April 21^st, 2022

1. Putin called off assault on Mariupol steel plant

April 21^st, 2022 President Vladimir Putin gave the order to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to stop storming “Azovstal” still plant in order to save lives, gave the Ukrainian militants another chance to surrender, and instructed once again to open humanitarian corridors from the plant the same day from 14:00 till 16:00 Moscow time.

 During last two days (April 19 and 20^th) nobody has surrendered and left heavily destroyed still plant. The announced humanitarian operation has been cynically disrupted by the Kiev authorities who prevented its troops to save their lives Zelensky has ignored Russian initiatives, showed an inhuman attitude towards Ukrainian servicemen and failed to give them the only correct order – to stop pointless resistance and lay down arms.

 And the commanders of the nationalist battalions did not seize another opportunity to save themselves and the lives of their subordinates.

The same day, Shoigu told Putin that Russian forces and the Donbass republics' militias have fully seized the city of Mariupol, except for the “Azovstal” plant.

According to the Russian MoD, “Azovstil” plant still harbors some 2,000 Ukrainian militants, including the neo-Nazi 'Azov' regiment, and about 400 foreign “soldiers of fortune”. Around 1,500 Ukrainian Marines have surrendered earlier. Nearly 4,000 nationalists preferred to be killed.

2. Other safe routes

The Russian Armed Forces also have been opening humanitarian corridors in the Kharkov and Mariupol directions daily since 10:00AM (Moscow time). The Russian side is ready to deploy humanitarian corridors in any other directions as soon as possible and to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians.

The Russian Armed Forces together with the formations of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics strictly observe the ceasefire on all routes.

Ukrainian armed formations continue to use medical infrastructure to equip strongholds and deploy heavy weaponry:

in Slavyansk in the Donetsk People's Republic, a unit of the Ukrainian armed forces is stationed in the building of a railway hospital, with armoured vehicles and artillery firing positions in the surrounding area;

in Lisichansk in the Lugansk People's Republic, nationalists have set up firing positions in the building of the regional children's hospital.

These and other similar facts, despite our repeated statements, have to date been ignored by the World Health Organization.

Once again, we call on all international organisations, especially the World Health Organization, to influence official Kiev and take effective measures to prevent the use of medical infrastructure for military purposes.

In addition, against the backdrop of the dire humanitarian situation in Nikolaev, social payments to the population have been stopped, humanitarian aid is being stolen by the local administration and overpriced on the shelves of shops and pharmacies. Public utilities do not work, the central water supply is disconnected, forcing people to draw water from all available, including untested sources (rivers, ponds, abandoned wells). Nikolaev will be in the zone of an epidemiological catastrophe if the local authorities do not take immediate measures to restore the city's life support systems. At the same time, amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation, territorial defence fighters have carried out mass uncontrolled distribution of weapons and drugs to the local population and carried out punitive raids in order to detect any signs of pro-Russian views among local residents. All suspects are apprehended, taken to an unknown destination. In the course of these security raids, the nationalists forcibly seize valuable property and foodstuffs, ostensibly for the needs of territorial defence.

Such actions by Kiev once again demonstrate an inhuman attitude towards the fate of its own citizens and show a complete disregard for all norms of morality and international humanitarian law.

Meanwhile, Western countries are not only aware of Kiev's gross violations of the Geneva Conventions, but are also trying to help the Ukrainian authorities cover up their cynical crimes by massively spreading fake news in foreign media.

Despite all the difficulties and obstacles imposed by the Ukrainian side, over the past day, without the participation of Kiev, 14,982 people were evacuated from dangerous areas, 2,940 of them children, and in total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 894,030 people have already been evacuated, of which 163,761 are children. The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 118,810 personal vehicles including 1,843 per day.

More than 9,500 temporary accommodation centres continue to operate in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and are fully equipped with recreational facilities and hot meals. The refugees are treated individually and provided with qualified medical and psychological assistance.

