(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Ukraine Invasion Day 420: Russian forces continue defensive preparations [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-18 A Ukrainian medic uses a Starlink internet connection to transmit information from Donbas region in February. (John Moore/Getty Images) Combat continues and the counteroffensive has yet to begin. Russia’s quest to sabotage Ukrainian forces’ internet access by targeting the Starlink satellite operations that billionaire Elon Musk has provided to Kyiv since the war’s earliest days appears to be more advanced than previously known, according to a classified U.S. intelligence report obtained by The Washington Post. Moscow has experimented for months with its Tobol electronic warfare systems in a bid to disrupt Starlink’s transmissions in Ukraine, the top-secret assessment, which has not been previously disclosed, contends. The document, among a cache of sensitive materials leaked online through the messaging platform Discord, dates to March and does not indicate whether any of Russia’s tests have been successful. But the intelligence finding is striking nonetheless as it appears to affirm what observers had only hypothesized previously: that a program ostensibly designed to protect the Kremlin’s satellites can be employed instead to attack those used by its adversaries. SpaceX, the firm that owns Starlink, declined to comment. Last spring, Musk briefly addressed the Kremlin’s attempts to target the technology, writing on Twitter in May that while Starlink had demonstrated its resilience against such “jamming & hacking” attempts, the Russians appeared to be intensifying their efforts. www.washingtonpost.com/... Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations issued a joint statement calling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “serious violation of international law” and demanding Russia immediately withdraw its troops without conditions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited troops on Tuesday in the small eastern city of Avdiivka, a day after the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his military leaders and troops in territories occupied by Moscow’s forces. Russian forces used aircraft to unleash fresh assaults on Ukrainian positions in the eastern Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday, RFE/RL reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to portray himself as a wartime leader in anticipation of a planned Ukrainian counteroffensive during his visit to occupied Kherson and Luhansk oblasts. The Kremlin announced on April 18 that Putin visited the headquarters of the Russian Dnepr Group of Forces in Kherson Oblast and the Vostok National Guard headquarters in occupied Luhansk Oblast.[1] Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that Putin visited occupied territories on April 17. Putin, however, stated that Orthodox Easter holiday is “coming up” in one of the videos, which suggests that his visit occurred prior to April 16.[2] The Kremlin later edited the video to exclude Putin’s statement about the then-upcoming East holiday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Avdiivka frontline on April 18, and it is possible the Kremlin deliberately released footage of Putin’s visit to overshadow Zelensky’s visit in the information space.[3] ISW reported on Russian milbloggers criticizing Russian officials for failing to visit the frontlines like Zelensky, and Putin had previously visited occupied Mariupol on March 19 to improve his appearance as a wartime leader.[4] Russian occupation officials and milbloggers celebrated Putin’s visit and claimed that he boosted the morale of Russian servicemen preparing to repel Ukrainian counteroffensives.[5] Geolocated footage shows that Putin visited Arabat Spit in southwestern Kherson Oblast - at least 130km from the nearest frontline.[6] www.understandingwar.org/... x I had the honor to congratulate the Ukrainian military on the frontline on Easter. In Donbas, in our Avdiivka. It's hard to see what Russian terrorists have done to this city. Honor to our warriors who've been restraining and destroying this Russian evil for 419 days and 9 years. pic.twitter.com/0Lrv9cB6gv — Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 18, 2023 Key Takeaways Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to portray himself as a wartime leader in anticipation of a planned Ukrainian counteroffensive during his visit to occupied Kherson and Luhansk oblasts. Putin’s visit likely intended to publicly identify scapegoats ahead of the planned Ukrainian counteroffensives. Putin’s demonstrative meetings with Teplinsky, Makarevich, and Lapin likely confirm another change in military command and possibly within the Kremlin’s inner circle. Select members of the “Club of Angry Patriots” are advocating for a revolution in Russia if the Kremlin freezes the war or pursue peace negotiations with Ukraine and the West. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu met to discuss on strategic partnership and military cooperation in Moscow on April 18. The Russian State Duma approved a series of amendments to the Russian Criminal Code on April 18 aimed at encouraging domestic self-censorship and repressing the Russian public. Russian authorities detained Russian public relations specialist Yaroslav Shirshikov, an associate of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, in Yekaterinburg on April 18. The Russian Immortal Regiment Central Headquarters announced the cancelation of the annual Immortal Regiment Victory Day march, likely in an effort to reduce public discussion of war dead. Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks northeast of Kupyansk and along the Svatove-Kreminna line. Russian forces continued to make gains in Bakhmut and conducted ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line. Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces continue defensive preparations in southern Ukraine. The Kremlin continues efforts to integrate proxy formations with conventional Russian forces. Russian occupation officials continue to deport Ukrainian civilians to Russia under healthcare and rehabilitation schemes. Belarus may begin economically supporting Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast with a patronage system. www.understandingwar.org/... x ⚡️ WAR IN #UKRAINE - APR 18 20:15 🇷🇺/🇺🇦 added - there is likely a backlog remaining Happy to have @Rebel44CZ back 👍 VISUALLY CONFIRMED: 3.2x losses to date ➡ 2.8x since 🇺🇦 counteroffensive (Aug 29) ⬇ 5.2x 30-day average ⬇ 📈 https://t.co/mKsu1RvQLW pic.twitter.com/3GZT8KqmJ3 — Ragnar Gudmundsson 🇮🇸🇺🇦 ragnarbjartur@masto.ai (@ragnarbjartur) April 18, 2023 x Ukraine is itself not a repudiation of the idea of spheres of influence, but rather a clear example of how they work in practice, writes Emma Ashford. https://t.co/jj1dG2rnR0 — National Interest (@TheNatlInterest) April 19, 2023 Germany has delivered a Patriot defense system to Ukraine, according to a official German government website. The Patriot system is used to combat enemy aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. The US and Germany each agreed to provide Kyiv with one of the systems. German press agency dpa cited a German military source as saying that Ukrainian soldiers received training by Germany and the US in a NATO country where joint drills were held. Braziilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has voiced his condemnation of Russia's "violation of territorial integrity." He went on to say that Brazil defends "a negotiated political solution to the conflict." The comments come after a recent trip to China, during which Lula accused Washington of "encouraging the war" in Ukraine and urged for outside mediation between Kyiv and Moscow. On Monday, Lula met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Brasilia. "Brazil is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without looking at all the facts," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said of Lula's comments on Monday. On Tuesday, Lula's foreign policy adviser, Celso Amorim, called criticism of the Brazilian president's position on Ukraine "absurd." "We have several points of convergence (with Russia), but at various times Brazil condemned... the invasion of Ukraine," he said. www.dw.com/... x The Biden administration should invite China to help bring Russia and Ukraine to the bargaining table, argues FP’s @stephenwalt. https://t.co/ahA9BN3PeW — Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) April 19, 2023 www.understandingwar.org/... Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Luhansk Oblast (Russian objective: Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and northern Donetsk Oblast) Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks northeast of Kupyansk and along the Svatove-Kreminna line on April 18. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces conducted unsuccessful ground attacks near Synkivka (8km northeast of Kupyansk), Dibrova (5km southwest of Kreminna), and Spirne (25km south of Kreminna).[35] Russian milbloggers claimed on April 17 that Russian forces conducted ground attacks near Synkivka, Dvorichna (15km northeast of Kupyansk), Chervonopopivka (5km northwest of Kreminna), and Kreminna, and that Russian forces conducted assault operations near Makiivka (22km northwest of Kreminna) toward Nevske (18km northwest of Kreminna).[36] Another Russian milblogger claimed on April 18 that Russian forces conducted ground attacks in the direction of Torske, Terny, and Nevske (all within 14 to 18km west or northwest of Kreminna) and near Bilohorivka (12km south of Kreminna).[37] Footage published on April 17 and 18 purportedly shows Ukrainian forces driving a captured TOS-1A thermobaric artillery system in the Svatove-Kreminna direction and Chechen ”Akhmat” special forces elements repelling Ukrainian forces near Kreminna.[38] www.understandingwar.org/... www.understandingwar.org/... Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Donetsk Oblast (Russian Objective: Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, the claimed territory of Russia’s proxies in Donbas) Russian forces continued to make gains in Bakhmut on April 18. Geolocated footage published on April 17 indicates that Wagner Group forces have likely advanced closer to the House of Culture in northwestern Bakhmut.[39] The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed that Wagner forces captured three unspecified blocks in northern, central, and southern Bakhmut.[40] Russian milbloggers claimed that Wagner forces have advanced in northern, southern, and central Bakhmut, including most of the rail station area and across the railway in central Bakhmut.[41] A Russian milblogger claimed that Wagner forces advanced west of the rail line in western Bakhmut.[42] One milblogger claimed that Wagner attacks towards Khromove (immediately northwest of Bakhmut) and Ivanivske (3km southwest of Bakhmut) failed.[43] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces conducted ground attacks in Bakhmut, and that Ukrainian forces repelled Russian forces near Ivanivske and Predtechnyne (12km southwest of Bakhmut).[44] Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that Russian forces have increased heavy artillery and air strikes against Bakhmut.[45] The Ukrainian Border Guards stated on April 18 that Wagner forces are not currently suffering from artillery ammunition shortages.[46] Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces began to use modified FAB-500 aerial bombs equipped with guidance systems to strike Bakhmut as of at least April 17.[47] www.understandingwar.org/... www.understandingwar.org/... Russian Supporting Effort – Southern Axis (Russian objective: Maintain frontline positions and secure rear areas against Ukrainian strikes) Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces continue defensive preparations in southern Ukraine. Head of the Ukrainian Joint Coordination Press Center of the Southern Forces Nataliya Humenyuk stated that Russian forces have mined the east (left) bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast in preparation for a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive.[54] Ukrainian Mariupol Mayoral Advisor Petro Andryushchenko reported that Russian forces in Mariupol have not conducted any major movements recently and continue to reinforce Mariupol as some Russian forces deploy from Mariupol to other areas including the Vuhledar area.[55] Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov stated that Russian forces continue to transport personnel and defensive fortifications through Melitopol between other rear areas and the front.[56] www.understandingwar.org/... x “If we lose him, if we lose people like Vladimir, who is going to be there to rebuild the country from ruins, to make sure that Russia does not return to an authoritarian or totalitarian regime after the collapse of this one?” — @ekaramurza.https://t.co/etuPgGKO11 — Vladimir Kara-Murza (@vkaramurza) April 18, 2023 x Ukraine has a minority nazi population like USA, but russia is headquarters for the global neonazi movement. https://t.co/kp5puCgzvw — meat lady (@meatlady4) April 19, 2023 [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/18/2164682/-Ukraine-Invasion-Day-420-Russian-forces-continue-defensive-preparations Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/