우크라이나는 최근 서방 동맹국으로부터 획득한 패트리어트 방어 시스템을 사용하여 처음으로 러시아의 강력한 극초음속 미사일 중 하나를 격추했다고 주장했습니다.
Mykola Oleshchuk 공군 사령관은 Telegram 게시물에서 Kinzhal 유형 탄도 미사일이 이번 주 초 키예프에 대한 야간 공격에서 요격되었다고 말했습니다. “예, 우리는 ‘독특한’ Kinzhal을 격추했습니다.”라고 Oleshchuk 씨는 썼습니다. “5월 4일 야간 공격 중에 발생했습니다.”
러시아는 또한 나치에 대한 소련의 승리를 기념하는 5월 9일 연례 퍼레이드에 이어 올해 블라디미르 푸틴의 승리의 날 리셉션을 건너뛸 것이라고 영국 국방부가 말했습니다.
크렘린궁은 이번 주 초 드론 공격 시도 이후 보안 문제를 이유로 러시아 6개 지역에서 열릴 승리의 날 퍼레이드를 취소했습니다.
국방부는 “승리의 날 며칠 전 크렘린에 대한 UAV 공격 시점은 러시아가 그러한 공격에 대한 취약성이 증가하고 있음을 보여주고 거의 확실하게 승리의 날 행사에 대한 러시아 지도부의 위협 인식을 높였다”고 말했다.
키 포인트
키예프는 처음으로 강력한 초음속 미사일을 격추했다고 주장
우크라이나는 바그너 그룹이 마지막 바흐무트 추진을 준비하고 있다고 말했습니다.
러시아 용병 대장 Prigozhin은 그의 군대가 다음 주에 Bakhmut을 떠날 것이라고 말했습니다.
영국 정보국은 모스크바의 승전 기념일 축하 행사가 음소거 될 것이라고 밝혔습니다.
Kherson, 러시아 폭탄 공격 후 통금 시간 준비
Wagner 수석은 하루에 수십 명의 군인이 죽은 것을 촬영합니다. ‘F ** k가 탄약 인 곳’
키예프는 극초음속 미사일을 격추했다고 밝혔습니다.
11:00 , 크리스 스티븐슨
우크라이나 공군은 최근 서방 동맹국으로부터 획득한 패트리어트 방어 시스템을 사용하여 키예프 상공에서 러시아 극초음속 미사일을 격추했다고 주장했습니다.
러시아가 모스크바의 가장 현대적인 미사일 중 하나를 요격할 수 있었던 것은 이번이 처음입니다.
Mykola Oleshchuk 공군 사령관은 Telegram 게시물에서 Kinzhal 유형 탄도 미사일이 이번 주 초 우크라이나 수도에 대한 야간 공격에서 요격되었다고 말했습니다.
우크라이나가 패트리어트 방어 시스템을 사용한 것은 이번이 처음이다.
“예, 우리는 ‘독특한’ Kinzhal을 격추했습니다.”라고 Oleshchuk 씨는 썼습니다. “5월 4일 키예프 지역 상공에서 야간 공격 중에 발생했습니다.”
그는 Kh-47 미사일이 러시아 영토에서 MiG-31K 항공기에 의해 발사되었고 패트리어트 미사일로 격추되었다고 말했습니다.
Kinzhal은 최신의 가장 발전된 러시아 무기 중 하나입니다. 러시아군은 공중발사 탄도미사일의 사거리가 최대 1250마일에 달하고 음속의 10배로 비행해 요격하기 어렵다고 밝혔습니다.
극초음속과 무거운 탄두의 조합으로 Kinzhal은 지하 벙커나 산악 터널과 같이 무겁게 요새화된 목표물을 파괴할 수 있습니다.
우크라이나군은 이전에 Kinzhals를 요격할 자산이 부족함을 인정했습니다.
러시아의 Prigozhin은 탄약 없이는 Bakhmut에서 더 이상의 공격은 불가능하다고 말했습니다.
23:38 , 마사 맥하디
러시아 용병 바그너 그룹의 수장은 토요일 바흐무트에서 예상되는 군대의 철수를 앞두고 모스크바로부터 추가 탄약을 받지 못했다고 말했습니다.
Prigozhin은 언론 서비스의 Telegram 채널에 게시된 오디오 메시지에서 “오늘 현재 아무도 탄약을 보충하고 필요한 양을 제공하지 않았습니다.”라고 말했습니다. “적의 수단을 무너뜨리지 않고는 반격전 없이는 공세가 있을 수 없다.”
바그너 군대는 탄약이 없었고 약 10개월 동안 러시아의 포위 아래 도시 근처에서 더 이상의 공세를 추구할 수 없다고 그는 말했습니다.
“왜냐하면 내가 더 많은 사람들을 확실한 죽음으로 이끌 것이기 때문입니다. (5월 10일) 부대 철수를 시작하겠다”고 말했다.
그는 자신의 군대가 전쟁 이전에 인구가 70,000명 이상이었던 동부 우크라이나의 도시인 바흐무트의 95%를 점령했다고 덧붙였습니다.
그러나 Prigozhin은 이전에 성급하게 성공을 주장했습니다. 로이터는 이 주장을 독립적으로 확인할 수 없었다.
“나머지 5%는 소위 성공의 발전과 붉은 군대의 서방 진군에 아무런 역할을 하지 않습니다.”라고 그는 말했습니다.
우크라이나, 찰스 3세 대관식에 세계 반응 주도
23:00 , 마사 맥하디
우크라이나는 세계 지도자들이 한 세대에 한 번 있는 왕실 행사를 보기 위해 모인 토요일 웨스트민스터 사원에서 열린 역사적인 대관식에서 영국 국왕 찰스 3세와 카밀라 여왕을 축하하는 낙관적인 비디오를 공개했습니다.
우크라이나 국방부가 공개한 비디오는 The Clash의 London Calling에 맞춰 편집되었으며 우크라이나 전선에 배치된 영국 무기와 볼로디미르 젤렌스키 우크라이나 대통령이 찰스 국왕과 리시 수낙 영국 총리, 노동당 대표 키어 스타머와 전 총리를 만나는 모습을 보여주었습니다. 보리스 존슨 장관.
“역사적인 대관식 전날 영국 친구 여러분의 우정에 감사드립니다. 특히 PA에서 여러분의 변함없는 성원과 파트너십에 감사드립니다
1년!” 국방부는 트위터에서 말했다.
Shweta Sharma는 다음과 같이 보고합니다.
우크라이나, 찰스 왕의 대관식에 대한 세계 반응 주도
친 크렘린 작가 자하르 프릴레핀이 차량 폭탄으로 부상당함
22:00 , 마사 맥하디
저명한 러시아 민족주의 작가인 Zakhar Prilepin은 자신의 운전사를 죽인 차량 폭탄 테러로 부상을 입었습니다. 러시아는 즉시 우크라이나와 서방을 비난했습니다.
국가 조사위원회는 작가의 아우디 Q7이 모스크바에서 동쪽으로 약 400km 떨어진 니즈니 노브고로드 지역의 한 마을에서 폭파됐다고 밝혔습니다. Prilepin이 병원으로 이송되었다고 말했습니다.
위원회는 그 옆에 깊은 분화구가 있고 근처에 금속 조각이 흩어져 있는 흰색 차량이 나무 옆 선로에 쓰러져 있는 사진을 공개했습니다.
Mark Trevelyan은 다음과 같이 보고합니다.
친 크렘린 작가 자하르 프릴레핀이 차량 폭탄으로 부상당함
보기: CCTV는 우크라이나 탄약 창고가 폭발하는 순간을 포착합니다.
21:30 , 마사 맥하디
백린탄이란 무엇입니까?
21:00 , 마사 맥하디
우크라이나는 러시아가 포위된 동부 도시인 바흐무트를 인산 탄약으로 공격했다고 비난했습니다.
UKrainian 군대가 공개한 드론 영상은 백린탄으로 추정되는 비가 내리면서 불타오르는 전쟁 중 가장 피비린내 나는 전투의 일부인 도시의 일부를 보여줍니다. 백린탄 무기가 전면 금지된 것은 아니지만 민간 지역에서의 사용은 전쟁범죄로 간주된다.
트위터에 우크라이나 국방부는 인 공격이 “소이탄 탄약을 가진 바흐무트의 빈 지역”을 목표로 삼았다고 밝혔습니다.
조 서머래드는 다음과 같이 보고합니다.
러시아가 우크라이나에서 사용했다는 비난을 받은 치명적인 백린탄 폭탄에 대해 우리가 아는 모든 것
보기: 우크라이나, 러시아가 바흐무트에서 인탄약을 사용했다고 비난
20:45 , 마사 맥하디
우크라이나 동부 대부분 지역에 공습경보 발령
20:38 , 마사 맥하디
우크라이나 관리들은 토요일 저녁에 우크라이나 영토의 약 3분의 2를 덮고 있는 지역에 대한 공습 경보를 발령했습니다.
경보는 수도 키예프와 그 서쪽 지역에서 동쪽과 남쪽의 모든 지역을 거쳐 헤르손 지역과 러시아 합병 크리미아까지 확장되었습니다.
우크라이나, 반격 위해 수억 달러 모금
20:36 , 마사 맥하디
우크라이나는 러시아가 점령한 영토를 되찾기 위한 반격을 위해 수억 달러를 모금했습니다.
우크라이나는 110개국에서 크라우드 펀딩을 통해 반격을 위한 드론에 지출할 3억2500만 달러를 모금한 것으로 알려졌다.
보고서에 따르면 이 프로젝트는 공격용 드론을 생산하는 60개 회사를 출범시키는 것을 목표로 하고 있다.
반격을 위한 준비에는 10,000명의 드론 조종사 훈련도 포함되었습니다.
우크라이나의 부총리이자 혁신부 장관인 Mykhailo Fedorov는 다음과 같이 말했습니다. “우리는 최근 UAV 조종사 훈련 프로젝트의 첫 번째 부분을 완료했습니다. 이 기간 동안 10,000명의 조종사가 훈련을 받았습니다. “즉, Drone Army는 생산 관점과 사용 관점 모두에서 UAV 부문의 포괄적인 개발에 관한 것입니다.”
유출된 문서에 따르면 바흐무트 철수 이후 제한된 군수품에 대한 바그너 추장의 주장은 ‘합법적일 수 있다’
20:30 , 마사 맥하디
유출된 문서에 따르면 바흐무트에서 그의 철수로 이어지는 제한된 군수품이 “합법적일 수 있다”는 러시아 민간 군사 회사인 바그너의 주장이 있습니다.
Prigozhin은 금요일 그의 군대가 포위된 우크라이나 동부 도시인 Bakhmut을 떠날 것이라고 말했습니다.
더 워싱턴 포스트에 따르면 Discord에서 유출된 문서는 러시아 국방부에서 직접 배포하지 않았기 때문에 Wagner가 군수품을 수령했는지 여부를 군 관리들이 “결정적으로 말할 수 없었다”고 말했습니다.
