April, 12

The Russian Federation (hereinafter: Russia) continues to concentrate its troops in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine and conducting hostilities across the country. Selected, large military units have reportedly been reserved for a potential attack on Kyiv.

Russian troops have shelled and bombed the following cities and locations:

Mariupol – reported use of chemical weapon

Kharkiv – residential houses

Severodonetsk – humanitarian aid centre

Hirske – reported use of white phosphorus munitions

Lysychansk

Kreminna

Balakliya

Khmelnytskyi – infrastructure facilitie

Hostilities continue in Rubizhne, Popasna, and other locations around Izyum.

According to the mayor of Bucha, Anatoliy Fedoruk, 403 bodies of dead civilians have been found. Several

of the bodies found in Bucha bare signs of torture.

Approximately 20 000 people have been killed in the hostilities targeting Mariupol according to data from Donetsk Oblast Military Administration. Around 120 000 civilians remain trapped in the city due to the blockade imposed by the Russian forces.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine has become a country with one of the highest levels

of explosive contamination in the world.

A stadium named after Yuri Gagarin has been demined in Chernihiv. The demining took place on Tuesday, on Cosmonautics Day.

Russian troops continue to install timed bombs with the help of remote-mining technologies in Kharkiv.

Russian troops and Russian administrative branches managing the areas it has taken control of continue to launch reprisals against residents of these territories. Residents have been banned from evacuating to the government-controlled territories of Ukraine and Russian forces continue their attempts to deport civilians to Crimea, the Temporarily Occupied Territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblast (TOTDLO), Russia or Belarus.

Ukrainian citizens deported to Russia have reportedly been provided with distorted and falsified information regarding recent conflict developments in Ukraine. Individuals have also been compelled to relocate to remote regions in Russia.

According to recent reports, the Russian military has seized two ambulances and has transferred all medical personnel from the hospitals of Mariupol to Russian territories. This, in turn, means that those citizens of Mariupol remaining in the city cannot receive medical care.

Residents of the Luhansk oblast are increasingly afraid to attempt evacuation due to the recent attack on the Kramatorsk railway station. The station was a central hub for evacuations and the recent missile strike killed more than 50 and injured more than 100 civilians.

Several reports have been made regarding humanitarian and human rights law violations in the areas under Russian control. Reports regarding rapes and sexual violence have been particularly numerous.

Falsified and misguiding information on Russia’s policies and the ongoing situation in Ukraine continues to be spread in the Russian information space. The circulated narratives mainly seek to justify Russia’s attacks on Ukraine by, for example, promoting confrontational narratives framing Ukraine as an aggressor. Furthermore, Russian officials continue to disseminate information stating that the goals of the special operation have been achieved.

Russian officials continue to deny thatany war crimes have been committed by the Russian army in Ukraine.

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has made a statement claiming that he possesses evidence showcasing that the violations Russia has been alleged to have committed in Ukraine have been staged by the United Kingdom. The president has reportedly shared the materials with Russian officials.

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has made a statement claiming that the war in Ukraine was only a

matter of time and inevitable due to the neo-Nazism that has been spreading in Ukraine for years.

According to Russian sources, the economy of Russia is stable and the government is adopting laws to counter the effects of the sanctions. As per Russian sources, Western countries are taking the gravest hit from the sanctions.

A bill regarding a mechanism to administer organisations that have exited Russian markets due to the sanctions is expected to be submitted to the Russian State Duma shortly. The reported goal of the bill is to ensure the economic stability of Russia.

Russian regional media in, for example, Penza and Bashortostan, continue to disseminate information

regarding Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.

News regarding Russian forces capturing Ukrainian nationalists and foreign mercenaries are being disseminated widely.

Public sector officials and children have reportedly participated in rallies held in support of the Russian army fighting in Ukraine. Also, it is said that letters written by Russian young army cadets have been delivered directly to the positions of the “participants in the special military operation in Ukraine”.

Russian sources have disseminated information regarding a secret NATO monitoring group that has embarked on a mission in Odesa. The group reportedly consists of troops from the private Romanian military company, Nordupport Group, and aims to spy on Russian warships in the Black Sea. The claimed operation has been framed as evidence of the military build-up of NATO in Ukraine.

Russia has declared a high level of terrorist threat in six oblasts bordering Ukraine, as well as in northern Crimea. According to Russian legislation, the declaration will expand the authority of the police and security forces over civilians and infrastructure facilities. Following the declaration, Russian security agencies are expected to resort to provocations with a view to accusing the Ukrainian military of carrying out terrorist attacks.