Canada expands trade deal, Zelenskyy on seized RU assets, counteroffensive delayed

• SBU vows to find Russians behind brutal beheading murder of Ukrainian

PoW Ukraine’s SBU security service has vowed to track down and punish the Russian soldiers seen in a horrifying video beheading a Ukrainian prisoner of war with a knife while he was still alive.

• Ukraine, Canada agree to expand bilateral free trade deal

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, have agreed to expand the existing Canada–Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA), further liberalizing the flow of goods, services, and investments between the two countries, Shmyhal said in a Telegram post on April 11.

• Ukraine’s parliament takes step towards nationalization of Russian-owned Sense Bank

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, passed bill No. 9107-1 at first reading on April 11, which lays down the grounds to nationalize the Russian-owned Sense Bank – formerly Alfa-Bank Ukraine, according to the parliament’s website.

• Ukraine to make its own decisions on counter-offensive, Blinken says

Ukraine should make its own decision on how to liberate its territory under Russian military occupation, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said at a briefing on April 11.

• Ukrainian neon manufacturer, suspected of collaboration, moves production to South Korea

Ukrainian clear neon manufacturer Cryoin Engineering, which has been accused of supplying gas to Russia's military industry, has launched a joint venture in South Korea. This may mean a transfer of ultra-pure neon production technology from Ukraine to South Korea.

• West must channel seized Russian assets towards Ukraine’s recovery, Zelesnkyy says

World leaders ought to work on establishing mechanisms to channel seized Russian assets into securing Ukraine’s post-war recovery, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening address on April 12.

• Putin personally approved arrest of WSJ reporter

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has personally approved the arrest of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich on “espionage” charges, Bloomberg reported on April 12, citing sources familiar with the matter.

• Ukraine delaying spring counter-offensive for three reasons – media reports

Ukraine has delayed its long-expected spring counter-offensive for three reasons, namely weather conditions, slow equipment deliveries, and the leak of dozens of U.S. military and intelligence documents, U.S. newspaper The Washington Post reported on April 12.

• US planning more deliveries of Abrams and Bradley to Ukraine, Polish PMsays

The United States will provide additional arms supplies to Ukraine, including Abrams tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, according to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, news agency Ukrinform reported on April 12.

• Russia preparing evacuation plan for Rosatom employees from occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP

Invading Russian forces are preparing a preliminary plan to evacuate Russian nuclear operator Rosatom’s employees from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Enerhodar, Ukraine’s National Resistance Center reported on April 12.

• The day’s long read: Mother of two fallen heroes faces bureaucratic obstacles despite hersons’ sacrifices

Halyna Holitsyna is the mother of two fallen heroes, Dmytro Holitsyn and Denys Dudinov. She lost her sons eight years apart: the elder Dmytro, call sign Lawyer, died in August 2014 from wounds sustained near Ilovaisk, while the younger Denis, call sign Phantom, died last March in the battle for Mariupol.

• Don’t miss: How Putin is Trying to Outplay Us in Liberating Crimea – OPINION

Putin's real goal is to place some kind of nuclear weapon on the territory of Crimea, to issue an ultimatum to the West that there can be no attempt at de-occupation. – Zolkina

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