The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on Kramatorsk

On 8th of April, the railway station in Kramatorsk was hit by a Tochka-U missile. The occupation administration of the city and the Ukrainian authorities were quick to blame the Russian forces. «All the statements from the representatives of the Ukrainian nationalistic regime about the supposed Russian missile attack on 8th of April on the railway station in the city of Kramatorsk are fake news» — the Russian ministry of defense stated. The high command of the Russian forces clarified the information on the missile that hit the civilian facility in the city, occupied by Ukraine — «We underline that the ’’Tochka-U’’ tactical missiles, the wreckage of which was found near the Kramatorsk railway station and was published by the eyewitnesses, are being used only by the Ukrainian forces” — end of quote. The Tochka-U missiles are not in service of Russia and the Donbass republics. A missile attack on the center of Donetsk on 14th of March was also carried out by the Ukrainian forces with the use of Tochka-U. There were several thousand people at the station waiting for their turn to be evacuated. As a result of the attack, according to the latest data, dozens of people were killed, at least a hundred were injured. The local sources reported that the local hospitals can’t take all the wounded people, coming from the station after the missile attack. Doctors from the cities of Slavyansk, Druzhkovka and Konstantinovka have arrived to help their colleagues. «There are about 50 dead, including 5 children, and 87 wounded» — the head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, stated.

Ukraine has been constantly disrupting the exchange of PoWs on previously agreed terms for a long time — the head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, reported on 6th of April. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the exchange of PoWs, planned for 6th of April, was canceled by Ukraine. Ukraine rejected the list of their servicemen for the exchange without an explanation.

The Russian Permanent Representative in the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, protested against the refusal to call a meeting of the UN Security Council at a Russian request to discuss the situation in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. Russia demanded to call a meeting of the UN Security Council on the events in Bucha 2 times. Both times the UK, which currently chairs the UN, refused to hold a meeting at a request of Russia. Recently Ukraine published a video footage with bodies of murdered civilians, supposedly found in Bucha. The Russian authorities called the footage a well-made fake. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that during the entire time while Bucha was under the Russian control, not a single local resident was harmed by the Russian forces.

On 7th of April, the UN General Assembly suspended the Russian membership in the Human Rights Council by the votes of 93 states that voted ’for’ such resolution. 24 states voted ’against’, 58 abstained. The decision deprived Russia of the right to vote and the right to speak, but it didn’t deprive Russia of a seat in the Council. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, stated that the process of drafting a resolution to suspend the Russian membership wasn’t transparent and open. Not all the Member States have participated. “This approach will set a dangerous precedent, and provoke a further confrontation and strike at the UN system of governance. It will lead to more serious consequences” — the Chinese diplomat explained. The Cuban Foreign Ministry stated that the suspension of the Russian membership in the UN Human Rights Council creates a risk of similar steps against other countries that are defending their independence. «The suspension of the Russian membership in the Human Rights Council doesn’t contribute to a peaceful, negotiated, and long-term settlement of the conflict in Ukraine» — the head of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Bruno Rodriguez Parilla, explained. The Iranian permanent representative to the UN, Majid Taht-Ravanchi, called the resolution to suspend the Russian participation in the UN Human Rights Council to be «politically motivated.»

The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, stated that Ukraine is trying to delay and undermine the course of negotiations with Russia. He made such comment on the information that Ukraine had prepared a new draft agreement with changed proposals. According to Sergei Lavrov — Ukraine has demonstrated its own inability to negotiate. According to him, Moscow will promote the Russian draft agreement, which contains all the initial requirements. Including the issue of holding military exercises in Ukraine. The Russian version of the treaty states that in order to conduct such training on Ukrainian territory, Ukraine must obtain a consent from Russia. There are some other changes in the Ukrainian version of the treaty.

The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, invited Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky in Budapest, in order to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. During a press conference on 6th of April he stated that he presented this idea in a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin. According to Viktor Orban, the French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz should also take part in the meeting. Orban added that Putin’s reaction to the initiative was mostly positive. But there are details that need to be considered. Constantine Reztsov, specially for the ANNA NEWS