Over the past 24 hours, the hotline of the Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, federal executive authorities, subjects of the Russian Federation and various public organizations received 357 appeals from foreign and Ukrainian citizens, with a total of 2,751,150 from 2,128 locations in Ukraine in the database.

Ukrainian nationalists continue to hold 6,126 foreign nationals from 12 countries hostage as human shields.

3. Humanitarian aid distribution

Federal executive authorities, together with the subjects of the Russian Federation, various public organizations, patriotic movements, continue to accumulate humanitarian aid.

More than 22,000 tonnes of basic necessities and food kits, including baby food and life-saving medicines, have been prepared at collection points.

Since March 2, 13,419.8 tons of humanitarian cargo have already been delivered to Ukraine, 865 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 4 actions in Zaparozhye and Kherson regions, as well as in Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, during which 262 tons of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.

On April 20, 10 humanitarian actions have been planned and are currently being carried out in Kharkov, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, in Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, during which 436.1 tons of basic necessities, medicine and food will be distributed.

4.  Situation at the Black Sea

76 foreign vessels from 18 countries remain blocked in Ukrainian ports. The threat of shelling and high mine danger created by official Kiev in its internal waters and territorial sea prevents vessels from safely leaving the ports and reaching the open sea.

In confirmation of this, the Russian Federation is opening daily from 08:00 to 19:00 (Moscow time) a humanitarian corridor, which is a safe lane south-west of Ukraine's territorial sea, 80 nautical miles long and 3 nautical miles wide.

Detailed information in English and Russian on the modus operandi of the maritime humanitarian corridor is broadcast daily every 15 minutes on VHF radio on 14 and 16 international channels in English and Russian.

At the same time, the Kiev authorities continue to avoid engaging with representatives of states and ship-owning companies to resolve the issue of ensuring the safe passage of foreign vessels to the assembly area. At the International Maritime Organisation, Ukraine's representatives refuse to discuss issues of ship departures security, demonstratively avoiding dialogue.

The Russian Federation is taking a full range of exhaustive measures to ensure civilian navigation in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean.

The danger to navigation from Ukrainian mines drifting off their anchors along the coasts of Black Sea states remains.

Once again, we call on the International Maritime Organization and the management of ship-owning companies to influence official Kiev to take measures aimed at unblocking and securing the departure of foreign vessels from Ukrainian ports.

5.Developments on the battlefields

According to reconnaissance reports, AFU units concentrated ammunition, military equipment and weapons at a camouflaged airfield to supply a group of troops.  This was confirmed by technical reconnaissance equipment, after which a multiple-launch rocket launcher unit attacked the depots.

The Russian Armed Forces continue to use high-precision missile weapons against military infrastructure and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the course of the special military operation.

Units of the Russian Armed Forces and the Lugansk people's militia have taken full control of Kremennaya, which had been turned into a stronghold by Ukrainian nationalists.

As a result of the rapid and coordinated actions of the assault troops, severe destruction of urban infrastructure and residential buildings was avoided.

Operational-tactical and army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces struck 20 areas of concentration of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment near Shnurki, Novonikolaevka and Aleksandrovka during the night.

Missile troops and artillery hit 1,001 military assets of Ukraine.

Among them: 58 command posts, 162 Ukrainian artillery firing positions, and 771 strong points and aareas of concentration of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment in Mayaki, Dibrovnoe, Mazanovka, Dolina Krasnopol'e, Velikaya Kamyshevakha, Chervonoe, Vernopol'e, Pashkovka, Dmitrovka, Novaya Dmitrovka, Vysokiy, Chernoglazovka, Slatino, Zolochev, Partizanskoe, Aleksandrovka and Shevchenkovo of Nikolaev region.

Russian air defence means destroyed 13 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Berezovaya, Brazhkovka, Verkhnetoretskoe, Debrovka, Izyum, Kalinovka, Kiselevka, Lozovaya, Novobogdanovka, Novoalexandrovka and Chuvakovka.

