Ukraine Daily Brief Newsletter – Friday, April 15, 2022

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: As the stories in Ukraine and around the world are evolving, the Ukraine Daily Brief will be evolving as well. Starting next week, we are going to be expanding the scope of the show to cover issues happening in other regions of the world. We will still cover updates on Ukraine, but you can also expect us to talk about issues like the COVID outbreak in Shanghai, the protests in Sri Lanka, and the election in France – all in less than 10 minutes. Stay tuned as we transition and let us know what you think: udb@thedsrnetwork.com.

Tune in to the latest Ukraine Daily Brief Podcast. Some notable links referenced in today’s podcast can be viewed here.

The War

It’s official: the Moskva has sunk, but the cause remains in dispute. Explosions are reported in Kyiv. Russia says that it struck an anti-ship missile factory there, without acknowledging that a Ukrainian missile sank its battleship. Russia accuses Ukraine of launching a helicopter strike on a border town in the Bryansk region.

Economics

Germany allocates EUR 3 billion for floating LNG terminals, a near-term solution to Russian pipeline gas dependency. Jersey, the tiny island tax haven, freezes $7 billion of oligarch Roman Abramovich’s assets. US banks bolster reserves to hedge against geopolitical and inflation-related credit risk.

Technology

Jailed opposition party leader, Alexei Navalny, implores Big Tech to rally to the ‘informational front’ and ‘fight Russian state propaganda.’ Russia has tripled its state media budget since January. Ukraine has a grim use for social media and facial recognition software: identifying dead Russian soldiers and sending pictures to their families. 

Europe

Moldova joins a growing list of European countries moving to ban the pro-Russia ‘Z,’ ‘V’ and ribbon of St. George symbols. Russian public figure and Navalny ally, Lyubov Sobol, receives a six month prison sentence. Anti-war Russians use art, literature and other creative means to express dissent. 

U.S. and the World

Pentagon officials meet with defense company executives about ‘ways to replenish’ the US military’s weapon stockpiles. The US will train troops in Ukraine. Faith leaders launch a campaign to expel the Russian Orthodox Church from the World Council of Churches. 

DSR Exclusives

Stay tuned to Deep State Radio, Next in Foreign Policy and our sister podcasts for in-depth analysis and expertise.

Tune in to Monday’s podcast for new and evolving stories.

The DSR Network Team (Chris Cotnoir, Grant Haver, and Katherine Hill)