Ukraine Briefly

April 25, 2022

Ukraine, Briefly

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• Russia wants to seize “complete control” of eastern and southern Ukraine, in part so it can access Moldova, according to a Russian commander, raising fears that the war could spill beyond Ukrainian borders, the Washington Post added.

• Lawmakers from Latvia and Estonia officially declared that Russia has committed genocide in Ukraine, the Hill noted. The parliaments of both former Soviet states accused Russian troops of perpetrating acts of genocide in Ukrainian cities, including murder, rape, torture and desecration of corpses. They also urged countries and international organizations to step up sanctions against Moscow while increasing humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.

• According to an audio intercept captured by Ukrainian intelligence agencies this week, Russian forces in the strategically crucial Donbas area of Ukraine were told to execute prisoners of war, with instructions to make sure no one “sees them again,” according to the New York Post. The audio, which has not been independently verified, was shared on the Telegram channel for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Intelligence Directorate.

• Russia’s new nuclear missile will be deployed by autumn, according to the chief of the country’s space program, a weapon capable of targeting Britain and the United States, the Telegraph wrote. The Sarmat missile – known as “Satan II” by Western officials – is considered a faster and deadlier replacement for its Soviet predecessor, “Satan.” Described as the most dangerous weapon in the world, the Kremlin called it a “present to NATO.” Meanwhile, Russia deployed Iskander-M mobile battlefield missile launchers near Ukraine’s borders, Al Jazeera noted. The weapon’s two ballistic missiles can carry conventional or nuclear weapons and have a range of up to 300 miles.

This story originally appeared in the April 25, 2022 newsletter, Coming Together, Coming Apart.