News And Information From Ukraine

Dispatches from Ukraine, provided by Forbes Ukraine’s editorial team.

As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes Ukraine’s reporters will continue to gather information and provide updates on the situation. We will be sharing them here as they come. Live coverage from Forbes Ukraine’s site can be found here.

Saturday, April 9. Day 45. By Daryna Antoniuk

At least 176 children have died and 324 have been wounded in Ukraine since the start of the invasion.

Ukraine has carried out a third prisoner exchange with Russia: 12 Ukrainian soldiers and 14 civilians will return home. No details were given as to how many Russians had been released.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Johnson promised extra military aid of 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems. He also promised an extra $500 million via the World Bank. Johnson said that the UK will continue to impose new sanctions on Russia and will try to cease its use of Russian coal, gas, and oil.

Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer also met Zelensky on Saturday after visiting the city of Bucha, near Kyiv.

The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU will pledge 1 billion euros to support Ukraine and countries welcoming refugees fleeing the war.

The European Investment Bank pledged 4 billion euros to support Ukrainian refugees.

More than 4.4 million Ukrainian refugees – about 10% of the population – have fled the country since Feb. 24. About 90% of those are women and children, according to the UN.

Nearly 1,000 seafarers are stranded in Ukrainian ports and waters with “dwindling supplies,” according to the UN.

Russia’s massacre in Bucha was a war crime, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. More than 360 civilians were killed, with up to 280 buried in mass graves. “Those who did this must be held accountable,” Scholz said. Scholz has delayed his country’s delivery of tanks despite pressure from coalition partners to transfer those armored units to the Ukrainian military.

Odesa has imposed a weekend curfew – from 21:00 on April 9 to 6:00 on April 11 – after a Russian missile hit a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on April 8, killing at least 50 people.

Ukrainian authorities urge people to evacuate the eastern Luhansk region as Russian shelling has increased. Some 30% of residents still remain in cities and villages across the region.

On April 9, Russian troops hit a nitric acid tank in the Luhansk region. The residents of the region should have been cautioned not leave bomb shelters and authorities urge them to close windows and doors.

Russia continues to attack Mariupol, but Ukraine still controls most of the strategic southern port city despite weeks of combat.

The monument to Russian writer Alexander Pushkin was dismantled in Ternopil. Earlier this month another Pushkin monument was dismantled in Mukacheve in Zakarpattia Oblast.