A research by “Mirror” and the investigative platform The Insiders suggests that Russian military intelligence is behind the so-called Havana Syndrome. Members of the notorious Unit 29155 were deployed in the places where US diplomats complained about such complaints. In addition, members of the unit were honored in connection with the development of microwave weapons. Kremlin spokesman Peskov denied the accusation when asked by reporters. Accusations against Russia in this context are not new, but are unfounded. Convincing evidence was never presented.
+++ 12:45 Political scientist: Pressure on Russia’s conscripts is very great +++
Russia is drafting new conscripts; they are supposedly not supposed to fight in Ukraine. Political scientist Gerhard Mangott explains why many of the new soldiers end up in war and what is behind France’s latest aid package:
+++ 12:14 German communities want to use refugees in schools and daycare centers +++
The Association of Cities and Municipalities is in favor of using refugee Ukrainians to provide care in schools and daycare centers. The municipalities are faced with the difficult task of providing enough places for child care and schools, said managing director André Berghegger to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “It is important to examine the extent to which Ukrainian refugees can provide support in schools and daycare centers. In this way, we can relieve the burden on staff and at the same time accelerate integration.” This won’t always work smoothly, “but it shouldn’t prevent us from taking advantage of the opportunities it brings.” Berghegger pointed out that there are more than 260,000 children of school age among the refugees from Ukraine.
+++ 11:56 Ukrainian soldiers are tearing large gaps in their home villages +++
Families in Ukraine have to send their fathers and sons to the front. Many mourn those who died, others fear for their loved ones in the war. In the village of Dubrynychi, for example, of the men who could fight, only ten are still alive:
+++ 11:30 Anti-Kremlin hackers avenge Navalny’s death with attack +++
Shortly after the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, like-minded hackers published a photo of Navalny and his wife with the message “Long live Alexei Navalny” on the website of a prison operator. That reports CNN citing those involved and corresponding screenshots. They also stole data on hundreds of thousands of prisoners and their relatives. The hackers of different nationalities passed these on in order to obtain information about the cause of Navalny’s death. According to the report, the hackers also reduced prices in an online shop where relatives can buy food for prisoners.
+++ 10:45 An explosive device is said to have detonated in a Russian café +++
In the Russian city of Voronezh, an explosion is said to have occurred in a cafe on Lenin Street, the opposition Belarusian news portal Nexta reports. The windows were broken and investigators were on site. According to their preliminary assessment, an explosive device detonated.
+++ 10:10 Ukraine reports shots fired at Russian saboteurs +++
The Ukrainian border guards say they prevented a group of Russian saboteurs from entering the Sumy region. This is reported by the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform. It is said that border guards opened fire immediately when they were discovered and the enemy had retreated. According to the border guard, the northeastern region is the area where saboteurs most often try to break into Ukraine.
+++ 09:06 Ukraine apparently defies massive tank attack +++
The Russian army has, according to a report in the US magazine “Forbes” launched the largest tank attack of the war against Ukraine to date on Saturday. 48 tanks and combat vehicles attacked along a single road west of Avdiivka – but were largely destroyed. Russia left behind a third of the tanks. Despite its lack of ammunition, Ukraine still appears to be able to defend itself strongly. However, according to the report, it also shows that Russia has apparently overcome its shortage of vehicles in the past few weeks.
+++ 08:01 Russian air strikes ebb +++
Ukraine reports a comparatively quiet night on Easter Monday with few Russian air strikes. The General Staff announced on Facebook that two of three Shahed drones were shot down. In the previous nights, the energy supply infrastructure was the target of serious attacks. There was significant damage and power outages.
+++ 07:09 Killers of defector Kuzminov also made a statement with ammunition +++
According to investigators, the murder of the Russian defector Maxim Kuzminov, who was shot dead in Spain, was intended to set an example. “It was a clear message,” quotes the “New York Times” a high-ranking Spanish police officer. “I will find you, I will kill you, I will run you over and humiliate you.” The perpetrators left behind an important clue to their identity: cartridge cases from 9-millimeter Makarov ammunition, a standard ammunition of the former Eastern Bloc.
