Kyiv's diplomacy and Moscow's tours: the days before 24 April 2023
A look back at the diplomatic and military signals in the days around 24 April 2023, from Brazil to Latvia to occupied Kherson.
What was the picture in the days leading up to 24 April 2023? It was one of diplomatic appeals, military pledges and a rare show of presence by Russia's leader on occupied land.
On 18 April 2023, the Ukrainian government invited Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit Ukraine. In the same breath, it criticised his approach to Russia's invasion. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, for his part, welcomed Lula's position on peace efforts. The contrast showed how differently the two capitals read the same stance.
The same day, Russian president Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to Russian-occupied Kherson and Luhansk oblasts. He met military commanders in charge of military operations. The visit concerned areas that Russia had unilaterally declared annexed on 30 September 2022, together with parts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Russia did not fully control any of the four oblasts when it made that declaration, nor afterwards. Most of Luhansk Oblast and part of Donetsk Oblast had been held by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, while Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts were invaded in 2022.
Support from allies
On 21 April 2023, following a meeting with NATO allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Latvian Defence Minister Ināra Mūrniece announced that Latvia would send all of its FIM-92 Stinger missile systems to Ukraine.
Taken together, these developments show the range of pressures on Kyiv in the run-up to 24 April 2023. It was courting wavering partners such as Brazil, receiving concrete military help from allies such as Latvia, and facing a Russian leadership that chose to be seen among its commanders in occupied territory.
