Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s troops abandon positions in Bakhmut amid Kyiv’s counterattack

A Russian brigade has abandoned its position on a bridge in Bakhmut, allowing Ukrainian forces to capture it, Ukraine said.

“It’s official. [Yevgeny] Prigozhin’s report about the flight of Russia’s 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade from near Bakhmut and the ‘500 corpses’ of Russians left behind is true,” Ukraine’s Third Separate Assault Brigade said in a statement.

Vladimir Putin’s soldiers Russian units in some parts of Bakhmut have retreated by up to two kilometres (1.2 miles), Ukrainian colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

Bakhmut has been the epicentre of the bloodiest ground combat in Europe since the Second World War for nearly 10 months now.

The chief of Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries confirmed Russian troops fleeing their positions on a bridge near Bakhmut.

“Our army is fleeing. The 72nd Brigade pissed away three square km this morning, where I had lost around 500 men,” Yevgeny\

Prigozhin said, complaining his troops were receiving only 10 per cent of the shells they needed.

Key Points

• Ukraine says Russian brigade seriously damaged

• Putin’s troops ‘abandon’ Bakhmut, Wagner chief claims

• Wagner Group to be labelled terrorist organisation

• Journalist working for AFP killed in rocket attack in Ukraine

• Ukraine mocks Putin’s ‘loneliest little tank in the world’

Russia says ‘difficult operation’ continues amid counterattack in Bakhmut

04:11 , Arpan Rai

Russia says ‘difficult operation’ continues as Bakhmut will be captured

The Kremlin described the invasion as a "very difficult" military operation amid long-standing hope to capture Bakhmut and control the Ukrainian city.

"The special military operation continues. This is a very difficult operation, and, of course, certain goals have been achieved in a year," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a Bosnian Serb television channel.

"We managed to beat up the Ukrainian military machine quite a bit," he added, citing Russian missile strikes in Ukraine. "This work will continue".

He said he had no doubt that Bakhmut "will be captured and will be kept under control", defending the months-long grinding battle in the region as Russia “is not waging war".

Russian brigade abandons bridge near Bakhmut

03:54 , Arpan Rai

A Russian brigade has abandoned its position on a bridge in Bakhmut, allowing Ukrainian forces to capture it, Ukraine said.

“It’s official. [Yevgeny] Prigozhin’s report about the flight of Russia’s 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade from near Bakhmut and the ‘500 corpses’ of Russians left behind is true,” Ukraine’s Third Separate Assault Brigade said in a statement.

A Russian brigade is typically formed of several thousand troops.

This development was earlier referred to by the chief of Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries.

“Our army is fleeing. The 72nd Brigade pissed away three square km this morning, where I had lost around 500 men,” Prigozhin said, complaining his troops were receiving only 10 per cent of the shells they needed.

Russia’s Wagner mercenaries to be labelled terror group like Islamic State

02:10 , Sam Rkaina

The UK is set to designate Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group as a proscribed terrorist organisation, it is understood.

The Times quoted a Government source as saying the move was “imminent” and likely to be enacted within weeks after two months spent building a legal case.

Proscription would make it a criminal offence to join Wagner, encourage support for it, display its logo in public or attend its meetings.

Among other organisation on the Government’s proscribed list are the Islamic State, al Qaida and neo-Nazi group National Action.

It comes as Labour demanded ministers formally label the Wagner Group a terror outfit after accusing it of committing “appalling atrocities”.

Click here for the full story.

Russia’s military operation against Ukraine is “very difficult” Kremlin admits

01:15 , Sam Rkaina

Russia’s military operation against Ukraine is “very difficult” but will continue, Tass news agency cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as telling a Bosnian television station on Wednesday.

Russia has succeeded in severely damaging the Ukrainian military machine and this work will continue, he added in a long interview during which he repeated many of Moscow’s talking points about the conflict.

Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022 in what Moscow calls a special military operation and initially captured significant amounts of territory.

But Kyiv’s forces pushed back last year and are now planning another counteroffensive. Western officials estimate more than 200,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded.

“The special military operation continues. This is a very difficult operation, and, of course, certain goals have been achieved in a year,” Tass quoted Peskov as saying.

Ukraine continues to shell eastern parts of the country occupied by Russia and Peskov said this demonstrated the need to continue the conflict and push pro-Kyiv forces back.

“We managed to beat up the Ukrainian military machine quite a bit,” said Peskov, noting Russia had launched countless missile strikes against what he said were military targets across Ukraine.

“This work will continue,” he said. Ukraine accuses Russia of targeting mainly civilian targets, a charge Moscow denies.

Tributes to AFP journalist Arman Soldin killed near Bakhmut, Ukraine

Thursday 11 May 2023 00:20 , Sam Rkaina

Tributes have been paid to Arman Soldin, a journalist working for international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) killed in a rocket attack near Bakhmut in Ukraine.

The 32-year-old video co-ordinator was with a team of its journalists travelling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire with Grad rockets near Chasiv Yar on Tuesday.

Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for nine months, making Bakhmut the focus of the war’s longest battle.

Click here for the full story.

Poland reverts to historic name for Russia's Kaliningrad

Wednesday 10 May 2023 23:24 , Sam Rkaina

Poland is reverting to using its historical name for Kaliningrad, the Russian city and administrative region that sits on its border.

From now on, it will be designated on Polish maps as Krolewiec, based on the recommendation of the government commission for geographic names abroad.

The Kremlin has reacted angrily: spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called it a “process bordering on insanity,” going beyond Russophobia.

The city, formerly known as Koenigsberg, was ceded from Germany to the Soviet Union after the Second World War. In 1946 it was renamed Kaliningrad, after Mikhail Kalinin, one of the leaders of the Bolshevik revolution.

The Polish authorities point out that Kalinin was one of six Soviet officials who ordered the execution of more than 21,000 Polish prisoners of war at Katyn and elsewhere in 1940.

They said the current name was artificial, lacking any connection to the city or the region, but the centuries-old name of Krolewiec was part of Poland’s cultural heritage.

The war in neighboring Ukraine has added to the long-standing tensions between Russia and Poland, an ally of Kyiv which has been supplying Ukraine’s military with weapons and pressing for more international backing for Ukraine.

Eurovision’s preparations for potential Russia cyberthreat ‘in good place’

Wednesday 10 May 2023 22:24 , Sam Rkaina

Eurovision’s preparations for a potential cyberthreat from Russia are in a “really good place” and organisers feel “very confident” about their preparations, the BBC’s managing director of the event has said.

The broadcaster has been working with the European Broadcasting Union’s specialist team and the National Cyber Security Centre ahead of the week-long event in Liverpool.

Ukraine won last year’s competition but Russia’s invasion means the UK is hosting this year, prompting fears of possible interference.

Click here for the full story.

Main developments in Russia

Wednesday 10 May 2023 21:30 , Sam Rkaina

• A filling point on the Druzhba pipeline in a Russian region bordering Ukraine has been attacked, the TASS news agency reported, citing Russia’s oil pipeline operator Transneft.

• Two drones tried to attack a military facility in Russia’s Voronezh region but failed, region’s governor said.

• Russia’s air defence forces shot down an “enemy” drone in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, its governor said, adding that falling debris damaged a gas pipeline and a house.

• Two Russian soldiers from Kamchatka in the far east have been sentenced to two-and-a-half years each in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, human rights group OVD-Info said.