문서는 또한 “프리고진의 주장이 정당할 수 있다”고 언급했다.
게라시모프 국방부 차관은 보도에 따르면 군수품 공급을 중단하라는 명령을 내렸고… 또한 군수품을 수송할 예정인 군수송 항공편을 로스토프나도누에 있는 바그너의 본부로 보낼 예정이라고 문서에 명시되어 있습니다.
그러나 Prigozhin 공개 성명이 확대됨에 따라 국방부는 “Wagner에 군수품 공급을 두 배로 늘릴 것을 제안”했으며 2월 국방부는 군수품에 대한 Prigozhin의 주장이 사실이 아니라고 밝혔습니다.
Wagner 추장은 죽은 군인의 사진을 게시하고 Gerasimov에 직접 탄약을 요청함으로써 이에 응답했습니다. 문서에 따르면 Prigozhin은 그 결과 푸틴 대통령과의 회의에 소집되었습니다.
한 문서는 “이 회의는 적어도 부분적으로는 Prigozhin의 공개적인 비난과 그에 따른 Shoygu와의 긴장과 거의 확실히 관련이 있습니다.”라고 말했습니다.
러시아군이 도네츠크에서 영국제 곡사포 2문을 파괴했다고 주장
20:26 , 마사 맥하디
러시아군은 우크라이나군이 사용한 영국제 곡사포 2문을 파괴했다고 주장했다.
도네츠크.
러시아 군 대변인 Alexander Gordeyev는 “Lancet loitering 탄약이 Shevchenko 지역에서 적의 영국산 L119 곡사포를 파괴했습니다. “라고 말했습니다.
Lancet loitering 탄약은 사거리가 25마일에 달하며 러시아에서 가장 정교한 무기 중 하나입니다.
유출된 파일은 러시아군과 바그너 추장 사이의 긴장을 보여줍니다.
20:00 , 마사 맥하디
유출된 파일은 러시아군과 러시아 민간군사기업 바그너의 수장 예브게니 프리고진 사이의 긴장을 보여준다.
Discord에서 유출된 것으로 추정되는 이 문서는 러시아 군 지도부가 Prigozhin의 공개 성명에 대응하기 위해 고군분투했다고 워싱턴 포스트가 보도했습니다.
한 문서는 다음과 같이 명시되어 있습니다.
“그러나 그들은 러시아 정부가 Prigozhin의 공개를 금지하지 않았다면 MoD가 어떻게 Prigozhin과의 정보 전쟁을 성공적으로 수행할 수 있을지 확신하지 못했습니다.”라고 The Washington Post는 말했습니다.
Prigozhin은 개인적으로 Putin 대통령에게 개입을 호소했습니다.
러시아 외무부 “우크라이나와 서방, 작가에 대한 공격 책임”
19:56 , 마사 맥하디
토요일 러시아 외무부는 우크라이나와 이를 지지하는 서방 국가들이 러시아 작가를 다치게 하고 그의 운전사를 죽인 차량 폭탄 테러에 책임이 있다고 말했습니다.
러시아 통신사가 인용한 국방부 성명은 “이것과 다른 테러 행위에 대한 책임은 우크라이나 당국뿐만 아니라 서방 후원자, 우선 미국에 있습니다…”라고 말했습니다.
성명은 워싱턴이 이것과 다른 공격을 비난하지 않은 것은 미 행정부에 대해 “자기 폭로”라고 말했습니다.
우크라이나 보안 서비스는 러시아 공격에 대한 참여를 확인하거나 거부하지 않습니다
19:56 , 마사 맥하디
우크라이나 SBU 보안 서비스는 토요일 주 Ukrinform 통신에 러시아 작가를 다치게 한 자동차 폭탄 테러 또는 기타 공격에 연루된 것을 확인하거나 부인할 수 없다고 말했습니다.
Ukrinform은 기관의 말을 인용하여 “공식적으로 우리는 점령군이나 그 부하들과 함께 발생하는 이 폭발이나 다른 폭발에 SBU가 관여했는지 확인하거나 부인할 수 없습니다.”라고 말했습니다.
러시아, 소설가를 다친 폭탄 테러범이 우크라이나를 위해 행동했다고 주장
19:55 , 마사 맥하디
토요일 러시아 최고 수사국은 저명한 친 크렘린 소설가를 다치게 하고 그의 운전사를 죽인 차량 폭탄 테러 용의자가 우크라이나 특별 서비스의 명령에 따른 행동을 인정했다고 말했습니다.
저명한 민족주의 작가이자 러시아의 우크라이나 전쟁을 열렬히 지지했던 자하르 프릴레핀의 차를 강타한 폭발은 분쟁이 시작된 이후 저명한 친크렘린 인사들이 연루된 세 번째 폭발이었습니다.
러시아 수사위원회는 용의자가 우크라이나 출신이며 우크라이나의 명령에 따라 일하고 있다고 시인했다고 밝혔다.
이에 대해 외무부는 우크라이나뿐만 아니라 미국도 비난했다. 2014년 2월의 쿠데타는 우크라이나에서 반러시아 네오나치 프로젝트를 힘들게 키웠다”고 외교부는 말했다.
2022년 8월 모스크바 외곽에서 발생한 차량 폭탄 테러로 종종 “푸틴의 두뇌”라고 불리는 영향력 있는 러시아 정치 이론가의 딸 다리아 두기나가 사망했습니다. 당국은 우크라이나가 폭발의 배후라고 주장했습니다.
지난 달 상트페테르부르크의 한 카페에서 폭발이 일어나 유명한 군사 블로거인 Vladlen Tatarsky가 사망했습니다. 관리들은 다시 한번 우크라이나 정보기관을 비난했습니다.
러시아 언론 RBC는 익명의 소식통을 인용해 프릴레핀이 토요일 우크라이나의 부분 점령지인 도네츠크와 루한스크 지역에서 모스크바로 돌아가 식사를 하기 위해 니즈니노보고로드 지역에 들렀다고 보도했습니다.
러시아 차량폭탄의 타깃 작가 자하르 프릴레핀은 누구?
19:30 , 마사 맥하디
47세의 Zakhar Prilepin은 종종 어두운 주제에 초점을 맞춘 6편의 소설을 쓴 작가입니다. 그의 데뷔 소설 “The Pathologies”는 체첸 전쟁에서 젊은 병사들의 이야기를 들려줍니다. 또한 수많은 시, 에세이, 기사를 저술했으며 2021년 국방부 예술상을 비롯한 다양한 국가상을 수상했습니다.
그는 텔레그램과 유튜브 채널 각각 약 30만 명의 구독자를 보유한 소셜 미디어에서 노골적인 친전파 인물이다.
러시아 소설가 자하르 프릴레핀(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
러시아 소설가 자하르 프릴레핀(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
수년 동안 그는 우크라이나 동부의 돈바스 지역에서 러시아 대리 전사들을 조직했으며 2019년 YouTube 인터뷰에서 자신의 부대가 “많은 사람들을 죽였다”고 자랑했습니다. 그의 정도
직접적인 전투 참여는 명확하지 않습니다.
Prilepin 씨는 “A Just Russia – For Truth” 정당의 공동 의장으로서 정치적으로 활동적이었습니다. 작년에 그는 “반 러시아” 견해를 가진 문화적 인물을 식별하고 국가와 기업이 자금 지원을 중단하도록 설득하는 의회 그룹인 GRAD를 만드는 데 중요한 역할을 했습니다. GRAD의 이니셜은 “문화 영역에서 반 러시아 활동을 조사하는 그룹”을 의미합니다. Grad는 또한 “우박”에 대한 러시아어 단어이자 미사일 시스템의 이름입니다.
그는 지난 2월 러시아의 우크라이나 전면 침공 이후 스위스, 영국, 호주, 캐나다, 뉴질랜드, 유럽연합(EU)의 제재를 받고 있다.
보기: 오작동하는 우크라이나 드론이 키예프 상공에서 격추된 순간
19:00 , 마사 맥하디
우크라이나 폭발물 전문가 6명 포격으로 사망
18:47 , 마사 맥하디
러시아의 포격으로 케르손 남부 지역에서 지뢰 제거 작업을 하던 우크라이나 폭발물 전문가 6명이 사망했다고 우크라이나 긴급구조대가 토요일 밝혔다.
텔레그램에 따르면 구급대는 지뢰제거팀의 다른 두 명과 여성 간호사가 부상을 입어 병원에서 치료를 받고 있다고 전했다.
사진 속: 젤렌스키, 키예프에서 열린 보병의 날 기념식 참석
18:30 , 마사 맥하디
볼로디미르 젤렌스키 우크라이나 대통령이 키예프에서 열린 보병의 날 행사에 참석하고 있다. (우크라이나 대통령 기자)
볼로디미르 젤렌스키 우크라이나 대통령이 키예프에서 열린 보병의 날 행사에 참석하고 있다. (우크라이나 대통령 기자)
키예프에서 열린 보병의 날 행사에서 군인에게 상을 수여하는 볼로디미르 젤렌스키 우크라이나 대통령(우크라이나 대통령 기자)
키예프에서 열린 보병의 날 행사에서 군인에게 상을 수여하는 볼로디미르 젤렌스키 우크라이나 대통령(우크라이나 대통령 기자)
볼로디미르 젤렌스키 우크라이나 대통령이 키예프에서 열린 보병의 날 행사에 참석하고 있다.
볼로디미르 젤렌스키 우크라이나 대통령이 키예프에서 열린 보병의 날 행사에 참석하고 있다.
자동차 폭탄으로 러시아 전쟁 친 작가에게 부상을 입히고 운전자를 죽인 후 사진
18:01 , 마사 맥하디
러시아 민족주의 작가 자하르 프릴레핀이 니즈니 노브고로드 지역의 한 마을에서 폭탄 공격으로 부상을 입은 것으로 알려진 후 나무 옆 트랙에서 손상된 흰색 아우디 Q7 차량이 전복된 모습이 보입니다. (REUTERS)
러시아 민족주의 작가 자하르 프릴레핀이 니즈니 노브고로드 지역의 한 마을에서 폭탄 공격으로 부상을 입은 것으로 알려진 후 나무 옆 트랙에서 손상된 흰색 아우디 Q7 차량이 전복된 모습이 보입니다. (REUTERS)
바그너 준군사 지도자는 철수 후 바흐무트 직위를 체첸 지도자의 군대에 넘길 것이라고 말했습니다
18:00 , 마사 맥하디
러시아 민간군사기업 바그너의 수장인 예브게니 프리고진은 5월 10일 바흐무트 직책을 체첸 지도자 람잔 카디로프의 군대에 넘길 것이라고 주장했다.
토요일에 텔레그램 앱에 게시된 성명에서 Prigozhin은 다음과 같이 말했습니다.
