UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights
The Ukrainian delegation, led by Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, held meetings in Paris with representatives of the "Coalition of the Willing," including colleagues from the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.
Russia is developing weapons that could threaten Starlink satellites, according to Forbes.
The article cites Victoria Samson, Director of Space Security and Stability at the Secure World Foundation, who believes Moscow is testing the Nudol anti-satellite missile.
This missile has reportedly already been used to destroy a Soviet-era spacecraft in low Earth orbit. In theory, it could also target any of the 7,000 SpaceX satellites, Samson says.
She adds that Russia may be considering equipping the missile with nuclear warheads.
βAll spacecraft fall within the Nudolβs rangeβfrom the ISS to SpaceXβs Starlink satellites, which provide broadband to Ukrainians, and Planet Labs satellites, which produce high-resolution images tracking the movement of Russian tanks and missile brigades,β the article states.
βοΈPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is preparing new strikes on Ukraineβs energy infrastructure.
According to him, intelligence and special services have confirmed this threat.
βNow β both on the eve of Easter and after it β new strikes by Russia are possible. We will continue to defend our country, our energy sector,β Zelenskyy said.
Russian occupation forces have once again violated the βenergy truce,β damaging an energy facility in the Dnipropetrovsk region, DTEK reported on Thursday, April 17.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that any Taurus missile strikes on critical Russian infrastructure would be seen as Germany directly entering the war on Ukraineβs side.
President Zelenskyy held a press briefing. Key points:
β«οΈRussian forces advanced toward Pokrovsk today. Ukrainian troops destroyed 115 units of enemy equipment, killed 200 Russian soldiers, and wounded 30. A day earlier, in the Zaporizhzhia direction, Russia lost 40 pieces of equipment, with 80 killed and 117 wounded.
β«οΈZelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine will not discuss territorial issues until a ceasefire is in place. βToday, we are focused on an unconditional ceasefire. Until that happens, there will be no talks about territory. You know my stanceβUkraine will never recognize its temporarily occupied territories as Russian,β he said.
β«οΈThe president stressed the critical role of U.S. intelligence in detecting Russian missile launches. βWithout U.S. intelligence, we wouldn't have seen those launches or been able to warn Ukrainians. There could have been more tragedies like in Kryvyi Rih and Sumy,β he noted.
β«οΈZelenskyy confirmed Ukraine is ready to purchase at least 10 Patriot air defense systems from the U.S. and that financing support is being arranged. He also mentioned discussing the matter with Trump, saying the U.S. βwill work on this.β
β«οΈRussia has concentrated over 60,000 troops in the Sumy direction.
β«οΈZelenskyy concluded: βWe have strong European support and renewed U.S. aid and intelligence. We are gratefulβbut is it enough to end the war? No.β
Britain has successfully tested a new microwave anti-drone system called RapidDestroyer, which could potentially be deployed in Ukraine, Financial Times reports.
During the recent tests, the system effectively neutralized two swarms of eight drones each and tracked, detected, and destroyed over 100 drones in total. RapidDestroyer uses radio frequencies to jam drone electronics at a range of up to one kilometer.
A key advantage of the system is the low cost of operation β each βshotβ costs just 10 pence. Additionally, the system can operate continuously as long as it remains connected to a power source.
Germany has updated its list of recent military aid delivered to Ukraine, including air defense systems, ammunition, and drones.
Among the new supplies are 66 MRAP vehicles with mine and ambush protection, four Kinetic Defence Vehicle mobile air defense systems (pictured), and three Zuzana 2 howitzers.
Ukraine also received ammunition for Leopard 2 tanks, Gepard anti-aircraft systems, and IRIS-T SLM systems, along with 27,000 rounds of 155 mm shells and 1,000 rounds of 122 mm shells.
βοΈRussia continues the mass deportation of Ukrainian children under the guise of assimilation.
Children from the Donetsk region are being taken away through so-called βcultural programs.β More than 230 schoolchildren from Horlivka, Donetsk, Yenakiyevo, Makiyivka, and Khartsyzsk have already been moved to St. Petersburg as part of the β4+85 Cultural Mapβ initiative.
By October, Russia plans to deport over 3,000 more Ukrainian children to cities including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, and Rostov-on-Don, according to the Center for National Resistance.
Missile attack on Kharkiv: 98 injured, says Mayor Terekhov
The number of victims from the recent missile strike on Kharkiv has risen to 98, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.