Weekly Ukraine war summary: U.S. accuses Russian army of using chemical weapons, missile strikes on Odesa, “death fields” near Avdiivka

Human Rights Watch has verified reports that, since December 2023, Russian soldiers appear to have executed at least 15 Ukrainian servicemen as they attempted to surrender. The organization emphasizes that, in the incidents it studied, the Ukrainian soldiers “demonstrated a clear intent to surrender and, since they were no longer taking part in hostilities, were considered hors de combat and not targetable under international humanitarian law, or the laws of war.” On Apr. 9 of this year, the Office of the Prosecutor-General of Ukraine reported that it had confirmed 54 cases in which Ukrainian prisoners of war had been shot, and that the office had initiated 27 criminal cases connected with those events.

The scale of losses near Avdiivka was revealed via footage filmed by a Russian serviceman (extremely graphic content, viewer discretion advised). The video shows 82 bodies of dead soldiers along a 444-meter stretch of treeline near Stepove, where this past winter Russian forces made multiple unsuccessful attempts to break through to the city's supply lines from the north. The Russia No Context channel, which published the video, notes that its subscribers’ comments indicate that 10 of the bodies captured in the footage may belong to Ukrainian soldiers, while the confirmed losses of military vehicles in the area amounted to four units for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 28 for the Russian Armed Forces.

Weapons and military equipment

Perhaps the most important piece of news this week regarding Western arms deliveries to Ukraine was La Repubblica's scoop of Italy's plans to allocate one more SAMP-T surface-to-air missile system to Kyiv (earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke about the need for at least seven systems of this class). In addition, Germany's Hensoldt promised to deliver six more TRML-4D radars by the end of the year, and Belgium said it would accelerate deliveries of F-16s, transfer surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine, and contribute €200 million to a German-led “air defense coalition.” According to Zelensky, Norway will provide Ukraine with an extra $600 million, which the Ukrainian president says will largely be put towards air defense. In addition, Lithuania promised to deliver German-made Mantis NBS C-RAM automated air defense systems.

The German government has updated its statistics on arms and military equipment delivered to Ukraine. The recent additions to the list include, inter alia, 10 Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles, a Skynex self-propelled air defense artillery system, surface-to-air missiles for IRIS-T systems, 29,638 rounds of ammunition for Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, and 7,500 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition.

The comments of Douglas Bush, Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, point to increased production of artillery ammunition and the arrival of a large number of ATACMS missiles under old orders, which will allow the U.S. to transfer these weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine on a larger scale.

In the meantime, the Ukrainians are adapting Soviet-era propeller aircraft to fight against Russian reconnaissance drones. A Ukrainian Yak-52 plane has shot down two Russian UAVs — an Orlan and a Zala — over the Odesa region using early WWI-era tactics: the second crew member fired at the drones with a personal firearm (most likely an automatic rifle or a shotgun).