예브게니 프리고진(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
예브게니 프리고진(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
“나는 위치 이전을 즉시 시작하기 위해 이미 그의 대표자들에게 연락하고 있으므로 5 월 10 일 00.00에 계산에 따르면 전투 잠재력을 완전히 소진하고 동지들이 우리 자리를 차지하고 Bakhmut의 공격을 계속하십시오.”
Prigozhin은 금요일 그의 군대가 포위된 우크라이나 동부 도시인 Bakhmut을 떠날 것이라고 말한 후 나온 것입니다.
전쟁포로 45명 우크라이나로 송환 – 대통령 집무실
17:24 , 마사 맥하디
45명의 전쟁 포로가 우크라이나로 돌아갔다고 안드리 예르마크 우크라이나 대통령실장이 토요일 말했습니다.
텔레그램 앱에 게시된 메시지에서 Yermak 씨는 “오늘 좋은 소식입니다. 우리는 집으로 돌아가고 있습니다 45 우리 사람들. Azovstal의 수비수 42명의 남자와 3명의 여자.”
Yermak 씨의 메시지는 Mariupol의 Azovstal 철강 공장을 방어한 사람들을 포함하여 35명의 사병과 하사, 그리고 10명의 장교가 석방되었음을 확인했습니다.
이 메시지에는 우크라이나가 수감자들의 석방을 어떻게 확보했는지에 대한 자세한 내용은 포함되지 않았습니다.
차량 폭탄으로 러시아 전쟁 친 작가에게 부상을 입히고 운전자를 살해 한 용의자 체포
16:52 , 마사 맥하디
러시아 내무부는 지난 토요일 차량 폭탄 테러로 저명한 러시아 민족주의 작가 자하르 프릴레핀이 부상을 입고 그의 운전사를 살해한 용의자가 체포됐다고 밝혔습니다.
국가 조사 위원회는 작가의 아우디 Q7이 모스크바에서 동쪽으로 약 400km(250마일) 떨어진 니즈니 노브고로드 지역의 한 마을에서 폭파되었다고 말했습니다.
그것은 테러 행위로 취급되었습니다. Prilepin이 병원으로 이송되었다고 말했습니다.
러시아는 우크라이나와 서방에 대한 공격을 비난했습니다.
국영 타스통신은 보안 소식통의 말을 인용해 용의자가 과거 폭력 강도 전과가 있는 “우크라이나 원주민”이라고 전했다.
인테르팍스 통신은 프릴레핀의 상태가 심각해 의사들이 그를 수술할 것이라고 전한 응급 서비스 소식통의 말을 인용했습니다.
프릴레핀 씨는 2022년 2월 모스크바가 이웃나라를 전면 침공한 이후 폭탄의 표적이 된 세 번째 저명한 친전 인사입니다.
러시아는 이전 두 차례 공격에서 언론인 Darya Dugina와 전쟁 블로거 Vladlen Tatarsky의 죽음에 대해 우크라이나를 비난했으며 Kyiv는 개입을 부인했습니다.
우크라이나 대통령 보좌관 미하일로 포돌랴크는 토요일 사건에 대해 트위터에 수수께끼 같은 댓글을 올렸는데, 이는 러시아 내분의 결과라고 시사하는 것으로 보입니다.
우크라이나, 러시아가 조종사 3명 석방 발표에 따라 아조프 전투기 45명 귀환 환영
16:11 , 마사 맥하디
우크라이나는 마리우폴 전투에서 포획된 45명의 아조프 대대 전투기의 귀환을 환영했고 러시아는 조종사 3명이 키예프에서 석방됐다고 밝혔지만 어느 쪽도 명백한 포로 교환에 대해 완전한 설명을 하지 않았습니다.
볼로디미르 젤렌스키(Volodymyr Zelenskiy) 대통령 집무실장인 안드리 예르막(Andriy Yermak)은 풀려난 우크라이나 포로들 중 아조프 대대 소속 남성 42명과 여성 3명이 포함됐다고 말했습니다.
항구 도시 마리우폴의 실패한 방어에서 많은 전투를 치른 아조프 대대 전사들은 많은 우크라이나인들에 의해 영웅으로 추앙받았지만 러시아에서는 널리 비방을 받았습니다.
“이 화창한 날에 좋은 소식입니다. 우리는 45명의 사람들을 집으로 돌려보내고 있습니다. 35명의 사병과 상사, 10명의 장교”라고 예르막은 텔레그램 앱에 올린 글에서 러시아 포로 석방에 대해 언급하지 않았습니다.
러시아 국방부는 성명에서 세 명의 조종사가 귀환했으며 의료 및 심리적 지원을 받고 있다고 말했습니다.
성명은 “어려운 협상 과정의 결과 포로 상태에서 치명상을 입었던 러시아 항공우주군 소속 러시아 조종사 3명이 키예프가 통제하는 영토에서 돌아왔다”고 밝혔다. . 추가 러시아 수감자 석방에 대한 러시아 국영 언론 보도는 없었다.
러시아와 포로 교환을 조정하는 우크라이나 군사 정보국은 더 자세한 정보 요청에 즉각 응답하지 않았습니다.
모스크바와 키예프는 지난해 2월 러시아의 전면 침공 이후 여러 차례 포로 교환에 합의했다.
러시아는 키예프와 서방의 관계에 대한 위협에 대응하기 위해 “특별 군사 작전”을 시작했다고 밝혔고, 우크라이나와 서방 파트너들은 그것이 정당하지 않은 토지 수탈이었다고 말했습니다.
15:00 , 케이티 클리프톤
러시아는 흑해 곡물 거래의 일부인 러시아 농산물 수출 문제가 어떻게 해결되고 있는지에 대해 여전히 만족하지 못하고 있다고 TASS 통신은 세르게이 베르시닌(Sergei Vershinin) 외무차관이 유엔 고위 관리와의 최근 회담 후 이렇게 말한 것을 인용했습니다.
“우리는 여전히 진행 상황에 만족하지 않습니다. 이것은 우리에게 매우 중요합니다.”라고 Mr Vershinin이 말했습니다.
TASS는 그가 모스크바에서 UN 무역 고위 관리인 Rebeca Grynspan과 회담 후 이야기하고 있다고 말했습니다.
크렘린궁은 이날 오전 블라디미르 푸틴 대통령이 우크라이나 곡물의 안전한 흑해 수출을 허용하는 협정을 연장하고 개선하는 방법에 대한 안토니오 구테흐스 유엔 사무총장의 제안에 아직 응답하지 않았다고 말했습니다.
오후 요약
14:15 , 매트 매더스
바그너 그룹
러시아의 주요 용병 그룹은 금요일 동부 우크라이나 도시인 바흐무트에서 철수할 계획을 발표했지만, 우크라이나는 다음주 러시아가 제2차 세계 대전 승전 기념일을 기념하기 전에 전투원들이 이곳을 점령하기 위해 진지를 강화하고 있다고 말했습니다.
Wagner Group의 사장인 Yevgeny Prigozhin은 금요일에 자신의 전투기가 입은 손실에 대해 최고 국방 책임자를 개인적으로 비난하는 욕설이 가득한 비디오를 게시했습니다.
러시아 전문가들과 군사 분석가들은 프리고진의 이례적인 발표가 비난 회피와 허위 정보 연습처럼 보인다고 말합니다.
러시아는 지난 24시간 동안 150개 지역에서 170개의 목표물을 공격했다고 밝혔습니다.
13:57 , 크리스 스티븐슨
러시아 국방부 대변인은 러시아군이 지난 24시간 동안 150개 지역에서 170개의 적 목표물에 포격을 가했다고 스푸트니크 뉴스가 보도했습니다.
“Krasny Liman 방향에서 ‘Tsentr’ 그룹 부대는 적의 인력과 화력이 집중된 지역에서 150개 이상의 포병 부대를 사용하는 것을 포함하여 하루 만에 170개 이상의 목표물에 화재 피해를 입혔습니다.”라고 대변인은 말했습니다. 말했다.
포병진지 20개소와 박격포병 10명 이상을 발견해 무력화시켰다고 한다.
공습으로 HIMARS(High Mobility Artillery Rocket System)형 로켓도 파괴됐다고 러시아는 주장했다.
젤렌스키, 스위스 의회 연설
13:30 , 쉐타 샤르마
스위스 의회는 Ukra의 요청을 승인했습니다.
Volodymyr Zelensky 대통령이 문제를 해결하도록 인도 당국에 요청했습니다.
금요일 늦은 성명에서 확인된 이 초대는 스위스 정부가 수세기 동안 지속된 중립 전통을 깨고 우크라이나와 같은 분쟁 지역에 대한 스위스 무기 수출 금지를 종식시키라는 압력을 받고 있는 가운데 나온 것입니다.
지금까지 정부는 이 정책 변경을 거부했습니다.
외국 지도자가 영상으로 입법부에 처음으로 참석하게 될 젤렌스키 씨의 연설 주제는 알려지지 않았다. 5월 30일부터 시작되는 여름학기로 예정되어 있습니다.
이 회기 동안 국회의원들은 또한 5-10년 동안 우크라이나에 50억 스위스 프랑(56억 달러)의 지원을 제공하는 동의안을 저울질할 예정입니다.
러시아 민족주의 작가, 우크라이나 탓으로 돌린 차량 폭탄 테러로 부상
13:00 , 슈웨타 샤르마
1명이 사망하고 저명한 러시아 민족주의 작가 Zakhar Prilepin이 토요일 동부 모스크바에서 차량 폭탄 테러로 부상당했습니다.
러시아는 모스크바에서 동쪽으로 약 400km(250마일) 떨어진 니즈니 노브고로드 지역에 대한 폭격에 대해 우크라이나를 비난했습니다.
마리아 자카로바 러시아 외무부 대변인은 텔레그램에 “사실이 현실이 됐다. 워싱턴과 나토가 또 다른 국제 테러 조직인 키예프 정권을 먹였다”고 말했다.
내무부는 폭발로 한 사람이 사망했고 작가는 부상을 입었지만 폭발 후 의식이 있다고 Tass에 따르면 말했습니다.
러시아, 인탄약 사용 혐의
12:31 , 크리스 스티븐슨
우크라이나는 러시아가 동부 도시인 바흐무트를 장악하기 위해 인탄약을 사용했다고 비난했습니다.
러시아군은 9개월 이상 이 도시를 점령하려 했지만 우크라이나군은 도시의 서쪽 가장자리에 주둔하고 있습니다.
토요일 Ukrainska Pravda 신문은 군 관계자의 말을 인용해 “적이 바흐무트에서 인과 소이탄을 사용하여 도시를 지구상에서 쓸어버리려는 시도를 했다”고 전했다.
러시아군은 이 주장에 대해 언급하지 않았지만 인을 사용했다는 우크라이나의 이전 비난을 거부했습니다.
국제법은 민간인이 밀집할 수 있는 지역에서 백린탄 또는 기타 소이 무기의 사용을 금지합니다.
