Overview
- Following Wednesday’s massive drone assault that launched 339 UAVs, Ukraine said air defenses downed about 298, yet strikes ignited fires and destroyed civilian targets including a Nova Poshta parcel terminal in Lutsk and damaged homes and infrastructure in regions such as Kharkiv.
- The General Staff reported Thursday morning that 146 frontline clashes took place on April 1, with the heaviest fighting near Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka and Huliaipole where units said they repelled 31, 17 and 20 attacks respectively.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it had taken all of Luhansk, but Ukraine’s military and the Third Assault Brigade denied the claim, and the Institute for the Study of War said Moscow is inflating limited changes to create a false sense of momentum.
- Ukraine’s Security Service said it foiled a bombing in Odesa, arresting an alleged Russian agent from Chernivtsi who planted an improvised explosive device under a truck carrying equipment for a local heat supply facility.
- Ukraine said its forces struck the Strela plant in Russia’s Bryansk region that produces parts for cruise missiles, a hit that could hinder repair or output of missile systems if damage proves extensive.