Donbas
Two Ukrainian servicemen were killed in Donbas, according to the East Operational Tactical Command. Sn Lt Volodymyr Shpak from the 58th detached motorized infantry brigade was deadly wounded by mortar fire near Nevelske. Another serviceman, Maksym Steblyanko from the 1st detached tank brigade, sustained lethal wounds when his car hit an IED near Stepne.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has called President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "to express serious concern about Russia’s military activities in and around Ukraine & ongoing ceasefire violations. #NATO firmly supports #Ukraine’s sovereignty & territorial integrity. We remain committed to our close partnership".
Coronavirus
On the morning of 6 April, Ukraine logged 13,276 new cases of Covid-19 and 430 fatalities.
The capacity of the healthcare system has been exhausted as the number of oxygen-supplied beds has reached the limit, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has said.
Ukraine and the US pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer have signed a framework agreement on the supply of 10m doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has said. According to him, the first batches are expected shortly, with the rest to delivered during 2021.
The authorities are not considering tighter quarantine restrictions or a curfew for now, Stepanov said.
Ambassadors
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed six Ukrainian ambassadors: Vsevolod Chentsov (the Netherlands), Mykola Tochytskyy (Belgium, Luxembourg, the EU), Viktor Nedopas (Iraq), Andriy Beshta (Thailand, Laos, Myanmar), Vadym Vakhrushev (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen), and Yuriy Polurez (OAE, Bahrain, IRENA).
Canada
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has briefed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the escalation in Donbas where 24 Ukrainian servicemen were killed this year alone despite the ceasefire. He thanked Canada for support and called on Ottawa to support Ukraine's bid for NATO Membership Action Plan.
Disinformation
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has commented on Russian media allegations about the death of a five-year-old boy in occupied Oleksandrivske, allegedly as a result of a drone strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces: "StopFake has debunked this fake. Witnesses said it was an accident: the child was killed by the explosion of a mine which was found in the garage. Furthermore, Oleksandrivske is 30 km away from the Ukrainian positions. None of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' drones would be able to get there."
Ukraine has launched a Disinformation Resistance Centre. Chaired by Polina Lysenko, it will focus on military agenda, fight against crime and corruption, foreign and domestic policy, economy, infrastructure, ecology, social sector and R&D. Particular attention will be paid to counteracting fake news online and in the media.
Economy
The International Monetary Fund expects Ukraine's GDP to grow by 4% in 2021, according to the World Economic Outlook.
Crime
The National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine has detained the brother of the head of the district administrative court, Pavlo Vovk, with a 100,000-dollar bribe allegedly intended for the court head, Hromadske and Babel have reported.