ICYM: 크렘린 공격 후 음소거 될 모스크바의 승전 기념일 축하, 영국 정보국에 따르면
12:00 , 슈웨타 샤르마
러시아는 연례 퍼레이드 후 블라디미르 푸틴의 승리의 날 리셉션을 건너뛸 것이며 5월 9일 축하 행사는 “작은 규모”로 표시될 것이라고 영국 국방부가 매일 정보 업데이트에서 말했습니다.
러시아는 안보상의 이유로 크리미아 점령지와 21개 도시를 포함한 러시아 6개 지역에서 열릴 승전기념 퍼레이드를 취소했다.
“모스크바의 승리의 날 축하 행사는 진행될 가능성이 높지만 규모는 작습니다. 퍼레이드(2019년 마지막 개최) 이후 블라디미르 푸틴 러시아 대통령의 리셉션은 진행되지 않을 것”이라고 밝혔다.
국방부는 승리의 날을 앞두고 크렘린에 대한 드론 공격은 “러시아가 그러한 공격에 대한 취약성이 증가하고 있음을 보여주고 거의 확실하게 승리의 날 행사에 대한 러시아 지도부의 위협 인식을 높였다”고 말했습니다.
또한 승리의 날과 관련하여 가족들이 제2차 세계 대전에서 사망한 참전 용사들의 사진을 전시하는 전통적인 불멸 연대 행진(March)도 취소했습니다.
국방부는 “우크라이나 전쟁에 대한 시위와 불만의 가능성도 러시아 지도부의 계산에 영향을 미쳤을 가능성이 있다”고 결론지었다.
전사한 미국인의 장례식이 우크라이나에서 열렸습니다.
11:45 , 크리스 스티븐슨
우크라이나 국제 군단(International Legion of Ukraine)의 군인들이 한 달 전 동부 도시 바흐무트(Bakhmut)가 러시아의 손에 넘어가는 것을 막기 위한 치열한 투쟁에서 사망한 한 달 전 함께 복무한 한 미군 퇴역 군인에게 금요일 작별 인사를 했습니다.
키예프의 성 미카엘 성당에서 열린 장례식에서 우크라이나 정규군은 약 30명의 국제 군단원들이 지켜보는 가운데 우크라이나 국기가 드리워진 크리스 캠벨의 관을 짊어졌습니다.
그들은 깃발을 접은 후 캠벨의 우크라이나인 아내 Ivanna Sanina에게 선물했습니다.
전사한 미국인의 장례식이 우크라이나에서 열렸습니다.
ICYM: Wagner 수석 영화 수십 명의 군인이 하루에 사망했습니다.
11:30 , 쉐타 샤르마
바그너 그룹의 수장인 예브게니 프리고진은 지난 24시간 동안 수십 명의 군인들이 사설 군대에 탄약을 제공하지 않은 것에 대해 러시아 국방 지도부를 학대하면서 살해당하는 모습을 보여 준다고 주장하는 비디오를 공유했습니다.
어제 새벽 프리고진의 언론 서비스 채널에 공유된 2분 길이의 영상에는 그가 세르게이 쇼이구 국방장관과 발레리 게라시모프 러시아 참모총장을 학대하면서 서너 줄로 늘어선 용병들 옆에 서 있는 모습이 담겼다.
여러 소셜 미디어 계정은 Prigozhin 씨가 “Shoigu, Gerasimov, f**k가 탄약인 곳”이라고 외치는 비디오를 공유했습니다.
그는 불과 24시간 만에 죽었다고 주장하는 죽은 용병 전사들에게 빛을 비추는 것을 볼 수 있습니다.
충분한 탄약을 제공하지 않은 것에 대해 모스크바에서 그들의 죽음을 비난했습니다.
러시아, 우크라이나 바흐무트에 인폭탄 투하
11:24 , 슈웨타 샤르마
우크라이나는 러시아가 우크라이나 동부 도시인 바흐무트에서 인폭탄을 사용했다고 비난했습니다.
우크라이나 국방부는 도시의 상당 부분이 불타고 있는 모습을 보여주는 것으로 알려진 드론 영상을 공개했습니다.
화재는 빠르게 번지는 화재로 이어지는 무기인 백린탄 비가 도시에 떨어졌기 때문에 발생했다고 말했습니다.
백린탄 사용 자체가 금지된 것은 아니지만 민간인 지역에 투하하는 것은 전쟁범죄에 해당한다.
국방부는 트윗에서 러시아의 인 공격이 “소이탄 탄약을 가진 바흐무트의 빈 지역”을 목표로 삼았다고 말했습니다
Ukraine has claimed to have shot down one of Russia’s powerful hypersonic missile for the first time – using Patriot defence systems recently acquired from Western allies.
Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in a Telegram post that the Kinzhal-type ballistic missile was intercepted in an overnight attack on Kyiv earlier in the week. “Yes, we shot down the ‘unique’ Kinzhal,” Mr Oleshchuk wrote. “It happened during the night-time attack on 4 May .”
Russia will also skip Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day reception this year following the annual parade on 9 May – marking the Soviet victory over the Nazis – to be “smaller scale”, Britain’s defence ministry said.
Citing security concerns after what it called an attempted drone strike earlier this week, the Kremlin has cancelled Victory Day parades in six Russian regions.
“The timing of the UAV strike on the Kremlin a few days before Victory Day shows Russia’s increasing vulnerability to such attacks and has almost certainly raised the threat perception of the Russian leadership over the Victory Day events,” MoD said.
Key Points
- Kyiv claims to have downed powerful hypersonic missile for first time
- Ukraine says Wagner group preparing for final Bakhmut push
- Russian mercenary chief Prigozhin says his forces will leave Bakhmut next week
- Moscow’s Victory Day celebration to be muted, British intelligence says
- Kherson prepares for curfew after Russian bomb attacks
- Wagner chief films dozens of his soldiers dead in a day: ‘Where the f**k is ammunition’
Kyiv says it has downed hypersonic missile
11:00 , Chris Stevenson
Ukraine’s air force has claimed to have downed a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv – using Patriot defence systems recently acquired from Western allies.
It is the first known time the country has been able to intercept one of Moscow’s most modern missiles.
Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in a Telegram post that the Kinzhal-type ballistic missile was intercepted in an overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital earlier in the week.
It is also the first time Ukraine is known to have used the Patriot defence systems.
“Yes, we shot down the ‘unique’ Kinzhal,” Mr Oleshchuk wrote. “It happened during the night-time attack on May 4 in the skies of the Kyiv region.”
He said the Kh-47 missile was launched by a MiG-31K aircraft from Russian territory and was shot down with a Patriot missile.
The Kinzhal is one of the latest and most advanced Russian weapons. The Russian military says the air-launched ballistic missile has a range of up to 1,250 miles and flies at 10 times the speed of sound, making it hard to intercept.
A combination of hypersonic speed and a heavy warhead allows the Kinzhal to destroy heavily fortified targets like underground bunkers or mountain tunnels.
The Ukrainian military has previously admitted lacking assets to intercept the Kinzhals.
Russia’s Prigozhin says no further offensive in Bakhmut possible without ammunition
23:38 , Martha Mchardy
The head of Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group said on Saturday that he had still not received additional ammunition from Moscow ahead of the expected withdrawal of his forces from Bakhmut because of heavy losses and inadequate supplies.
“As of today, no one has come to replenish ammunition, to provide it in the necessary volume,” Prigozhin said in an audio message posted on the Telegram channel of his press service. “There can be no offensive without a counter-battery fight, without defeating the enemy’s means.”
Wagner forces, he said, had no ammunition and could not pursue any further offensives near the city, under Russian siege for some 10 months.
“Because I will lead more men to certain death. On the 10th (of May), we will start withdrawing units,” he said.
He added that his forces have taken 95% of Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that had a population of more than 70,000 before the war.
Prigozhin has, however, prematurely claimed successes before. Reuters was not able to independently verify the claim.
“The remaining 5% plays no role in the so-called development of success and the Red Army’s march to the West,” he said.
Ukraine leads world reaction to King Charles III’s coronation
23:00 , Martha Mchardy
Ukraine released an upbeat video to congratulate Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla during their historic coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, where world leaders gathered to witness the once-in-a-generation royal event.
The video released by Ukraine’s defence ministry was edited to the tune of London Calling by The Clash, and showed British weaponry deployed to the Ukrainian frontline and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky meeting King Charles and British prime minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Keir Starmer and former prime minister Boris Johnson.
“On the eve of the historic coronation, we’d like to thank our British friends for your friendship. We are grateful for your unwavering support and partnership, especially in the past year!” the defence ministry said on Twitter.
Shweta Sharma reports:
Ukraine leads world reaction to King Charles’s coronation
Pro-Kremlin writer Zakhar Prilepin wounded by car bomb
22:00 , Martha Mchardy
A prominent Russian nationalist writer, Zakhar Prilepin, has been wounded in a car bombing that killed his driver – an attack that Russia immediately blamed on Ukraine and the West.
The state Investigative Committee said the writer’s Audi Q7 was blown up in a village in the Nizny Novgorod region, about 250 miles (400km) east of Moscow, which it was treating as an act of terrorism. It said Prilepin had been taken to hospital.
The committee released a photograph showing the white vehicle lying overturned on a track next to a wood, with a deep crater beside it and fragments of metal strewn nearby.
Mark Trevelyan reports:
Pro-Kremlin writer Zakhar Prilepin wounded by car bomb
Watch: CCTV captures moment Ukraine ammunition depot explodes
21:30 , Martha Mchardy
What are white phosphorus bombs?
21:00 , Martha Mchardy
Ukraine has accused Russia of attacking the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut with phosphorus munitions.
Drone footage released by the UKrainian military, shows parts of the city – the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the war – ablaze as what is alleged to be white phosphorus rains down. While white phosphorus weapons are not banned in their entirety, but their use in civilian areas is considered a war crime.
Writing on Twitter, Ukraine’s defence ministry said the phosphorus attack targeted “unoccupied areas of Bakhmut with incendiary ammunition” – although it is unclear exactly when the alleged attack took place.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
All we know about deadly white phosphorus bombs Russia accused of using in Ukraine
Watch: Ukraine accuses Russia of using phosphorus munitions in Bakhmut
20:45 , Martha Mchardy
Air raid alerts issued for most of eastern Ukraine
20:38 , Martha Mchardy
Ukrainian officials issued air raid alerts on Saturday evening for areas covering roughly two-thirds of the country.
The alerts extended from the capital Kyiv and regions to the west of it through all regions in the east as well as south to Kherson region and Russian-annexed Crimea.
Ukraine raises hundreds of millions of dollars for counteroffensive
20:36 , Martha Mchardy
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been raised by Ukraine for a spring counteroffensive to retake Russian-occupied territory.
Ukraine has reportedly raised $325 million dollars to spend on drones for the counteroffensive through crowdfunding from 110 countries.
