Russia redeploys part of combat units from Skadovsk to Crimea – General Staff

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff reported this on April 21.

“Recently, an occupation unit of about 300 people, including convicts, arrived in the temporarily seized Skadovsk in the Kherson region, allegedly to ensure law and order. Rumors are spreading among the occupiers about the imminent end of hostilities with territorial concessions in favor of the Russian Federation, probably to raise the spirit of the invading troops,” the General Staff said.

Some of the combat units previously stationed in Skadovsk are gradually being withdrawn from the city to the temporarily Russian-occupied Crimea.

Russia continues to shell Ukraine

During the day, the invading Russian forces launched 2 missile strikes, 28 airstrikes, and about 20 attacks with multiple launch rocket systems. They also used 12 Shahed drones, 8 of which were shot down by the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces. 

According to the General Staff, the likelihood of missile and air strikes across Ukraine remains high. The Russian troops are attacking at the Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka and Shakhtarsk directions. The Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled about 30 enemy attacks in these areas over the last day. The city of Bakhmut remains at the epicenter of the fighting. 

Near the state Ukrainian border with Russia and Belarus, the situation hasn't changed significantly, and no enemy offensive groups have been detected. 

At the same time, the Russian army keeps shelling the entire border lline with mortars and artillery: one settlement in the Chernihiv region, one more in the Sumy region, as well as 8 villages in the Kharkiv region were attacked. 

Shelling of Ukrainian regions

• In the Kupiansk direction, 8 settlements in the Kharkiv region were attacked by the invading Russian forces. 

• In the Lyman direction, 5 settlements in the Luhansk region came under enemy fire. 

• In the Bakhmut direction, fighting for the fortress city continues. Occupying Russian troops launched several unsuccessful offensives. 

• In the Avdiivka, Marinka, and Shakhtarsk directions, over 30 localities in the Donetsk region were subjected to numerous Russian attacks. 

• In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, 7 towns and villages were subjected to enemy shelling. 

The Defense Forces' aviation struck at the Russian troops' military positions. 

Missile troops and artillery hit an enemy manpower concentration area, an anti-aircraft missile system, as well as two other important military targets.