Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 413

By William On Apr 12, 2023

As the war between Russia and Ukraine enters its 413th day, we take a look at the main developments.

This is the state of affairs on Wednesday, April 12, 2023:

To fight

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said nearly 8,500 civilians had been killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine, but the real numbers were likely “significantly higher”.
The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said his forces controlled more than 80 percent of Bakhmut. The now-devastated eastern Ukrainian city has seen the heaviest fighting of the nearly 14-month war.
Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed leader of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, said the region is wary of a possible Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Russia will introduce electronic military service documents for the first time in its history, making it more difficult for men to avoid being drafted.
Tearful mourners bid farewell to celebrated Ukrainian opera conductor Kostiantyn Starovytskyi, who was killed fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had assured him of Washington’s “rock-solid” support for Kiev’s efforts to win the war.
The US said there was no evidence Egypt is supplying deadly weapons to Russia after a leaked US document alleged that Cairo secretly planned to supply missiles to Moscow.
US President Joe Biden said Russia’s capture of US journalist Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges was “off limits”. The Kremlin says the Wall Street Journal reporter “violated Russian law” and was caught in the act.
Spain’s economy minister Nadia Calvino said Europe cannot ignore China’s role as a major trading partner and geopolitical player with the potential to help end the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s youth and sports minister said Kiev will continue to press the International Olympic Committee to prevent Russian athletes from participating in next year’s Paris games.

Canada will send 21,000 assault rifles, 38 machine guns and 2.4 million cartridges to Ukraine and impose sanctions on 14 Russian individuals and 34 entities, including security targets linked to the Wagner Group, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said after a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Toronto.
The Danish defense minister said he expects a decision on whether to donate fighter jets to Ukraine “before the summer” as Poland and Slovakia have started deliveries of MiG-29s to Kiev.
Romania plans to buy the latest generation of US F-35 fighter jets to bolster its air defenses, the country’s top defense council said.