The project aims to launch 60 companies to produce attack drones, according to reports.
Preparation for the counteroffensive has also involved training 10,000 drone pilots.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and minister for innovation, said: “We have recently completed the first part of the UAV pilot training project; 10,000 pilots have been trained during this time.“That is, the Drone Army is about the comprehensive development of the UAV sector, both from the point of view of production and from the point of view of their use.”
Wagner chief claims of limited munitions after Bakhmut withdrawal ‘could be legitimate’, according to leaked documents
20:30 , Martha Mchardy
The head of the Russian private military company Wagner’s claim that limited munitions which lead to his withdrawal from Bakhmut “could be legitimate”, according to leaked documents.
Prigozhin said on Friday that his troops will leave the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, citing a lack of ammunition supplies that he blamed on Russia’s military command.
The documents, leaked on Discord said military officials “could not decisively” say whether Wagner was receiving munitions because they were not directly distributed by the Russian defence ministry, according to The Washington Post.
The documents also noted that “Prigozhin’s claims could be legitimate.”
Deputy Minister of Defence Gerasimov “reportedly ordered to stop munitions supplies … and also planned military transport flights, which were set to transport munitions” to Wagner’s headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, the documents state.
However, as Prigozhin public statements escalated the Defence Ministry “proposed doubling the munitions supply to Wagner,” and in February the ministry said Prigozhin claims about munitions were untrue.
The Wagner chief responded to this by posting pictures of the dead soldiers and a request for munitions directly to Gerasimov. The documents reportedly indicate that Prigozhin was called to a meeting with president Putin as a result of this.
“The meeting almost certainly concerned, at least in part, Prigozhin’s public accusations and resulting tension with Shoygu,” one document said.
Russian forces claim to have destroyed two British-made howitzers in Donetsk
20:26 , Martha Mchardy
Russian forces have claimed to have destroyed two British-made howitzers used by Ukrainian forces in Donetsk.
Russian military spokesman Alexander Gordeyev said a “Lancet loitering munition destroyed an enemy’s UK-made L119 howitzer in the area of Shevchenko.”
The Lancet loitering munition has a range of us to 25 miles and is one of Russia’s most sophisticated weapons.
Leaked files show tension between Russian military and Wagner chief
20:00 , Martha Mchardy
Leaked files show tensions between the Russian military and the head of the private Russian military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The documents, allegedly leaked on Discord, indicate that the Russian military leadership struggled to respond to Prigozhin’s public statements, The Washington Post reports.
One document stated: “The officials initially noted that, if the MoD was going to try to counter Prigozhin’s public statements, they should find allies of equal status to fight Prigozhin rather than doing so itself.
“However, they were ultimately unsure how the MoD could successfully fight an information war with Prigozhin if the Russian government did not forbid Prigozhin from making public releases,” according to The Washington Post.
Prigozhin personally appealed to president Putin to intervene.
Russian foreign ministry says Ukraine and West responsible for attack on writer
19:56 , Martha Mchardy
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday said Ukraine and Western countries backing it were responsible for a car bombing that injured a Russian writer and killed his driver.
A ministry statement, quoted by Russian news agencies, said: “Responsibility for this and other terrorist acts lies not only with Ukrainian authorities, but also their Western patrons, the United States in the first instance…”.
The statement said Washington’s failure to denounce this and other attacks was “self-revealing” for the U.S. administration.
Ukraine’s security service will not confirm or deny involvement in Russia attack
19:56 , Martha Mchardy
Ukraine’s SBU security service told the state Ukrinform news agency on Saturday it could not confirm or deny involvement in a car bombing that injured a Russian writer or other attacks.
“Officially, we cannot confirm or deny the SBU’s involvement in this or other explosions which occur with the occupiers or their henchmen,” Ukrinform quoted the agency as saying.
Russia says bomber who injured novelist acted for Ukraine
19:55 , Martha Mchardy
Russia’s top investigative agency on Saturday said the suspect in a car bombing that injured a prominent pro-Kremlin novelist and killed his driver has admitted acting at the behest of Ukraine’s special services.
The blast that hit the car of Zakhar Prilepin, a well-known nationalist writer and an ardent supporter of Russia’s war in Ukraine, was the third explosion involving prominent pro-Kremlin figures since the start of the conflict.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said the suspect was a Ukrainian native and had admitted under questioning that he was working under orders from Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry in turn blamed not only Ukraine but the United States as well.“Responsibility for this and other terrorist acts lies not only with the Ukrainian authorities, but with their Western patrons, in the first place, the United States, who since the coup d’etat of February 2014 have painstakingly nurtured the anti-Russian neo-Nazi project in Ukraine,” the ministry said, referring to the 2014 uprising in Kyiv that forced the Russia-friendly president to flee.
In August 2022, a car bombing on the outskirts of Moscow killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of an influential Russian political theorist often referred to as “Putin’s brain.” The authorities alleged that Ukraine was behind the blast.
Last month, an explosion in a cafe in St. Petersburg killed a popular military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky. Officials once again blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies.
Russian news outlet RBC reported, citing unnamed sources, that Prilepin was travelling back to Moscow on Saturday from Ukraine’s partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions and stopped in the Nizhny Novogorod region for a meal.
Who is writer Zakhar Prilepin – target of car bomb in Russia?
19:30 , Martha Mchardy
Zakhar Prilepin, 47, is the author of six novels, often focusing on dark themes. His debut novel “The Pathologies” told the story of young soldiers in the Chechen wars. He has also written numerous poems, essays and articles, and is the recipient of various state awards including a 2021 arts prize from the defence ministry.
He is an outspoken pro-war figure on social media, with around 300,000 subscribers each to his Telegram and YouTube channels.
For years, he has organised Russian proxy fighters in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, boasting in a 2019 YouTube interview that his unit “killed people in big numbers”. The extent of his direct combat involvement is not clear.
Mr Prilepin has been politically active as the co-chair of the “A Just Russia – For Truth” party. Last year he took a prominent role in creating GRAD, a parliamentary group that seeks to identify cultural figures with “anti-Russian” views and persuade the state and business to stop funding them. GRAD’s initials stand for “Group to investigate anti-Russian activity in the cultural sphere.” Grad is also the Russian word for “hail”, and the name of a missile system.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, he has been sanctioned by Switzerland, Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the European Union
Watch: Moment malfunctioning Ukrainian drone shot down over Kyiv
19:00 , Martha Mchardy
Six Ukrainian explosives experts killed in shelling
18:47 , Martha Mchardy
Russian shelling killed six Ukrainian explosives experts engaged in demining operations in the southern Kherson region, the Ukrainian emergency services said on Saturday.
The emergency services, in a report on Telegram, said two other members of the demining team were injured, along with a female nurse, and were being treated in hospital.
In pictures: Zelensky attends Infantry Day ceremony in Kyiv
18:30 , Martha Mchardy
Pictures show damage after car bomb wounds Russian pro-war writer and kills driver
18:01 , Martha Mchardy
Wagner paramilitary leader says he will hand over Bakhmut positions to Chechen leader’s forces after withdrawal
18:00 , Martha Mchardy
Head of the private Russian military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed that he will hand over Bakhmut positions to the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s forces on May 10.
In a statement posted on the Telegram app on Saturday, Prigozhin said: “I thank Ramzan Akhmatovich for agreeing to take our positions in Bakhmut and having, most likely, the opportunity to obtain everything necessary and all the needed resources.
“I am already contacting his representatives in order to start transferring positions immediately, so that on May 10, at 00.00, exactly at the moment when, according to our calculations, we will completely exhaust our combat potential, our comrades will take our places and continue the assault of Bakhmut.”
It comes after Prigozhin said on Friday that his troops will leave the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, citing a lack of ammunition supplies that he blamed on Russia’s military command.
45 prisoners of war returned to Ukraine – presidential office
17:24 , Martha Mchardy
Forty-five prisoner’s of war have returned to Ukraine, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak said on Saturday.
In a message posted on the Telegram app, Mr Yermak said: “Great news today. We are returning home 45 our people. 42 men and 3 women defenders of Azovstal.”
Mr Yermak’s message confirmed 35 privates and sergeants, plus 10 officers had been released, including those who defended the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
The message did not include details about how Ukraine secured the prisoners’ release.
Suspect arrested after car bomb wounds Russian pro-war writer and kills driver
16:52 , Martha Mchardy
A suspect has been arrested after a car bomb wounded a prominent Russian nationalist writer, Zakhar Prilepin and killed his driver on Saturday, the Russian interior ministry has said.
The state Investigative Committee said the writer’s Audi Q7 was blown up in a village in the Nizny Novgorod region, about 400 km (250 miles) east of Moscow, which it was treating as an act of terrorism. It said Prilepin had been taken to hospital.
Russia has blamed the attack on Ukraine and the West.
State news agency TASS quoted security sources as saying the suspect was a “native of Ukraine” with a past conviction for robbery with violence.
Interfax news agency quoted a source in the emergency services as saying Prilepin’s condition was serious and doctors would operate on him.
Mr Prilepin is the third prominent pro-war figure to be targeted by a bomb since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for the deaths of journalist Darya Dugina and war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in the two previous attacks, and Kyiv has denied involvement.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak posted a cryptic comment on Twitter about Saturday’s incident, appearing to suggest it was the result of Russian infighting.
Ukraine hails return of 45 Azov fighters as Russia says 3 pilots released
16:11 , Martha Mchardy
Ukraine hailed the return of 45 Azov battalion fighters captured during the battle for Mariupol while Russia said three of its pilots had been released by Kyiv, but neither side gave a full account of the apparent prisoner swap.
The freed Ukrainian prisoners included 42 men and three women from the Azov battalion, said Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office.
Azov battalion fighters, who did much of the fighting in the failed defence of the port city of Mariupol, have been lionized as heroes by many Ukrainians but are widely vilified in Russia.
“Excellent news on this sunny day. We are returning home 45 of our people. Thirty-five privates and sergeants, 10 officers,” Yermak said on the telegram app in a post that did not mention the release of Russian prisoners.
The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that three pilots had been returned and were being provided with medical and psychological assistance.
“As a result of a difficult negotiation process, three Russian pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces, who had been in mortal danger while in captivity, were returned from Kyiv-controlled territory,” said the statement, which did not mention the 45 Ukrainian prisoners. There were no reports on Russian state media of additional Russian prisoner releases.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, which coordinates prisoner exchanges with Russia, did not immediately respond to a request for more details.
Moscow and Kyiv have agreed on a number of prisoner exchanges since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February last year.
Russia says it launched its “special military operation” to counter a threat from Kyiv’s relations with the West, while Ukraine and its Western partners say it was an unprovoked land grab.
15:00 , Katy Clifton
Russia is still not satisfied with how the issue of Russian agricultural exports as part of the Black Sea grain deal is being resolved, TASS news agency quoted deputy foreign minister Sergei Vershinin as saying after the latest talks with a top UN official.
