Victorious news of 777th day of war: Russia loses positions near Kreminna, Ka-27 helicopter destroyed in Crimea

Russia is losing positions near Kreminna due to Ukrainian attacks

The Russian occupation army is facing setbacks on the front lines due to continuous Ukrainian counteroffensives to the west of Kreminna.

This is according to a report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The ISW report highlights recent enemy advancements south of Kreminna. Geolocation footage released on April 8 indicates minimal progress made by Russian forces in the vicinity of the chalk quarry to the south of Kreminna.

On April 9, a Russian military blogger reported ongoing battles for tactical positions near the quarry area, with limited gains claimed by Russian forces.

“Russian sources also claimed that there was heavy fighting near Terny (west of Kreminna), but that Russian forces are losing limited positions to constant Ukrainian counterattacks”, the report stated.

Russian Ka-27 helicopter destroyed in occupied Crimea

Spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy Dmytro Pletenchuk announced the elimination of a Russian Ka-27 helicopter in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

"Minus the Russian Ka-27 in Crimea. I was looking for something. Found it," Pletenchuk wrote.

Later, Pletenchuk said on Svoboda.Ranok that Russia had used other helicopters for the search operation, but the fate of the crew was unknown.

"From the available information, we can say that there was an explosion of this machine in the air. The causes have not yet been established. I am not yet ready to provide verified information on this. The search operation is ongoing. Other helicopters were involved. The Raptor boat was also involved. There is also no information about the fate of the crew. It all happened not far from Chornomorsk," said the spokesman.

Germany announces new military aid package for Ukraine

On Wednesday, 10 April, Germany handed over a new military aid package to Ukraine, including artillery shells, rifles, demining equipment and reconnaissance drones

According to the German government website, the new military support package includes:

• Nine tracked all-terrain vehicles Warthogs (command vehicle), with nine previously transferred
• Two WISENT 1 demining machines, with 32 previously transferred.
• Six thousand 155 mm caliber shells, with 68 thousand previously transferred.
• Sixteen Vector reconnaissance UAVs, with 196 previously transferred.
• Thirty RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance UAVs, with 185 previously transferred.
• Thirty sets of anti-aircraft defense equipment, with 40 previously transferred.
• Eleven mobile demining systems, with nine previously transferred.
• Three mine trawls, with 43 previously transferred.
• Seventy infrared cameras, with 330 previously transferred.
• Six hundred eighty Haenel MK556 assault rifles, with 305 previously transferred.
• One hundred twenty Haenel CR308 rifles.
• Twenty-four boat motors.
• Fifty Haenel HLR338 sniper rifles, with 15 previously transferred.
• One million cartridges for small arms.
• Five thousand detonators.

Germany provides assistance to Ukraine through supplies from the Federal Armed Forces and industry financed by the federal government.

Switzerland to allocate about €5 billion for Ukraine's recovery

This is stated on the website of the Swiss government. 

The decision was approved by the Federal Council on April 10. According to it, Ukraine is to receive about CHF 5 billion by 2036, CHF 1.5 billion of which Switzerland has already allocated for 2028. 

According to the World Bank, the funding Ukraine needs for recovery is estimated at $486 billion. This data is based on an analysis of Ukraine's needs and losses, which was conducted with funding from Switzerland. 

The country is also already supporting projects aimed at restoring the energy, road, healthcare, and civilian infrastructure sectors. 

Translations of works by Aseyev and Zhadan were nominated for the PEN America Literary Award

Translations of Stanislav Aseyev's The Torture Camp on Paradise Street and Serhiy Zhadan's How Fire Descends: New and Selected Poems have been shortlisted for the PEN America awards.

This was reported on the PEN America website.

PEN America has announced long lists of its literary awards. Two books by Ukrainian writers have been shortlisted for the PEN Translation Prize and the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation. The awards are given by a jury consisting of award-winning authors, editors, translators, and critics.

The PEN Translation Prize longlist includes an English translation of Stanislav Aseyev's book The Torture Camp on Paradise Street. It was translated by Nina Murray and Zenia Tompkins. 

The book reveals the unvarnished truth about captivity, war crimes committed by Russia against Ukrainians, and torture in the basements of occupied Donetsk today.

How Fire Descends: New and Selected Poems by Serhiy Zhadan has been nominated for the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation. It was translated by Virlyana Tkach and Wanda Phillips.