Ukrainian coal instead of Russian one, shelling of Azovstal and Odesa region: Highlights on war in Ukraine as of April 26

Author

Yulia Ustymovych

The 62nd day of the war against the Russian invaders continues in Ukraine. has compiled business, political, and economic news that will help you learn more about the situation in the country that has been fighting for its right to exist for more than two months.

The major developments of the day are:

Residents of Mariupol, hiding from the shelling on the territory of the Azovstal plant, were injured as a result of the bombing of the enterprise on Tuesday night. So far, military personnel rescue them from the rubble of the collapsed structures.
Russian invaders delivered a missile strike in the Odesa region. As a result, the bridge across the Dniester Estuary was damaged, information about the victims is being updated, the Odesa City Council reports. For safety reasons, traffic on the bridge is blocked.
Russian troops seized the premises of the Kherson City Council and removed the flag of Ukraine. "The situation was expected, we will never accept any tricolors and Soviet flags", Hennady Lahuta, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration (RMA) stated. He stressed that, in spite of everything, Kherson and the Kherson region are Ukraine. In turn, the mayor of Kherson, Ihor Kolykhaiev, wrote on Facebook that armed men entered the building of the Kherson City Council, took the keys and replaced the guards with their own ones.

Politics

The UK is stepping up humanitarian support for Ukraine and is providing more ambulances, fire engines, and funding for health care experts.
London supported the right of Ukraine to use Western weapons to attack Russian territories. James Heappey, the Minister of the Armed Forces of Great Britain, stated in an interview to Time. According to him, attacks on targets in the Russian Federation itself by the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be regarded by London as a completely legitimate response to Russian military aggression. Accordingly, London is not averse to using Western weapons for this.
Germany is preparing to send about 50 Gepard type anti-aircraft self-propelled guns to Ukraine, the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports. According to the outlet, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht intends to give the corresponding consent at a meeting at the American military base Ramstein in Germany. It is reported that the Bundeswehr no longer has such systems, but industrial companies have some, and supplies are planned from them.

Economy

Grain harvest in Ukraine is likely to be about 20% lower than in 2021 over the reduced showing areas as a result of the war unleashed by the Russians against Ukraine.
In the coming years, Ukraine will become an exporter of natural gas, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced this during a telethon. He also noted that at the moment Ukraine has the ability to meet its needs with its own production. In addition, the Prime Minister noted that during his visit to Washington, he discussed with his American colleagues issues of energy cooperation and the issues of the Russian energy embargo, as well as the diversification of fuel supplies to Ukraine.
Norway will allocate NOK 400 million (about $43.5 million at current exchange rates) to a UK-led mechanism for purchasing weapons and military equipment for Ukraine, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. The Prime Minister noted that in the near future Ukrainian forces will need more weapons to counter Russian attacks in the east and south.

Business

The chain Sportlife resumes the work of its sports clubs in different cities of Ukraine. From April 27, some clubs will open in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Lutsk, Vinnytsia, Kremenchuk, and Lviv. However, the club working hours will be reduced. In Kyiv, for example, they will be open on weekdays from 08:00 to 20:00 and on weekends — from 09:00 to 19:00. And pools will work only in Lviv.
Rinat Akhmetov's energy holding DTEK plans to replace Russian coal in Europe with its own supplies in the short term, DTEK CEO Maksym Tymchenko said in an interview with Ekonomichna Pravda (Economic Truth). According to Tymchenko, Ukraine has already started supplying coal to Poland and Slovakia.

Context.