Key developments from Wednesday

Wednesday 10 May 2023 20:37 , Sam Rkaina

• A Ukrainian military unit said it had routed a Russian infantry brigade from frontline territory near Bakhmut, claiming to confirm an account by the head of Russia’s Wagner private army that the Russian forces had fled.

• Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin complained that his Wagner fighters were still not getting enough shells from the defence ministry to underpin what he said was their advance in Bakhmut.

• The war in Ukraine will increasingly be a battle between large numbers of poorly trained Russian troops with outdated equipment and a smaller Ukrainian force with better Western weapons and training, NATO’s top military official said.

Ukraine’s Eurovision want to ‘show how strong Ukrainians are'

Wednesday 10 May 2023 19:12 , Sam Rkaina

Tvorchi, Ukraine’s electro pop-duo entry in Eurovision 2023, said they hoped to shine a spotlight on their country’s fight for freedom when they perform in the grand final in Liverpool on Saturday night.

Formed in 2018 by Ukrainian producer Andrii Hutsuliak and Nigerian-born singer Jeffery Kenny, the pair wrote their song “Heart of Steel” last spring when Ukraine’s soldiers were defending Mariupol.

“We wrote it from how we felt, we didn’t know we would apply to Eurovision,” Kenny said.

Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra rode a huge wave of support from across Europe to win the contest last year, but the country was unable to stage the event this year, as the winner usually does, because of Russia’s invasion.

Hutsuliak said Tvorchi would “show the world our message”.

“We’ll show how strong Ukrainians are,” he saids. “We hope we can inspire people all around the planet to take a look at the Ukrainians who are fighting for their freedom, for their land, for their families.”

Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny ‘needs urgent medical care'

Wednesday 10 May 2023 18:04 , Sam Rkaina

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture has called on Russia to provide jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny with “urgent and comprehensive” medical care following reports that his health was deteriorating.

Navalny’s supporters said last month that he was suffering from significant stomach pain in jail, which they said could be a sign of some sort of slow acting poison.

“I am distressed by the deteriorating state of Mr Navalny’s health and the apparent lack of satisfactory diagnosis and medical treatment,” Alice Edwards, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, said in a statement.

Russia’s penitentiary service has in the past denied allegations that its employees have mistreated Navalny and has said he has always been granted medical treatment when needed.

Navalny voluntarily returned to Russia in 2021 from Germany, where he had been treated for what Western laboratory tests showed was an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent in Siberia in 2020.

“He must immediately and continuously be provided with adequate care, including comprehensive medical check-ups, treatment and monitoring of his health situation in a civil hospital,” Edwards said.

The 46-year-old Navalny is serving combined sentences of 11-1/2 years for fraud and contempt of court on charges he says were trumped up to silence him.

Russian authorities say Navalny and his supporters are extremists determined to destabilise Russia. They have outlawed his movement and Navalny himself is facing new charges that could add years to his prison sentence.

Western governments and scores of public figures have called for his release.

Russian forces in parts of Bakhmut ‘retreating due to counter attacks’

Wednesday 10 May 2023 17:26 , Sam Rkaina

A top Ukrainian military commander has said Russian forces in some parts of the eastern city of Bakhmut had retreated by up to 2 km as the result of counter attacks by pro-Kyiv units.

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who heads Ukraine’s ground forces, made the comments in a post on Telegram.

Germany to buy 50 more Puma fighting vehicles for 1.5 bln euros

Wednesday 10 May 2023 15:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Germany will buy an additional 50 Puma fighting vehicles worth a total of 1.5 billion euros ($1.65 billion) for its armed forces after the parliamentary budget committee approved the purchase, the defence minister said on Wednesday.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed last year to ramp up defence spending in response to Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, sending weapons to Kyiv and modernising its own military. Some 100 billion euros are available.

The Puma, built by KMW and Rheinmetall, is gradually replacing Germany’s old Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

“This is a good decision,” said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. “We need this Puma, especially in light of the changed security situation. We also have a responsibility towards NATO,” he said.

Last year, several Puma infantry tanks were put out of service during a military drill after problems arose during a firing exercise.

Russian mercenary chief says he's still not getting enough shells for Ukraine

Wednesday 10 May 2023 15:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin complained on Wednesday that his Wagner fighters were still not getting enough shells from the defence ministry to underpin what he said was their advance in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Prigozhin has taken his standoff over the issue with the ministry to new levels in recent days threatening to leave Bakhmut before U-turning and then again raising the prospect of Wagner’s departure, a move he said he’d been warned would be viewed by the defence ministry as treachery.

In an audio statement on Wednesday, he said the defence ministry - which has promised to ensure that all combat units have the resources they need - had been holding long meetings on the shell issue but that there had been no breakthrough.

“We’re not receiving enough shells, we’re only getting 10% (of what we need),” Prigozhin, whose forces have been spearheading the assault on Bakhmut despite taking heavy losses, said in the statement.

“We’re scraping by with a minimal quantity of shells,” he said, saying his men were nonetheless continuing to advance in Bakhmut which he called by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovsk.

Prigozhin said that the Russian leadership had asked the defence ministry to check the status of Wagner’s shell request, but that bureaucracy meant the process was a slow one.

There was no immediate comment on his latest assertions from the defence ministry while the Kremlin earlier on Wednesday said it had not seen a public appeal for more shells that Prigozhin had made on May 9.

Prigozhin in the same audio statement clarified a crude tirade he had made a day earlier aimed at someone he referred to as “a happy Grandfather,” an ambiguous phrase that fuelled speculation he might be widening his criticism of the way that what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine is being run.

Prigozhin said the target of his anger remained the same however - the army’s top brass.

Analysts have said his erratic behaviour looks like an attempt to try to deflect blame for a lack of swift success - the battle for Bakhmut is in its 10th month.

Ukraine says Russian brigade seriously damaged

Wednesday 10 May 2023 14:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine‘s military said on Wednesday its forces had seriously damaged though not destroyed Russia‘s 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade near Bakhmut, and that the eastern city remained Moscow’s main target.

Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukrainian troops in the east, said the situation remained “difficult” in Bakhmut, but that Moscow was increasingly forced to use regular army forces because of heavy losses among the Wagner private army group.

Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose private Wagner Group is fighting in Bakhmut, said on Tuesday that the 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned its positions.

“Unfortunately they have not destroyed the whole (Russian) brigade yet, two companies have been seriously damaged there,” Cherevatyi said in televised comments.

“The situation (in Bakhmut) remains difficult because for the enemy, despite all the white noise Prigozhin is trying to create, it (Bakhmut) is (still) the main direction of attack, the main coveted target.”

Tributes to AFP journalist Arman Soldin killed near Bakhmut, Ukraine

Wednesday 10 May 2023 14:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tributes have been paid to Arman Soldin, a journalist working for international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) killed in a rocket attack near Bakhmut in Ukraine.

The 32-year-old video co-ordinator was with a team of its journalists travelling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire with Grad rockets near Chasiv Yar.

Russian forces have been trying to capture the city for nine months, making Bakhmut the focus of the war’s longest battle.

“His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine,” AFP chairman Fabrice Fries said.