Also, 1 Tochka-U tactical missile was shot down near Donetskoe.

6. Russia will significantly strengthen its NW arsenal with new ICBM “Sarmat”

On April 20, Russia successfully tested a strategic missile system (RKSN) with a new liquid-fueled, heavy class intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) named “Sarmat”. During the tests, the design and flight characteristics nave been confirmed at all stages of the flight of this rocket.

The named missile system will replace the Soviet-made “Voevoda” ICBM with an intercontinental range as well. In many basic characteristics, the new missile surpasses its predecessor, and in the foreseeable future will have no analogues in the world.

This is the world's most powerful ground-based combat ICBM. The unprecedented mass of its payload and the versatility of the combat platform make it possible to equip the “Sarmat” missile with all types of modern and promising combat units, including the “Avangard” hypersonic cruise combat glider.

The missile control system provides high accuracy of its warheads guidance.

The increased energy and mass characteristics of the “Sarmat” missile allow delivering warheads to the targets along a ballistic trajectory for a long range.

This makes it possible to hit any target both from the North and from the South.

The booster section time of operation (much shorter than that of the “Voevoda” ICBM) significantly complicates its detection in flight and interception by missile defense means.

The means for penetration of any missile defense systems used by as part of the “Sarmat” missile system ensures that the combat units overcome any layers of the "anti-missile shield" of any unfriendly nation. The combat units of the “Sarmat” missile in flight will be accompanied by a large number of dummy warheads indistinguishable from them. The task of intercepting such a large number of warheads is practically impossible for both existing and prospective missile defense systems of other states.

The improved characteristics of the missile in terms of range, throw weight, and the means of penetrating anti-missile systems used in combination with the use of new advanced and perspective technologies and materials allow Russia to speak about the uniqueness of the “Sarmat” complex in numerous parameters.

The weight and size characteristics of the “Sarmat” missile ensure its placement in the existing silos of the “Voevoda” complex with minimal modifications to the infrastructure of the deployment areas, which significantly reduces the cost and deployment time of the new ICBM.

In the Uzhur Regiment of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (Krasnoyarsk Region), work is underway to prepare the first missile regiment for rearmament with a new missile system.

It is necessary to pay special attention to the military and political leadership of the NATO member countries, if they ask for any clarification, that the “Sarmat” missile system is not subject to discussion at any future negotiations or consultations with the United States and other countries of the transatlantic Alliance on any future reductions of strategic offensive nuclear weapons by two key reasons.

Firstly, “Sarmat” is not mentioned by its name in the START-3 Treaty, which was extended until 2026.

Secondly, under the terms of the said agreement, it can be considered as an "existing type" only after the entire cycle of its tests is completed (they should be completed this year), if its mass production will begin and if it will be commissioned by the Russian Strategic Missile Forces at the end of 2022.

For these reasons, any demonstrations or displays of such a missile to representatives of the states who are hostile to Russia seem to be inappropriate. For the same reasons, “Sarmat” cannot be included in advance in the formulas of potential future reductions of the SOA between Russia and the United States.

The other arguments are as follows. The Americans do not have such a missile. And it is unknown when and with what quality they will create something like this. To use the terminology of card games: Russian trump ace should not be changed for the American non-trump six.

Russia have not yet received any guarantees of our national security from Washington and NATO, about which it posed a legitimate question to them at the end of last year.

At the same time, it is impossible not to take into account the U.S.-NATO forward-based assets in the form of the "Chicago Triad", created at the transatlantic Alliance summit in Chicago in 2012, which included nuclear missile weapons, combined anti-missile systems and general-purpose forces equipped with heavy weapons.

The USA is still committed to NFU or NFS posture. Russia does not have such policy.

It is also important to ensure that relations between Russia and the United States are first brought to a normal state. And in the future, they should be built on the basis of mutually acceptable principles of equality and equal, indivisible security, legally binding security guarantees, as well as with real consideration of all factors that determine strategic stability in the world.

Written by Vladimir P. Kozin