What the news of 18 April 2018 said about Ukraine's war zone
A retrospective look at reports from the days around 18 April 2018, from the occupied Donbas to a deadly road crash and a Syria crisis at the UN.
What was the picture around 18 April 2018, as reports from the preceding days accumulated? Several strands pointed to a country dealing with the consequences of the war in the east, alongside a domestic tragedy and an international crisis.
Flooding a mine with a nuclear past
On 14 April 2018, militants of the self-proclaimed "DNR" began flooding the Yunkom mine in Yenakiieve. A nuclear explosion was carried out at the site on 16 September 1979. The reports gave no further detail on the consequences of the flooding.
Broadcasting into occupied territory
On 12 April 2018, the television channel UATV began test-mode broadcasts aimed at the occupied parts of Luhansk region. The launch was an information-policy step directed at territory outside Kyiv's control.
A deadly crash
On 17 April 2018, a road accident in Kryvyi Rih involving a passenger car, a minibus and a bus killed nine people and injured 21 more.
Beyond Ukraine
On 14 April 2018, in the context of the bombing of Damascus and Homs in the Syrian civil war, Russia called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. It also said it was considering supplying S-300 missile systems to Syria.
Taken together, the reports show how varied the news was: the occupied Donbas, the information space, road safety and great-power diplomacy over Syria all featured within a single week.
