NATO Secretary General in Kyiv, meteorite fall, investigation into Russian aircraft operation: highlights of April 20

NATO Secretary General in Kyiv

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Kyiv for the first time since the full-scale war began. Following a meeting with him, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects security guarantees to be adopted at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine needs to understand when the country will be in NATO. He said that “it was security uncertainty that fueled the aggressor's illusions”. At the same time, Zelenskyy noted that Kyiv is not looking for an alternative to membership in the Alliance.

“We will be in the alliance. The package of guarantees on this path is what we would like to approve in Vilnius. We will prepare everything for sure,” the president said.

The flash over Kyiv - what was it?

The most likely cause of the flash over Kyiv on the evening of April 19, according to experts from the State Space Agency, is a meteorite falling from the Lyrid stream. Around 10:00 pm on April 19, a bright glow of an aerial object was observed in the sky over Kyiv. After that, an air alert was declared in the capital and the region.

At first, the Kyiv City Military Administration (KCMA) said that this phenomenon was the result of a NASA space satellite falling to Earth. But NASA denied this. On the morning of April 20, KCMA denied its own statement, explaining that it wanted to “reassure Kyiv residents”.

The space agency explained that every year in April, the Earth passes through the plume of Comet Thatcher, which leaves the Lyrid meteor shower. A similar incident occurred in February this year: at night, a meteor fell over northern France and burned in the atmosphere. The meter-long celestial body illuminated the sky over the country during the explosion, which was recorded by surveillance cameras and eyewitnesses.

Investigation of Security Service of Ukraine

The Security Service of Ukraine has opened a criminal investigation into an unsuccessful operation by Ukrainian volunteer security forces to convince Russian pilots to desert their planes. The failure of the operation is attributed to a missile attack on the Ukrainian airfield Kanatove.

One of the three Russian pilots who had been contacted to hijack the plane was supposed to be met on July 23 at the Kanatove airfield in Kirovohrad Oblast. However, on that day, the Russian army carried out a massive shelling of Ukrainian territory, including the airfield.

The Security Service of Ukraine noted that the shelling, which was “provoked by unauthorized actions of individual servicemen”, killed the commander of the military unit, injured 17 defenders, destroyed 2 combat fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and severely damaged the runway and other equipment and buildings.

The investigation is being conducted under the articles “high treason” and “abuse of power”, which provide for life imprisonment.

Clashes in the Lavra

Police detained four people for hooliganism on the territory of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on April 19. After the work of the Ministry of Culture Commission was completed, a group of people gathered on the territory of the Lavra, damaged the protective shutters, and entered the premises, which the commission inspected and sealed.

On April 20, the disputes continued: representatives of the Ministry of Culture arrived again to check the condition of the premises and re-seal it. However, the UOC-MP believers tried to interfere with the work of the commission and tried to enter the building. Police officers were working at the scene.

New Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine

As part of a joint project with the Netherlands, the Danish government has decided to donate 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. They will be in addition to the donation of about 100 Leopard 1 tanks that the Danish government has already agreed to donate. The Leopard 2 tanks are expected to be delivered in early 2024.

Other news:

• Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó spoke at a political event on peace and security against the backdrop of a map of the so-called “Greater Hungary”.
• Ukrzaliznytsia resumes regular trains to Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, for the first time since February 24, 2022.
• The Security Service of Ukraine seized gas from pro-Russian oligarch Novinsky worth over UAH 144 million.
• American actor Alec Baldwin resumes filming the movie Rust, on the set of which he shot and killed Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021.
• Kyiv City Council terminates the lease agreement with the Russian Embassy in Kyiv.
• France and Poland quarrel because they could not agree on joint EU contracts for the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine, Politico reports.
• SpaceX launches Starship, its largest rocket system, into the sky. After a successful launch and liftoff, the Starship's stages failed to separate and exploded.
• A National Guard officer is served with a notice of suspicion of beating a soldier in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.