The Kyiv Independent

2022-04-16 09:08:01 Darnytsky district in Kyiv hit by Russian shelling. 

According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, explosions were reported in Darnytsky district in the morning of April 16. There is no information on casualties yet. Klitschko once again urged residents to wait before returning to the Ukrainian capital, due to the threat of bombing. Open / Comment

2022-04-16 08:39:59 Casualties reported in Poltava, Severodonetsk, Lysychansk due to Russian shelling.

Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai reported via Telegram on April 16 that one person was killed, three wounded, and a gas pipeline has burst due to Russian shelling overnight in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. UNIAN news agency, citing Poltava Oblast Governor Dmytro Lunin, reported that one person was killed due to shelling in the region. Open / Comment

2022-04-16 08:28:27 Russian forces kidnap over 30 government officials from Zaporizhzhia Oblast since beginning of war. 

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Oleksandr Starukh reported on April 15 that over 20 of the kidnapped officials have been released. Open / Comment

2022-04-16 07:44:46 Health Ministry: Ukraine registers 400 cases of Covid-19 per day.

Ukraine’s Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko said in a televised interview on April 15 that Covid-19 cases have declined since the beginning of the war, when around 4,000 cases were recorded per day. A recorded 2,900 patients are currently receiving treatment in hospitals around the country. Lyashko noted that these numbers are derived from establishments that can provide them given the circumstances and do not include Ukraine’s eastern regions. Open / Comment

2022-04-16 07:35:36 70% of Severodonetsk destroyed. 

Head of the Severodonetsk Civil Military Administration Oleksandr Striuk said in a televised address on April 15 that Severodonetsk is under heavy fire by Russian forces and that only around 20,000 residents of the total 135,000 remain in the city. Open / Comment

2022-04-16 07:28:57 Zelensky says Ukraine has liberated 918 settlements.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an evening address on April 15 that “normal life is being restored in the oblasts and regions from which the occupiers were expelled.” This includes a process of de-mining, the restoration of electricity and water, and the resumption of operations by local authorities. Open / Comment

2022-04-16 06:28:33 The Times: British SAS troops ‘are training local forces in Ukraine.’

Ukrainian commanders told The Times that British Special Air Service troops have been “on ground” in and around Kyiv training new and returning recruits to use NLAWs, anti-tank missiles sent by the U.K in February. The British Defense Ministry declined to comment. Open / Comment

2022-04-16 06:15:05 Ukraine’s Air Force: 7 Russian aerial targets destroyed.

The destroyed aircraft consisted of one plane, one helicopter, three unmanned aerial vehicles, and two cruise missiles, according to the Air Force Command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces update published on April 15. Open / Comment

2022-04-16 04:48:01 Al Jazeera: Over 7,000 Ukrainians arrive in Mexico since beginning of the war. 

American President Joe Biden said on March 24 that the U.S. would receive up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees via the country’s refugee admissions program, although few have taken this route. Open / Comment

2022-04-16 04:24:07 Reuters: Shmyhal, top Ukrainian finance officials to visit Washington.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, alongside finance minister Serhiy Marchenko and National Bank governor Kyrylo Shevchenko, will attend the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank next week. According to unnamed sources familiar with the plans, discussions will focus on Ukraine’s physical and economic damage due to the war, as well as the continued functioning of Ukraine’s banking and financial sectors. Open / Comment