RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
Putin meets with Chinese defense minister
President Vladimir Putin has personally greeted China's State Councilor and Defense Minister Li Shangfu at the Kremlin on Sunday, alongside his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu. The defense chief, who happens to be under Russia-linked US sanctions, arrived in Moscow for a three-day visit – the first foreign trip since his appointment last month.
According to the transcript of the meeting shared by the Kremlin, Putin noted the “active” and comprehensive cooperation between Moscow and Beijing in the defense sphere, including constant exchanges of “useful information,” military-technical cooperation, and joint military exercises in various domains.
“Undoubtedly, this is another crucial area that strengthens the extremely trusting, strategic nature of our relations,” in addition to economic, social, cultural, educational and other spheres, Putin said.
Li’s tightly-packed trip comes just weeks after Chinese leader Xi Jinping was in Moscow on his first state visit since re-election, where he and Putin vowed to “further deepen mutual military trust” and signed a joint statement declaring that the friendship between the two nations has “no limits.”
The newly-appointed Chinese defense chief noted that it was also his first foreign visit in the capacity, so he came to Russia to further “emphasize the special nature and strategic importance of our bilateral relations.” He also expressed gratitude to Putin for finding time to meet him on Easter Sunday.
Li noted that Russia-China relations have “already entered a new era” and “surpass any military-political alliances of the Cold War” and are built on the principles of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting against third parties.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu also attended the meeting, but the Kremlin only revealed the welcoming remarks and shared no details of private discussions. In his remarks Putin noted Li’s “quite extensive” plans for the visit, but the Chinese Defense Ministry revealed almost nothing about his schedule, besides confirming that from April 16 to 19 he is expected to hold talks with multiple high-ranked Russian military officials and visit military academies.
China’s National People’s Congress appointed General Li Shangfu as the country’s defense minister last month, at a time of growing confrontation with the US and rising tensions over Taiwan. In 2018, the US blacklisted Li as the then-head of the Equipment Development Department for “engaging in significant transactions with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms export entity.”
China has remained neutral in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and has refused to impose sanctions on Moscow or send weapons to either side, instead calling for a peaceful resolution to the hostilities. Nevertheless, the US has seen the growing relations between Moscow and Beijing as a threat to its geopolitical dominance, as stated last week by CIA director William Burns.
** Ukraine shells Donetsk during Easter service
Ukrainian forces targeted central Donetsk with a barrage of rockets in the early hours of Sunday, with several landing near the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, forcing an evacuation and disrupting Orthodox Easter celebrations.
As many as 20 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) projectiles were fired at around 3:25am from the vicinity of the Ukraine-held settlement of Ochertenino, some 30km northwest of Donetsk, according to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) monitoring group.
Within a few hours of the initial attack, a total of 12 155mm artillery shells hit the city in multiple volleys, while authorities were dealing with the aftermath and tending to the injured.
The overnight bombardment took place as dozens of Orthodox Christians were leaving the cathedral following an Easter vigil. The explosions prompted several panicked people to drop to the ground, while others, including children, rushed back inside the church to seek shelter, according to videos shared on social media.
At least one person was killed and six others injured, according to preliminary reports. An assistant deacon suffered a shrapnel injury to his stomach upon leaving the service, a witness told RT.
While none of the missiles hit the cathedral directly, at least one reportedly struck less than 100 meters away.
“The enemy deliberately attacked the area of the central cathedral on Easter night,” the acting head of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, claimed in a Telegram post. “Scum and savages! Our combat crews are already working to neutralize the bastards.”
Multiple civilian facilities in the area of the central square were hit, including a bus station, a pharmacy, several stores, and a market some 200 meters from the cathedral. A kindergarten caught fire as a result of a near-direct strike, according to another video.
Pushilin had warned the public, following a deadly attack on the town of Yasinovataya on Friday, to exercise extreme caution while celebrating Easter because “the enemy has intensified the shelling... during the holidays.”
The capital of the Donetsk People's Republic had suffered numerous Ukrainian attacks after rejecting the 2014 Maidan coup in Kiev, which intensified weeks before Russia launched its military operation in February 2022, and the region has taken a heavy toll ever since.
Last October, the DPR was incorporated into Russia together with the People’s Republic of Lugansk and the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, following referendums in which locals voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move.
** Russian Armed Forces hit command posts of two territorial defense brigades
The Russian Armed Forces hit the command posts of the 125th and 102nd Territorial Defense Brigades in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Zaporozhye Region, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov told a briefing on the special military operation in Ukraine on Sunday.
"The command posts of the 125th and 102nd territorial defense brigades were hit in the areas of the settlements of Yampolovka in the Donetsk People's Republic and Zaliznichnoye in the Zaporozhye region," he said.
In addition, Konashenkov said, the operational-tactical aviation, missile and artillery units of the Russian Armed Forces hit firing positions, personnel and equipment of 92 artillery units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 127 districts.
Over the past day, the Russian forces have defeated units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Krasny Liman direction. According to Konashenkov, Ukraine’s losses amounted to "up to 80 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, 2 vehicles, and a D-30 howitzer".
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Russia says Wagner fighters take two more blocks in Bakhmut
Russia said on Sunday that Wagner mercenary units supported by airborne troops had captured two more city blocks in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, target of a major offensive by Moscow.
Wagner has spearheaded Russia's attempt to take Bakhmut since last summer in what has been the longest and deadliest battle of the war for both sides.
Russia's defence ministry said Wagner assault squads had taken two blocks in the northwestern and southeastern parts of Bakhmut, which has largely been destroyed in the fighting.
Russian army paratroop units were supporting Wagner by holding back Ukrainian forces on the flanks, it added.
Reuters could not independently verify Russia's claim, which Kyiv did not directly address.
Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern military command, said Wagner troops were acting as a battering ram and attacking dozens of times a day.
"The enemy continued to attack our positions with satanic zeal," he told the Ukrainian parliament's television channel.
Britain said in an intelligence update on Friday that Ukrainian troops had been forced to withdraw from some territory in the city in the face of a renewed Russian assault.
RT/TASS/Reuters