Alastair Jamieson has more:

Tributes to ‘talented and courageous’ AFP journalist Arman Soldin killed in Ukraine

Ukraine’s first lady says 19,000 children have been illegally taken by Putin to ‘wipe their memories’

Wednesday 10 May 2023 13:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine’s first lady has suggested 19,000 Ukrainian children have been “illegally taken” by Vladimir Putin to “wipe their memories to retrain them into becoming Russians”.

Olena Zelenska spoke to Good Morning Britain in an interview aired on Tuesday morning (9 May).

“This is scary, 19,000 Ukrainian children now are illegally taken to Russia, this is a lot. They are not cars, fridges, cattle. They are people, children,” she said.

“Russia is making efforts to wipe their memories to retrain them into becoming Russians.”

Ms Zelenska added thousands of Ukrainian children have been “traumatised psychologically”.

Ukraine’s first lady says Putin has illegally taken children to ‘wipe their memories’

EU takes aim at countries helping Russia to avoid sanctions

Wednesday 10 May 2023 13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A top European Union official on Tuesday urged the 27 member nations to take trade measures against countries that help the Kremlin to circumvent the bloc’s sanctions against Russia.

During a visit to Kyiv, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the measures - which would set a new precedent for EU action - should be part of a fresh round of Russia sanctions which the member countries are discussing.

“We recently see a growth of highly unusual trade flows through the European Union and certain third countries. These goods then end up in Russia,” von der Leyen said, standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

She did not name the countries, but EU officials have raised concerns about certain flows of goods through China and Iran for some time.

EU takes aim at countries helping Russia to avoid sanctions

Poland summons Russian ambassador over fighter jet incident

Wednesday 10 May 2023 13:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Poland summoned Russia‘s ambassador on Wednesday over an incident involving a Russian fighter jet and Polish border guard aircraft over the Black Sea early in May, a spokesperson for the Polish foreign ministry said.

The near-miss incident put NATO’s air policing units in a higher state of readiness and worsened already-hostile relations between Russia and Poland, which has been a strong supporter of Ukraine as it battles a Russian invasion.

The incident on May 7 occurred when a Polish border guard aircraft, on patrol for the European Union’s border agency Frontex, narrowly avoided a collision with a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea, Romania and Poland have said.

“We strongly condemn the provocative and aggressive behaviour of the Russian side, which is a serious international incident,” ministry spokesperson Lukasz Jasina wrote on Twitter.

The Russian embassy in Warsaw was not immediately available for comment.

The Russian ambassador was summoned to Poland’s foreign ministry earlier this month over a statement made by the former ombudsman for Russian children calling for the murder of the Polish ambassador.

A single tank, fewer soldiers and no flypast: Putin gives angry speech at stripped-back Victory Day parade

Wednesday 10 May 2023 12:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

After Russia attacked Ukraine with its latest barrage of cruise missiles, Vladimir Putin made an angry speech to mark Victory Day in Moscow, hitting out at Western countries for starting what he claims is a “real war” against Russia.

However, in a sign of the toll his invasion of Ukraine has taken on Russia’s forces, the annual military parade across Red Square was pared back, as Moscow throws manpower and weaponry at the frontlines following an underwhelming winter campaign and an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“Today, civilisation is once again at a decisive turning point,” Mr Putin said as he again sought to defend his invasion of Ukraine by painting Russia as having been cornered by “Western global elites”. “A real war has been unleashed against our motherland,” he said.

Chris Stevenson reports:

Kremlin calls Polish decision to rename Kaliningrad 'hostile act'

Wednesday 10 May 2023 12:26 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Poland’s decision to rename the Russian city of Kaliningrad in its official documents was a “hostile act”.

Kaliningrad was known by the German name of Koenigsberg until after World War II, when it was annexed by the Soviet Union and renamed to honour Soviet politician Mikhail Kalinin.

Warsaw said on Tuesday that Kalinin’s connection to the 1940 Katyn massacre - when thousands of Polish military officers were executed by Soviet forces - had negative connotations and that the city should now be referred to as Krolewiec, its name when it was ruled by the Kingdom of Poland in the 15th and 16th centuries.

“The current Russian name of this city is an artificial baptism unrelated to either the city or the region,” Poland’s committee on geographical standardisation said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision “bordered on madness”.

“We know that throughout history Poland has slipped from time to time into this madness of hatred towards Russians,” he told a daily news briefing.

Relations between Poland and Russia have historically often been very strained, including during and after World War Two.

Moscow says it liberated Poland when its forces drove out Nazi German forces at the end of the war. Most Poles believe the Soviet Union replaced Nazi occupation with another form of repression.

More recently, Poland, a member of the NATO military alliance, has strongly backed Ukraine after Russia‘s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, and has stepped up the demolition of memorials to fallen Soviet troops across the country.

Why North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Russia aren’t competing at Eurovision this year

Wednesday 10 May 2023 12:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

This week, Liverpool plays host to thousands of international guests as the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest gets underway.

Despite Ukraine’s win at last year’s competition, the UK city will put on the show on their behalf as the continued war with Russia makes it impossible to stage there.

The events at the Liverpool Arena will welcome 37 nations this year, as opposed to 40 in 2022.

Countries that will not make an appearance include North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Montenegro, as well as Russia for a second year running.

Russia was banned from competing in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. The banning decision was upheld by the European Broadcasting Union for 2023.

Why North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Russia aren’t competing at Eurovision this year

Putin’s Victory Day parade proves just how much pressure he is under

Wednesday 10 May 2023 11:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

It is meant to be a show of military might, but this year has only highlighted the war of attrition Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has become, writes Chris Stevenson:

Vladimir Putin’s annual Victory Day speech meandered down a familiar path that we have seen several times over the last few months – blaming the West for trying to destroy Russia culturally, while continuing to pervert the historical record by saying that it is only Russia that has truly fought Nazism.

The narrative he is trying to push is that the “real war” is not the one Moscow started in Ukraine, but one being waged on Russia by the West using Kyiv as a proxy. So far, so predictable. But the emphasis was clearly on convincing Russians of the need to push on, and the pride the country should have in the military personnel taking part in this war, whether they are fighting on the frontlines, providing supplies, or treating the injured. The phrase “There’s nothing stronger than love for the motherland” was among Putin’s closing words.

Analysis: Putin’s Russian Victory Day show proves just how much pressure he’s under

Staffing level is latest peril facing Ukraine nuclear plant

Wednesday 10 May 2023 11:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia plans to relocate around 2,700 Ukrainian staff from Europe’s largest nuclear plant, Ukraine’s atomic energy company claimed Wednesday, warning of a potential “catastrophic lack of qualified personnel” at the Zaporizhzhia facility in Russia-occupied southern Ukraine.

Workers who signed employment contracts with Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom following Moscow’s capture of the Zaporizhzhia plant early in the war are set to be taken to Russia along with their families, Energoatom said in a Telegram post.

Energoatom did not specify whether the employees would be forcibly moved out of the plant nor was it immediately possible to verify Energoatom’s claims about Moscow’s plan.

Removing staff would “exacerbate the already extremely urgent issue” of staff shortages, Energoatom said.

The Moscow-installed governor of the region ordered civilian evacuations from the area last Saturday, including from the nearby city of Enerhodar where most plant workers live. The full scope of the evacuation order was not clear.

Staffing level is latest peril facing Ukraine nuclear plant

Two Russian soldiers sentenced to jail for refusing to fight

Wednesday 10 May 2023 11:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Two Russian soldiers from Kamchatka in the far east have been sentenced to two and a half years each in prison for refusing to fight in Ukraine, human rights group OVD-Info said on Wednesday.

