(Image by NEIVANMADE)
I know everyone has had a long day, if not weekend, and is stressed out from the malicious stupidity coming from DC, so I’m just going to run through the basics tonight.
As I’m finishing up tonight’s update – 11:15 PM EDT/6:15 AM local time in Ukraine – the air raid alerts have gone back up in eastern Ukraine. It is going to be another harsh dawn.
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
Russia Must Be Held Accountable for This War – And It Will Be, in Every Available Form – Address by the President
7 April 2025 – 20:42
I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
Today, I held a meeting of the Staff. The main focus was reports on drone production in Ukraine – we are ramping it up to the maximum. This includes the full range of drones: from “Mavics” to long-range drones. We’re also expanding our domestic capacity to produce ground-based robotic systems. What we need is constant, stable growth in the production and supply of every necessary part of the unmanned component to our forces. And for this year, the outlook is promising. We’re also working separately on fiber-optic drones – just since the beginning of this year, more than 20 new certified drone models with fiber-optic control systems have emerged. Eleven of our Ukrainian enterprises have already mastered the production of such drones. The task now is to reach the highest possible scale of production and delivery. Today, I’ve instructed that contracts be signed to the fullest extent possible. There is also positive momentum on “deep strikes.” I cannot mention specific figures, but this year we will ensure the necessary volume for our Defense Forces. I want to thank all our enterprises involved, as well as all our warriors, all specialists – everyone who is developing the unmanned component for our army, for all of our Forces.
Today, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported separately on the situation at the front, including our presence in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. We continue to carry out active operations in the border areas on enemy territory, and that is absolutely just – war must return to where it came from. The main objective remains the same: to protect our land and our communities in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions as much as possible from the Russian occupiers. The Commander-in-Chief reported on the activity of our units along the border line, in the so-called “gray zone,” and directly on enemy territory. It is important that, thanks to the bravery and resilience of our soldiers in the Kursk region – thanks to the entire Kursk operation – we have managed to ease the pressure on other parts of the front, particularly in the Donetsk region. It is absolutely crucial to keep destroying Russian equipment and all logistics used by the occupiers along the front. I am grateful to every one of our units delivering these results, inflicting losses on the invader, and defending our Ukrainian positions. I thank the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, which has been holding positions in Vovchansk for nearly a year. Also, the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade, the 1st and 425th Assault Regiments that are defending the Pokrovsk sector. Thank you, warriors! Thank you for your results! I also want to recognize the 32nd Separate Mechanized Brigade – Pokrovsk sector – thank you. And also – the Belgorod region. Active operations these past few days – the 225th Assault Regiment. Well done, guys! I’m proud of each and every one who is fighting for Ukraine! It is absolutely necessary to support our Defense and Security Forces, our weapons production, and our state. Only a Ukraine that has strength will always have freedom.
And one more thing.
Today, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs reported on communication with our partners and all the measures in response to the ongoing brutal Russian strikes. We are working at every level. Russia must be held accountable for this war – and it will be, in every available form. We are also working on new defense packages for Ukraine – relevant announcements are being prepared.
Glory to Ukraine!
Georgia:
Day 131. 🇫🇷 is here in gratitude to Renaissance party and Gabriel Attal for calling the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili the face of true resistance – as opposed to Marine Le Pen.
Bringing flags of our friends in gratitude is what protesters usually do. #GeorgiaProtests
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 3:37 PM
It got tense on Rustaveli, day 131, as the regime police apparently wanted to clear the road from remaining protesters. “We are on the pavement, let us go!” can be heard. #terrorinGeorgia
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 3:38 PM
One detainee, Tazo Kveselava, has been injured by the regime police as he was being detained, and there’s a lot of his blood on the pavement. I don’t post a picture due to sensitivity issues.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 3:53 PM
At Batumi City Court, Judge Nino Sakhelashvili — who lacks criminal law qualifications — continues to oversee Mzia Amaglobeli’s case. On Jan 14, with two months left in her term, she ordered Amaglobeli’s pre-trial detention. She was soon after appointed to a lifetime judgeship.
