1 Institute for the Study of War and AEI’s Critical Threats Project 2023
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 28, 2023
Karolina Hird, Riley Bailey, Grace Mappes, George Barros,
Layne Philipson, and Frederick W. Kagan
April 28, 5pm ET
Click here to see ISW’s interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This map is
updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.
Click here to access ISW’s archive of interactive time-lapse maps of the Russian
invasion of Ukraine. These maps complement the static control-of-terrain map that
ISW produces daily by showing a dynamic frontline. ISW will update this time-lapse
map archive monthly.
Russian forces launched a series of missile strikes against rear areas of Ukraine on the
night of April 27. Ukrainian military sources confirmed that Russian forces launched 23 Kh-
101/Kh-555 missiles from Tu-95 aircraft over the Caspian Sea and struck civilian infrastructure in
Uman, Cherkasy Oblast; Dnipro City; and Ukrainka, Kyiv Oblast.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported
that Ukrainian air defense shot down 21 of 23 missiles and two UAVs.
The Russian Ministry of
Defense (MoD) acknowledged the strike and claimed that the Russian aerospace forces conducted a
coordinated missile strike against Ukrainian reserve deployment points and struck all intended
targets.
Geolocated footage shows large-scale damage to a residential building in Uman, with the
death toll reaching 20 civilians, including children, as of 1700 local time on April 28.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) confirmed the appointment of Vice Admiral
Vladimir Vorobyov as the new commander of the Baltic Fleet on April 28 following the
transfer of former Baltic Fleet Commander Admiral Viktor Liina to the Pacific Fleet.
Russian state media reported that the Russian MoD introduced Vorobyov as the new Baltic Fleet
commander thereby confirming that Liina replaced Admiral Sergei Avakyants as Pacific Fleet
command.
ISW had previously reported that Liina may have been replacing Avakyants because of
Pacific Fleet failures exposed during recent combat readiness exercises, and Russian officials claimed
that Avakyants was moved to a new position as head of Russian military sports training and patriotic
education centers after aging out of military service.
Vorobyov has previously served as Chief of Staff
and First Deputy Commander of both the Baltic and Northern Fleets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on April 27 codifying conditions for
the further large-scale deportation to Russia of residents of occupied areas of Ukraine.
Putin signed a decree entitled “On the Peculiarities of the Legal Status of Certain Categories of
Foreign Citizens and Stateless Persons in the Russian Federation” that defines those who are living in
Russian-occupied territories who have declared their desire to retain their current citizenship and
refuse to accept Russian passports as “foreign citizens and stateless persons currently residing in the
Russian Federation.”
The decree holds that such individuals may continue to reside in occupied
territories until July 1, 2024, suggesting that these individuals may be subject to deportation following
this date.
This decree codifies coercive methods to encourage residents of occupied areas to receive
