Apr 26 - Evening Up-date

Mariupol, Lugansk, NATO, Transnistria

Via the BBC- Today’s summary - Ukraine

1. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Nato against supplying military aid to Ukraine, saying there was a risk of the conflict escalating into World War Three and the use of nuclear weapons

2. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for a ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin later

3. Guterres describes discussions with Lavrov as "frank", but insists he is visiting Moscow as a "messenger of peace"

   Comment: Why didn’t he visit Kyiv?

4. Fresh explosions have been reported in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria, which neighbours Ukraine

5. Kremlin accuses UK of 'provoking' Ukraine into attacking Russia

6. A rocket attack was carried out in the Odessa regione, the bridge in Zatoka was blocked

Lugansk and Mariupol

Disheartening and frankly shocking reports obtained by Eleonora Mongelli, Vice President of the Italian Federation of Human Rights.

Monique Camarra 🌻 @MoniqueCamarra

🧵Omg. "The head of the regional military-civil administration of #Lugansk , Serhiy Gaidai, reported that Russian occupiers in Rubizhne kidnap children and force their mothers to go to Ukrainian military positions under the pretext of asking for humanitarian aid." (1/2)

Eleonora Mongelli @EleMongelli

Il capo dell'amministrazione militare-civile regionale di #Lugansk, Serhiy Gaidai, ha riferito che a Rubizhne gli occupanti russi sequestrano bambini e costringono le loro madri ad andare sulle posizioni militari ucraine con il pretesto di chiedere aiuti umanitari. (1/2)

She continues, “they ask the women to take some basic necessities and return to them with the coordinates of the positions of the Ukrainian forces. If the women don't, they threaten to shoot children.”

Further human rights abuses in Mariupol as reported by The Kyiv Independent:

The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent

⚡️ Reports of severe food shortages, forced labor in exchange for food in Mariupol. According to Petro Andryushchenko, advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, Russian troops are forcing men to take part in the removal of rubble and digging of mass graves in exchange for food.

Glasnost Gone @GlasnostGone

6pm: Donetsk region: 🇷🇺 attacking most areas. Main effort capture of town of Marinka, opposite occupied Donetsk city. Luhansk region: 🇷🇺 still trying to capture towns of Rubizhne & Popasna. 🇷🇺 moved tank battalion & pontoon bridge to area. Mariupol holding facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua

Disturbing developments in Transnistria.

Liveuamap

The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent

⚡️ Russian state-controlled media: Transnistria may soon decide to ‘protect the interests of the republic.’ Several explosions occurred in Transnistria on April 25, which Ukraine labeled a false-flag operation to stir tensions and possibly justify an attack from the south.

At the nuclear plant, Energoatom in Zaporizhzhia

The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent

⚡️ Russia fires two missiles over Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, explosions heard in city. Low-flying missiles put the safety of the plant, and the world, at risk, says the head of Ukraine’s nuclear company Energoatom, Petro Kotin.

Via the BBC - How did the meeting in Ramstein go?

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin from the Ramstein air base in Germany.

Here are the key points from the news conference:

• Ministers from 40 countries - both Nato and non-Nato members - have met in Germany to discuss Ukraine's defence amid Russia's invasion

• Package of military and financial aid to Ukraine

• Major policy shift from Germany, which will now supply heavy weaponry to a conflict zone. During the news conference, Austin said Germany's decision to supply Ukraine with Gepard anti-aircraft systems and provide training was a "significant move"

• Asked about the nuclear threat from Russia, Austin said it was unhelpful and dangerous to speculate about nuclear weapons

• The US defence secretary also called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate the conflict

• The US defence secretary said they "want to make it harder for Russia to threaten its neighbours"

Via Sergej Sumlenny - you can’t make this up!

Sergej Sumlenny @sumlenny

Russian FSB has fabricated a "plot" to kill Russian TV propagandist Solovyov. Allegedly by Ukrainian SBU and Nazis. One of the "evidences" is neonazi inscription on a book. Signed by "Signature unclear". Yes, FSB got an order to sign it with a "signature unclear" - and did so!

The long Read…

Via Zona Media: “All mentions of Kyiv and Ukraine removed from Russian schoolbooks: "We have a task to make it look as if Ukraine simply does not exist"

On February 24, Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of his "special military operation", and the Russian troops invaded Ukraine. Shortly thereafter, employees of the Prosveshcheniye group, one of the country's largest and oldest publishers of schoolbooks, were asked to remove "inappropriate" references to Ukraine and Kyiv from all school textbooks. Mediazona learned how the editors scrap Ukraine out of history, geography, and literature textbooks.

That’s it for the evening folks! Stay tuned…

Mo