#RepressionInGeorgia— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) April 7, 2025 at 6:12 AM
GD plans to adopt changes to the Law on Political Associations of Citizens, as well as related laws on grants, anti-corruption, and the Administrative Procedure Code, through a fast-track procedure.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 10:05 AM
🟥 Under a new amendments proposed by GD, receiving a foreign grant will require 🇬🇪govt approval. Grants accepted without consent will be prohibited and subject to penalties. The Anti-Corruption Bureau will oversee enforcement, and violations may result in fines double the grant amount.
#Georgia— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) April 7, 2025 at 9:35 AM
I guess the regime has operated faster than our partners could finally draft up ways to allocate their pledged funds to the civil society in Georgia, right? Riiight…
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 9:55 AM
I don’t even keep track of dictatorial laws anymore, because all is banned but breathing.
However, this deserves a post still:Under FARA, individuals deemed “foreign agents” must submit email content to the Anti-Corruption Bureau if the email is sent to more than two people.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 10:01 AM
In Tbilisi, the regime police has lately been searching young men en masse, especially near metro stations. Pockets and bags are top targets. The search often takes illegal forms (but it’s now a lawless country, so…). #terrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 8:33 AM
So now there is a random EUR 1700 fee for foreigners to enter Georgia, because what’s the point in arguing whether you were at the protests or you’d never been to Georgia before.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Coming soon to the US.
Speaking of the US…
Hamilton County, Indiana:
Spartz sold her soul for rubles, so I have nothing to add to that, but the Telegraph? Wasn’t there a better headline @telegraphnews.bsky.social
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 9:34 AM
From The Telegraph:
Congress’s only Ukrainian member isn’t afraid to upset her fellow countrymen either, telling The Telegraph they must accept the ceding of territory to Russia and replace wartime leader Volodymyr Zelensky if they don’t wish to lose their entire country.
Speaking to The Telegraph before her town hall appearance, clips of which were shared wide and far online, she said: “I just don’t see how they (Ukraine) can be positioned to demand to keep the land. If they would be winning the war, that will be very different.”
Endorsing Donald Trump’s decision to negotiate with Vladimir Putin while admonishing Volodymyr Zelensky, Ms Spartz said “there are no easy solutions”.
“President Trump inherited it, so now he has to deal with that,” she said, casting blame on his predecessor Joe Biden, with whom she clashed over his unwillingness to supply the aid she felt was needed for Ukraine to win the war.
“As I said two years ago, the best thing is to win wars as fast as you can. As long as it takes usually doesn’t end very well for Democracies,” she said grimly.
Her scorn for Mr Biden is matched only by the contempt in which she holds Ukraine’s president.
In the aftermath of his infamous Oval Office blowout with Mr Trump, Ms Spartz excoriated Mr Zelensky for doing a “disservice to the Ukrainian people” and “insulting the American president”.
She urged the Ukrainian people to vote out their wartime leader in the pursuit of lasting peace.
“They will have election, and then if they elect him, they’re going to lose the rest of the country,” she warned.
It is not the first time the sharp-tongued congresswoman has spoken out against Ukraine’s leadership.
Ms Spartz was an early advocate of US support for Ukraine, but she voted against a $61 billion aid package last year, accusing Mr Zelensky’s government of corruption and opposing giving away “blank cheques”.
Challenged on her alleged refusal to support her own people at last month’s town hall, she retorted: “My number one job as an American congresswoman is to protect interests, American interests.”
Despite spending the first 22 years of her life in Ukraine, Ms Spartz views herself first and foremost as a US citizen.
“Everyone that comes across the ocean is an America first,” she said. Indeed, throughout our conversation, she refers to the Ukrainian people as “them”.
More at the link.
She seems nice…
Moscow on the Potomac:
Trump wants his protection money payments from Europe backdated. (Note autocorrect error “president” = “present”)
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 11:05 AM
CEA Chair Steve Miran suggests the world owes the US for providing its military and the dollar as “public goods.” They can pay tariffs without complaint or “simply write checks” to the US Treasury. www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st…
— Michael McKee (@mckonomy.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 2:54 PM
It’s a shakedown. They’re asking for vig.