In separate rulings, the men, identified in military court documents as Alexander Stepanov and Andrei Mikhailov, were found guilty of refusing orders to go into combat during wartime. Russian President Vladimir Putin amended the criminal code last year to include prison sentences of up to three years for such violations.

The 35th Garrison Military Court in Kamchatka handed down the sentences to Stepanov and Mikhailov on April 25 and April 27, respectively. The men have not yet been sent to prison and have the option to appeal.

Putin ordered the mobilisation of an extra 300,000 troops last September to bolster Russia‘s war effort in Ukraine, where the army has sustained heavy losses in nearly 15 months of war. The move, unprecedented since World War Two, prompted hundreds of thousands of Russian men to flee the country to avoid being called up.

In February, a 20-year-old conscript soldier from the northern Urals committed suicide by hanging himself from a belt at his military station outside Moscow after he refused to go to Ukraine, OVD-Info reported.

“I do not want to obey people who inspire nothing but fear and disgust,” the soldier, Sergei Gridin, wrote in a suicide note. “Therefore, I decided to die here, in my native land, without someone else’s blood on my hands.”

Russia moves to 'denounce' European armed forces treaty - decree

Wednesday 10 May 2023 10:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia may formally “denounce” the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

The decree formally appoints Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to represent Putin during parliamentary proceedings on denouncing the treaty, which aimed to regulate the number of forces deployed by Warsaw Pact and NATO countries.

Russia announced in 2015 that it was completely halting its participation in the treaty.

Wagner chief claims Putin’s troops ‘abandon’ Bakhmut

Wednesday 10 May 2023 10:16 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed that Vladimir Putin’s troops have started to abandon their positions in Bakhmut.

“Today one of the units of the defence ministry fled from one of our flanks... exposing the front,” Mr Prigozhin said in a video.

The leader’s statement follows a week of emotionally charged threats to withdraw Wagner from the bloody frontline of Bakhmut due to a lack of ammunition.

Britain set to ban Russia's Wagner Group

Wednesday 10 May 2023 09:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Britain is set to formally classify Russian mercenary force Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation, which would impose financial sanctions and other penalties, as a way of increasing pressure on Russia.

Wagner mercenaries have spearheaded Russia‘s months-long assault on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The Home Office has been building a case for two months and proscription was “imminent” within weeks, the The Times reported, citing a government source.

If enacted, it would be a criminal offence to belong to Wagner, attend its meetings, encourage support for it or carry its logo in public, the paper said.

The designation would also impose financial sanctions on the group, and there would be implications for Wagner’s ability to raise money if any funds went through British financial institutions, the newspaper added.

There has been no evidence that Wagner or individuals linked to the group are operating in Britain since the war in Ukraine started, the report said.

However, there had been “suspicions” the group helped move money out of Britain after financial sanctions were imposed on Russian oligarchs and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the newspaper said, citing a government source.

Britain’s Home Office said it was looking into the report.

Ukraine’s first lady says 19,000 children have been illegally taken by Putin to ‘wipe their memories’

Wednesday 10 May 2023 08:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine’s first lady has suggested 19,000 Ukrainian children have been “illegally taken” by Vladimir Putin to “wipe their memories to retrain them into becoming Russians”.

Olena Zelenska spoke to Good Morning Britain in an interview aired on Tuesday morning (9 May).

“This is scary, 19,000 Ukrainian children now are illegally taken to Russia, this is a lot. They are not cars, fridges, cattle. They are people, children,” she said.

“Russia is making efforts to wipe their memories to retrain them into becoming Russians.”

Ms Zelenska added thousands of Ukrainian children have been “traumatised psychologically”.

Ukraine’s first lady says Putin has illegally taken children to ‘wipe their memories’

No quick deal in sight as EU countries start talks on new Russia sanctions

Wednesday 10 May 2023 08:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

European Union states hold a first discussion on Wednesday on proposed new sanctions over Russia‘s war in Ukraine that would target Chinese and Iranian firms and allow export curbs on third countries for busting existing trade restrictions.

Talks among EU envoys start at 0800 GMT and are set to be heated, according to one diplomat, with Russia hawks upset the plan doesn’t go far enough but others wary of damaging their international ties.

Widely differing perspectives mean a quick deal is not expected, several diplomats said.

The EU’s chief executive unveiled the plan on a symbolic trip to Kyiv on Tuesday - a counterbalance to annual celebrations in Moscow of the World War Two victory over Nazi Germany that President Vladimir Putin likens to his invasion of Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the new sanctions would focus on cracking down on circumvention of Russia trade curbs already in place, and were designed “in very close coordination” with Group of Seven (G7) nations.

“If we see that goods are going from the European Union to third countries and then end up in Russia, we could propose to the member states to sanction those goods’ export. This tool will be a last resort and it will be used cautiously,” she said.

She added the EU would stop transit via Russia of more of its exports, including advanced tech products and aircraft parts.

Diplomatic sources familiar with the proposal - drafted by von der Leyen’s Commission - said it also included blacklisting “tens” of new companies, including from China, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The new sanctions would highlight that oil tankers are not allowed to offload in high seas or arrive in ports with their GPS trackers off, an attempt to push back against flouting G7 restrictions on trading Russian oil, according to the sources.

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Wednesday 10 May 2023 08:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

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.

Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine

Governor of Russia's Kursk says 'enemy' drone shot down

Wednesday 10 May 2023 07:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s air defence forces shot down an “enemy” drone in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, its governor said on Wednesday, adding that falling debris damaged a gas pipeline and a house.

“Debris fell in the village of Tolmachevo. No one was hurt,” the regional governor, Roman Starovoyt, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the report.

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia and on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.

However, Kyiv has recently said that undermining Russia‘s logistics is part of preparation for a planned counteroffensive.

Russia’s Wagner mercenaries to be labelled terror group like Islamic State

Wednesday 10 May 2023 07:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The UK is set to designate Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group as a proscribed terrorist organisation, it is understood.

The Times quoted a Government source as saying the move was “imminent” and likely to be enacted within weeks after two months spent building a legal case.

Proscription would make it a criminal offence to join Wagner, encourage support for it, display its logo in public or attend its meetings.

Among other organisation on the Government’s proscribed list are the Islamic State, al Qaida and neo-Nazi group National Action.

It comes as Labour demanded ministers formally label the Wagner Group a terror outfit after accusing it of committing “appalling atrocities”.

Russia’s Wagner mercenaries to be labelled terror group like Islamic State

Russia paraded lone tank to avoid domestic criticism, says MoD

Wednesday 10 May 2023 06:55 , Arpan Rai

Russia chose to display just a single vintage T-34 from a ceremonial unit in its Victory Day parade and, despite heavy losses in Ukraine, could have fielded more armoured vehicles, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

“The authorities likely refrained from doing so because they want to avoid domestic criticism about prioritising parades over combat operations,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

The make-up of Russia’s annual Victory Day parade in Red Square highlighted the material and strategic communications challenges the military is facing 15 months into the war in Ukraine, it added.

“Over 8,000 personnel reportedly took part in the parade, but the majority were auxiliary, paramilitary forces, and cadets from military training establishments,” the ministry said, pointing that the only personnel from deployable formations of regular forces were contingents of Railway Troops and military police.