“We are still not satisfied with the progress. This is very important for us,” Mr Vershinin said.
He was speaking after talks in Moscow with the United Nations’ top trade official Rebeca Grynspan, TASS said.
Earlier today, Kremlin said that president Vladimir Putin had not yet responded to proposals from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on how to extend and improve the deal, which allows the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain.
Afternoon recap
14:15 , Matt Mathers
Wagner Group
- Russia’s main mercenary group announced plans on Friday to withdraw from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, but Ukraine said the fighters were reinforcing positions to try to seize it before Russia marks World War Two Victory Day next week.
- Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin published an expletive-ridden video on Friday personally blaming top defence chiefs for losses suffered by his fighters.
- Prigozhin’s extraordinary announcement looks like an exercise in blame avoidance and disinformation, Russia specialists and military analysts say.
Russia says it struck 170 targets in last 24 hours in 150 locations
13:57 , Chris Stevenson
Russia’s defence ministry spokesperson said its forces have launched artillery strikes at 170 enemy targets in the past 24 hours across 150 locations, reported Sputnik News.
“In the Krasny Liman direction, units of the ‘Tsentr’ Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on more than 170 targets within one day, including with the use of over 150 artillery units in areas where enemy manpower and firepower were concentrated,” the spokesperson said.
It said that 20 artillery positions and more than 10 mortar crews were discovered and neutralised.
The strikes also destroyed High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)-type rockets, Russia claimed
Zelensky to address Switzerland’s parliament
13:30 , Shweta Sharma
Switzerland’s parliament has approved a request from Ukrainian authorities for president Volodymyr Zelensky to address it.
The invitation, confirmed in a statement late on Friday, comes amid pressure on Switzerland’s government to break with a centuries-old tradition of neutrality and end a ban of exports of Swiss weapons to conflict zones such as Ukraine.
So far, the government has refused to change this policy.
The subject of Mr Zelensky’s address, which will the first by video by a foreign leader to the legislature, is unknown. It is scheduled for the summer session beginning on 30 May.
During that session, lawmakers are also set to weigh a motion to provide 5bn Swiss Francs ($5.6bn) of support to Ukraine over 5-10 years.
Russian nationalist writer injured on car bombing blamed on Ukraine
13:00 , Shweta Sharma
One person died and a prominent Russian nationalist writer, Zakhar Prilepin, was injured in a car bombing on Saturday in east Moscow.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for the bombing in Nizny Novgorod region, about 400km (250 miles) east of Moscow.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram: “The fact has come true: Washington and Nato fed another international terrorist cell – the Kyiv regime.”
The interior ministry said that one person had been killed in the blast and the writer was wounded but conscious after the explosion, according to Tass.
Russia accused of using phosphorus munitions
12:31 , Chris Stevenson
Ukraine has accused Russia of using phosphorous munitions in its attempt to win control of the eastern city of Bakhmut.
Russian troops have been trying to take the city for more than nine months, but Ukrainian forces are clinging to positions on the western edge of the city.
On Saturday, the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper quoted military officials as saying that “the enemy used phosphorus and incendiary ammunition in Bakhmut in an attempt to wipe the city off the face of the Earth”.
Russian forces have not commented on the claim but have rejected previous accusations by Ukraine that they used phosphorus.
International law prohibits the use of white phosphorus or other incendiary weapons in areas where there could be concentrations of civilians.
ICYM: Moscow’s Victory Day celebration to be muted after Kremlin strike, British intelligence says
12:00 , Shweta Sharma
Russia will skip Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day reception following the annual parade, with celebrations of 9 May to be marked on a “smaller scale”, Britain’s defence ministry said in its daily intelligence update.
Russia has cancelled Victory Day parades in six Russian regions, including occupied Crimea and 21 cities, citing security concerns.
“Moscow’s Victory Day celebration is likely to go ahead but on a smaller scale. Russian president Vladimir Putin’s reception following the parade (last held in 2019) will not go ahead,” it said.
The defence ministry said that the drone strike on the Kremlin ahead of Victory Day “shows Russia’s increasing vulnerability to such attacks and has almost certainly raised the threat perception of the Russian leadership over the Victory Day events”.
It has also cancelled the traditional March of the Immortal Regiment, where family members display photographs of deceased veterans of the Second World War, associated with Victory Day.
“The potential for protests and discontent over the Ukraine war are also likely to have influenced the calculus of the Russian leadership,” the MoD concluded.
Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
11:45 , Chris Stevenson
Soldiers from the International Legion of Ukraine said farewell Friday to an American military veteran they served with, who was killed a month ago in the fierce struggle to prevent the eastern city of Bakhmut from falling into Russian hands.
In a funeral service at Kyiv‘s St. Michael’s Cathedral, Ukrainian regular army troops bore the Ukrainian-flag-draped coffin of Chris Campbell while about three dozen members of the International Legion looked on.
After folding the flag, they presented it to Ivanna Sanina, Campbell’s Ukrainian wife.
Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
ICYM: Wagner chief films dozens of his soldiers died in a day: ‘Where the f**k is ammunition’
11:30 , Shweta Sharma
Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin shared a video purporting to show dozens of his soldiers being killed in the past 24 hours as he abused the Russian defence leadership for not providing the private military group with ammunition.
The two-minute-long video shared on the press service channel of Prigozhin in the early hours of yesterday showed him standing next to three or four rows of dead mercenary forces as he abused defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian chief of staff Valery Gerasimov.
Several social media accounts shared the video in which Mr Prigozhin is heard shouting: “Shoigu, Gerasimov, where the f**k is ammunition”.
He is seen flashing a light on the deceased mercenary fighters who he claimed died in just a 24-hour span yesterday, blaming their deaths on Moscow for not giving ample ammunition.
Russia dropping phosphorus bombs on Bakhmut, Ukraine says
11:24 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine has accused Russia of using phosphorus bombs in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
The Ukrainian defence ministry released drone footage purportedly showing huge parts of a city on fire.
It said the blazes were caused by white phosphorus rain dropping down on the city, a weapon that leads to fast-spreading fires.
The use of white phosphorus is not in itself banned but dropping it in civilian areas amounts to a war crime.
In a tweet, the defence ministry said Russia’s phosphorus attack targeted “unoccupied areas of Bakhmut with incendiary ammunition”.
Kherson in photos as weekend curfew begins
10:30 , Shweta Sharma
Some residents left the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in cars and buses on Friday, and others stocked up on groceries, before the start of an unusually long weekend curfew.
The announcement of the curfew, to last from Friday evening to Monday morning, has prompted speculation in Kherson that the city is about to be used as a launch point for Ukraine’s long-awaited counterattack.
Russian attacks kill 5 civilians in Donetsk Oblast over past 24 hours
10:00 , Shweta Sharma
At least five people have lost their lives and three were injured in attacks by the Russian army in Donetsk Oblast over the past 24 hours, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
Five people were also injured in Sumy Oblast, where two guided bombs launched from theaRussian Su-35 jet struck the Hlukhiv community, Ukraine’s Northern Operational Command reported.
Curfew kicks off in Kherson as Kyiv prepares for counter-offensive
09:30 , Shweta Sharma
A weekend curfew beginning from Friday evening to Monday morning has prompted speculation in Kherson city that it could be used as a launch point for counter-attack.
Residents of the southern Ukrainian city left in cars and buses before the curfew began and others stocked up groceries.
Senol Gezer, a 56-year-old man originally from Turkey, said he and his wife were going to a hotel in nearby Odesa. “We are not afraid. We do not want to sit at home. We have time to leave,” he told Reuters.
“The authorities say they will clean up the collaborators (accused of cooperating with the Russians). But that is what the authorities are saying. I think something big is about to start soon. These are preparations for that, most likely.”
People will not be allowed to enter or exit the city during the curfew and residents have been asked to not go outside their homes.
Poland summons Russian ambassador over assassination comment
09:00 , Shweta Sharma
The Polish foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in protest on Friday after a former Russian official suggested that it would be acceptable to assassinate Poland’s ambassador to Russia.
Pavel Astakhov, Russia’s children’s ombudsman from 2009 to 2016, spoke on a television programme hosted by Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov.
He was being interviewed after Polish authorities took over a school building in Warsaw on Saturday that was serving the children of Russian diplomats and the military.
Mr Astakhov argued that murdering an ambassador in retaliation “for unfriendly actions … is within the framework of international law,” adding: “I was taught this well at the KGB school at the counterintelligence faculty.”
Poland’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it had summoned Mr Andreev and handed him a protest note about Mr Astakhov’s statement “calling for the murder of the ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Moscow”.
“The Polish side protested firmly against this situation and urged that criminal proceedings be instituted immediately and the perpetrator be punished without delay,” spokesman Lukasz Jasina said.
Firefighter who delivered life-saving equipment for Ukraine recalls ‘humbling’ experience
08:30 , Shweta Sharma
A firefighter who was part of a convoy of fire engines and lorries delivering life-saving equipment for Ukraine has described the experience as “very humbling” after reaching Poland.
Darren Cleaves, station manager for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, was in Poland to help deliver fire engines as well as life-saving equipment for Ukrainian firefighters.
“It’s been a very humbling experience because knowing that the small difference we can make to help (firefighters in Ukraine) is really rewarding for us,” the 48-year-old from Monmonth told the PA News agency.
“It has been quite challenging – the logistics behind it in terms of keeping our team of over 80 people fed, watered, truck refuelled, and dealing with maintenance issues, but we’ve managed to overcome all of those.”
Mr Cleaves is part of the biggest party of the convoy with 24 drivers from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
“On behalf of the convoy, everyone is very humbled and overwhelmed by the whole experience and I’m proud to be part of this small aid effort in helping Ukrainian firefighters.”
Moscow’s Victory Day celebration to be muted after Kremlin strike, British intelligence says
08:28 , Shweta Sharma
Russia will skip Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day reception following the annual parade, with celebrations of 9 May to be marked on a “smaller scale”, Britain’s defence ministry said in its daily intelligence update.
Russia has cancelled Victory Day parades in six Russian regions, including occupied Crimea and 21 cities, citing security concerns.
“Moscow’s Victory Day celebration is likely to go ahead but on a smaller scale. Russian president Vladimir Putin’s reception following the parade (last held in 2019) will not go ahead,” it said.
The defence ministry said that the drone strike on the Kremlin ahead of Victory Day “shows Russia’s increasing vulnerability to such attacks and has almost certainly raised the threat perception of the Russian leadership over the Victory Day events”.
It has also cancelled the traditional March of the Immortal Regiment, where family members display photographs of deceased veterans of the Second World War, associated with Victory Day.
“The potential for protests and discontent over the Ukraine war are also likely to have influenced the calculus of the Russian leadership,” the MoD concluded.
Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the war in Ukraine
08:00 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine’s “attempt to assassinate Vladimir Putin” in the early hours of Wednesday was followed by a barrage of Russian strikes on Thursday. Some of the missiles that landed in Odessa were inscribed “For the Kremlin” and “For Moscow”.
What unfolded was in line with the two opposing narratives from Moscow and Kyiv – that Ukraine tried to kill the Russian president in the Kremlin using drones; or that it was a false flag operation by the Russians to justify another round of assaults on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Russia has accused the US of being the real architect of the Moscow raid. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said: “We are well aware that decisions on such actions, on such terrorist attacks, are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington, and Kyiv is doing what it is told to do. It is very important that in Washington they understand that we know this, and understand how dangerous such direct participation in the conflict is.”
The Independent’s Kim Sengupta writes.
Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the Ukraine war | Kim Sengupta
China ready for ‘political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis’ jointly with Russia
07:30 , Shweta Sharma
China is ready to assist and “promote peace talks” in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang said following bilateral talks with his Russian counterpart in India.
The two met on the sidelines of the SCO summit in India’s coastal city of Goa.
“China will persistently assist and promote peace talks. We are ready to make a practical contribution into the political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis through contacts and coordination with Russia,” a statement by the Chinese defence ministry quoting Mr Gang said.
“China and Russia have been maintaining active contacts at all levels, promoting cooperation in all directions,” he added.
The two sides hailed their growing closer relationship and Beijing said it is ready to “intensify strategic contacts with Russia, to strengthen and deepen cooperation in all areas.”
Zelensky says world has ‘historic responsibility’ to prosecute Putin for war crimes
07:00 , Shweta Sharma
Vladimir Putin has to face justice for war crimes in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has declared during a visit to The Hague – the home of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“We all want to see a different Vladimir here in The Hague, the one who deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here, in the capital of international law,” the Ukrainian president said, referring to the Russian leader. “The aggressor must feel the full power of justice. This is our historical responsibility.” Mr Zelensky added that he was sure “we will see that happen when we win… and we will win”.
In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin over the suspected deportation of children from Ukraine, which is a war crime. Russia, not a member of the ICC, has called the charges meaningless but the warrant does make Mr Putin’s foreign trips more difficult – with nations signed up to the court obliged to obey.
Zelensky says it is a ‘historic responsibility’ to prosecute Putin for war crimes
Ukraine says Wagner group reinforcing to seize Bakhmut before Victory Day after withdrawal claims
06:30 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine has suggested that Wagner Group’s warning to withdraw troops from the eastern city of Bakhmut over a lack of military support from Moscow could be a smokescreen for redeployment.
Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said that Russia is trying “with all its might” to capture Bakhmut by 9 May when it will hold a Victory Day parade in the Red Square of Moscow.
She said Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries are being reinforced and replaced with paratrooper assault units.
She claimed that Wagner ammunition storage facilities were destroyed in Ukrainian artillery fire.
Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children ‘may amount to crime against humanity’: OSCE
06:00 , Shweta Sharma
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) says that the mass deportation of Ukrainian children in Russian-occupied territory would amount to a crime against humanity.
“The Mission concluded that numerous and overlapping violations of the rights of the children deported to the Russian Federation have taken place.” the report said.
“Not only has the Russian Federation manifestly violated the best interests of these children repeatedly, it has also denied their right to identity, their right to family, their right to unite with their family,” it added.
More than 19,000 children have been taken to Russia, according to Ukrainian national database, as thousands remain unaccounted for. So far 364 Ukrainian children were able to return to their homes after being forcibly relocated by Russia, it said.
The 90-page report also said Moscow “violated their rights to education, access to information, right to rest, leisure, play, recreation and participation in cultural life and arts as well as right to thought, conscience, and religion, right to health, and the right to liberty and security.”
Lavrov says Russia will respond to drone attack with ‘concrete actions’
05:30 , Shweta Sharma
Addressing a group of reporters in India, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said they will respond to the alleged Ukrainian drone strike on the Kremlin with “concrete actions”.
“It was clearly a hostile act, it is clear that the Kyiv terrorists could not have committed it without the knowledge of their masters,” Mr Lavrov told a press conference in India.
“We will not respond by talking about ‘casus belli’ or not, we will respond with concrete actions,” he said.
Mr Lavrov arrived in the coastal state of Goa on Thursday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Summit which was chaired by India.
According to Tass, he said SCO colleagues condemned the attack and said it is now impossible to resolve the Ukrainian issue by “freezing” the line of engagement in Donbas.
Engineers reduce risk of dam bursting near Russian-held Ukraine nuclear plant
05:00 , Shweta Sharma
Engineers have reduced the risk of a dam bursting and damaging the large Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine, a senior Russian official was quoted as saying by Tass news agency on Friday.
Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the general director of the energy engineering firm Rosenergoatom, said specialists had begun discharging water from the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine.
“As we anticipated, a technical solution to the problem has been found,” Mr Karchaa told Tass, quoting regional officials in Kherson region, where the dam is located.
“A gate of the Kakhovka hydropower plant has been opened and repair works have begun at the Kakhovka canal. Pumps and pipes are being repaired. Water is being discharged. The risks of flooding have reduced considerably.”
The risk would be eliminated once water levels returned to normal, Mr Karchaa said.
He had earlier told Tass that a possible breach of the dam owing to high water levels could flood the cable line for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant further east and cause nuclear safety risks. Nearby towns could also be affected.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general records 84,500 Russian war crimes
04:30 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said it has recorded over 84,500 Russian war crimes in Ukraine since the war began.
Russian forces have committed 84,764 war crimes and crimes of aggression in Ukraine since launching the invasion of the country, it added.
It said it has already analyzed more than 7,000 photo and video files and identified around 150 individuals involved in these crimes.
Ukrainian PM thank King Charles for ‘unwavering support’ on eve of coronation
03:54 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska and prime minister Denys Shmyhal who arrived in England for the coronation thanked the King for his solidarity with the country.
The pair was hosted by King Charles and other royals along with other heads of state from around the world at a Buckingham Palace reception on the eve of the coronation.
King Charles offered Ukraine his “unwavering support” when he met Ukrainian leaders.
Mr Shmyhal said on Twitter: “It is a special honour to attend the reception of His Majesty King Charles III ahead of coronation.
“We received assurances from His Majesty that (Ukrainian) people will have unwavering support until the final victory. Grateful for the solidarity.”
In March, King Charles visited Berlin where he met with Ukrainians who had been forced to flee the country.
He told them “I’m praying for you” after condemning the “unimaginable suffering” caused by Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of their homeland.
Russia’s Wagner boss threatens Bakhmut pullout in Ukraine
03:30 , Eleanor Noyce
In case you missed it…
The owner of Russia’s Wagner Group military contractor threatened Friday to pull his troops out of the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut next week, accusing Russia’s military command of starving his forces of ammunition and causing them heavy losses.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a notorious millionaire with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9. That day is a major Russian holiday marking the defeat of the Nazi Germany in World War II.
But, Prigozhin said, his force hasn’t received enough artillery ammunition supplies from the Russian military since Monday. Known for his bluster, Prigozhin has previously made unverifiable claims and made threats he hasn’t carried out.
“Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but we’re advancing despite the fact that the enemy’s resources outnumber ours fivefold,” Prigozhin’s statement said. “Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.”
The Wagner Group has spearheaded the struggle for control of Bakhmut, which is the longest — and likely bloodiest — battle of the war. The more than eight months of fighting there is believed to have cost thousands of lives, though neither side is saying how many.
David Rising reports:
Russia’s Wagner boss threatens Bakhmut pullout in Ukraine
Ukrainian MP punches Russian delegate in Turkey after scuffle over flag
02:30 , Eleanor Noyce
In case you missed it…
A Ukrainian leader assaulted a Russian delegate who ripped Ukraine’s national flag out of his hands during a summit in Ankara on Thursday, according to reports.
Ukrainian leader Oleksandr Marikovski was seen unfurling the national flag of his country as Russian delegate Olga Timofeeva was being interviewed.
On seeing this, the Russian team member Valery Stavitsky was seen approaching Mr Marikovski and ripping the flag out of his hands.
The two delegates had gathered at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
As the Russian delegate walked away, the Ukrainian MP charged at him and landed a couple of blows as other people present at the venue tried to intervene.
Read more:
Ukrainian MP hits Russian delegate who pulled down Ukraine flag in Ankara
Why did Russia invade Ukraine?
01:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has been raging for one year now as the conflict continues to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians.
Vladimir Putin began the war by claiming Russia’s neighbour needed to be “demilitarised and de-Nazified”, a baseless pretext on which to launch a landgrab against an independent state that happens to have a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine has fought back courageously against Mr Putin’s warped bid to restore territory lost to Moscow with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.
Battle tanks from the US, Britain and Germany are now being supplied for the first time and Mr Zelensky toured London, Paris and Brussels in early February 2023 to request fighter jets be sent as well in order to counter the Russian aerial threat, a step the allies appear to have reservations about making, although Joe Biden has since visited Kyiv in a gesture of solidarity.
Read more:
Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine
Ukraine war ‘a warning shot’ for possible future energy shortages
Saturday 6 May 2023 00:30 , Eleanor Noyce
The war in Ukraine is a “warning shot” for the possibility of a future with energy shortages, the new chair of the Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee has said.
SNP MP Angus MacNeil has been elected as chairman of the cross-party committee of MPs tasked with scrutinising the work of the new Government department of the same name.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr MacNeil was critical of what he described as a lack of investment in energy security during the austerity agenda, followed by a lack of focus during the years of Brexit wrangling, and highlighted the importance of renewable energy for future supplies.
Ben Hatton reports:
Ukraine war ‘a warning shot’ for possible future energy shortages
ICYMI: Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
Friday 5 May 2023 23:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Soldiers from the International Legion of Ukraine said farewell Friday to an American military veteran they served with, who was killed a month ago in the fierce struggle to prevent the eastern city of Bakhmut from falling into Russian hands.
In a funeral service at Kyiv‘s St. Michael’s Cathedral, Ukrainian regular army troops bore the Ukrainian-flag-draped coffin of Chris Campbell while about three dozen members of the International Legion looked on.
After folding the flag, they presented it to Ivanna Sanina, Campbell’s Ukrainian wife.
The Florida native is one of least nine Americans now known to have been killed in fighting in Ukraine, including another last month in Bakhmut. Two Canadian volunteers were also killed there April 26 after Russian artillery hit their position.
The struggle for Bakhmut, located about 55 kilometres (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has been one of the bloodiest of the war. It has now been going on for more than eight months.
Nicolae Dumitrache reports:
Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
Zelensky says world has ‘historic responsibility’ to prosecute Putin for war crimes
Friday 5 May 2023 22:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Vladimir Putin has to face justice for war crimes in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has declared during a visit to The Hague – the home of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“We all want to see a different Vladimir here in The Hague, the one who deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here, in the capital of international law,” the Ukrainian president said, referring to the Russian leader. “The aggressor must feel the full power of justice. This is our historical responsibility.” Mr Zelensky added that he was sure “we will see that happen when we win… and we will win”.
