What 19 April 2022 showed about the Donbas offensive

What did the start of the long-expected eastern offensive look like? On 19 April 2022, Ukraine said that Russian forces had begun an anticipated military offensive in the Donbas, with explosions reported in multiple cities. In Kramatorsk, an explosion killed a civilian and injured several others.

The day before, Russian troops had captured the city of Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast. Local authorities said four refugees were shot dead trying to escape it. Russian forces were also stepping up attacks on Mykolaiv, Mariupol, Kherson, Izium and Sloviansk. Russia's defence ministry said on 18 April that overnight "mass strikes" had destroyed 16 Ukrainian military facilities.

Diplomacy and sanctions

On 19 April, Russia's foreign ministry expelled 21 Belgian, 15 Dutch and 4 Austrian diplomats as a reciprocal measure. Greece seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker Pegas/Lana off the island of Euboea under European Union economic sanctions; the Ministry of Shipping said 19 crew members were on board.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would not use nuclear weapons and would keep using conventional arms, responding to American allegations that Moscow might use them. A Chinese deputy foreign minister, Le Yucheng, said Beijing would strengthen strategic ties with Russia and confirmed support for President Putin while Russian forces faced accusations of war crimes over the killing of civilians.

Beyond the battlefield

Russian and Belarusian tennis players were barred from Wimbledon in June, a decision that most affected men's world number two Daniil Medvedev. Separately, on 18 April, EU officials said the bloc planned a solidarity trust fund to pay for the bulk of postwar reconstruction, with details to be discussed in Brussels and Washington to ensure the money was not misused.