Russia says ‘enemy’ drone shot down, no injuries

Wednesday 10 May 2023 06:42 , Arpan Rai

Russia’s air defence forces have shot down an “enemy” drone in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, its governor said on Wednesday.

The falling debris from the drone has damaged a gas pipeline and a house, the governor said.

“Debris fell in the village of Tolmachevo. No one was hurt,” the regional governor, Roman Starovoyt, said on the Telegram messaging app.

A single tank, fewer soldiers and no flypast in Putin’s Victory Day parade

Wednesday 10 May 2023 06:17 , Arpan Rai

After Russia attacked Ukraine with its latest barrage of cruise missiles, Vladimir Putin made an angry speech to mark Victory Day in Moscow, hitting out at Western countries for starting what he claims is a “real war” against Russia.

However, in a sign of the toll his invasion of Ukraine has taken on Russia’s forces, the annual military parade across Red Square was pared back, as Moscow throws manpower and weaponry at the frontlines following an underwhelming winter campaign and an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Read the full story here:

Vladimir Putin gives angry speech at stripped-back Victory Day parade

Journalist working for AFP killed in rocket attack in Ukraine

Wednesday 10 May 2023 05:41 , Arpan Rai

French international news agency Agence France-Presse has confirmed the death of its Ukraine video coordinator in a rocket attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Arman Soldin, 32, was with a team of AFP journalists traveling with Ukrainian soldiers when the group came under fire with Grad rockets, the agency said. The rest of the AFP team was uninjured.

“His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine,” said AFP chairman Fabrice Fries.

AFP said it was “devastated” at Soldin’s death and “all of our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones.”

At least 10 media workers have been killed while covering the war in Ukraine, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Ukraine mocks Putin’s Victory Day parade: ‘Loneliest little tank in the world'

Wednesday 10 May 2023 04:28 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has ridiculed the display of a single tank by Moscow at the grand Victory Day celebrations attended by Vladimir Putin.

“This ‘Victory Day’ Russia had exactly one tank rolling down Russian Red Square. A T-34, first produced in 1940. To the loneliest little tank in the world, best of luck," the ministry said in a video, calling it a tribue to Russia.

Pentagon says Ukraine downed 'hypersonic' missile with Patriot

Wednesday 10 May 2023 04:22 , Arpan Rai

Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder says he can confirm Ukraine’s claim to have downed a Russian Kinzhal missile, touted by Moscow as being capable of reaching unstoppable hypersonic speeds.

Mr Ryder said the feat was accomplished using a US Patriot defence system, and that Washington will continue to support Kyiv with military aid to defend itself against Russian cruise missiles and Iranian drones.

“I can confirm that they did down a Russian missile by employing the Patriot missile defence system. As you know, that – that system is part of a broader range of air defence capabilities that the United States and the international community have provided to Ukraine. I listed out some of those, you know, as part of their multi-layered integrated air defence capability,” the Pentagon official said in a press briefing.

He added: “And so as secretary [Lloyd] Austin highlighted about three weeks ago at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, the US, our allies, our partners, we’re going to continue to rush ground-based air defence capabilities and munitions to help Ukraine control its sovereign skies and to help Ukraine defend its citizens from Russian cruise missiles and Iranian drones.”

“And again, as evidenced by today’s USAI (Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative) announcement and the procurement of additional air defence systems and munitions, this is something that we’re going to keep after both in the near term and the long term,” Mr Ryder said.

There is some debate over whether the Kinzhal missile is truly hypersonic, though it was described as being the first hypersonic weapon launched against Ukraine by Russia last year. Moscow says it can achieve speeds up to Mach 10, but a Nato report has indicated it may actually be significantly slower than that.

Britain set to ban Russia’s Wagner Group – report

Wednesday 10 May 2023 04:02 , Arpan Rai

Britain is set to formally classify Russia’s mercenary force Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation, rolling out financial sanctions and other penalties against the private militia.

The Home Office has been building a case for two months and proscription was “imminent” within weeks, reported The Times, citing a government source.

If the branding as terror group is confirmed, it would be a criminal offence to belong to Wagner, attend its meetings, encourage support for it or carry its logo in public.

Wagner mercenaries have led Russia’s months-long assault on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut along with its military activities in Africa.

Under these sanctions by the UK, Wagner’s ability to raise money will be served a blow if any of the finances were channeled through the British financial institutions.

“Suspicions” about Wagner helping move money out of Britain after financial sanctions were imposed on Russian oligarchs and allies of Russian president Vladimir Putin have been rife, the newspaper said, citing a government source.

Britain’s Home Office said it was looking into the Times report.

Pakistan plans Russian-Saudi oil ‘cocktail’ to help cut energy costs

Wednesday 10 May 2023 03:00 , Liam James

Pakistan is planning to blend newly purchased Russian crude with Arabian light crude in order to create a mixture that will be more easily processed by the nation’s oil refineries, Pakistan’s energy minister said on Tuesday.

The country is planning to purchase Russian crude oil at a discount as high prices caused by geopolitical tensions have caused fuel prices to more than double in Pakistan.

Western countries that have imposed a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil as part of sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine say that the cap is also forcing Russia to sell oil to developing countries at lower prices.

Russia’s heavier grades of crude oil are more difficult to process in Pakistan’s refineries, which are configured to process lighter Arabian crudes, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik told Reuters in an interview in Washington on Tuesday.

Imagine Dragons release music video shot in Ukraine

Wednesday 10 May 2023 22:09 , Sam Rkaina

US rock band Imagine Dragons have released a new music video shot in Ukraine.

The group posted a short clip of the footage on Twitter, urging fans to donate to help families struggling in the war.

Estonians gather on riverbank for peek of Russian Victory Day concert

Wednesday 10 May 2023 02:00 , Liam James

After Estonia banned Soviet Victory Day celebrations, several hundred people in the Russian-speaking town of Narva watched celebrations across the river which separates it from Russia.

A large stage and a screen was set up near the river in Russia, 200 metres away from the river promenade where people gathered with binoculars and flowers and clapped to the music.

Thousands would gather in Narva each year on 9 May, when Russia celebrates Soviet Victory Day to mark the end of World War Two in Europe, but the events were banned after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, and Soviet war monuments were removed from the town.

Governments in Estonia, like the other Baltic states of Latvia and Lithuania, see the Soviet victory in 1945 as a renewal of the brutal occupation of their lands, which were annexed into Soviet Union in 1940. Now members of Nato and the European Union, they are among the staunchest supporters of Ukraine and critics of Russia.

‘No guarantee’ Ukraine counteroffensive will be success, says UK’s Cleverly

Wednesday 10 May 2023 01:00 , Liam James

Ukraine has “consistently outperformed” expectations in its response to Russia’s invasion, Britain’s foreign secretary said, before warning there are no “guarantees” it will make gains in its forthcoming counteroffensive.

Speaking during a visit to the US, James Cleverly said international allies must remain “resolute” in their support of the country regardless of the outcome.

He said: “Of course there has been an economic impact on the people of the United States and the United Kingdom - this is not a by-product of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, this is part of the conflict.

“We should recognise that if we do not re-establish the principles of the UN carter, the foundation stone of peace in the post-Second World War era, that powerful nations cannot invade their neighbours with impunity, the world will be more dangerous, more expensive, more difficult.

