Iran's attack on Israel, assassination attempt on Kherson Regional Administration head: highlights for April 13

Attempted murder of the head of Kherson Regional Military Administration

The Security Service of Ukraine has prevented the assassination of Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, which was being planned by a resident in cooperation with Russian special services.

SBU Head Vasyl Maliuk said that the Russians launched a new model of FPV drone from a depth of 12 km. The resident of the Kherson region was conducting visual surveillance, adjusting the fire on Prokudin's car.

At the same time, Prokudin noted that this was “not the first and probably not the last” attempt to kill him.

Escalation on the eastern front

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky said that the situation on the eastern front has “significantly deteriorated” in recent days.

Thus, the intensification of attacks is recorded in the Liman and Bakhmut directions, where Russians are conducting assaults with the support of armored vehicles. In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy is trying to break through the Ukrainian defense with dozens of tanks and armored infantry vehicles, Syrskyi said.

At the same time, the Ministry of Defense denied that Bohdanivka near Chasovyi Yar was occupied by Russians, as reported on the Internet.

Germany to transfer another Patriot system

Germany has announced that it will immediately transfer another Patriot anti-aircraft missile system and missiles for air defense systems to Ukraine.

The head of the Bundeswehr, Boris Pistorius, assured that in supporting Ukraine, Germany “goes as far as possible in terms of its operational readiness”.

Iran's attack on Israel

The Israeli Defense Forces announced the beginning of an Iranian attack. Dozens of drones are said to be headed for Israel. This happened after a high-ranking official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed in Syria on April 1 as a result of a strike on the Iranian consulate.

On the evening of April 13, Israel imposed restrictions on public gatherings and educational activities due to fears of an attack by Iran and put its troops on alert.

US President Joe Biden returns to the White House from his residence to “consult with his national security team”.

In the afternoon, the IRGC seized a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran believes it is connected to Israel.

Explosions in Luhansk

Explosions were heard in the temporarily occupied Luhansk. A Russian proxy claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired several missiles at the city's machine-building plant. Later, the Ukrainian Armed Forces StratCom said that the enemy's Center command center was hit in Luhansk.

A draft law on demobilization is already in the works

The Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces are already working on a draft law on demobilization, which is planned to be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada in the next few months.

“It is clear that people who are currently on the front line need to be given a break. At the same time, people with combat experience need to be replaced by trained soldiers, and we need to have them,” explained Defense Ministry spokesperson Dmytro Lazutkin.

ZNPP power units put into cold shutdown

At the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the Russians have put all six power units into a cold shutdown state for the first time since the end of 2022.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi welcomed the decision. Earlier, the IAEA recommended that the power units be put into cold shutdown to improve safety.

In 2023, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine also issued an order to transfer all six ZNPP power units to cold shutdown mode.

Lowering the conscription age — impact on demographics

Reducing the conscription age to 20 would have negative consequences for the demographic situation in Ukraine. This was stated by Oleksandr Hladun, Deputy Director of the Ptukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

“In 2001, we had the lowest birth rate in the history of Ukraine. If we take 2001 plus or minus 5 years, which is 10 years, this contingent is the smallest in terms of numbers in the age structure,” the expert explained.

Earlier, Taras Chmut, head of the Come Back Alive charitable foundation, said that Ukrainians from the age of 20 should be subject to mobilization. This opinion is shared by Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of the 3rd separate assault brigade.

Other important news of the day:

• In the Chernihiv region, Russians shot at a civilian car in the border area: a man was killed. The occupiers also shelled the Donetsk region, killing three people and wounding others.
• The man who put his 9-year-old daughter behind the wheel and filmed it was found by the police.
• Europe is restoring relations with China in the wake of Donald Trump's possible victory, the WSJ reports.
• Russia may be preparing an offensive in four regions of Ukraine, the FT reports.
• Ukrainian filmmaker Tanu Muino has made a music video for British singer Dua Lipa.