+++ 06:10 Russian Orthodox Church apparently forces clergy to pray for war +++
The Kremlin-controlled Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has reportedly ordered all of its clergy to change their liturgy to include pro-war prayers. This is what the US think tank reports Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in their current analysis. Clergy who do not support the war against Ukraine are likely to be expelled. Apparently several have already been removed from office.
+++ 05:24 ISW: Russian spring offensive could target Donetsk +++
Russia could focus on western Donetsk in its new offensive expected in late spring or summer. This is what the US think tank writes Institute for the Study of War (ISW). In their analysis, experts suspect that the Russian military is hoping for steady progress in this area. The Russian command could give priority to the Avdiivka region in Donetsk Oblast, it said. This is indicated by the willingness of the military leadership to deploy a tank battalion for an attack near Avdiivka.
+++ 03:26 Ukraine again complains of deaths from Russian shelling +++
According to local authorities, several people have once again been killed by Russian shelling in Ukraine. A man died in the town of Borova, southeast of Kharkiv, the public prosecutor’s office explains. There were two deaths in Krasnohorivka, west of the Russian-controlled regional center of Donetsk, police said. Two people died in the Lviv region in the west, far from the front lines. According to the local governor, there was also an attack on civilian infrastructure in the center of Kharkiv.
+++ 01:02 Community association calls for “integration turbo” for Ukrainians +++
The Association of Cities and Municipalities is calling for better integration of refugee Ukrainians. “In order to really use the potential for our labor market, we have to ignite the integration turbo in Germany,” says the general manager of the municipal association, André Berghegger, of the Funke media group. “We are still too bureaucratic and inflexible when it comes to labor market integration. It should be possible to start working without having to first complete language and integration courses.” Integration measures and language acquisition should be able to take place parallel to starting work.
+++ 22:00 SBU counters Russian allegations and recalls arrest warrant against Putin +++
The Ukrainian secret service SBU rejects Russia’s demands for the extradition of people due to alleged “terrorist attacks”. Russia is itself a “terrorist” state, explains the SBU. He points out that the International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin on allegations of war crimes in Ukraine.
+++ 21:09 Göring-Eckardt: Brutality will not stop as long as Putin continues his war +++
Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt pointed out the brutality of the massacres in Butscha around two years ago and the importance of defending Ukraine. “Two years ago, Butscha showed us the full brutality of Putin’s Russia. It won’t stop as long as Putin continues his war. It’s about Ukraine, it’s about us, it’s about freedom and security in Europe,” writes the Green politician on X.
+++ 20:26 Number of deaths in Lviv rises to two +++
According to Ukrainian authorities, at least two people were killed in nightly Russian attacks on the western Ukrainian region of Lviv. As regional governor Maksym Kosyzkyj announced on the Telegram online service, Russian cruise missiles targeted important infrastructure. A man died in the attack on an administrative building, and rescue workers later found another dead man under the rubble.
+++ 19:45 Moscow also demands the extradition of SBU intelligence chief Maljuk +++
Russia is demanding that Ukraine extradite a number of people linked by Russian authorities to “terrorist attacks” in Russia. The head of the Ukrainian secret service SBU, Vasyl Malyuk, is also on the list, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. Moscow apparently sees its involvement in a Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge, which posed serious logistical problems for Russia, as a terrorist attack.
+++ 19:06 Terrorist attack: Moscow accuses Ukraine again and demands extradition +++
The Russian leadership has once again made serious accusations against Ukraine regarding terrorist attacks such as the recent one in Moscow. “The bloody terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall on March 22, which shocked the whole world, is not the first terrorist attack on our country in recent times. The investigations carried out by Russian competent authorities reveal the Ukrainian trail in these crimes” , the Russian Foreign Ministry said, according to the state agency TASS. The Russian Foreign Ministry also states that Russia demands Ukraine to immediately stop supporting terrorism, extradite terrorists and compensate the damage caused to the victims of the terrorist attack. Ukraine has repeatedly denied allegations of involvement.
+++ 18:22 Moscow reports the impact of ten rockets in the Belgorod region +++
In Russia, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, ten Czech-designed Vampire rockets hit the Belgorod region on Easter Sunday. A fire then broke out in which a woman was injured, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Another woman was killed in the shelling of villages on the border.
You can read all previous developments here.