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UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a Russian salvo left at least eight dead, while the CIA predicts a possible defeat for Ukraine if aid stops.
A bomber crashes in southern Russia, kyiv claims responsibility for the strike. Ukraine deplores at least eight deaths after Russian strikes that occurred during the night in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The CIA warns that Ukraine could lose the war this year if aid stops… Le Figaro takes stock of the situation this Friday, April 19.
Fatal crash of a Russian army bomber while kyiv announces having shot down a similar model
One of the four crew members of a Russian supersonic bomber that crashed in southern Russia on Friday has died, the region’s governor said. Two other crew members of the aircraft, a Tu-22M3, were found alive, and rescuers are still looking for the fourth, he said. It is not yet known whether the bomber the governor is talking about and which crashed in the Stavropol region is the same one that the Ukrainian army claimed to have shot down on Friday morning.
Indeed, the Ukrainian Air Force for its part affirmed on Friday on Telegram having shot down a Russian Tu-22M long-range strategic bomber, a first since the start of the invasion launched by Moscow.
At least eight dead in Ukraine after Russian strikes
At least eight people, including two children, were killed and 18 others injured in Russian strikes on the Dnipropetrovsk region (center-east), according to a new report announced Friday morning by the Minister of the Interior. In the Synelnykové district, “more than ten houses were damaged” And “six people died, including children aged six and eight”, Minister Igor Klymenko said on Telegram. In the city of Dnipro, the regional capital, two people were killed and 16 others injured, he added. “A five-story building is on fire in Dnipro. It is partially destroyed. There could be people under the rubble.wrote the regional governor, Serguii Lysak, who also reported damage in the Kryvyi Rig district, southwest of Dnipro.
Russia fired 22 missiles and 14 explosive drones at Ukraine during its attacks overnight from Thursday to Friday, the Ukrainian air force said, claiming to have shot down 29 of the devices. Of the ten cruise missiles and 12 guided missiles, 15 were able to be shot down as well as all the “Shahed” explosive drones, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Petro Oleshchou said on Telegram.
In Russia, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced that 25 projectiles had been shot down as they headed towards this town near the Ukrainian border. No injuries were reported, Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram, but several buildings suffered damage such as fires or broken windows.
CIA says without new aid, Ukraine may lose war within year
The head of the CIA warned on Thursday that Ukraine could lose the war against Russia by the end of 2024 unless the United States provides it with more military aid. The warning from US intelligence chief Bill Burns comes two days before a vote, scheduled for Saturday, in the US House of Representatives on a package of $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, mainly military, after months political blockage.
“With the momentum – both practical and psychological – that military aid would provide, I think the Ukrainians are perfectly capable of holding on in 2024”Bill Burns said during a speech at the George W. Bush Center. “Without additional help, the situation is much more dire”according to him. “The risk is very real that the Ukrainians will lose on the battlefield by the end of 2024, or at least that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will be in a position to dictate the terms of a political settlement”he added, without detailing what he meant by “lose” the war.
To illustrate the Ukrainian army’s lack of ammunition, he also claimed that two brigades – units of more than 2,000 soldiers – had only “15 artillery shells per day” and a total of “42 mortar shells”. Faced with Western aid that is running out of steam, Ukraine is faced with a growing lack of resources and is urging its partners to deliver more weapons and air defense systems.