“So this is not just about Ukraine, though the Ukrainians have been suffering enormously and its right that we defend them, it is about us, and it is in our interest as well as in the Ukrainians’ interest that we stay resolute in our support”.

US announces £1bn aid for Ukraine

Wednesday 10 May 2023 00:00 , Liam James

The United States announced on Tuesday a new $1.2 (£1bn) billion military aid package for Ukraine that will include aircdefense systems, ammunition and funds for training, the Pentagon said.

Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds will be used to purchase the weapons, allowing President Joe Biden’s administration to buy weapons from industry rather than pull them from US stocks. Delivery of the weapons and systems depends on their availability and production timeline.

In the package, Ukraine will receive additional air defense systems and munitions as well as the technology to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles and radars with Ukraine‘s native defense systems. The funds will pay for 155-mm Howitzer ammunition, counter-drone ammunition, satellite imagery and various types of training, the Pentagon said.

Eurovision support gives ‘power’ to Ukraine, says contest winner

Tuesday 9 May 2023 23:00 , Liam James

Support to Ukraine from Eurovision fans gives “power” to the country, a former winner has said.

Ruslana, who won for Ukraine at the 2004 song contest, appeared in an English National Opera Does Eurovision performance at the fan village at Liverpool’s Pier Head on Tuesday.

The singer, who lives in Kyiv, told the PA news agency: “It’s very difficult to tell you about the emotions I have inside.

“My heart is in Ukraine, my heartbeat vibration is in Ukraine all the time.

“Let’s help Ukraine to win. It’s very important.

“It doesn’t matter what you want to do or how, which way you will choose to do that.

“Send your vibration from the heart, this is the biggest power. It gives us a big power.”

AFP journalist killed in Ukraine

Tuesday 9 May 2023 22:00 , Liam James

Arman Soldin, a 32-year-old video journalist for Agence France Presse (AFP) in Ukraine, was killed on Tuesday by Grad rocket fire near Chasiv Yar, in eastern Ukraine, AFP said on Twitter, citing AFP colleagues who witnessed the incident.

The attack happened in the town’s outskirts close to Bakhmut, the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine for several months, AFP added.

Soldin was with four colleagues, who are all unhurt. They were with Ukrainian soldiers during the attack, AFP said on Twitter.

“All of our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones,” AFP said.

Zaporizhzhia situation deteriorating, says report

Tuesday 9 May 2023 21:00 , Liam James

The situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine, is deteriorating, Germany’s Funke Media Group reported.

According to Ukraine‘s state-owned operating company Energoatom, Russia is bringing more troops and military vehicles to the site of the nuclear power plant.

“The situation of equipment and personnel is deteriorating,” Energoatom president Petro Kotin told Funke.

Russia began evacuating civilians from nearby settlements over the weekend, while the head of a UN nuclear watchdog said he was increasingly worried about the situation at the Russian-occupied plant.

Yesterday, Russian officials told the Tass news agency that the nuclear reactors were being temporarily shut down, claiming that the move was taken out of fear of Ukrainian attacks.

UK ‘would welcome’ Chinese intervention in Ukraine

Tuesday 9 May 2023 20:30 , Liam James

The UK would welcome an intervention by Chinese president Xi Jinping to help broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, according to the foreign secretary.

Speaking during a visit to the US, James Cleverly said Britain would not be critical if Mr Xi chose to use his “significant degree of influence” with Russian president Vladimir Putin to bring about a “just and sustainable” peace settlement.

The cabinet minister also warned the West that it had to be ready for the expected spring offensive by Kyiv to fail to make a decisive breakthrough against Russia’s troops.

Taking questions during an event hosted by the Atlantic Council, Mr Cleverly was asked for his view on whether the West should be open to Beijing playing a role in trying to co-ordinate a ceasefire in eastern Europe.

Mr Xi is thought to be on good terms with Mr Putin, having visited Moscow in March.

Victory Day parade in pictures

Tuesday 9 May 2023 20:00 , Liam James

Victory Day, the holiday commemorating the Soviet triumph in World War Two, is the most important day in the calendar in Russia under Vladimir Putin.

The centrepiece of celebrations is the president’s speech in Moscow, accompanied by a parade in Red Square.

This year’s parade was full of traditional pomp but unmistakably scaled down from previous years. In place of phalanxes of modern battle tanks, a single World War Two-vintage T-34 tank rolled across the square. The usual fighter jet flyover was cancelled.

Lukashenko’s ropey Victory Day appearance sparks health rumours

Tuesday 9 May 2023 19:30 , Liam James

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had to be driven a short distance to an event during Tuesday’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow and skipped a lunch hosted by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Lukashenko, a close Putin ally, looked tired and a little unsteady on his feet, and a bandage was visible on his right hand. His appearance sparked speculation online about his health, though he otherwise showed no obvious sign of being unwell.

Video footage showed the 68-year-old chatting with Putin and army top brass after the annual parade on Red Square and then taking a lift to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier nearby while Putin walked there with the leaders of Armenia and five Central Asian countries.

He rejoined the others to lay flowers at the Tomb beside the Kremlin, only about 300 metres from the spot where they had earlier watched the parade marking the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

In a rare departure from custom, the Belarusian president then missed the state lunch hosted by Putin in the Kremlin and attended by the other leaders.

Zelensky says Russia has ‘failed to capture Bakhmut’

Tuesday 9 May 2023 19:00 , Liam James

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow had failed to capture Bakhmut despite a self-imposed deadline to give Putin a battlefield trophy in time for the holiday.

Moscow regards capturing Bakhmut as a stepping stone towards taking other cities in Ukraine’s industrial east.

Ukraine said its air defences had shot down 23 of 25 Russian cruise missiles fired chiefly at the capital Kyiv overnight, and there were no reported casualties.

Russia’s defence ministry said it had “launched a concentrated strike using high-precision, long-range sea and air-based weapons aimed against enemy barracks and ammunition depots”.

After a weeks-long hiatus, Russia in late April resumed its tactic of long-range missile strikes against Ukraine and has launched a flurry of attacks in recent days.

The day provided Zelensky an opportunity to demonstrate Ukraine’s clear break from Moscow by hosting von der Leyen.

“Our efforts for a united Europe, for security and peace, need to be as strong as Russia’s desire to destroy our security, our freedom, our Europe,” Zelensky said at their joint press conference in Kyiv.

Russia’s increasing diplomatic isolation has drawn Moscow closer to China, and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday that Beijing would maintain lines of communication with all parties to the war in Ukraine in seeking a ceasefire.

“As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and responsible major country, China will neither watch the fire from the other bank nor add fuel to the fire,” Qin told reporters alongside German counterpart Annalena Baerbock during a visit to Berlin.

Putin’s Victory Day Speech

Tuesday 9 May 2023 18:30 , Sam Rkaina

Putin struck a rousing note in his Victory Day speech, saying all of Russia was praying for its heroes at the front and concluding with a cheer for “Russia, for our valiant Armed Forces, for victory!”

After he spoke, a band struck up and cannon fired a salute. Soldiers marched through Red Square followed by armoured vehicles and nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles.

But the Moscow parade was much shorter than usual. Security concerns following attacks including drones that exploded over the Kremlin citadel last week meant parades in some other cities were scaled back or called off. Traditional “Immortal Regiment” processions, in which people carry portraits of relatives who fought against the Nazis, were cancelled.