In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin over the suspected deportation of children from Ukraine, which is a war crime. Russia, not a member of the ICC, has called the charges meaningless but the warrant does make Mr Putin’s foreign trips more difficult – with nations signed up to the court obliged to obey.
My colleague Chris Stevenson reports:
Zelensky says it is a ‘historic responsibility’ to prosecute Putin for war crimes
King Charles hosts overseas Heads of States – including Ukraine – at Buckingham Palace on coronation eve
Friday 5 May 2023 21:59 , Eleanor Noyce
The King has hosted heads of state from around the world at a Buckingham Palace reception on the eve of the coronation.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence also greeted their overseas guests at the event.
Completing the royal contingent were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
The event was the last of several engagements by the royals on Friday.
Among the guests was First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden, who was seen speaking animatedly with Kate.
Meanwhile, Charles was photographed sharing warm words with the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, and greeting Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek.
Other dignitaries at the event included King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, the President of Israel Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
US to send $500 million worth of weapons to Taiwan using same emergency authority as for Ukraine, source says
Friday 5 May 2023 21:30 , Eleanor Noyce
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration plans to send $500 million worth of weapons aid to Taiwan using the same emergency authority that has been used more than 35 times for Ukraine, a source familiar with the plan said on Friday.
As a part of the 2023 budget, Congress authorised up to $1 billion worth of weapons aid for Taiwan using Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), a type of authority that expedites security assistance and has helped to send arms to Ukraine.
This drawdown, which authorises the president to transfer articles and services from U.S. stockpiles without congressional approval during an emergency, would be the first from that $1 billion authorisation.
China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and has increased military pressure on the island over the past three years. It has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Black Sea grain deal: No new ships authorised on Friday
Friday 5 May 2023 21:00 , Eleanor Noyce
Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations on Friday failed to authorise any new ships under a deal allowing safe Black Sea exports of Ukraine grain, which Moscow has threatened to quit on May 18 over obstacles to its own grain and fertiliser exports.
Daily inspections of previously authorised ships continue, deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters. Officials from the four parties make up a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, which implements the Black Sea deal agreed in July.
In an excerpt of a letter seen by Reuters, Russia told its JCC counterparts last month it will not approve any new vessels to take part unless their operators guarantee the transits will be done by May 18 – “the expected date of … closure.”
Ukraine has been putting forward daily a list of ships to be authorized. Once approved those ships are then inspected by the JCC officials near Turkey before travelling to a Ukrainian Black Sea port via a maritime humanitarian corridor to collect their cargo and return to Turkish waters for a final inspection.
According to JCC data, there is currently one ship authorised for inbound inspection and 25 ships awaiting an outbound inspection – all in Turkish waters; there are 13 ships in Ukrainian ports and there are 5 ships in transit toward Ukraine and 2 vessels in transit heading back to Turkey.
There are eight vessels seeking authorization from the JCC, according to the Ukrainian sea ports website.
The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea grain export deal to help tackle a global food crisis that has been worsened by Moscow’s war in Ukraine. At the same time, Russia accepted a three-year deal in which the U.N. agreed to help try and remove any obstacles to its grain and fertiliser exports.
While those Russian exports are not subject to Western sanctions imposed following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance are a barrier to shipments.
Firefighter tells of ‘humbling experience’ delivering equipment for Ukraine
Friday 5 May 2023 20:28 , Eleanor Noyce
A firefighter who was part of a convoy of fire engines and lorries delivering life-saving equipment for Ukraine has described the experience as “very humbling” after reaching Poland.
The timing of the shipment is meant to honour the Eurovision link between Ukraine and the UK, with the vehicles leaving Liverpool on Tuesday, the city which will host the competition later this month.
Darren Cleaves, station manager for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, was in Poland to help deliver fire engines as well as life-saving equipment for Ukrainian firefighters.
“It’s been a very humbling experience because knowing that the small difference we can make to help (firefighters in Ukraine) is really rewarding for us,” the 48-year-old from Monmonth told the PA News agency.
“It has been quite challenging – the logistics behind it in terms of keeping our team of over 80 people fed, watered, truck refuelled, and dealing with maintenance issues, but we’ve managed to overcome all of those.”
Read more:
Firefighter tells of ‘humbling experience’ delivering equipment for Ukraine
Poland summons Russian ambassador over assassination comment
Friday 5 May 2023 20:00 , Eleanor Noyce
The Polish Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in protest Friday after a former Russian official suggested that it would be acceptable to assassinate Poland’s ambassador to Russia.
Pavel Astakhov, Russia’s children’s ombudsman from 2009 to 2016, spoke on a television program hosted by Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov. He was being interviewed after Polish authorities took over a school building in Warsaw on Saturday that was serving the children of Russian diplomats and the military.
Astakhov argued that murdering an ambassador in retaliation “for unfriendly actions … is within the framework of international law,” adding: “I was taught this well at the KGB school at the counterintelligence faculty.”
That school takeover was the latest of several incidents which have added to tensions between Russia and Poland, an ally of Kyiv which has been supplying Ukraine’s military with weapons.
In the interview with Solovyov, Astakhov referred to Poland’s seizure of other properties, its freezing of Russian bank accounts, and an incident last year in which an activist in Warsaw doused the Russian ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, with a red liquid. Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau at the time strongly condemned that incident, calling it “highly deplorable.”
Vanessa Gera reports:
Poland summons Russian ambassador over assassination comment
Wagner withdrawal from Bakhmut ‘hysterical’, says Yuriy Sak
Friday 5 May 2023 19:35 , Eleanor Noyce
Our Chief International Correspondent, Bel Trew, has heard from Yuriy Sak – an advisor to Ukraine’s defence minister. He called Mr Prigozhin’s statement about the Wagner withdrawal from Bakhmut “hysterical”.
“In one way it didn’t come as a surprise. [Prigozhin] has been complaining about the lack of ammunition for quite some time now”, the official said.
“What is quite extraordinary and is quite unprecedented is the format with which he made this most recent statement – it is hysterical. I am not sure what he is playing at.
“Maybe it has become clear that they will not be able to take Bakhmut and that is why he is already trying to explain it: if they fail they will have failed because of a lack of ammunition.”
He added: “But despite the statement, Wagner continues to pound Bakhmut today and has apparently sent some reinforcements there. For the time being it remains but a statement. What it really means we will have to see.”
Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the war in Ukraine, writes Kim Sengupta
Friday 5 May 2023 19:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Ukraine’s “attempt to assassinate Vladimir Putin” in the early hours of Wednesday was followed by a barrage of Russian strikes on Thursday. Some of the missiles that landed in Odessa were inscribed “For the Kremlin” and “For Moscow”.
What unfolded was in line with the two opposing narratives from Moscow and Kyiv – that Ukraine tried to kill the Russian president in the Kremlin using drones; or that it was a false flag operation by the Russians to justify another round of assaults on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Russia has accused the US of being the real architect of the Moscow raid. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said: “We are well aware that decisions on such actions, on such terrorist attacks, are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington, and Kyiv is doing what it is told to do. It is very important that in Washington they understand that we know this, and understand how dangerous such direct participation in the conflict is.”
Alongside the fighting on the frontlines there have been clandestine campaigns against both infrastructure and people, writes Kim Sengupta:
Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the Ukraine war | Kim Sengupta
No new ships authorised on Friday for Ukraine grain Black Sea exports – UN
Friday 5 May 2023 19:00 , Eleanor Noyce
Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations failed to reach an agreement on Friday to authorise any new vessels to carry out Black Sea grain exports, deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
Haq said daily inspections of previously authorised ships continued.
Why is Russia’s Wagner threatening to withdraw from Bakhmut?
Friday 5 May 2023 18:30 , Eleanor Noyce
A threat by the leader of private Russian military company Wagner on Friday to withdraw his fighters from the battle to seize a city in eastern Ukraine is another episode in his dispute with Russia’s regular military over credit and tactics in the war.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has led the push to jump-start Russia’s stalemated offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province. He threatened to pull out his soldiers from the city of Bakhmut next week, citing high casualties and ammunition shortages.
Russia’s nine-month campaign to take Bakhmut has made the city the focus of the war’s longest battle. Ferocious house-to house fighting there has produced some of the bloodiest encounters since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Here is a look at Wagner’s history and its role in the fighting:
Why is Russia’s Wagner threatening to withdraw from Bakhmut?
In pictures: Kherson locals evacuate as Ukraine prepares for counter-offensive
Friday 5 May 2023 18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Local residents are seen a during an evacuation effort at a bus station in the outskirts of Kherson ahead of a weekend curfew as Kyiv prepares for a counter-offensive against Russian forces.
Russian theatre director accused of ‘justifying terrorism’ remanded in custody
Friday 5 May 2023 17:50 , Eleanor Noyce
A prominent Russian theatre director was remanded in custody for two months on Friday after being accused of justifying terrorism with an award-winning play about Russian women who married Islamic State fighters, the state news agency TASS reported.
Investigators opened a case this week against Yevgenia (Zhenya) Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk, alleging that Petriychuk’s “Finist, the Brave Falcon”, which premiered in 2020 under Berkovich’s direction, had broken the law.
Since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine last year, Moscow has intensified a clampdown on freedom of expression, and encouraged citizens to report anyone they suspect of demonstrating disloyalty.
“Finist, the Brave Falcon” won two “Golden Mask” national theatre awards last year, and Berkovich also received a nomination for best director.
The detention of the two women has drawn condemnation from several prominent Russian artists and cultural figures.
Journalist Ksenia Sobchak said the case against them showed “rampant ignorance”, and that the play in fact had an anti-terrorist message.
“The heroines leave their families, their universities, their jobs and go into hell to their new lovers, who promise them love and a happy life,” she wrote on her Telegram channel.
“There they first become semi-slaves in the militant units and then return to their homeland as prisoners. It’s clear that the production has an anti-terrorist message.”
Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
Friday 5 May 2023 17:20 , Eleanor Noyce
Soldiers from the International Legion of Ukraine said farewell Friday to an American military veteran they served with, who was killed a month ago in the fierce struggle to prevent the eastern city of Bakhmut from falling into Russian hands.
In a funeral service at Kyiv‘s St. Michael’s Cathedral, Ukrainian regular army troops bore the Ukrainian-flag-draped coffin of Chris Campbell while about three dozen members of the International Legion looked on.
After folding the flag, they presented it to Ivanna Sanina, Campbell’s Ukrainian wife.
The Florida native is one of least nine Americans now known to have been killed in fighting in Ukraine, including another last month in Bakhmut. Two Canadian volunteers were also killed there on April 26 after Russian artillery hit their position.
The struggle for Bakhmut, located about 55 kilometres (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has been one of the bloodiest of the war. It has now been going on for more than eight months.
Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
