Narratives in Media Coverage of Ukraine

Ukraine Drone Attacks

• Ukraine reported that it destroyed at least six Russian military craft and damaged eight others in Russia’s Rostov region using drone attacks. (NBC News; see also Politico, AP News).
• Ukraine attacked drone-making facilities in Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk in Russia. (Politico).
• Russian-installed officials said that six civilians were killed in Ukrainian attacks on Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine. (Reuters).
• A Ukrainian drone struck Russia’s third-largest oil refinery in the Tatarstan region.  The attacks are designed to reduce Russia’s oil revenue. (Reuters; see also AP News).

Preparation for Russian Offensive

• Ukrainian officials fear that the military is not digging enough trenches or building sufficient defense fortifications in preparation for a Russian offensive. (Politico). 

UN Report on Ukrainian POWs

• The United Nations released a report saying that Russia may have executed more than 30 Ukrainian POWs in the winter.  The report reads that the UN “verified three of these incidents in which Russian servicemen executed seven Ukrainian servicemen hors de combat.” (Politico).

Debate Over Frozen Russian Assets

• Ukraine says that €5 billion in proceeds generated from frozen Russian assets should be transferred to Ukraine.  The European Commission has already proposed using 90% of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to buy weapons for Kyiv but is restricting itself to revenue from after 15 February 2024.  The €5 billion is being held by Euroclear, the body holding the majority of the assets, as a buffer for payments for ongoing and potential lawsuits in Russia and elsewhere. (Politico). 

Demands for Air Defences

• Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba demanded that Ukraine’s allies “give us the damn Patriots,” saying that “if we had enough air defense systems, namely Patriots, we would be able to protect not only the lives of our people, but also our economy from destruction.” (Politico; see also Politico, Reuters

Ukrainian Truckers in the EU

• The EU wants to extend the right of Ukrainian and Moldovan truckers to access the bloc, but European truckers are not in favor of the plan.  Truckers  in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary have protested existing measures that allow Ukrainian truckers to cross over EU borders to deliver goods between Ukraine and the EU. (Politico).

International Aid to Ukraine

• France said that it would send new surface-to-air missiles and old armoured vehicles to Ukraine as part of a “new aid package” for Kyiv. (Politico). 
• A plan presented by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg for finance and arms for Ukraine drew mixed responses from NATO foreign ministers.  He proposed setting up a five-year, €100 billion fund with NATO taking more responsibility for organising arms for Ukraine.  The proposal is supposed to take politics out of military aid and is proposed as a solution to stalled military aid from the United States. (Politico; see also Politico, Reuters, Reuters, Reuters, Euractiv, Le Soir).
• Ukraine and Finland signed a 10-year security deal, marking the eighth commitment by a NATO member this year for long-term security cooperation and defence. (Reuters; see also Euractiv).

Leadership Reshuffles in Ukraine

• Ukrainian President Zelenskyy fired a senior aide and several advisers without explanation as part of a continued leadership reshuffle over the last few months.  This follows the dismissal of the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and the head of the armed forces. (Politico; see also AP News, Euractiv).

‘Scorched Earth’ Missile Attack

• Russian forces released 99 millies and drones in another massive attack against Ukrainian energy infrastructure at the end of March.  The strikes damaged three fossil fuel-fired power plants.  Ukrainian air defence forces shot down 84 out of the 99 missiles fired by Russia. (Politico; see also Reuters, AP News, AP News).
• Zelenskyy said that Russia fired more than 3,000 guided aerial bombs, 600 drones, and 400 missiles at Ukraine in March, a signal of Russia’s intensified long-range air strike campaign on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and increased bombing of frontline areas. (Reuters).
• Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure are causing Ukraine’s daily electricity imports to rise, reaching their highest this year on Tuesday, 26 March. (Euractiv).

Russian Drone Strikes in Ukraine

• Russian drone strikes killed at least eight people and wounded at least 12 in Kharkiv on 4 April in a “double strike” on a residential building. (Reuters; see also Reuters, Politico, AP News, AP News, AP News).
• Russia fired missiles on Zaporizhzhia on Friday, killing at least four people, injuring 20, and damaging residential and industrial buildings. (Reuters).
• A Russian cruise missile in the Lviv region killed one man, destroyed a building, and started a fire in an attack that was part of Russia’s increased targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. (AP News).

Power Line to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Has Gone Down

• Russian-controlled management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant said that a backup power line supplying the plant has gone down.  The main line is reportedly still running.  The plant is no longer in operation but it relies on power to keep its nuclear material cool and prevent a catastrophic accident. (Reuters).

Increased Military Contracts in Russia

• Russia said that in the aftermath of the concert hall attack near Moscow, there has been an increased number of men signing contracts to join the military. (Reuters).

Ukrainian Draft Age Lowered

• Zelenskyy signed a bill on Tuesday lowering the mobilisation age for combat duty from 27 to 25. (Reuters; see also AP News, Euractiv).

Ukrainian Can File Claims for Damages

• Ukrainians can start filing claims for damages they’ve suffered from Russia’s invasion at a register based in the Hague.  The register will begin by focusing on real estate but will eventually focus on other types of damage. (Reuters; see also AP News).

Ukrainian Forces Try to Hold Back Russians in East

• Ukrainian and Russian forces fought near Chasiv Yar, a Ukrainian stronghold in the east, on Friday, 5 April. (Euractiv).

Author: Sophie Adams-Smith, Media Analyst, Promote Ukraine