NATO cannot protect Europe without Ukraine’s help. The Russians almost conquered Bahmut, with massive losses

UPDATE 18:00 Ukrainian troops shot down a Russian drone in the Sumy region

Ukrainian troops shot down a Russian Zala reconnaissance drone flying over the Sumy region, the “North” Operational Command announced.

According to the report, the drone was shot down by anti-aircraft guns. The downed drone appeared to be a Zala 421-16е, a Russian-made reconnaissance drone.

UPDATE 17:00 Poland suspends Ukrainian grain imports until July

Ukrainian grains will transit through Poland only to third countries “at least until July”, Janusz Kowalski, Poland’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, told TVP Info.

Earlier news about the suspension of grain imports did not specify the time period of the agreement.

The Polish-Ukrainian grain agreement is the first step in solving the agricultural crisis in the country due to the large influx of cheap Ukrainian grain into Poland, Kowalski said.

“All products must go through Poland, they cannot harm Polish farmers, Polish producers and cause a food security crisis,” he said.

UPDATE 16:00 France says it has no soldiers in Ukraine

The French Defense Ministry has denied the presence of its soldiers in Ukraine, responding to information from allegedly classified documents that were leaked online earlier this week.

As reported by The Guardian, the so-called documents suggest that in Ukraine there is a small contingent of less than a hundred members of special operations from NATO members France, USA, Great Britain and Latvia.

“There are no French forces engaged in operations in Ukraine. The cited documents do not come from the French armies. We do not comment on documents whose source is uncertain,” said a spokesman for the French Ministry of Defense, quoted by The Guardian.

UPDATE 14:15 The General Staff announces that Russia lost 178,150 soldiers in Ukraine

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on Sunday that Russia has lost 178,150 soldiers in Ukraine since the start of its invasion on February 24, 2022.

This number includes 470 Russian soldiers killed in the last 24 hours alone.

Russia also lost 3,636 tanks, 7,024 armored fighting vehicles, 5,602 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,740 artillery systems, 533 multiple launch missile systems, 282 air defense systems, 307 aircraft, 292 of helicopters, 2,312 drones and 18 boats, the army said.

UPDATE 13:00 The Russians attacked eight regions and killed five civilians in the last 24 hours

In the last 24 hours, Russian attacks were reported in eight of Ukraine’s 24 oblasts – Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk and Donetsk.

According to the reports of the regional governors, five civilians were killed and at least eight were wounded.

UPDATE 11:10 The Russians bombed the Kherson region 71 times in the last 24 hours

The Russians bombed the Kherson region 71 times in the last 24 hours, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin announced.

The Russians fired a total of 495 shells across Kherson Oblast, hitting residential areas, power lines and a grain terminal near the town of Beryslav. The governor added that 23 shells targeted the regional capital Kherson, hitting the territory of the shipyard.

UPDATE 09:45 Russia hit Zaporizhzhia on the night of April 9, killing two people

UPDATE 08:30 General Staff: Ukrainian forces repelled over 50 Russian attacks

The Russians attack Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian troops repelled more than 50 Russian attacks in these directions on Saturday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Sunday morning.

UPDATE 07:00 The Russians bring out the artillery to attack

A Kremlin-backed commander and former proxy official installed by Russia, Alexander Khodakovsky, claims that the Russian army is only firing artillery in areas of the front where there are no active offensive operations.

UPDATE 03:00 New bombings in Sumi

Russia bombed four towns in the Sumi region. The material damage is significant, but there were no victims.

UPDATE 01:00 Military schools in Russia will produce officers and non-commissioned officers more quickly

Ukraine claims that Russia plans for the students of the military schools to complete their studies faster in order to recruit them, against the background of the shortage of personnel. The massive losses they face on the battlefield would be the main reason for this desperate measure.