Russian Digest 4/25
Top daily stories I'm keeping an eye on
The satellite recorded the third place of mass burial near Mariupol
The satellite recorded the third place of mass burial near Mariupol. The excavated trenches appeared on the territory of the cemetery of the Russian-occupied village of Stary Krym, 5 km from the city. The length of the trenches reaches more than 200 meters, according to "Schemes" (Radio Svoboda).
The first excavated trenches on the territory of the Old Crimean cemetery appeared on March 24 - after the village was occupied by the Russian military. In the satellite image of Planet you can see that they are 60-70 meters long.
In the satellite image from April 7, in two weeks, there are noticeable changes: the burial place has increased. Part of the trenches is buried.
New trenches were recorded in the satellite image for April 24. The length of the mass grave has increased to more than 200 meters.
Commenting on the "Schemes", Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said that the authorities were aware that the Russian military was taking the bodies of the dead Mariupol residents to the Old Crimean Cemetery, where they were buried in mass graves.
"We know about these mass graves, because these fascists - and I have no other words - involve the local population for burial, for food. They told us that you need to work "hours" to give you food, water… Now in Mariupol there is not enough humanities that they import, so people are forced to do so, "- said Vadym Boychenko.
The village of Old Crimea has been under occupation by Russian troops since March 10. Distance to Mariupol - 5 kilometers.
Earlier, "Schemes" reported that the satellite recorded two mass graves near Mariupol: in Mangush west of the city and in the village Vynohradne - east.
Mariupol was surrounded by Russian troops in the first few days of the large-scale Russian invasion, which began on February 24.
On the morning of April 20, the commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy, Serhiy Volynskyi (Volyn), called on foreign states to urgently carry out an "extraction" from Mariupol - to take several hundred military and civilians from Azovstal to safety.
Ukrainian units have been resisting in the Azov city for the second month. On April 25, the British Ministry of Defense, citing intelligence, said that the Ukrainian defense of Mariupol had exhausted Russian units and reduced their combat effectiveness. via RadioSvoboda
2. Russia strikes 5 railway stations in central and western Ukraine, head of Ukraine state railways says
Oleksandr Kamyshin, chairman of Ukrzaliznytsia -- Ukraine's state railway company -- said Monday that Russian forces had struck five railway stations in central and western Ukraine.
"Russian troops continue to systematically destroy railway infrastructure," he said in a statement. "This morning, within one hour, five railway stations in central and western Ukraine were struck." via CNN
3. Top U.S. defense officials are set to meet with NATO allies in Germany on Tuesday to whip up more military support for Ukraine that could help make it harder for Russian forces to rebuild their military capabilities after significant losses.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III made the boldest U.S. comments yet about limiting Russia’s capabilities on Monday after he and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. Mr. Austin will try to convince dozens of military leaders on Tuesday that after two months of war, now is the time to expand support and make sure Russia is unable to quickly rebound.
The British defense secretary supported Mr. Austin’s assessment about Russian troop losses, saying Monday he believed that more than 15,000 soldiers had been killed so far.
Mr. Austin said the U.S. would “push as hard as we can as quickly as we can to get them what they need.”
“They can win if they have the right equipment, the right support,” he said of Ukraine. “And we’re going continue to do everything we can to ensure that that gets there.” via NYT
4. CNN has obtained 2,319 text messages that former President Donald Trump's White House chief of staff Mark Meadows sent and received between Election Day 2020 and President Joe Biden's January 20, 2021 inauguration.
The vast trove of texts offers the most revealing picture to date of how Trump's inner circle, supporters and Republican lawmakers worked behind the scenes to try to overturn the election results and then reacted to the violence that effort unleashed at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. via CNN
5. Outrageous
U.S. officials are debating whether to impose sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s gymnast girlfriend, who they believe played a part in hiding his money, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Treasury Department prepped sanctions against former Olympian Alina Kabaeva, but the National Security Council put the kibosh on it, fearing it could ratchet up tensions with the Russian president. The Kremlin has denied any romance between Putin, 69, and Kabaeva, 38, but she is believed to be the mother of at least three of his children, the Journal reported. The U.S. has sanctioned the adult daughters of his ex-wife, Lyudmila Shkrebneva. via Daily Beast
6. Russia sets their eyes on Moldova: My warnings from the disinformation and threats coming from Moscow
Another excellent and necessary piece!