LIVE TEXT The war in Ukraine, year 2, day 54. Putin, in Kherson and in Lugansk / First visit after the nocturnal vizigta in Mariupol, on March 19 / Russia found a strong ally in South America / America’s response to the accusations of Lula / Russian Propaganda, directed by Sarah Bils

UPDATE 09:00 Putin also visits troops in Luhansk, after Kherson

After visiting the headquarters of the “Dnepr” troop group in the Kherson region, Russian President Vladimir Putin also traveled to the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, where he visited the headquarters of the “Vostok” National Guard. This was announced by the Kremlin’s press service, emphasizing that both trips “were not prepared ahead of time.” During the mission, the head of state listened to the reports of the military commanders regarding the situation in Kherson, Zaporozhye and Luhansk regions. It is Putin’s first visit to Kherson and Luhansk region since the beginning of the war. On March 19, the president visited Mariupol in Donetsk.

UPDATE 07:00 White House: Lula repeats propaganda from Russia and China

The White House did not appreciate the criticism of the United States launched by Brazilian President Lula regarding Ukraine. “To say – explained the spokesman John Kirby – that the United States and Europe are not interested in peace and that they are responsible for war, is, frankly, a way that brings with it the propaganda of Russia and China. We want peace”.

UPDATE 00:30 Zelenski: we are preparing for a new Ramstein meeting

“We’re already gearing up for another fight with Ramstein.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced it on Telegram, in his usual evening message, stating that he had already held preparatory meetings. And we expect solid decisions that respond to the perspectives on the battlefield. Quite ambitious perspectives, which we are approaching with all our might. The Ukrainian leader then added that today began with “a meeting of the General Staff” and that among the many topics discussed were the “front line” and “actions of our defense forces”, but also about “what has been achieved and what what we have to achieve”. Finally, Zelenskiy reiterated the need for “more weapons and ammunition to accelerate our common victory.”

UPDATE 00:20 Sarah Bils appears in the US files. Known as “the girl from Donbass”, she handles pro-Russian propaganda

A former US Navy officer has been identified as the one who played a key role in the dissemination of top secret documents published online by the “mole” Jack Teixeira. According to what the Wall Street Journal reveals, it is Sarah Bils, 37 years old, a former Air Force electronics technician who served at the US Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island in Washington state until the end last year. Known online as “Donbass Devushka,” meaning “girl from Donbass,” she runs a vast network of pro-Russian blogs, social media, podcasts and propaganda, as well as pro-Kremlin fundraising accounts.

On April 5, four of the allegedly classified documents that led to Teixeira’s arrest were published on the Donbass Devushka Telegram account on April 5. Born in New Jersey, Bils now lives in Oak Harbor, Washington state, and in the Wall Street Journal he limited himself to saying that he is only an administrator of the character of Donbass Devushka, pointing out that in total there are 15 people “in the world” involved in the management network.

In today’s #vatniksoupI’ll introduce an American propagandist and podcaster, Donbass Devushka. She’s best-known for her fake Russian identity, for her pro-Russian podcast, and for spreading false, pro-Russian narratives on social media.

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— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) April 15, 2023

UPDATE 00:00 Brasilia criticizes the sanctions against Russia

The Brazilian Foreign Minister, Mauro Vieira, at the end of the meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Brasilia, reiterated the criticism regarding the “unilateral sanctions” against Russia and the importance of intensifying the “negotiations to resolve the conflict” through the mediation of a group of friendly countries”. Sanctions, Vieira said, “besides not having the approval of the United Nations Security Council, they have a negative impact on world economies, especially developing countries.”