Chornobyl
Ukraine paid tribute to victims of the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster today.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the official commissioning of a dry spent fuel storage facility. He noted that Ukraine strives "to transform the exclusion zone into a revival territory", with the storage facility launch being one of the first steps in this direction.
Meeting with Putin
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed his chief of staff Andriy Yermak to arrange a meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin. "The way it goes this meeting is going to take place. I suggested we meet in Donbas. The president of the Russian Federation confirmed his willingness to meet but offered me to meet in Moscow. I have already tasked the head of the presidential office to contact President Putin's administration to agree a date, a place or a city where we can meet," he said. He added that the venue and time are minor details while essence is of importance.
Russia
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko has described as "ubstantiated" and "provocation" Russia's decision to declare a Ukrainian embassy diplomat persona non grata. He added that Ukraine would respond in kind.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has suggested in a phone conversation with his Czech counterpart Jakub Kulhanek that Prague assign its diplomats expelled from Russia to Ukraine.
Donbas
A Ukrainian serviceman was wounded by grenade launcher fire in Donbas, the North Operational-Tactical Command has said.
Separatists committed six ceasefire violations between midnight and 6 p.m., the Joint Forces Operation HQ said in its evening update. Militants fired with banned 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers near Vodyane, banned 82-mm mortars near Hnutove, heavy machine-guns and grenade launchers near Svitlodarsk and Avdiyivka, grenade launchers near Pavlopil.
According to President Zelenskyy, the trilateral contact group is in the final stretch of negotiating the Easter ceasefire in Donbas.
Navy
The Ukrainian Navy held a coastal defence drill in Odesa and Mykolayiv regions. They honed interaction skills, responding to a signal, marching to designated areas, preparing to fire, changing positions, selecting, preparing and occupying firing positions.
Coronavirus
Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko did not rule out that lockdown in the capital may be cancelled on 30 April.
Ukraine reported 5,062 new Covid-19 cases this morning.