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April 18, 2022Newsletter

Russia Update: April 18, 2022

Diplomacy

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich traveled to Kyiv to attempt to restart peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

Sanctions

The head of the European Commission said that the EU’s sixth round of sanctions will target Russian banks, including Sberbank, and oil. The New York Times adds that the EU is “reluctantly” preparing a phased Russian oil import ban.

The Pentagon assesses that U.S. and European sanctions have limited Russia’s ability to restock precision-guided munitions.

During a bilateral meeting, the leaders of Switzerland and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to keeping sanctions on Russia in place.

Consequences

Russia’s oil production fell below 10 million barrels per day for the first time since July 2020.

Ukraine has asked the G7 for $50 billion to cover its budget deficit.

Ukraine Sitrep

Ukraine believes that Russia’s eastern offensive has started, while the Pentagon doesn’t make that assessment yet. Either way, Ukrainian troops are making a last-ditch stand in Mariupol, which is tying down Russian resources. Ukraine may also have begun a counteroffensive in northeastern Ukraine to cut off a critical supply route for Russia in the expected offensive in eastern Ukraine. Russia renewed strikes on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, killing at least seven. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN he estimates about 2,500-3,000 Ukrainian troops were dead.

Items from the latest U.S. military assistance package have begun arriving in Ukraine already. Russia again warned the U.S., this time in a formal diplomatic note, against arming Ukraine. It also claims it shot down a cargo plane carrying military aid, but that hasn’t been confirmed.

Local officials in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk say Russia has destroyed 70% of the city, with only 20,000 of its 135,000 residents remaining in the city. It’s estimated that at least 1,300 people died during Russia’s 39-day siege of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv. The U.S. expanded Temporary Protected Status eligibility for Ukrainians.

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