In Kyiv there were no reported casualties from Russia’s latest volley of air strikes on the capital. Debris fell on a house in the Holosiivskyi district in the southwest of Kyiv but caused little damage, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said. Debris lay in a road in Kyiv’s central Shevchenkivskyi district.

“As at the front, the plans of the aggressor failed,” said Sergei Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration.

Russia has stepped up its attacks in anticipation of a Ukrainian counteroffensive, after Moscow’s winter campaign captured little territory despite the bloodiest ground combat in Europe since World War Two.

Russia marks the Nazi surrender of May 8, 1945 on the following day, because it took effect when it was already after midnight in Moscow. Ukraine symbolised its break from Moscow on Monday by announcing it was shifting its observance to May 8.

Instead, Kyiv proclaimed May 9 as Europe Day, a date observed by the EU to commemorate the post-war integration movement that led to the founding of the European Union.

“Kyiv, as the capital of Ukraine, is the beating heart of today’s European values,” von der Leyen said at her news conference with Zelenskiy. “Courageously, Ukraine is fighting for the ideals of Europe that we celebrate today.”

A single tank, fewer soldiers and no flypast: Putin gives angry speech at stripped-back Victory Day parade

Tuesday 9 May 2023 18:00 , Liam James

Russia attacked Ukraine with its latest barrage of cruise missiles, before Vladimir Putin made an angry speech to mark Victory Day in Moscow – hitting out at Western countries for starting what he claims is a “real war” against his nation (Chris Stevenson writes).

However, in a sign of the toll that his invasion of Ukraine has taken on Russia’s forces, the annual military parade across Red Square was pared back as Moscow throws manpower and weaponry at the frontlines following an underwhelming winter offensive and an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“Today civilisation is once again at a decisive turning point,” Mr Putin said as he again sought to defend his invasion of Ukraine by painting Russia as being cornered by “Western global elites”.

“A real war has been unleashed against our motherland,” he said.

The most abiding image of the parade, part of commemorations of the Soviet victory over the Nazi’s in the Second World War that have become a centrepiece of Putin’s time in office, was of a single T-34 Soviet-era tank rolling down the road near the start of what is usually a show of Russian military might. The T-34 has traditionally opening the display, but it is usually accompanied by more modern battle tanks, such as the T-14 Armata and a T-74, both of which have been used in Ukraine.

Click here to read on:

Vladimir Putin gives angry speech at stripped-back Victory Day parade

Tuesday recap: Putin thunders against “Western global elites”

Tuesday 9 May 2023 17:30 , Sam Rkaina

Russia fired cruise missiles at Kyiv and paraded troops across Moscow’s Red Square for its annual celebration of victory in World War Two, pared back amid shortages of manpower and arms at the front after a failed winter campaign in Ukraine.

In a fiery 10-minute speech in front of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin thundered against “Western global elites” and said civilisation was at “a decisive turning point”.

“A real war has been unleashed against our homeland,” said the Russian leader, who last year ordered what the West calls an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, destroying cities and killing thousands of civilians.

Underlining how the war has isolated Russia from most of Europe and pushed Ukraine closer to the West, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was visiting Kyiv, where she called Ukraine “the beating heart of today’s European values”.

The holiday commemorating the Soviet victory in World War Two is the most important day in the calendar in Russia under Putin, who casts his invasion of Ukraine as analogous to Russia’s fight against the Nazis. Ukraine, which suffered proportionally greater losses than Russia in World War Two, calls that an abuse of shared history to justify aggression.

The parade was full of traditional pomp but unmistakably scaled down from previous years. In place of phalanxes of modern battle tanks, a single World War Two-vintage T-34 rolled across Red Square. The usual fighter jet flyover was cancelled.

Putin’s message was also undermined by a new profanity-laced tirade from the boss of Russia’s Wagner private army directed at Moscow’s generals for failing to give his forces enough weapons.

“A combat order came yesterday which clearly stated that if we leave our positions (in Bakhmut), it will be regarded as treason against the motherland,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message. “(But) if there is no ammunition, then we will leave our positions and be the ones asking who is really betraying the Motherland.”

US disrupts long-running Russian cyberespionage campaign

Tuesday 9 May 2023 17:00 , Sam Rkaina

The US Justice Department says it has disrupted a long-running Russian cyberespionage campaign that stole sensitive information from computer networks in dozens of countries, including the U.S. and other NATO members.

Prosecutors linked the spying operation to a unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, and accused the hackers of stealing documents from hundreds of computer systems belonging to governments of NATO members, an unidentified journalist for a U.S. news organization who reported on Russia, and other select targets of interest to the Kremlin.

“For 20 years, the FSB has relied on the Snake malware to conduct cyberespionage against the United States and our allies — that ends today,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, the head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said in a statement.

The specific targets were not named in court papers, but U.S. officials described the espionage campaign as “consequential,” having successfully exfiltrated sensitive documents from NATO countries and also targeted U.S. government agencies and others in the U.S.

The Russian operation relied on the malicious software known as Snake to infect computers, with hackers operating from what the Justice Department said was a known FSB facility in Ryazan, Russia.

U.S. officials said they’d been investigating Snake for about a decade and came to regard it as the most sophisticated malware implant relied on by the Russian government for espionage campaigns. They said Turla, the FSB unit believed responsible for the malware, had refined and revised it multiple times as a way to avoid being shut down.

The Justice Department, using a warrant this week from a federal judge in Brooklyn, launched what it said was a high-tech operation using a specialized tool called Perseus that caused the malware to effectively self-destruct. Federal officials said they were confident that, based on the impact of its operation this week, the FSB would not be able to reconstitute the malware implant.

Japan working towards opening of NATO liaison office in Tokyo

Tuesday 9 May 2023 16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Japan is working towards the opening of a NATO liaison office in Tokyo, Japan’s ambassador to the U.S. Koji Tomita said on Tuesday.

Tomita made the comment at an event hosted by the National Press Club in Washington when asked about a report in the Nikkei Asia this month saying that the U.S.-led alliance was planning to open such an office, its first in Asia, to facilitate consultations in the region.

“The point you mentioned is one of the things that we are working on to strengthen our partnership. But I really haven’t heard any final confirmation of that, but we are working in that direction,” he said.

NATO has not confirmed the Nikkei report, saying it would not go into details of NATO allies’ ongoing deliberations.

Tomita, who was briefing on the G7 summit Japan will host in Hiroshima from May 19-21, said the meeting would be looking for closer alignment of the group’s approach towards China.

Nikkei Asia said the liaison office was due to open next year and would enable discussions with NATO’s security partners, such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, with geopolitical challenges from China and Russia in mind.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg visited Japan in January and pledged with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to strengthen ties in the face off “historic” security challenges, citing Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine and China’s rising military power.

After the Nikkei Asia report,

China said “high vigilance” was needed in the face of NATO’s “eastward expansion.”

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Tuesday 9 May 2023 15:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

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.

Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine

Britain asks companies to supply long-range missiles for Ukraine

Tuesday 9 May 2023 15:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A British-led group of European countries has asked for expressions of interest to supply Ukraine with missiles with a range of up to 300 km (190 miles) in what would be another step-up in military support for Kyiv against Russia‘s invasion.