Norway:
Norway is allocating an additional 5 billion kroner for artillery ammunition for Ukraine.
www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/f…— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Back to Ukraine.
Drone strikes on two Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense systems.
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Kryvyi Rih:
The youngest couple killed by the Russians💔
Alina Kutsenko and Danylo Nikitsky. They were both 15 years old. They were dating and loved each other. Today, they are being buried together.
Danya and Alina were killed by Russia on April 4th in Kryvyi Rih.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Kryvyi Rih bids farewell to 15yo Alina and Danylo, a teenage couple murdered by russia during their date. russia stole their lives, their dreams, their youth, their future… leaving their families’ hearts hollow.
— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Funerals for children killed by a Russian missile strike began today in Kryvyi Rih. Who pays for this crime?
— Maria Avdeeva (@mariainkharkiv.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Right after the Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih that killed 20 people, including 9 children, the Russian Ministry of Defense admitted to the strike.
They claimed it was aimed at a restaurant full of Ukraine-NATO generals, bragging about taking out a gazillion NATO soldiers and destroying
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 7:32 AM
20 military vehicles. But honestly, can you even picture 20 military vehicles just hanging out together like that?
Anyway, here’s the footage from inside the restaurant. As expected, there wasn’t a single person linked to NATO generals. They just killed kids. They’re nothing but child murderers
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 7:32 AM
From France24:
Residents in the town believe they are being targeted because of its connection to Zelensky. “The Russians say they were targeting soldiers but there are no soldiers here,” said former soldier Oleh, who lives next to the playground. “It’s just awful. So many children died.”
Visiting the site, FRANCE 24’s correspondent Gulliver Cragg found no evidence of the military meeting Russia claimed to be targeting. His report includes CCTV footage from the moment of the strike.
Here’s the full video report.
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Andriy Sybiha, stated that Ukraine has initiated an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and an extraordinary session of the OSCE Permanent Council in response to Russia’s ballistic missile strike on Kryvyi Rih.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Kharkiv:
Holy cow, was it a loud explosion ‼️ I’m still shaking. Bastards
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 4:08 PM
All of these shells, bombs, and missiles russia launched on the city of Kharkiv during the first months of the full-scale war.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast:
Russia killed 1 person, injured another one, and destroyed or damaged 8 households in their strike on Kostiantynivka today.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Pokrovsk:
In the Pokrovsk sector, Russians tried to land some infantry from their IFV — but ended up landing fire on them instead.
t.me/c/1377735387…— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 11:13 AM
The Kursk cross border offensive:
Aviation continues to operate in all directions, with the MiG-29 crew destroying a Russian headquarters in Tyotkino, Kursk region.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Belgorod Oblast, Russia:
Yesterday, Russian sources were spreading yet another tall tale – supposedly, some Ukrainian soldiers were “trapped” in the Belgorod region, had no evacuation routes, and were nearly surrendering with their hands up.
But fighters from the 225th Assault Regiment responded to that narrative.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) April 7, 2025 at 7:17 AM
That’s enough for tonight.
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Open thread!
Hands Off! – BJ Peeps Around the Country
J. Arthur Crank
Thanks Adam. What a depressing day in a number of ways.
Gin & Tonic
Putin shill Victoria Spartz is a liar, too. She is not the only Ukrainian-born US Congressperson. VA’s Eugene Vindman is also.
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
Adam L Silverman
@J. Arthur Crank: @AlaskaReader: You’re both welcome.
Jay
Thank you so much, Adam, every night.
pieceofpeace
Thanks, Adam but Christ! what a discouraging day for all of us….
YY_Sima Qian
Slightly OT (gift link to the Economist article below):
Adam L Silverman
@Jay: @pieceofpeace: You’re welcome.
Bill Arnold
Wildlife footage, captured by a reconnaissance(?) drone. Video at link, nitter link below. They are on two legs and pushing each other, mainly.
nitter link