Over 50 days have passed since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As the two countries fight over land, air and sea, the war is documented day by day, hour by hour through posts and media created by journalists, soldiers and civilians on the ground. This article seeks to provide a clear, summarized list of events over the past week.
April 13
Ukrainian officials reported sinking the Russian missile cruiser Moskva, according to CNN. The ship, which serves as the flagship of Russia’s navy in the Black Sea, was said to be sunk by two anti-ship missiles.
“Russia said a fire broke out on the guided-missile cruiser, causing munitions aboard to explode, inflicting serious damage to the vessel, and forcing the crew of the warship to be evacuated,” CNN said.
At this point, due to the lack of information, claims by either side were considered untrue by most news outlets. Analysts have considered the damage to Moskva, whether by accident or an attack, to be a major blow to Russia.
“‘Only the loss of a ballistic missile submarine or the Kutznetsov (Russia’s lone aircraft carrier) would inflict a more serious blow to Russian morale and the navy’s reputation with the Russian public,’ said Carl Schuster, a retired US Navy captain and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center,” according to CNN.
The Guardian also reported a Russian government statement concerning the surrender of over 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol, a city in southeastern Ukraine that had been surrounded by Russian forces since March 2.
“In one of the most critical battles of the war, Russia’s defense ministry said that on Wednesday 1,026 soldiers from Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade, including 162 officers, had ‘voluntarily laid down their arms’ near the city’s Ilyich iron and steel works,” The Guardian reported.
Ukrainian news or government agencies have not provided any comment to Russian claims, which could be a sign of the siege coming to an end.
April 14
According to NPR, the Russian government officially admitted to the loss of the Moskva, initially reported on Apr. 13.
“It said the ship was being towed in stormy weather after the vessel was damaged and its crew evacuated. Russian officials had said a fire broke out on board and caused munitions to explode,” NPR said.
“The Ministry said that the crew was evacuated to nearby Black Sea Fleet ships, adding that the cause of the incident is being determined,” said the report from TASS, a major state-owned news agency in Russia.
Moskva is assumed to be the same ship that threatened the Ukrainian garrison on Snake Island early in the invasion, prompting the notorious phrase “Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй,” translating to “Russian warship, go f*ck yourself, from Ukrainian troops when the cruiser demanded their surrender.
April 17
During a weekend of holidays across the world, including Easter and Ramadan among others, Ukrainian Jews were able to celebrate Passover during the war thanks to international charity, according to USA Today.
“We have the Seder start a little early so that we can get people home before the curfew,” said Avraham Wolff, a rabbi at the Chabad synagogue in Odessa in an interview with USA Today.
“We receive help from London, Paris, Brussels, Vienna, to get us the food we need to properly celebrate our freedom from slavery,” Wolff said.
CNN reports similar donations and celebrations of Passover in other major cities in Ukraine.
“To many Jews in Ukraine, maintaining the tradition of Passover serves as an act of defiance towards Russia, which has attempted to justify its invasion by claiming the country is controlled by Nazis,” CNN said.
The majority of Ukraine being Orthodox Christian, celebrates Easter on April 24. The Ukrainian Student Association at the University of Connecticut is holding an event to paint Ukrainian Easter eggs, or Pysanka, on April 21 as advertised on their Instagram.