The call for responses from companies who could provide such missiles was included in a notice posted last week by the International Fund for Ukraine - a group of countries including Britain, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden - set up to send weapons to Kyiv.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence, which administers the fund, asked companies to get in touch if they could provide missiles that can be launched from land, sea or air with a payload of between 20 and 490 kg (44 and 1,078 pounds).

The notice asked for other desirable requirements including a “low probability of intercept”, “mission planning capability”, and “air defence penetration methods to increase probability of successful strike”. The notice said companies that responded would be contacted from June 5.

A British official said no final decision had been made to send missiles with these capabilities to Ukraine.

The Washington Post reported details of the procurement notice earlier on Tuesday.

Britain and other Western countries have scaled up their pledges of military aid for Ukraine this year.

Britain said in January it would send 14 of its main Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. Other nations including the United States and Germany subsequently committed to supply tanks.

Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine‘s defence minister, told Reuters that Kyiv had no concrete information about the UK-led effort to supply long-range missiles, but that Ukraine had for months been consistently appealing to Western governments to provide long-range weapons.

“We would welcome it if the UK takes on a leadership role with the long-range missiles, in the same way they did with the Challenger 2 main battle tanks,” he said.

Bank apologises after mortgage refused over Ukrainian refugees

Tuesday 9 May 2023 15:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A bank has issued an apology after rejecting a homeowner’s mortgage application due to them hosting two Ukrainian refugees.

A mother and her young daughter have been staying in an annexe at Dominik Zaum’s family home since June 2022.

Fixed-rate mortgage deals leapt up in the wake of last autumn’s disastrous mini-budget, with many predicting they will continue to edge up even further as the Bank of England looks set to hike interest rates.

When his mortgage came up for renewal, Mr Zaum, like many others, begun shopping around for a new deal – and eventually applied for one with Halifax, he told BBC Radio 4’s Money Box programme.

Emily Atkinson reports:

Bank apologises after mortgage refused over Ukrainian refugees

Russian mercenary chief says he's been told to stay in Bakhmut or be branded traitor

Tuesday 9 May 2023 14:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The head of Russia‘s Wagner mercenary force fighting in eastern Ukraine said on Tuesday said he had been told he and his men would be regarded as traitors if they abandoned their positions in the city of Bakhmut.

But Yevgeny Prigozhin said for the second time in a matter of days that his forces would leave Bakhmut if they did not receive the ammunition they needed to press the battle.

He delivered his latest tirade in a profanity-laced audio message which coincided with Russia marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two with its traditional parade on Moscow’s Red Square.

“A combat order came yesterday which clearly stated that if we leave our positions (in Bakhmut), it will be regarded as treason against the motherland. That was the message to us,” Prigozhin said.

“(But) if there is no ammunition, then we will leave our positions and be the ones asking who is really betraying the Motherland. Apparently, the one (betraying the Motherland) is the person who signed it (the order to supply too little ammunition.”

He said his forces would stay in Bakhmut and keep insisting they get their ammo “for a few more days”.

Prigozhin has previously accused the defence ministry of deliberately starving his forces of ammunition. The ministry has said it is working to ensure all battlefield units have what they need.

Late on Monday, Prigozhin said there were signs the ammunition problem was being solved but on Tuesday he said the size of the shipment had been slashed.

“They’ve given us only 10% of what we asked for. We’ve been deceived,” he said.

Watch: Putin accuses the West of ‘creating a real cult of Nazism’

Tuesday 9 May 2023 13:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin said the West is “creating a real cult of Nazism” as he delivered an angry Victory Day speech in Moscow’s Red Square.

The Russian president also accused the “Western elite and globalists” of encouraging “Russophobia” as he addressed crowds on Tuesday 9 May.

“We see that in a number of countries, they are destroying the memorials to the Soviet fighters, to the great generals, they are creating a real cult of Nazism,” Mr Putin said.

He also suggested the “mocking of the memory of past generations is a real crime”.

Watch: Putin accuses the West of ‘creating a real cult of Nazism’

The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary

Tuesday 9 May 2023 13:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

It was a month into Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces had withdrawn from around Kyiv and in their wake Bel Trew and her team stumbled on a body by an abandoned Russian camp.

His hands were tied. He had been burned and shot in the back. Soldiers said he was a teenager.

As Bel tried to find out who he was and what had happened, she uncovered a nightmare world: a nation struggling to find thousands of its missing and to identify its dead.

The Body in the Woods by Bel Trew is streaming now on Independent TV and on your smart TV.

The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary

The scale of the attack underlines the importance of the next phase in this war

Tuesday 9 May 2023 13:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The dozens of drones fired at Ukraine by Russia is a sign of the crucial juncture we have reached in the invasion.

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, described it as the “biggest” such attack he had seen, with airstrikes and missiles also used on other cities. It was the fourth such attack on the capital in little more than a week, although Mr Klitschko said all the drones aimed at the city had been shot down.

Moscow has stepped-up its long-range assault ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive. The drone attacks followed a lull in the wave of Russian airstrikes.

Russia is due to commemorate Victory Day on Tuesday, which marks the victory of the Soviet Union over the Nazis in the Second World War. It is an important occasion in the country and has only increased in significance for Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin since Moscow started its invasion of Ukraine last February.

Scale of drone attack on Ukraine underlines importance of the next phase in this war

Russia says it launched missiles against Ukraine overnight

Tuesday 9 May 2023 12:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s defence ministry said on Tuesday its forces had launched missile strikes at targets across Ukraine overnight, disrupting Kyiv’s supplies of ammunition to the frontline and troop movements, Russian news agencies reported.

The defence ministry also said fighting continued in the western part of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces have been trying for months to seize in one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

Russia launches mass drone attacks on Ukraine ahead of Victory Day holiday

Tuesday 9 May 2023 12:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia launched its biggest swarm of drone attacks on Ukraine on Monday as it also prepared for annual commemorations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, said Russia fired 60 Iranian-made kamikaze drones at Ukrainian targets, including 36 at the capital. All those fired at Kyiv had been shot down he said, although debris hit apartments and other buildings, injuring at least five people.

“This was the most massive drone attack on the capital during the entire war,” Mr Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxing champion, said.

The assault is part of a renewed Russian air campaign unleashed 10 days ago after a lull since early March.

Russia launches huge drone attacks on Ukraine ahead of Victory Day holiday

Ukraine discusses integration with EU

Tuesday 9 May 2023 12:07 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed European integration, defence matters and sanctions against Russia at talks on Tuesday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

After talks held in Kyiv as Russia celebrated the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, Zelensky said he expected the European Union to soon approve more sanctions on Russia over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine says Russia still pounding Bakhmut, has failed to capture it

Tuesday 9 May 2023 11:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday Russian forces were still attacking the eastern city of Bakhmut, missing a deadline to capture it before the May 9 holiday celebrated in Moscow as Victory Day.

A Ukrainian general said on Sunday that Russian forces were hoping to capture Bakhmut before the annual holiday when Russia marks the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

“The enemy has not taken Bakhmut,” Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for Ukraine‘s eastern command, said by telephone. “There are no significant changes in positions.”

Ukraine‘s military is preparing a widely anticipated counteroffensive to try to recapture Russian-occupied territory in the south and east.

Russian and Ukrainian forces have been fighting over Bakhmut for months. Russia sees capturing Bakhmut as a stepping stone to taking other Ukrainian cities.