessary personnel, The Kyiv Independent adds: “The main reason is the unwillingness of the local people to fight in the war against Ukraine, according to Ukrainian intelligence data. Due to an acute shortage of military personnel, the Russian military command plans to conduct a nationwide mobilization in parallel with the spring conscription, which is running from April 1 until July 15.”
⚡️Polish President Andrzej Duda signs law banning Russian, Belarusian coal imports.
The measure is part of a legislative package aimed at combating Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Polish newspaper Biznes Alert reported on April 15.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 15, 2022
In the same set of updates from Ukrainian military leaders, details were included about further Russian preparations for additional violence in the eastern portions of the targeted country. Russians are “trying to complete preparations for an offensive in eastern Ukraine by accumulating its air force units and troop management systems,” as the Ukrainian government information source known as Ukrinform summarized the information. Apparently, certain Russian “efforts are focused on establishing control over the settlements of Popasna, Rubizhne, Severodonetsk and Sloviansk,” according to that same report. Notably, amid all of these developments Russia recently lost its large warship known as the Moskva — an English transliteration of the Russian word for Moscow — although Russia (predictably) disputed the allegations that the ship had been hit by Ukrainian forces. According to a CNN report based on a source the outlet did not publicly identify, U.S. officials believe with “medium confidence” that the Ukrainian story — that the ship was hit by its forces before eventually sinking — is, in fact, true.
U.S. now believes the Russian warship Moskva that sunk was hit by two Ukrainian Neptune missiles, a senior U.S. official says.
— Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) April 15, 2022
UPDATE: the “U.S. now believes the Russian warship Moskva that sunk was hit by two Ukrainian Neptune missiles, a senior U.S. official says,” according to reporter Idrees Ali.
⚡️More than 900 civilians killed by Russia's war in Kyiv Oblast.
According to Kyiv Oblast Police Chief Andriy Nebytov, the biggest number of civilians killed by the Russian forces — over 350 people — was recorded in Bucha, a town northwest of Kyiv.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 15, 2022
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently told European leaders the Biden administration believes the war in Ukraine might last through the end of this year, according to a different CNN report citing a pair of officials in Europe. The U.S. has already provided a total of billions of dollars worth of defense assistance for Ukraine consisting of various weapons systems, including an $800 million package that was recently announced. According to Blinken, “This new package features a host of additional capabilities in response to the Ukrainian Government’s requests, including artillery, armored vehicles, helicopters, and Unmanned Coastal Defense Vessels, as well as engineering and field support equipment, in addition to supplementing anti-armor and anti-personnel capabilities, counter artillery, and air defense radars, tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, body armor, and combat medical equipment.” Over 30 countries have provided security assistance for Ukraine. “We are focused on putting Ukraine in the strongest possible negotiating position by continuing to provide security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself and by increasing pressure on Putin by imposing severe costs on Russia,” Blinken added.
⚡️CNN: US believes Russia’s war in Ukraine could last through end of 2022.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared the assessment with some European allies, CNN reports citing two anonymous European officials.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 15, 2022
